October 25, 2017

northernvicarwalks September 2017

At the end of August I had walked 434 miles. I walked 48 miles in September. By the end of the month I have walked 482 miles. The first week was 8 miles locally and 10 miles while in Cambridge on 8 September. Clare Fellows’ garden, Cambridge North station, and my birthplace (23 Long Reach Road, Cambridge). The second included walks to and from College, walks in Cumbria and London, and a lovely day round Kedleston with the University History department. Local and Brodsworth in week 3. Local and Jarrow in week 4. No extra walking photos, so here is...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Cambridgeshire/Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 2
October 25, 2017

Jarrow, Tyne & Wear – St Paul, and Jarrow Hall

On Friday 29 September I headed North to give my Carmichael talk to the Friends of Beamish. At Newcastle I jumped on the metro and headed south to Bede. I last here with Hannah one Christmas Eve as she wanted a Barbour jacket from the factory shop next door. Today’s purchase was a Gregg’s pasty – purchased with my first Jane Austen £5. I wonder what Jane would make of walking down the street stuffing one’s face with a Gregg’s Pasty (“O Mr Darcy”). My first stop was St Paul’s church – NZ 339652 – website. I got a nice...
Categories Durham/Evetts' windows/World War 1 Comments: 2
October 20, 2017

London Open House 2017 – Supreme Court, Admiralty House

After visiting 55 Broadway Bertie and I walked along to the Supreme Court, and found the queue was so long we weren’t going to get it. Julie and Hannah had enjoyed their explore. The building was completed in 1913, designed by the Scottish architect James Gibson. It was used by Middlesex County Council until 1965, then became a Crown Court. The outside reliefs depict historical scenes, including King John handing the Magna Carta to the barons at Runnymede. You can download an audio tour here and visit quite easily. I would like to do so. We had a snack...
Categories London Comments: 0
October 20, 2017

London Open House 2017 – 55 Broadway

After Marlborough House, Bertie and I headed to 55 Broadway, Hannah and Julie to the Supreme Court. For all people of a certain age “55 Broadway” is the London Transport HQ – indeed, it still is (but for how much longer – see this website). I had photoed the outside a few weeks ago – see northernvicarwalks june The line underneath, and St James’s Park station, was constructed in the late 1860s, and thirty years later the District Railway Company opened new offices above. They were rebuilt and extended over the years, and by the late 1920s the Board...
Categories London/Railway History Comment: 1
October 20, 2017

London Open House 2017 – Queen’s Chapel, St James’s Palace, and Marlborough House

Saturday 16 September was one of the days of Open House London – which happens every year – website. Bertie got organised with tickets for 55 Broadway, so we caught the 0821 from Derby and met them at Waterstone’s Trafalgar Square. We walked along towards Buckingham Palace and came to the Queen’s Chapel. Bertie had not realised you needed to book (free) tickets in advance for this, but the family in front had a spare, so I was allowed to enter. It gets a bit complicated when you look up “Queen’s Chapel” or “Chapel Royal”. In the earliest days the...
Categories London Comments: 0
October 13, 2017

Penrith, Cumbria – St Andrew

St Andrew’s church, Penrith, is in the middle of the town – NY516301. It has a website. I picked up a lovely flyer “A Church for all Seasons – The Wedding Season is all year at St Andrew’s – Begin your married life with God’s blessing – Christ in the heart of Penrith”. 10 out of 10! We started the day in their coffee shop – very nice scones, fresh out of the oven. Then we were about to visit the church and realised a hearse was pulling round the corner. We did the Brougham churches, and came back....
Categories Cumbria/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 0
October 13, 2017

Brougham, Cumbria – St Wilfrid

We are parked on the north side of the A66 having visited St Ninian’s. We managed to turn right across the A66, and then turned left to go down into the village of Brougham. There is a car park opposite Brougham Hall, and the church is next to it. St Wilfrid’s Brougham – NY527284. The Betjeman Best Churches app – which has, sadly, since died when iOS11 updated my phone – said it was very special. Unfortunately it was severely locked and bolted, no welcome notices at all. However Clare did a bit of research and realised she knew...
Categories Cumbria Comment: 1
October 9, 2017

Brougham, Cumbria – St Ninian

While on holiday in Orkney, Virgin Trains had a seat sale. Thanks to the power of web I organised a day with Clare, and got a single from Crewe to Penrith for £4 for Friday 15 September. We started with coffee, then headed out to Brougham. Brougham Castle is English Heritage – website – and will be saved for another day. We drove a little further east along the A66 to visit St Ninian’s Brougham – NY559299 – a Church’s Conservation Trust church – website. If you are visiting, approach from the Penrith direction, have someone else map reading, and...
Categories Churches Conservation Trust/Cumbria Comments: 0
October 7, 2017

Bilborough, Nottingham – St Martin of Tours

We drove back into Nottingham, through the estates of Bilborough, and found St Martin of Tours church. To quote the HODs paperwork, “St Martin’s Road is a cul de sac opposite the police station on Strelley Road. The church is at the end of St Martin’s Road.” Grid ref is SK 520418. They have obviously had a lot of money from the HLF for their “Hidden Treasures” project, and have spent some of it on an excellent website, more on a lovely little book, Hidden Treasures: A Labour of Love, edited by Cathy Grindrod, and a colour leaflet –...
Categories Nottinghamshire/Personal Comments: 8
October 7, 2017

Strelley, Nottingham – All Saints’

On Sunday 10 September, after a morning’s work, we headed across to Nottingham to visit the church of All Saints, Strelley – SK 506422. It’s on the west side of the city, on a minor road through the village, down to the Hall – there also seem to be lots of nice walks nearby (once you cross the M1). Church website here. The church was completely rebuilt by Sir Sampson de Strelley in the C14, but the lower part of the tower is C12. The Clerestory was added in the C16 to replace the original steep-pitched roof. I didn’t have...
Categories Nottinghamshire/Railway History Comments: 0