Milestones, Boundary Markers, Historical Artifacts, Street Furniture, lost roads and buildings.

There are many traces of our ancestors scattered around our landscape. Mile Markers and Boundary stones are there too. The Milestone Society believes that there are approximately 9000 left in the United Kingdom. Some are cherished but others are hidden in hedgerows, some have been unwittingly destroyed by crashes, road equipment or even stolen. Roads have been straightened to make them safer. There are old gateposts still left in place, old buildings, and place names that declare an evocative past. The aim is to capture some of this information at least photographically before it disappears.

Although the Fylde Coast does not have ancient history, the Romans apparently struggled to Kirkham. There have been huge changes in the last two centuries from literally a a few fishermans' and agricultural dwellings, to a full blown tourist and light engineering industry.

More historical information can be found here about the Fylde coast.

It also seems that time has marched on and left what appears to be some very respectable buildings... which just should be used, but seem to have no worth.

Links from this Blog

Nearly-Midnight The genealogy website relating to the family. A tangled web of people all related to one another, explore!
Memorials Website dedicated to War Memorials - The majority in the North of England. Visits to churches, but also memorials in out of the way places.
Robert Clark The Father of Henry Martyn-Clark - A missionary out in the North-West Frontier of India. One of the first Europeans to set foot in Afganistan
Affetside Census
A small village north of Bury, Lancashire, I can trace many of my immediate ancesters from there. On the Roman Road, Watling Street
Andrew Martyn-Clark My Father and his part in my World. Also my mother and his parents too.
Henry Martyn-Clark My Great Grandfather, his roots and his achievements. Discusses malaria but also his confrontations with Islam.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Nabbs House Folly

Nabbs House Folly is situated on Brandlesome Road about half a mile from the Bulls Head pub in Greenmount proper, heading towards Bury on the left-hand side is a most peculiar building. This is Nabbs House Folly. When I visited it was in a considerable state of disrepair. It is situated at the Bury end of a triangular garden. It seems to have been called "The Images", but I never heard it called that in the 20 years I was in Tottington.

The interesting for me is a similarity in the stonework with Tottington Dungeon. They were built at approximately the same time 1830's out of local stone Link to the Dungeon here

However here is the extract from the proposal in I believe about 2008 for a restore of this folly.

The full document can be found here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/68670859/00040800-1

My photos are taken in 2011 It seems that the folly may have fallen further into disrepair.


“The Folly known as ”The Images” was build probably c. 1835 by John
Turner. Sited at the apex of the triangular garden, terminating the short
vista from the house and backing on Brandlesholme Road and the
converging minor, Nabbs Way.
Gothic in style, having the character of miniature castle on the rear, road
sides and that of bare ruined choir on the front facing the house. Front
symmetrically arcaded with narrow Gothic arches. Twin circular turrets
behind. Rusticated walls of one storey height to three sides of rectangular
rear”. (Extract from SD 71 SE 5/5.)

Ralph Rooney

“This castle-like summerhouse has numerous gargoyles on the rim of the battlemented walls and protruding from the walls. These are said to represent the faces of Greenmount villagers to whom John turner had taken particular dislike. The heads of the gargoyles are hollow, and
in wet weather water dribbled from their ears and mouths. The inside of the summerhouse was once panelled with richly carved oak. It was said that Turner, an eccentric man and his valet would occasionally go on the binge, spending days at the time locked in the summerhouse. There were various passages leading back to the main house. The passages one lined with coloured glass, opened out into rooms in which there were more stone carvings of animals and people. A most impressive one is of a man lying on a couch, gun at his side and dog at his feet. John turner devised some tricky water spouts along the approach to the house. One was a brass hose cunningly concealed in the cobbles at his front gate, one
over the front door and another in summerhouse. He used these on any undesirable visitors, who were given an unexpected soaking...”

Extract from “ The Story of my Life” by Ralph Rooney.

I believe this has gone back into print...

The rear of the folly. This picture is taken from the rear of the folly.
Nabbs House is just beyond.
Also the rear, Close up of Animal head

A grinning skull

Photographed from Brandlesome Road. Looks very like a chess piece. Note the 2 skulls at either side

Further away, Nabbs House in the background to the left. The bungalows on Nabbs Close are to the right.
I do believe there was a carving of an upper body holding a stone. Allegedly if you went past on the hour the stone would be thrown at you. We alway ran past - Don't take any chances.

Some other gleanings from the Internet.

John Turner on the 1841 Census clearly showing Nabbs House

John Turner in the 1861 census at the age of 50 with a servant

John Heap; this extract was from an armoury magazine

Mentions Edward Turner, perhaps a son, but he was certainly into hunting with dogs.

Tied up with Railways. The extract did not say what clearly a man of substance

More interesting, because I actually knew this woman. My mother was a flower arranger and Edna Wood ran a business from Nabbs house, renting and perhaps selling plastic flower arrangements. She was certainly very forceful. It did seem like a good idea. I recall my father getting roped in once. They designed a "kit" that you could assemble yourself. She exhibited at a major trade fair in Blackpool and did quite well as I recall. Was in Nabbs House quite a few times in my early teens.

Seems like an opportunity for more research - but the photos are on the web. The PDF file with more pictures is there also. I think I want to return and blag my way in and update the file.

1 comment:

  1. My grandmother lived at Nabbs Cottage across the road, and knew Edna Wood and her children. We spent a lot of time at the house, which was amazing in a very Gothic way. I vaguely remember the folly. Lovely to see these photos

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