After lunch beside Rutland Water we headed south through North Luffenham and across the railway (barriers controlled from Ketton box). Then the A6121 and B672 which took us under the Harringworth (Welland) Viaduct. The field on the south side of the road is Seaton Meadows nature reserve – website – which means there are lots of opportunities to take photos (the website has a lovely photo of the viaduct through a blanket of wild flowers). There is a history of the viaduct on the village website.
The line between Kettering and Manton Junction (on the Peterborough-Leicester line) didn’t open until 1880 – so quite a late line. It has 82 arches, each with a 40 foot span – total length 1,275 yards. It is the longest masonry viaduct in Britain. The contractors were Lucas & Aird, and the viaduct contains 20 million bricks, 20,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 19,000 cubic feet of stone. It is now used by some freight and a couple of passenger trains a day – I rode over it the other week, see my post about Leicester.
We continued into the village of Harringworth, and we’re now in Northamptonshire. The church is dedicated to St John the Baptist – SP916074. The tower is C12 with a C14 tower. Enjoy the figures.
The porch is C15, but much re-built, and the arches are C13.
We have a C14 nave, with ancient font and rather nice woodwork.
It is a late C13 chancel. The Sedilia is, to quote the guidebook, “rather battered by time during its 500 years.” The kneelers are more C21, and rather fun. The tapestry is 1989 – I like the Kingfisher, and the kneelers are lovely.
The East Window was installed as a War Memorial, rather nice glass.
In the north aisle is a vault which was used as the burial place for members of the Tryon family at Bulwick Park from late C17 to 1833. The ironwork dates to £1700. The organ came from Deene Church, and the monuments are worth a good look. I like the arch shape on the windows.
Back outside, look at the viaduct and the snowdrops.
