February 15, 2018

Martindale, Cumbria – St Peter

Bampton to Martindale is not very far as the crow flies – a bit further when Clare is driving. Pooley Bridge, up beside Ullswater – we have promised ourselves a trip on the steamer later in the summer – and I was glad she was driving the zig zag to St Peter’s church, NY 436192 – website. I think it has a fortnightly service. The architect was J.A. Cory, 1880-2 – he’s another local church builder. Pevsner says “a prim Victorian church sits uneasily here” – it didn’t feel prim (nothing prim would have survived all these Cumbrian winters)....
Categories Cumbria Comments: 0
January 24, 2018

Bampton, Cumbria – St Patrick

Let’s start 2018’s blogs with a day (Tuesday 16 January) to escape to Cumbria to see Clare. There was a light sprinkling of snow on the ground, and we drove out to Bampton – St Patrick’s church is at Bampton Grange, NY 521180. There is a village website – here – and a Parish Newsletter. I smile that Thursday’s event in the diary is “10 am Bus to Penrith” and Sunday’s is “10 am Holy Communion” – but it is sad that next Sunday’s service which, I assume, is in another church in a nearby village, isn’t listed. The...
Categories Cumbria/World War 1 Comments: 0
January 23, 2018

Northernvicarwalks – October, November and December 2017

I could quietly forget the fact I was going to try and walk 1,000 miles in 2017, and hope my beloved readers don’t notice – or I can be honest and admit my failures. I can use it as an opportunity to give you a few photos that don’t really fit anywhere else. Hope you enjoy. On Saturday 14 October Anne was with us – so we went to Heage Windmill (well worth a visit – website), and walked from High Peak Junction to Cromford Mills and back. Just three miles – and I want a ride on “Birdswood”,...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire Comment: 1
January 23, 2018

Elton, Derbyshire – All Saints’

Having been to Mapleton (Thursday 28 December 2017) we then drove north to visit All Saints’ church at Elton – SK 222610. There is a nice leaflet of walks round the village, but it was a bit cold for that today. It tells me that people were living in this area 5000 years ago. The village was founded in the 8th or 9th century, and the village was laid out in the 11th. Domesday has 18 families living here. Lead mining was a major contributor to the local economy, particularly between the 16th and 19th century. By 1670 there...
Categories Derbyshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
January 15, 2018

Mappleton (Mapleton), Derbyshire – St Mary

Last August we parked at the Okeover Arms in Mappleton – website. The pub website has a downloadable pdf of walks – what a great idea. Julie had a drink while I had a lovely walk beside the River Dove, then we had an excellent supper. The church was, quite understandably, locked by that time of the evening. On Thursday 28 December we parked at the pub. They were packed, but managed a quick lunch for us – thank you – and I went and had a look at St Mary’s church. Grid reference SK166451 – note that the...
Categories Derbyshire Comments: 0
December 21, 2017

Avebury, Wiltshire – St James

Monday 27 November, and we are on a pre-Christmas break in Swindon. We had arranged to meet Geoff and Anne at Avebury, village with stone circle – NT website. We took up residence in the National Trust café. The museum, which needs a make-over, but is quite fascinating. One of the characters in the story – and the excavation story is almost as fascinating as the Stones – is Alexander Keiller, the marmalade man. We then went into the Manor – a building that dates back to the C16, was remodelled in the C18, and restored in the C20....
Categories National Trust/Wiltshire Comments: 0
December 18, 2017

Ogbourne St George, Wiltshire – St George

A few days in Swindon (where else?), meant a Sunday morning at the Outlet Centre. If this is what normal people do on a Sunday morning, I’m glad I do church. What made it bearable is that the Outlet Centre is in the old Great Western Railway works, and they have done a good job of keeping some of the history. I also had the pleasure of listening to the Watchet Silver Band – very good, just sad no one in the Centre had the brains to turn the piped music off! After three hours shopping (or, to be...
Categories Wiltshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
December 16, 2017

Brading, Isle of Wight – St Mary the Virgin

“I’m having a day out on the Isle of Wight,” I said. The good folk of Derby gave me the look they have reserved for their daft Vicar, and I escaped on Wednesday 1 November. I had an event in London that evening, so why not cross the Solent to get there? The reason for doing the Isle of Wight is that it is a major piece of track I have not since I was 40. The line runs from Ryde to Shanklin and is 8.5 miles long, all the remains of a network of 53 miles. This short line...
Categories Isle of Wight/Railway History Comments: 0
November 29, 2017

Leeds, Yorkshire – “Skeletons: our buried bones” exhibition

Julie and I are thoroughly enjoying our MA in Public History and Heritage at Derby University – website – but trying to work full time and do an MA has taken its toll on this blog. We had a great day trip to Leeds to visit the Discovery Centre – website. Lucy, one of the curators showed us round, and it was a fascinating (and fun) afternoon. I picked up a flyer for their “Skeletons: our buried bones” exhibition at the City Museum, and managed to go back on Monday 24 October 2017. As I have an essay to write...
Categories Personal/Roman Britain/Yorkshire Comments: 0
October 30, 2017

Chesterfield, Derbyshire – St Mary and All Saints

I am sure there are not many people who visit Holy Trinity Chesterfield before they visit the parish church – St Mary and All Saints. They are in the town centre, SK 385712 (although the OS does not have a symbol for twisted spire). They have got the obvious web address – here. On Tuesday 3 October I had had a morning meeting – they have an excellent café and meeting rooms nearby – and then went and explored the church. I wasn’t expecting a church geared to tourists, with staff and a lovely welcome. My fault for thinking...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 2