Throwley Old Hall

After a week away on holiday in Scotland  i returned to the fold.  The boys sent me a text last week telling me they had been to a place that i hadn't. Well this week they put that right and we went over to Staffordshire to visit the ruins of Throwley Old Hall. We parked at the car park next to Weags Bridge which spans over the river Manifold. We parked up at about 07:45 in an area that Geoff tells us was a railway station. The walk took us towards Beeston Tor and we just followed the footpath up quite a steep incline levelled off and then down to Throwley Hall Farm and the ruins of Throwley Old Hall.

Apparently where i parked the car is where a small station used to be, opened by the narrow gauge (2' 6") Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway on 27 June 1904, whilst being entirely operated by the North Staffordshire Railway. The station had no siding – unlike most of the stations on the line – but there was a refreshment room. The line closed in 1934, and the route of the railway past the station is now designated the Manifold Way,

Rob & Ike

Beeston Tor is a limestone cliff in Staffordshire. It overlooks the confluence of the River Hamps with the River Manifold, and is popular with climbers

Beeston Tor in the background

Ike & Rob heading to that group of trees on the horizon

Derelict barn

Geoff

Mud, mud glorious mud

Ike & Rob silhouetted on the horizon

Track leading down to Throwley Hall farm

This has seen better days

Brilliant old farm building must have been part of the Throwley Hall complex.

Throwley Old Hall stands on a commanding hill looking down the Manifold Valley. Built in the 1603 as an important manor house, but it is now a ruin. The carved stone windows of the tower’s three storeys still look out across the surrounding countryside. There was also a thriving village here in medieval times, but it may have been abandoned before the Hall was built.

The ruins originally formed part of the east wing of a much larger hall. The Old Hall probably replaced a much earlier Medieval manor house, for which no evidence survives.

The manor house was built for Simon Meverell, a relative of the Meverell family to whom Throwley belonged from 1203 to the mid 17th century. The house passed to Charles Cotton on his marriage to the widow of the last of the Meverells, but was later allowed to go to ruin. What remains is currently being made safe and restored by English Heritage.

Throwley Old Hall is one of the most imposing and architecturally important ruins in the Peak District National Park. The building stands on what was once an extensive Medieval landscape. This landscape of fields, cultivation strips and other earthworks, reflecting the centuries that people have farmed this area, continues down the lower Manifold Valley.

Window detail

There are 2 information boards on the site.

This is where we had our breakfast

Mummy & baby

We had a great display of starlings

Views of Beeston Tor way below in the Manifold Valley

Geoff just loves the mud

Ike & Geoff

Rob in the middle of the river Manifold standing on one of the stepping stones.

Beeston Tor with the stepping stones

Rob just testing the moss.

Fence post with its winter moss hat on

Last shot of the day Weags Bridge.

This was just short of 4 miles topping out at 908 feet, with a bit of mud on parts of the track and a great historic house at the end of it. Cracking day.
See you next week

Nelson's Ships & The Stardisc.

We had a couple of guests this week, Geoff's daughter Sally with her son Sam and partner Brian joined us while brother Rob went over to the dark side and deserted us for a trip up to Doncaster.
We had a  07:00 start and set off north in 2 cars to arrive at The Robin Hood car park just under Birchen Edge. It was quite windy and damp as we set off up the footpath towards the higher level on Birchen Edge. There was a spectacular view on the way up overlooking the golf course with a rainbow visible in the distance. Its quite a steep ascent up to the edge with several large steps which is a worry for Geoff and his knee's but at 76 years of age he took it all in his stride.
Once on the top we headed towards our objective and that was The 3 Ships and Nelson's Column, with Brian having been in the navy we thought it might be something he would enjoy. After taking a few photo's around the monument and rocks we went back down to the car park where we had our breakfast. After a breakfast break we called in to the Stardisc at Wirksworth on the way home. It was very windy up there but there were some lovely views to photograph.

Lovely rainbow on the horizon

First glimpse of Nelson's Monument

Nelson's Monument sitting above Birchen Edge
Derbyshire had its Nelson’s Column only five years after Trafalgar, while Londoners had to wait a further thirty for theirs! This gritstone column stands 12ft high on rocky Birchen Edge overlooking Baslow in the Derwent Valley, 1,000ft above sea level. A simple gritstone obelisk, it was erected in 1810 by John Brightman, a Baslow man

Sally in photo mode

Nelsons Monument

These three pieces of exposed and weathered gritstone are named after three ships in Lord Nelson's fleet -  Victory, Defiant and "Royal Soverin" (yes, that's how it is carved in the rock)

Ike & Geoff

Sally, Sam, Brian, Jim & Ike

Brian, Geoff, Sam, Sally and Ike

Sam just sheltering from the wind.

The trig point on Birchen Edge

Heading back down the footpath from the edge

It might be poisonous but it looks like something has had a nibble at it.

Geoff chatting to a nice young lady.

Not exactly sure what this is but wouldn't risk eating it

Oh dear, Sally got her locks caught in the branches of a tree.

Geoff and his daughter Sally.

This is the view from the platform above the Stardisc. You can just make out the chimney at Middleton Top engine house above the quarry.

The Stardisc at Stoney Wood in Wirksworth

Sally & Jim at the Stardisc

Sally looking for her star sign

Geoff photographing the nameplate on the WPAOG sponsored seat.

This was another cracking day out and the weather turned good in the end. The Stardisc was somewhere that Geoff had never been to and i think he was quite impressed. I think Sally, Brian and Sam enjoyed it and i hope it gave them a memorable day.
Cheers