Called at the 2011 Cavendish Arms Beer Festival in Brindle. It seemed even more popular than last year. The choice of beers was huge. I only had time to sample a couple.

interior of Lincoln Cathedral

This morning's view of the Newport Arch.

The Newport Arch in the 1890s

Arrival Hall at Euston Station (wide view)

Outside Euston Station

They've put an electric cigarette stall next to Robert Stephenson's statue at Euston!

University College London

Where the sunrise was behind the cloud

Where the sun set behind the cloud

This evening was the first practical photo outing of Chorley Photographic Society. We met near the Kem Mill area to photograph the wild flowers. It was very overcast and dark and soon began to pour down

Orchid near Kem Mill

Drove to Lower Winskill Farm near Settle for 11:15 to join a small group from Brindle Historical Society. The visit was organised by Ian Whyte and we were there to meet the farmer Tom Lord who is a historian and very knowledgeable about the landscape and its formation. The current farm building was re-built in the 1860s but a datestone over the door of 1675 was for the earlier building. The deeds relating to the farm are 1590 so the 1675 building was also an upgrade from a medieval house.

Lower Winskill Farm

Date stone at Lower Winskill Farm of 1675
NB is Nickolas Bullock,
presumably CB was his wife.

Lower Winskill Farm interior
with its original flagged floor

Lower Winskill Farm interior
with its original flagged floor

Originally the area came under Sawley Abbey which dates from c1150 and the lands in the area were administered by the 3 large abbeys of Sawley, Furness and Fountains. The farm was affected by foot and mouth in 2001 and since then Tom had diversified into running the farm undedr a stewardship scheme where he is funded to allow access for the public and provide display space for artists and various groups.

Tom and a wall shown on the 1580s deeds

Tom shows us a wall much older than the 1580s walls,
this will date back to the founding of
Sawley Abbey in the mid 12th century

exhibition space in the barn

view of Pendle Hill from the farm along the Craven fault

Pen-y-Ghent to the north

art in the field

The quest to save the old Clayton Reservoir from demolition continues. Rosemary had found an article in the Preston Guardian, 4 Aug 1883 about the ceremony to lay the Pumping Station foundation stone. It refers to a silver trowel being used and presented to Henry Dobson the Chairman of the Leyland Local Board. Rosemary set off to try and find it. Checking local collections and museums revealed nothing.

Clayton Res. interior

the silver trowel in it's case

But by a fluke chance of one in a million she’d mentioned it to David Hunt of Leyland museum and someone mentioned to him she had a trowel relating to the reservoir. It seemed too good to be true so I went to see the lady and it was true. The newspaper article reads “Just previous to the ceremony, Mr Wrennalt presented Mr Dobson with a beautiful silver trowel on behalf of himself and the contractors.”

the full set of trowel, case and mallet used to lay the foundation stone 128 years ago

In my youth I was subjected to unnecessary and fraudulent dental work by a dentist in Leyland. In Sep last year I had to have a tooth out which he’d drilled and filled without cause, except financial gain on his part. Successive fillings came out and eventually my dentist at the time pulled the tooth out. Now I’m back again for more treatment on another tooth the Leyland dentist drilled and filled.

the cast that was used to design the crown

The same thing happened and over the years a succession of filling were unsuccessful and kept falling out. Now I’ve got a private dentist and his professional approach means I don’t have to have it pulled out. This morning he fitted a gold crown which hopefully will solve the problem. Having the injection to numb the gum was much less painful than the bill. Including a failed filling and the hopefully final crown it cost over £400. Thinking of the work he did I don’t think that was too bad. If you’re wondering who the Leyland dentist was, just google [leyland dentist malpractice] and you’ll probably see the Leyland forum, then read on. He's now long dead but a journalist who did an obituary was tempted the end it with "now he's gone to fill his last cavity"

Park Road Methodist Church Chorley - the last service.
10:30am saw the last congregation at Park Road Methodist Church. Because of falling attendances they are merging with Trinity on Devonshire Road. I thought it would be useful to make a photographic record of the occasion.

Park Road Methodist Church, Chorley

1842 date stone from the original church

The original Church which was replaced in 1978

Herbert Thomas Parke of Withnell Fold
was an early benefactor.
He funded the extensive re-construction in 1915

the original key used by Herbert Parke to open the newly refurbished Church in 1915.

the final congregation this morning

wide view of the Church interior after the congregation had left

Drove to Coppull Moor Lane at its junction with Hic Bibi Lane. Met John Harrison and his son David who works for Archaeological Services WYAS. The object of today’s exercise is to do a geophys survey of the field where it is suspected the Wigan to Walton-le-Dale Roman Road crosses. The first job was for David to use the Trimble GPS to set out an accurate grid of poles, tapes and string lines. Then David did a magnetometer scan which was then plotted. The Resistance survey was much more difficult because of the large number of samples to be taken. I worked in shifts with David on this job.

the field to be investigated.

