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.

Friday 18 May 2012

Jubilee Fountain at Buckley Wells, Bury


These photos were taken at the end of the "Peelers" hike in March 2012. I knew the fountain existed but at the time I was more interested in the other monuments close by. I passed this fountain on the way to school for five years. Always seemed out of place then. It still seems so. This drinking fountain is placed at the join of Manchester New Road and Manchester Old Road to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. It seemed the fountain was boarded up until the summer of 1899. A railway tunnel was constructed underneath. The architect was Thomas Rodgers Kitsell. The Fountain is built of Portland stone and also Granite. There is plenty of weathering at the top of the fountain as well as vandalism over the years too. There were apparently gargoyles of lions heads that filled the lower troughs, there was also a bronze statue of a small boy on top of the granite stand. This has now gone and replaced by a basket for flowers.




The weather vain is still intact,
although a close inspection reveals very extensive wear on the Portland stone.
The ornaments that stick out actually carry the water from the roof away from the body of the fountain.
This face has the head of a man on it. The other a horse.

The inscription around the cornice reads :
THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS
 IF ANY MAN THIRST
LET HIM COME UNTO ME AND DRINK
VIC. REG. 1897 60 YEARS
This is looking down towards Manchester from the Clock Tower

The drinking troughs can be seen. Left is Manchester and right is Bury Town Centre
To the right is a tiny grassed area which is related to the monument

The centre of the monument under the canopy.
A  bronze statue once stood on top of the turned granite column

Primulas. There is some bronze work behind the flowers. Quality casting too.

Close up of the base, Quite a lot of wear.
One of the round base stones is missing too. I never spotted that!

Close up of the opposite side. The other side has the man's head
The ears have completely disappeared with the weather

Small park in the background.
The fountain was donated by a Miss Eliza Anne Openshaw,
 which was made anonymously by a local vet ,
William Noar who actually was the brother in law of the architect.
The Openshaws were a well known local family.
Eliza Anne Openshaw was born about 1831. She was the daughter of Oliver Ormerod Openshaw and Dorothy Greenhow. The censuses showed she lived in Bury all her life. The 1871 census names 64 Tenterdon street as her address which will have been approximately 600 yards or so from the fountain.

She died at the age of 76 in March 1907. It seems she had five brothers whom she outlived. There is also an Openshaw Park at Pimhole in Bury. I suspect thast this is also connected with same family. Thomas Horrocks Openshaw attained a degree of notoriety when he was connected with the "Jack the Ripper" case.

Monday 14 May 2012

Stainton , near Kendal

On the road to Natland near Kendal, spotted these two objects. Parked up and photographed them. They are literally 50 yards apart. They are a wooden cross made in/carved in 1999 to mark the Millenium and a milestone, probably iron, painted and well preserved. It was one of the first  warm days in spring. 
View from the road

FIVE
WATER MILLS
ONCE EXISTED
BESIDE
ST. SUNDAY'S
BECK
HALFPENNY
MILL BRIDGE
SKETTLEGILL
STAINTON
AND
STAINTON CROSS

The reverse of the cross

Stainton milepost

Burton 7 miles
1826
Kendal 4 Miles
The rust showing through on the casting. The inscription reads:
T. Winder
Gatebeck Foundry

T Winder was responsible for many of the mileposts around the Cumbria area



Another view

Facing the wooden cross from the milemarker.

Closer still! Millie the van posing!

This village sign. carved by
John Marshall of Stainton
from a local oak tree felled in
 a storm, was erected on
15.12.1999 to commemorate
 the new Millenium

THE
VILLAGE
BELONGED
TO
GILLEMICHAEL
IN 1066
AND THE
CHAPEL
ENDOWED
BY ANSELM
DE FURNESS
CIRCA 1157

Distant view from Millie, the cross in the foreground
and the milemarker to the right of the tree.

Natland was interesting too!