Warning!! 'BTM' is rambling* on again!!!!Well I had another (fairly unexpected) day of freedom yesterday \:D/
SWMBO took 'small-child' to our caravan, as the in-laws (her parents) were stopping there for a couple of days.
Due to a few things to do it was after noon when I got out of the house.
First stop was
Nostell Priory, a large palladian style country house to the south-east of Wakefield (& home of a large collection of Chippendale furniture)
I'd gone with the intention of photographing a 'folly' in the grounds.
Sadly according to the gentleman on the gate, the
Pyramid Lodge was surrounded by scaffolding, so it wasn't worth paying an entry fee & walking up through the woods to it.
So, after a careful consultation of the relevant OS sheet, a steady drive to Barnsley ensued.
On the west side of the town is a public park, called Locke Park, the land was given to the town by the widow of Joseph Locke, who was a very wealthy railway engineering entrepaneur.
When Phoebe (his wife died) her sister arranged for the construction of a
Memorial tower.
Sadly this fine structure is now out of bounds to the public, as mining subsidence has given it a Pisa style lean.
There is also a nice Victorian band-stand in the park & a quartet of columns (from where, I don't know)
So turning northwards, it was a meander through some of the nicest farming country in South Yorkshire.
My next 'appointment' was on an exposed hilltop between Wakefield, Huddersfield & Dewsbury.
It's a summer-house, or at least that's what it originally was built as.
'Black Dicks Temple' is a shadow of its former self.
But what a view from up there, I reckon on a clear day that 40miles would not be out of the question.
The pub just down the road made me smile as well, its signs
interpretation of a classic name was good.
Hopton village next.
This has what must be one of the finer small 16th century houses in the area.
Hopton Hall is a wonderful piece of architecture & even retains its moat(!) in the (truncated) back gardens.
So pressing onwards, I headed through Brighouse up towards
Sowerby Bridge & Halifax.
Digressing somewhat. I stopped at Copley Motors (Halifax LR main dealer) & had barely walked 4 paces onto the forecourt to look at a 90 when the salesman called a greeting.
'Was I looking for anything in particular?'"Yes, have you got any other Defenders in stock?"
(His manor changed ever so slightly, I think he wanted to try & sell me a Td5 Disco)
'Anything in particular?'"I'm really looking for a very late 110Tdi CSW in green, as I'm a bit of a Techno-Phobe"
(he actually backed away as I said 'Tdi'!?)
'I'm sorry we don't at the moment. Goodbye'If he'd have had a crucifix, I get the feeling it would have been brandished at me?!?!?!?!?
Wonder why? :twisted:
So then it was up Wood Lane, a relic of the past, steep twisting & nothing but cobbles for a mile.
My next quarry kept appearing through the tree-line & disappearing as I drove around the myriad of cobbled streets (yes! they still exist in abundance in this part of Yorkshire)
Wainhouse Tower finally appeared, with an access route.
It was planned as a factory chimney for Wainhouses Dye-Works, but he sold the works to his manger who refuesed to accept the costs of finishing the chimney.
Walinhouse kept the tower himself & propsed to use it as an 'Astronomical & Physical Observatory'
It cost over £14,000, took 4 years to construct & stands at 275feet high.
Nearby are the remains of a row of houses that were built for his workers, these are embellished with a mediterranean style
balcony (sadly now partly demolished & vandalised) complete with turreted staircases.
The tower is open for public viewing on certain days (last Sunday of July, for one) & given its high vantage point, the views down the Calder valley are magnificent.
If anyone
is interested I have the telephone number for further information & other open days
And here's a taster;
Wainhouse Tower panoramicThen I thought of one place I'd wanted to go for a while.
Instead of joining the M62 at Ainley Top (jct 24), I took the A640 Oldham road,
This takes you out into some fairly desolate countryside, once you've passed Pole lane & the 'Nont Sarah' pub.
Up on Slaithwaite Moor, theres' not a lot about & few passing vehicles (I did see a Defender 50th though :shock: )
Overlooking March Haigh Reservoir came the junction I was looking for & a long descent down to a famous bridge.
This is it from the road that passes underneath.
On the decking it's length becomes even more apparant, it is
very long. As the caption with the photo says, it's the longest concrete arch in Europe.
Multi-MapSadly for some (I hope), not for others, this will be the last 'Out & About' for a while as it's back to work tomorrow
(after 16 days off)
Still, I've only got to go for 5days , then I've got 4days off again :lol:
* By that I mean talking (well typing) a long story, not walking about in big boots :lol:
