Roads and artifacts: 14/10/2012

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, 18 October 2012

Kirkham Headless Cross

If you turn left at the centre of Kirkham and head south along Freckleton road you will reach the A583 Kirkham bypass, the main road between Preston and Blackpool. Cross straight over, still on Freckleton road, you will meet a right angle bend. Hidden behind the road warning sign is the Headless Cross. Only its a modern Latin Cross. It is set on the site of the old cross. This is the link to the cross at the Eastern limit; The Dowbridge cross.

From the inside of the bend

The road to the left goes to Kirkham

Close up Shows the Latin Cross clearly

Seemingly this cross marked the southernmost boundary of Cockersands abbey.
There is a wikipedia reference to the abbey here. I do not know the date of the erection of the Latin Cross.