First posted on http://www.globalfamilyroom.com/
I live in beautiful South Yorkshire and I thought you might like to visit!
If you did come to see me here are a few places that I would take you.
Local view.
First we'd visit a small village in Nottinghamshire-Everton. The place where I grew up.
Here is the church I was christened and married in.
The church of the Holy Trinity at Everton may be taken as the model of a group of village churches, built by the Normans shortly after the Conquest
The village still has its windmill.
Robin Hood's Well, West Yorkshire
A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode is very different from the version of the Robin Hood story we know today. In it, Robin isn't a nobleman. He and the outlaws are yeomen – low-born freemen. But the most obvious difference is the setting: it is not Sherwood Forest. The poem is set in the forests of Barnsdale, between Doncaster and the village of Wentbridge in Yorkshire.
Robin Hood's Well is the earliest known place-name associated with the legendary outlaw.
The well was first mentioned by local antiquary Roger Dodsworth in 1622. The 17th-century diarist John Evelyn wrote of it: 'We all alighted at the highway to drink at the crystal spring, which they call Robin Hood's Well, neere it is a stone chair and an iron ladle to drink out of, chained to the seat.' The stream, known as the Skell, bubbled up into the well and flowed beneath the old Roman road. Close by was Robin Hood's Stone, first mentioned in a deed of 1422 lodged at Monk Bretton Priory at Barnsley. The stone has since disappeared, and the well stands isolated in the lay-by, removed from the stream because it stood in the way of the modern A1.
In a layby on the south-bound carriageway of the A1, near the hamlet of Skellow, South Yorkshire, 6 miles north-west of Doncaster, about half a mile north of the junction with the A638.
My grandad was born in the farm opposite the well.
Major Oak
Robin's hideout?
This forest veteran is a huge oak tree thought to be around 800 years old. In a 2002 survey, it was voted “Britain’s favourite tree”. According to local lore, its hollow trunk was used as a hideout by Robin Hood’s men, though if Robin was – as legend suggests – active in the 12th or 13th century, this tree could only have been a sapling then. So it must have been another, much older oak that hid the outlaw.
Today, the world famous tree weighs an estimated 23 tonnes, its trunk circumference is 33 feet (10m) and its branches spread to over 92 feet (28m).
As a young child I have hidden in its trunk!
Roche Abbey, Maltby, South Yorkshire
The joint founders of Roche Abbey owned lands on both sides of the Maltby Beck, so when the colony of monks arrived in South Yorkshire from Newminster Abbey in Northumberland, they could choose the most suitable bank of the stream on which to build their new Cistercian monastery. Officially founded in 1147, the stone buildings were began on the north side of the Beck some 25 years later. By the end of the 12th century the great Norman and Gothic church had been completed, as well as most of the claustral buildings.
From the cliff footpath running along the site boundary, a very good view across the whole site enables the visitor to understand the plan of Roche Abbey. Although many of the buildings now survive only as low standing walls, the transepts of the church remain almost to their full height and are a magnificent example of the French-influenced early Gothic architecture. Later buildings were constructed on the other side of the stream, including the Abbot's lodging, kitchen and infirmary, and a 13th century arched bridge still spans the Maltby Beck. It is perhaps more difficult to understand what kind of life the Cistercian monks experienced at Roche Abbey for nearly 400 years, as no recorded history has been discovered. What is known is that there were 14 monks and 4 novices at the monastery at the time of the Dissolution in 1538.
Once in Crown possession, it was usual for anything of value to be sold off before rendering the buildings unusable. However, the local community apparently decided they would have first claim on Roche Abbey, and a very detailed account exists describing the terrible destruction of the abbey and its artefacts, and subsequent quarrying away of stones, lead and timber. Neglected and ruined, the site subsequently passed through many private hands but it was when it eventually came to the 4th Earl of Scarborough that it was almost lost forever. As part of a programme to enhance his adjoining family seat at Sandbeck Park, in 1775 Lord Scarborough commissioned Capability Brown to landscape the area.
With little regard to the archaeological importance of Roche Abbey, Brown extensively demolished the remaining buildings, constructed huge earth terraces, and turfed across the entire site, leaving only the two transepts as 'romantic' features in the grounds. Until the end of the 19th century the remains of Roche Abbey lay disguised beneath Brown's wooded parkland, but with a successful programme of excavation during the 1920s, Roche Abbey was 'reborn' out of the ground.
Secluded in the deep valley, and contained within the natural boundaries of magnesium limestone cliffs, Roche Abbey is almost as inaccessible today as it might have been over 800 years ago. Roche Abbey was an extremely peaceful site buried with the secrets of its history in an area of great beauty.
I regularly walk through the woods to wander round the Abbey.
The Blue John Cavern in the Peak District is a series of caverns considered to be the finest range in Great Britain.
Blue John is Britains rarest mineral first discoverd at Castleton by the Romans almost 2000 years ago. And are the worlds only known deposits of this extremely rare and beautiful stone.During excavations at Pompeii two vases of Blue John Stone were supposedly unearthed, evidence therefore that the Romans not only discovered the stone but also appreciated it for its ornamental value.
a piece of Blue John stone, its beauty never fails to dazzle me.
The Blue John Cavern is home to 8 of the 14 known veins of this beautiful mineral
.
The cavern entrance
I have walked down into the bowels of the Earth many times.
Near here is another favourite haunt of mine.
