A short History of the Stile The Word ‘stile’ is thought to have Anglo Saxon origins and have evolved from from the Old English ‘stiġel’, “a set of steps for getting over a fence”, which in turn is thought to be based on the Proto-Germanic ‘stigilō’ “an entry, entrance, overpass or device for climbing,”. TheyContinue reading “Styles of Stiles”
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The Cross of Greet
The Cross of Greet, or Top o’ Cross, is located on the highest point of the fell road between the villages of Slaidburn and Bentham at 1400 ft above sea level, marking both the watersheds of the Ribble and Lune rivers and the old, pre 1974, Lancashire/Yorkshire boundary. It sits at the top of theContinue reading “The Cross of Greet”
The Role of the Sheep in Shaping Britain’s History and Landscape, Part One
Part One; How sheep farming became a major industry in the British isles There are currently around 38 million sheep in British isles, made up of more than 60 different breeds, not to mention an enormous variety of crossbreeds, or ‘mules’. In this series of articles I’ll write about the history of some of theseContinue reading “The Role of the Sheep in Shaping Britain’s History and Landscape, Part One”
Some of the breeds of Hill Sheep that can be found in the Northwest
This is a guide to some of the Hill Sheep breeds that can be found in the Northwest of England, (for an explanation of some of the terms used please see this article) ; The Derbyshire Gritstone This hardy breed of hill sheep was originally bred by Peak District hill farmers to survive in harshContinue reading “Some of the breeds of Hill Sheep that can be found in the Northwest”
Upcoming articles!
Upcoming articles here on Northwest Nature and History include; An article about some of the hill sheep breeds that can be found in the northwest, to be followed with a 3 part series of articles entitled ‘The role of the sheep in shaping Britains landscape and history’ (expect a lot of articles about sheep, I’mContinue reading “Upcoming articles!”
The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Bleating!
(My original title for this article was going to be ‘lambing time, a season of anticipation, and worry’ but I think my wife’s title is more fun!) Lambing Time For most sheep farmers right now lambing time is getting into full swing. Sheep pens all across the countryside will soon be alive with the questioningContinue reading “The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Bleating!”
The Oystercatcher
Oystercatchers, Haemotopus ostralegus, used to be commonly known as ‘sea pies’ (describing their black-and-white ‘pied’ plumage, in a similar way to Magpies) and are a large and very distinctive looking wader with a long red bill, red legs, black head, black back and brilliant white front. They are one of the largest waders in theContinue reading “The Oystercatcher”
The Controversial practice of Controlled Burning
Controlled burning, also known as Prescribed burning, Muirburn or Heather burning, has long been used as a method of managing the heather moorlands of the British Isles. Every year, from the 1st of October to the 15th of April in upland areas and from the 1st of November to the 31st of March in otherContinue reading “The Controversial practice of Controlled Burning”
Northwest Nature and History 