I recently saw the 1998 film B. Monkey in which some scenes were filmed in an old house near Cautley by the Howgill Fells. The film doesn’t seem to be too well known, I’d not heard of it. It is a crime thriller and I found it quite good but not brilliant. Its no ‘Withnail and I’, which was also partly filmed in an old Cumbria house. The Cumbria B. Monkey link was 'Mountain View' and I called in to look at the house while walking towards Kensgriff summit. The house was in good condition when they filmed there about 12 years ago but now the interior is on the verge of collapse. Very sad.

Mountain View in the film c1998

Mountain View today

The blue front room where most of the filming took place.

The kitchen where some scenes were filmed

A scene filmed in the kitchen

Laying of the foundation Stone of the Blackburn Cotton Exchange (1863)

Caught the bus to Blackburn and a visit by Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society to the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. One of my favourite pictures there is the huge 'Laying of the foundation Stone of the Blackburn Cotton Exchange' by Vladimir Sherwood was purchased by the Committee for the sum of £17 9s 6d. It was the very first work acquired by the Museum was on June 9th 1875.

The same scene today.

After a sub-zero camp on the summit of Ingleborough the sky dawned cold and clear giving a superb sunrise.

Withnell Fold Sports and Social Club monthly walk

The Withnell Fold Sports and Social Club monthly walk was blessed with sunshine and ideal walking conditions. Two separate walks were organised; a short one and longer one for which 25 turned out. We set off through the village to the Leeds and Liverpool canal where we walked along the canal bank to the ‘Top Lock’ at Wheelton. After a shot way up Copthurst Lane we turned left and followed a footpath which took us over South Hill and its extraordinary hilltop football pitch where the each goal can’t be seen from the other. Back on the road we headed up Chapel lane to St Barnabas Church where we turned right and down the lane past Eagle Tower. Some of us stopped briefly in the corner the see the last remnant of the old school which stood here. It was disused by 1890 and probably demolished in the early 1900s. However, parts of the original school date stone ‘National School 1843’ can be seen build into the wall by the lane. At the bottom we passed under the magnificent stone viaduct that used to carry the Chorley – Cherry Tree railway line which was opened in 1869 and closed to passengers in 1960. We passed the site of the old Heapey works, now a housing estate, and followed the path along the reservoirs towards White Coppice. The first reservoirs were build here in the 1700s and considerably enlarged in the 1800s as the mills became bigger. The site of one of the original mills ‘Shackerley’ from around 1780 is now flooded and the approximate site is marked by a stone pillar set in the ground above the reservoir.

refreshment stop at White Coppice

At White Coppice we stopped for a break at the cricket field where the pavilion was open for refreshments. We left via a walk round the cricket field to look at Rose Cottage and a memorial bench to Miss Elsie Whitehead (1909-2003). Miss Whitehead lived at Rose Cottage and her mother, Margaret, was headmistress at the White Coppice School. Miss Whitehead attended Chorley Grammar School and was head girl around 1927. She attended teacher training college and eventually was appointed headmistress at Withnell Fold School in the mid 1940s. She taught some of us on the walk.

footpath on the old railway - passing under Bury Lane.

Elsie Whitehead outside Rose Cottage c1920

Margaret Whitehead in 1936 age 70

After White Coppice we headed by ‘The Lowe’ to Tootel’s Farm, across Trigg Lane, and on to the old railway line then left it to head up through the woods to Well Lane, Railway Road and back on the old railway line which is now a footpath. We followed it to Abbey Village then on to Bolton Road for a while before leaving it to cross the new Golf Course. The original path seems to have vanished so we followed various tracks between the greens before emerging on to Bury Lane. We crossed over to Snape’s Heights and then down Oakmere Avenue and back to the Withnell Fold Cricket Field for refreshments. We’d walked around 12miles and the pace was rather fast. It used to be ‘come for an enjoyable walk’ now it’s more like ‘come for a walk – if you think you’re ‘ard enough’

plan of route

altitude profile from the GPS unit

walking speed profile from the GPS unit
(the spike at the right is me running to catch up after stopping to take a photo)

Drove to Theakston’s brewery in Masham near Ripon, North Yorkshire. They do conducted tours and we just managed to get there in time for the first at 11am. There was a very nice atmosphere in the reception. There was also a bar in the back room and the tour included samples to drink at the end.

Theakston's Brewery, Masham.

The Mash Tun being closed after cleaning

The Mash Tun ready for the next sparge of barley.

Our guide was Maggie who told us about the start of the brewery in 1827 when Robert Theakson, a local farmer, brewed beer for the local pub the Black Bull. Our tour started at the top of the building where is pre-malted barley is put through the grist mill before dropping down a floor into the mash tun where the word, the first part of the liquid in the process, is produced. After the fermentation process the beer is mostly transported by tanker. We returned to the reception and as I was driving was unable to sample the beers. However the others did and found them all excellent.

Robert Theakston
the man who started it all.

samples after the tour.

Theakston time runs sloping and backwards.

There is always a good crop of daffodils this time of year at the junction of Sandy Ln/Holt Ln, Brindle.

Between Holt Farm and Denham Hill I came across this pond.

After a wet and windy day walking on the fells I called in to the Cross Keys at Cautley, Sedbergh for a pot of tea and sit down by the real fire. This is my view of the parlour as I sipped my tea. I couldn't resist taking a photo.

Mid morning drove to Sedbergh. I wanted to check out a report in a 1998 edition of the Sedbergh Historian publication. Copies are kept in a room above the Sedbergh Information Centre. It was such a nice day that after I’d finished I decided to walk along the River Rawthey from Millthrop Bridge to Brigflatts. At Brigflatts is a Quaker Friends Meeting House which I knew about but hadn’t seen. On the way back I visited the building and was glad I did. It was built in 1675, and is the oldest meeting house in the North of England. It retains many of the original oak furnishings in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. When I walked inside there was a man there doing some electrical work so some of the pictures I took have his tool box in them.

Millthrop Bridge

Brigflatts Meeting House

Interior view - today

Interior view - early 1900s

In 1905 it was found necessary to replace some of the roof timbers and at the same time considerable restoration work was done by Henry T. Fowler. The group picture (left) was taken on completion of the work in May 1905 on the occasion of the first Monthly Meeting held in the restored building.

Its always nice to wander through Sedbergh in the morning as things get underway fairly early. Many of the shops are open before 8am and some at 7am. Compare that with a main town like Preston which is a shopping ghost town before 9am.
The Wednesday market charter was granted by Henry VIII in 1538. It followed a Tuesday market charter granted in 1251 by Henry III

The Wednesday market charter was granted by Henry VIII in 1538.

walking through Sedbergh.