Category: Osmotherley
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Neil’s Howe
It was pleasing to see the Nelson Stone restored to its correct postion. Or should I say the 19th-century boundary stone. One of the last times I was here, in 2017, it had vanished. I learnt later it had unceremoniously been dumped in a nearby pond. That act of vandalism must have taken some doing.…
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A bit of a wet morning. This was the best of the dozen or so photos I took.
It’s rare to find Osmotherley, or ‘Ossy’ as the village is commonly known, deserted and free of visitors and cars. The name derives from Asmundr, a Scandinavian who settled in a ‘leah‘ here, the Old English word for a clearing. Forget the old myth that Prince Oswy was buried here next to his grieving mother…
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Catoptrical wonderment
After the storm of the weekend, Cod Beck Reservoir looks very serene this Monday morning.
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Cod Beck Reservoir
The head of the reservoir in the Sheep Wash valley captures the low-lying November sun. Cod Beck Reservoir was opened in 1953 for the Northallerton and District Water Board, but one had actually been mooted in the 19th-century as part of a proposed scheme by the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. In the Parliamentary session for 1869,…
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Scarth Wood Moor
Another one of those local tales. I was told by an Osmotherley resident a few months ago, that this gulley, about 3 metres long and a metre or so deep, was used for rifle practice by a “home guard” unit during WW1. Now I’m not sure if there was a home guard during that war.…
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Osmotherley Cross and Barter Table
The mornings have become more gloomier as October draws to a close, and an early start meant the honey pot that is Osmotherley was quiet. Sited next to the village cross is the unique Barter Table, a large flat sandstone on chunky legs. It is thought to date from the 16th-century and was used as…
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Osmotherley with Hambleton End in the distance
“Osmotherley is an endearing village on the fringe of the Hambletons and the Clevelands. It lies about a mile and a half to the east of the main Thirsk – Yarm road, but it is most accessible from Northallerton. The King’s Head hotel at Clack Lane End points the way to the village. It is…
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Site of High Dam reservoir
Cod Beck on a summer’s day. The threat of storms has kept the visitors away. Normally this would be heaving. It’s been a popular spot for thousands of years. During the construction of the car park, evidence of prehistoric occupation was found. During the mid-18th-century, there was a reservoir here supplying a head of water…
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View from Solomon’s Temple to Oak Dale
It would have been a fine view that greeted Matthew Walker when he emerged each morning from his farm at Solomon’s Temple. His eyes might follow Slape Stones Beck down to its confluence with Oak Dale. The farmstead stood on the Hambleton Drove Road at an eminence at the top of Stony Bank. A ruin…
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Cod Beck Reservoir
I’m not sure if this is going to work. If it does you should see a link to a FaceBook album of some photos of the dam under construction. I’m not sure if it’ll work if you are not a member of that FaceBook group. Hint: click on the link under “12 – Cod Beck…