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The Rise and Fall of Cod Beck Reservoir
Given the recent weather, I was quite taken aback to find Cod Beck Reservoir so low, although this is by no means unprecedented. I have a sneaking suspicion that Yorkshire Water has intentionally carried out a water release, perhaps as part of a scour test or some other enigmatic plan. I’ll resist from drawing any…
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Grenfell — Reflections
While following a trail carved out by mountain bikers through a dark plantation in Hutton Lowcross, I came across upon this lively burst of green pushing its way through the thick blanket of fallen larch needles. I believe it might be the northern buckler-fern, Dryopteris expansa. But meanwhile … The report into the Grenfell fire…
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Lilac Cottage and Other Euphemisms for the Necessary
This humble structure, built around 1780, at a discrete distance from the Warren farmhouse, was none other than the privy – or, as we might say today, the lavatory. It served the necessary purpose of waste disposal, likely relying on what was known as an “earth closet.” Now a Grade II Listed Building, it has…
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The Forgotten Rebellion: Winter Hill’s Mass Trespass of 1896
Another delightfully dreich day on the North York Moors. In the murk, we stumbled upon two workers labouring away on the new footpath up Roseberry. The path, prepared to its subsoil, resembles some sort of glutinous purgatory, offering a walking experience only slightly less pleasurable than a swim in wet cement. The workers mentioned the…
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By Hammer and Hand: A Slice of Hutton-le-Hole‘s History
A return trip to Hutton-le-Hole turned out to be great timing, since the weather has been pretty dreich. This little village is known for its Quaker history in the 1700s and has that classic English yeoman feel with sturdy stone cottages that really seem to embrace a spirit of independence. The Ryedale Folk Museum is…
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Fierce Climbs and Fervent Crowds: A Tour of Britain Reflection
A cracking day, following Stage 2 of the Tour of Britain. As dusk descends, I find myself utterly depleted, drained not by the effort of following the race itself, but by the sheer spectacle of enthusiasm displayed by the crowds, who, not unsurprisingly, chose to congregate at the top of the brutal ascent out of…
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1939: When Guisborough Welcomed Middlesbrough’s Evacuees
Highcliffe Nab, that well-known sandstone crag that dominates the view from Guisborough, has been the subject of these posts many times. But Kemplah, which sits in its shadow, doesn’t get nearly enough attention. The old settlers clearly thought this promontory was important since there’s evidence of both early British and Roman activity there. The name…
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Newton Wood’s Hidden Industrial Heritage
This morning’s low cloud cover meant there was no chance of capturing any stunning shots of the Cleveland Hills, so I turned my attention to something closer to the ground. Folk often ask me about this brick and concrete structure at the Cliff Rigg end of Newton Wood, recently cleared of bracken and brambles by…
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Mists, Mellow Fruitfulness, and the March to Winter
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; John Keats’s “Ode to Autumn” may well be a charming little tribute to the season’s so-called beauty and bounty. His “mists and mellow fruitfulness” certainly make for lovely poetic fodder. Yet, the mist draping the North York Moors today and the heavily burdened…
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Low Slitt Lead Mine, Weardale
This is what’s left of the Low Slitt Lead Mine, once one of the biggest mines in the North Pennines. The mine had a long history, with lead ore extraction going on as early as two centuries before it really took off in the early 1700s, thanks to the efforts of the Sir William Blackett…
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