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November 8, 2016

Lullingstone Roman Villa, Kent

We are in Kent for a week. So northernvicar is almost as far south as he can go. I’ve blogged Roman sites before, though this isn’t Hadrian’s Wall. I usually blog churches, so Lullingstone will tick that box. Saturday 5 November was a bit of a grey morning as we negotiated ourselves up narrow roads, then the M25, and to Lullingstone Roman Villa – website. It has been many years since we’ve been here, and the English Heritage site has had a makeover (a very good one). There is disability access all through, so we started with a trip upstairs to...
Categories Kent/Railway History/Roman Britain Comments: 0
November 7, 2016

Myddle, Shropshire – St Peter

I had a day on the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway – my favourite. On my return I stopped at Myddle – St Peter’s church is at SJ 467236, in the middle of the village. The church website is here and there is a church history page here. I remember this book, I’m sure I read it many years ago. “Written between the years 1700 and 1706, Richard Gough’s history of Myddle in Shropshire is a biographical profile of a complete village during the 17th century. Gough wrote brief biographies of many of the people living in the village, derived...
Categories Railway History/Shropshire/World War 1 Comments: 2
October 16, 2016

Derby Roundhouse

Derby Roundhouse dates back to 1839. It is at SK364356, just to the east of the railway station. It is now the HQ of Derby College, and there are regular guided tours, for the princely sum of £6 – book through this website. I went on Saturday 8 October. The College website has a page about the Roundhouse here, and there are rather amazing Christmas parties at this website. The railway came to Derby that year, with a line from the London and Birmingham at Rugby north to Chesterfield, the old route east of Sheffield, up towards York. Robert...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0
October 9, 2016

Nottingham Midland Station

Sunday 2 October was Harvest Sunday at St Edmund’s, Allestree. The flowers were lovely, with sunflowers grown by Ella, Saturday’s bride. There were 99 at the main service, though I sacked my churchwardens for failing to find an extra 1.   It was a beautiful afternoon, so I went off chasing trains. East Midlands Parkway is in the shadow of the old power station. Due to engineering work trains are heading north via the High Level Goods Line – Toton South Junction to Meadow Lane Junction was new track for me – then through Toton Centre and Toton North...
Categories Nottinghamshire/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 0
October 2, 2016

Little Longstone Congregational Church, Derbyshire

After a morning’s work and old people’s lunch club (eat roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and call it work) on Tuesday 27 September, I collected our friend Jess at Duffield Station (she had been in Birmingham all morning) and we drove up the A6 to Bakewell. We parked and had a wander, then continued on to Monsal Head – website. We had a lovely walk down the side of the valley, across the River Wye, and up to the railway. Headstone Viaduct dates back to 1863, and it is great to be able to walk across and through the tunnel.  ...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 0
September 12, 2016

Chesterfield, Derbyshire – Holy Trinity

This weekend is Heritage Open Days, but Thursday and Friday were both too busy to get out. We started Saturday 10 September with a visit to the Allestree Autumn Fair, then went for a drive to Chesterfield. Holy Trinity church – SK383716 – has the grave of George Stephenson, so this was the obvious place to go (the church with the funny steeple will have to wait). The church has a website. As you can see, we parked right outside, and got a lovely welcome. They have a very comfy vestibule, the kettle was on and the cakes were...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 0
September 4, 2016

Eastriggs, Gretna and Quintinshill, Dumfries and Galloway

A week’s holiday near Dumfries – lovely Sykes Cottage. I won’t blog the whole holiday, but there’s a couple of churches to come. I will blog a museum, a Church Hall, and a railway accident – a day exploring on Monday 29 August 2016. The Devil’s Porridge Museum at Eastriggs remembers all those who worked in the WW1 ammunition factories that stretched across from here, through Gretna, to Longtown – a distance of about 9 miles. We knew quite a lot about them from the play Timbertown Girls which we saw in Carlisle last summer – see my blog. The...
Categories Railway History/Scotland/World War 1 Comments: 0
August 24, 2016

Alsop en le Dale, Derbyshire – St Michael

Wednesday 24 August was a beautiful day. After a morning service we drove to Ashbourne and parked in the centre. It is not the most Julie-wheelchair-friendly town, but Costa is accessible and there is a very good Oxfam bookshop. Those of you who know my wife will know that was expensive. Then we drove north and went to Alsop en le Dale – I last looked down on this village from my balloon. St Michael’s church is at SK160551, park of the Peak Five group. The house opposite is quite special too. A welcoming notice telling me the church is open, and...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0
August 21, 2016

Glasgow – St Andrew’s Catholic Cathedral

There was a cheap deal on Virgin Trains, and a day return from Crewe to Glasgow for £14 is not to be sniffed at. On time into Glasgow, and time for a walk. I had never been down to the Clyde, so walked down the side of the station to the river. It is not the most beautiful river, but there is a bridge leaflet here. The piers are those of the first Caledonian Railway Bridge, built in 1878 and demolished in 1966. The current railway bridge is the 1905 Caledonian Railway Company’s ‘New Clyde Viaduct’. Before opening it was load tested...
Categories Railway History/Scotland/World War 1 Comments: 0
August 8, 2016

Duffield, Derbyshire – St Alkmund

Duffield church – SK350428 – is dedicated to St Alkmund, a Northumbrian prince and Mercian martyr. We met him at Whitchurch last August – northernvicar’s blog – I did not expect to be working in Derby a year later. There are six churches dedicated to this exiled Prince of Northumbria who was murdered in 800 AD in Northworthy (now called Derby)  by bodyguards sent by the usurping King Eardulf of Northubria. He was canonised shortly afterwards, and his coffin is now in Derby museum – St Alkmund’s church (or the Victorian building on the site) disappeared under the ring...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0