David sets out the grid using the super accurate Trimble GPS

the first job was to do a Magnetometer survey

The next job was to collect the data for Resistance survey. Here Bill is keeping the cable clear while David operates the probes.

After many hours of collecting resistance data the results are plotted on the laptop. Again, the results are inconclusive but will need further processing back in the office.

= = = = =

This morning I was cycling over from Rivington to Belmont when I stopped briefly at the summit to enjoy the view and morning sunshine. I liked the modification to Chorley's twin town.

Left car at southern end of Dunmail Raise and cycled through Grasmere towards Great Langdale. Had to stop for a while as there was torrential rain. I managed to get some shelter under a tree near the Youth Hostel. When I got to Great Langdale the roads were dry and they hadn’t had any rain. Then it was up the climb to Blea Tarn, through Little Langdale and Skelwith Fold to Ambleside where I stopped at Ghyllside Cycles to buy some new Ortlieb front panniers for the bike. Cycled back to car via Rydal, having to dodge many wandering tourists on the way.

my bike is the one with red panniers.

'Coffin Stone' or 'Resting Stone'

Approaching Grasmere on the old road is the 'Coffin Stone' or 'Resting Stone'. The sign reads:
before "St Mary's" Church in Ambleside was consecrated, coffins had to be transported along the "Corpse road" from Ambleside 4km to "St Oswald's" Church at Grasmere for burial. This route is now the present day bridle path to Rydal.
This stone along with others along the way was used for supporting the coffin while the bearers rested.
Another corpse road over Hunting Stile and Red bank was used to bring coffins over for burial from Chapel Stile, Gt. Langdale, until "The Holy Trinity" Church and graveyard was constructed in 1821.

The water level of the mill reservoir above Belmont continues to drop.
The Winter Hill transmitter masts can be seen right of centre.

8am set off on Dawes bike with intention of cycling to Hebden Bridge and returning on the train to Blackburn. There were occasional showers, but they had been forecast. However, I wasn’t expecting the head wind, which made the rain even more unpleasant. I had a rethink and decided to make a final decision on what to do at the Grey Mare on the summit of the Grane Road. When I got there I decided to descent to Haslingden and do a circular route home via Bury, Bolton and Chorley.
In Haslingden I called in to an Asian Shop to buy some fresh chillies.

these are the fresh chillies I bought

a brief stop in Haslingden to pick up chillies

In Rawtenstall I turned south to Bury then to Bolton where I stopped briefly on Radlcliffe Road to have at Fred Dibnah’s old house.

Fred Dibnah's old yard this morning

Fred Dibnah MBE (1938 – 2004), Steeplejack and TV presenter.
 

Fred Dibnah's old house is now
a Heritage Centre

Then back to Chorley. Thankfully for the final miles I had a welcome tail wind.

passing through Chorley called in at Market Walk
to try and buy a map, but they didn't have the one I wanted.
This wide view photo shows my bike on the left under the 99p bag of chips.

This afternoon I was at the ‘Lost Farms of Brinscall Moors’ book-launch at the Cottage Tea Room, School Ln., Brinscall. The book was written by local author David Clayton and he was there to do a book signing. Over the last 9 months David has been leading walks across various areas of the moors to show people some of the ruined farms covered in the book. The launch started at 4pm and within minutes the café was full and the queue for books stretched through the café and on the pavement outside.

The lost Farms of Brinscall Moors
by David Clayton

David Clayton signs another book

one of my favourite photos from the book.
The family who lived at Coppice Stile House in the 1890s. The site is now just a pile of rubble.

This afternoon I collected my Dawes Galaxy touring cycle from Paul Hewitt Cycles in Leyland. They'd removed the original drop handlebars and replaced them with butterfly bars which hopefully are more suitable for touring. They'll take some getting use to, especially the new brake lever position.

After walking over Rooley Moor from Rawtenstall I reached Rochdale in warm and sunny weather. I walked round the town for a while then to the bus station to catch the 464 bus back to Rawtenstall.

Back in Rawtenstall I walked back to my car and had a quick look at the East Lancashire Railway Station. I went in to the ticket office and took this wide view photo. Unfortunately I couldn't go any further without buying a platform ticket.

Dad died 32 years ago today. Called at Pleasington Crematorium to see the book of remembrance open at today's page with his name shown. It is the first time Mum's name has appeared as she reserved a space under Dad's and now she can occupy it as she died last year in July.

Pleasington Crematorium

= = = =

Coiffure in the Trenches
"Keep yer 'ead still, or I'll 'ave yer blinkin ear off!"
By courtesy of the "Bystander"