The Shivering Mountain
Mam Tor stands guard at the Western end of the Hope Valley, its dramatic landslip showing the 'insides' of what would otherwise be a gently rolling Peak District hill. Its 'cake-like' layers are sedimentary bands of shale and gritstone laid down some 300-350 million years ago within a river delta.
The landslide is a classic example of a rotational landslip; and it continues to be highly active, slowly engulfing the flat fields at its toe. The ground moves after periods of heavy rainfall: water seeps between the rocks layers lubricating the joints and enabling the different layers to slip over one another. Debris falling from the face adds to the weight of material below. The slip probably began in pre-historic times when the drier climate of the bronze age changed to today's Atlantic period, geologists think it will only stop when the face of the hill reaches an angle of 30 degrees - possibly in another 1,500 years.
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe It is the seat of the Archbishop of York (the second-highest office of the Church of England), and cathedral for the Diocese of York, and is run by a Dean and Chapter under the Dean of York. Its formal title is The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York.
Lincoln Imp
The story goes back in the 14th Century Satan sent two Imps down to earth to do evil work. Firstly the two Imps went to Chesterfield and sat on the church spire twisting it (that is why in Chesterfield you will still see the crooked spire).
After vandalising the spire the two imps headed to Lincoln Cathedral. When they arrived the devil instructed them to cause as much mayhem as possible. The Imps started by smashing up tables and chairs and tripping up the Bishop and then they started destroying the Angel Choir. An angel appeared and told them to stop. One of the imps was brave and started throwing rocks at the angel but the other imp cowered under the broken tables and chairs. The angel turned the first imp to stone and this gave the second imp a chance to escape.
Even now I love to visit with the Imp
.
During the school holidays I would stay with my aunty in Lincoln. Every night I would drift of to sleep whilst gazing at the Cathedral all lit up by floodlights.
Eyam village and the Great Plague
On one of our trips to the the Derbyshire Peak District as a child my dad brought us to a lonely little village. Little did I know how the story of this place would leave it's imprint on me.
It's hard to imagine that the quiet village of Eyam, off the A623 in Derbyshire, could have such a fascinating, yet tragic story to tell. But .... at the end of August 1665 bubonic plague arrived at the house of the village tailor George Vicars, via a parcel of cloth from London. The cloth was damp and was hung out in front of the fire to dry, thus releasing the plague infested fleas. On 7th September 1665, George Vicars, the first plague victim, died of a raging fever. As the plague took hold and decimated the villagers it was decided to hold the church services outdoors at nearby Cucklett Delf and, on the advice of rector William Mompesson and the previous incumbent Thomas Stanley, villagers stayed within the confines of the village to minimize the spread of the disease. Cucklett Delf was also the secret meeting place of sweethearts Emmott Sydall, from Eyam, and Rowland Torre, who was from a neighbouring village. They would call to each other across the rocks, until Emmott Sydall herself became a victim of the plague. Six of the eight Sydall family died, and their neighbours lost nine family members.
To minimize cross infection, food and other supplies were left outside the village, at either the Boundary Stones, or at Mompesson's Well, high above the village. The Earl of Devonshire, who lived at Chatsworth House, freely donated food and medical supplies. For all other goods, money, as payment, was either purified by the running water in the well or was left in vinegar soaked holes. The Riley graves, close to Riley House Farm and approximately 1/2 mile from the village house the bodies of the husband and six children of farmer Elizabeth Hancock. All died within a week of each other. Because of the high risk of infecting her neighbours she had the traumatic task of burying them all herself. Even more tragic is that the infection probably came to her family when she helped bury another villager's body. Twelve months after the death of George Vicars, the plague was still claiming its victims, and on 25th August 1666 Catherine Mompesson, wife of the recently appointed rector William Mompesson (aged 28) , died of the plague. She had loyally stayed with her husband and tended the sick, only to become a victim herself.
The Plague in Eyam raged for 14 months and claimed the lives of at least 260 villagers. By 1st November 1666 it had run its course and claimed its last victim. Eyam's selfless villagers, with their strong Christian convictions, had shown immense personal courage and self sacrifice. They had prevented the plague from spreading to other parishes, but many paid the ultimate price for their commitment.
Plague Sunday
Almost 350 years later a remembrance service is still held every Plague Sunday (the last Sunday in August) at Cucklett Delf, Eyam.
Derwent Dam
617 Squadron, RAF, "The Dambusters" was a single squadron formed during the Second World War to carry out a single special and dangerous task. That operation "Chastise" has since become a legend in the annals of military history and it possess all the traditionally admired military attributes of originality, surprise and heroism coupled with a very dramatic outcome. Operation Chastise has in many ways overshadowed the later exploits of the men who formed the squadron.
The Derwent dam was used by the Dambusters to train for their mission to destroy three dams in the Ruhr valley. Squadron Leader Les Munro, the last surviving pilot from the mission, was a guest of honour. As the distinctive roar of the Lancaster's engines echoed across the lake it evoked memories of the daring raid, which used the “bouncing bomb” invented by Barnes Wallis.
A Lancaster bomber swoops over Derwent dam in the Peak District during a flypast to mark the 65th anniversary of the Dambusters raid.
There is a car park at the reservoir, we would regularly picnic here as a child. Later it became a favourite place to take my children, now we take Caden.
A footpath runs round the reservoir, even when busy it can be a place of great beauty and serenity.
These are just a few of the places we would go to.
Where would you take me?
