Not far from my home town of Lancaster is the small market town of Kirkby Lonsdale in the beautiful Lune Valley. It was mentioned in The Doomsday Book of 1086 and St Mary's Church was built in Norman times but there was an old Saxon church on the site previously. William Turner painted the River Lune at Kirkby Lonsdale and John Ruskin was moved to comment " 'I do not know in all my own country, still less in France or Italy, a place more naturally divine".
The view he painted is known as Ruskin's View now. There are good cafes and antique shops, very old pubs and on the Devil's Bridge there is always the bacon buttie van serving big bacon sandwiches and mugs of hot tea to the many tourists as well as bikers who ride there from all over England to meet other bikers and talk, well, bikes of course!
This week the town is hosting it's Victorian Fair, a major event in the North of England, here Morris Dancers perform in front of the covered Market Cross dating back to 1905.
http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/kirkby-lonsdale.htm
Here are some of the photos we took while visiting with Mum and Uncle Tom in 2008...
The 1905 Market Cross in Market Square.
The view down the river from Ruskin's View.
The streets are narrow and buildings very old.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of Cumbria and the English countryside. Have a wonderful week wherever you are.
The view he painted is known as Ruskin's View now. There are good cafes and antique shops, very old pubs and on the Devil's Bridge there is always the bacon buttie van serving big bacon sandwiches and mugs of hot tea to the many tourists as well as bikers who ride there from all over England to meet other bikers and talk, well, bikes of course!
This week the town is hosting it's Victorian Fair, a major event in the North of England, here Morris Dancers perform in front of the covered Market Cross dating back to 1905.
http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/kirkby-lonsdale.htm
Here are some of the photos we took while visiting with Mum and Uncle Tom in 2008...
There are small houses on both sides of the laneway leading up to St Mary's Church. Hi Joe and Unka Tom!
Inside the church the main stained glass window is breath-taking
The gardens around the church and graveyard are beautiful in summer....
This is my very favourite shop...large range of local cheeses, handmade butter, all sorts of jams and relishes too
Finally, no visit to Kirkby Lonsdale is complete without walking down to Devil's Bridge, a three spanned 12th or 13th century construction, now a scheduled ancient monument.
TFS such a beautiful place. I love England especially the villages. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteHiya Chris...I am so fortunate to have Uncle Tom there with his open house policy and open arms, ..he is the best tour guide imaginable too.
ReplyDeleteI'd been to these places as a child before we left England but to be let loose with a digital camera and a sense of history is priceless.
It's a bit of a challenge to use my own photos and a little local knowledge and history to create a new post but I'm really enjoying blogging now...it makes me more focussed on my days.
xxx
Hi Sue, Been there, seen that. Kirby Lonsdale is a beautiful place and we have had the pleasure of listening to handbell ringers in St. Mary's Church. We also visit Lancaster and Morecambe quite a lot to visit friends. Thank you for becoming a follower of my blog. I hope you enjoy visiting. I can see that we have a lot in common.
ReplyDeleteI also see you are involved with the Down to Earth forum. Rhonda's blog was one of the first blogs I started reading and was a great inspiration. I am a member of the forum but have only popped in a few times to have a nosey.
Love from Mum
xx