Abbeystead reservoir was built in 1853 to supply mills further downstream in dry weather and is a popular local beauty spot. The graceful horseshoe-shaped weir beside it, also known as Abbeystead waterfall, is particularly worth visiting in the spring, when the surrounding woods are carpeted with Bluebells, Marsh Marigolds and other plants of the woodlandContinue reading “Abbeystead Weir”
Tag Archives: #Lancaster
A Short Introduction to the Long and Fascinating History of Hornby Castle
Hornby castle dates from the 13th century and sits, resplendent in its well-tended gardens and grounds, just outside the village of Hornby in the Lune valley, strategically situated near the confluence of the river Lune and river Wenning. Its gardens are nationally famous and opened to the public several days a year but the hallContinue reading “A Short Introduction to the Long and Fascinating History of Hornby Castle”
Littledale Free Church
Littledale Free Church sits in the valley of Littledale near the village of Caton and is now abandoned and used as farm storage. Reverend John Dodson It was built in 1849 for Reverend John Dodson, who came from a family of shipping magnates in Liverpool, and was built at the same time as nearby LittledaleContinue reading “Littledale Free Church”
Oakenclough Paper Mill
Oakenclough paper mill sits below Oakenclough fell by the river Calder on the Western edge of the Forest of Bowland. Built in 1775 as a paper mill, powered by a water wheel in the river Calder, Oakenclough mill provided employment for many in an area that was entirely agricultural before the industrial revolution. The villagesContinue reading “Oakenclough Paper Mill”
Captain Richard Pooley and Wray Endowed School
To the North of Bowland, where the waters of the Roeburn meet the Hindburn, sits the attractive little village of Wray. Largely built of 18th century sandstone cottages Wray has always been an industrious, self-sufficient community, historically a textile town, with mills powered by the flow of the two lively rivers tumbling down from theContinue reading “Captain Richard Pooley and Wray Endowed School”
The Lancashire Witches’ by Carol Ann Duffy
The Lancashire Witches’, by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy One voice for ten dragged this way onceby superstition, ignorance.Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Witch: female, cunning, manless, old,daughter of such, of evil faith;in the murk of Pendle Hill, a crone. Here, heavy storm-clouds, ill-will brewed,over fields, fells, farms, blighted woods.On the wind’sContinue reading “The Lancashire Witches’ by Carol Ann Duffy”
Unnatural Histories, The Witches Way to Lancaster
It is over Four Hundred years since the infamous Pendle Witch Trials at Lancaster where the accused twelve were taken to be sentenced and hanged in 1612. In that fateful year, between the 17th and 19th of August, Eleven people went to trial on suspicion of practising witchcraft, it should have been Twelve but theContinue reading “Unnatural Histories, The Witches Way to Lancaster”
Unnatural Histories, A Grim Discovery at Quernmore
Quernmore Dark Age Burial In 1973 a dog walker, James Marshall, was walking his dog near Jubilee Tower on the fells above the village of Quernmore. Recently builders had been constructing a car park for the tower, a popular local landmark and viewpoint, and had been removing peat with a digger. Peculiar wooden artifacts AsContinue reading “Unnatural Histories, A Grim Discovery at Quernmore”
Northwest Nature and History 