Unnatural Histories; Dandy the Dog, James Device’s Shape-shifting Familiar

A Tale of the Pendle Witch Trials and a Demonic Dog. Including a Chapter on the Design and Installation of the Eponymous Sculpture in Clitheroe, Lancashire

Farming, the Next Generation

The United Kingdom’s agricultural sector stands as a pillar of food security, rural economies, and environmental management, yet it faces a generational shift amid rapidly evolving challenges. With the average farmer’s age around 60, the industry urgently needs fresh talent to ensure its sustainability yet many have abandoned the profession. For a long while theContinue reading “Farming, the Next Generation”

Old Clitheroe, a Poem by Thomas Birch Dedicated to the Ancient Ribble valley Market Town

Old Clitheroe There’s a spot in Old England that’s still dear to me, On the banks of the Ribble that runs to the sea; In the shade of Old Pendle, whose summit I’ve trod, Ere a thought of its grandeur had entered my “nod.” I’ve traversed its meadows and pastures so green, In my wand’ringsContinue reading “Old Clitheroe, a Poem by Thomas Birch Dedicated to the Ancient Ribble valley Market Town”

Clitheroe’s Ancient Wells

The market town of Clitheroe is unique in Lancashire for being the only one built predominantly of, and on Limestone and owes much of its existence to the waters which bubble up through its calciferous bedrock. It was founded around three ancient wells, St Mary’s Well, Heald Well, and Stocks Well, which served not onlyContinue reading “Clitheroe’s Ancient Wells”

The Upland Collection

Here is a list of some of the articles I have published which fall under the broad category of ‘moorland’ or ‘uplands’, it’s by no means exhaustive as there will be some I’ve missed out, some which overlap other themes and others which sit on the fringes. I hope you find it a useful and/orContinue reading “The Upland Collection”

The Wild and Yellow Bloom of Gorse

The Flowers of Gorse, Bright and Bold, Paint the Landscape with Strokes of Gold Also known as ‘furze’ or ‘Whin’, Gorse, Ulex europaeus, is an exceedingly spiny evergreen shrub with an abundance of aromatic yellow flowers and a familiar sight across the Northwest of England, from the windswept mountainsides of the Lake District to theContinue reading “The Wild and Yellow Bloom of Gorse”