Museum of the Moon

A clear November day when some trees still retain their autumnal colour . Here we are on Castle Hill about to enter Lancaster Priory to see a moon.

The view on entering of our time worn natural satellite - a recreation of the surface by Luke Jerram which he calls the 'Museum of the Moon'.

Walking down the aisle to enter the chancel and look back from the 14th Century choir stalls.

which are intricately carved. It is appropriate that these wonders of woodwork by unknown medieval craftsmen have

 

an embroidered cushion celebrating the furniture making of Robert Gillow and the company he founded in the 19th Century - Gillows of Lancaster and London.  The medieval misericord of the folding seat can be seen above it.

The moon is 7 metres in diameter and there were both spiritual and cultural references to the moon scattered around in the Priory as well as an information sheet with prayers, stories and the dates of the moon's cycle through the month.  I love a pun and the leaflet uses Lancaster's river as one as it is called - By the Light of the Silvery Lune.  Moonlight on water is of course always magical.

Going up the stairs to the gallery a different perspective of the moon can be seen.

There has been a church on Castle Hill since Saxon times however Lancaster Priory dates from the 14th Century but apart from the rich medieval heritage changes have been made throughout time . The bell tower (10 bells inside) is is dated 1759 but it needs some repair and there is a sponsor a brick scheme running inside the church.

The Museum of the Moon like its celestial template is always on the move and the Light Up Lancaster festival, which it was part of, ends today so it will travel south to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff for December and the new year. (Museum of the Moon website) 
 
   

Heysham Spirit

The Spirit of Heysham sculpture by Michael Edwards on the wall of Heysham's Jubilee Institute depicts many of the historical buildings and artifacts to be seen in this ancient space and led us to the small but interesting Heritage Centre where the Duddon Valley History Group learnt about the area and indulged in a small bit of retail therapy and then moved on

to one of those buildings on the sculpture, St Peter's Church, a sturdy squat building whose churchyard slopes down to the sea and the buildings rear windows look out over the expanse of Morecambe Bay.  Two of the remains of crosses can be seen either side of the path in the photo above.  The core of the church is Anglo Saxon (mid 8th Century or before) and the door with a wooden bar and niches speaks across the centuries of times when refuge was taken from those with ill intent coming from the sea or land. Over the centuries the interior has been expanded from its Anglo-Saxon origin and altered with each era, Norman to Victorian.  One of the church's great treasures is the Hogback Stone, a Viking grave cover, and the story it contains of the Legends of Sigmund and Sigurd the Dragon Slayer are told and can be seen here .   Our church guide Richard Martin had a wealth of knowledge of the church and its history and has a handy guide available in the church for self tours.  

The church was consecrated in 967 and as part of its millennium celebrations the parishioners in 1966 made kneelers and cushions portraying the area's industry and occupations.  The four evangelists have pride of place

by the wooden screen in the chancel.  This is St Mathew and St John (the eagle)

St Mark (the winged lion) and St Luke (the winged ox).  The Cross with the crosses at the end is a Crosslet which also represents the four evangelists and the spreading of the gospel to the four corners of the earth.  Moving outside towards St Patrick's Chapel

a different type of cross can be see, a Pommée, the apple shapes at the end represent the fruits of the Christian life and it is thought that

St Patrick's Chapel's Anglo Saxon Doorway

St Patrick's Chapel on top of the headland was a place of retreat. It would have been a great place for contemplation with its views over Morecambe Bay and the hills of the Lake District.  Another of Heysham's treasures are the six rock-cut graves -

Nobody knows their origin but they are certainly unique and, as demonstrated, it looks a cosy place to end ones days under ever changing skies. Perhaps there were sky burials here although the less romantic archaeological explanation is that they were probably reliquaries for bones and other materials as they were not big enough for bodies but I observe they appear to big enough for female bodies.  The holes at the head were for crosses.  We took our leave of the Anglo-Saxon chapel and returned to the church

another stone coffin but of one which at one time contained the body of a past rector of the church (the crumbled remains of his chalice can be seen in the church).  We headed away

Remains of Anglo-Saxon Cross

to the nearby St Peter's cafe, a converted stables, which was a nice warming retreat to take the chill off the biting wind of the day.

 
The Heysham Timeline can be seen on Heysham Heritage Association website here.

Cinemas

Before the Great War cinemas were being built at an ever increasing number and opening at a rate of about 60 a month, this is one such cinema and stands on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Manchester.  It takes part of its name from its location, The Grosvenor Picture Palace, although today it is now a Sports Pub called The Footage with two big screens for the sports enthusiast.  Designed by Percy Hothersall in 1913 its green and cream faïence tiles are striking.  You will observe the two sides are different

the longer one being located along Oxford Road, I rather like the stained glass circular windows.  It must have looked like an entrance to another world when it was all lit up for its opening in 1915 with the historical drama Jane Shore starring Blanche Forsythe.  Hothersall designed at least two other cinemas locally, one which does not survive, and the other, a 'supercinema' of 2,324 seats The Piccadilly Picture Theatre only the façade survives and it is now a retailing outlet, one the residents is Co-operative Food which also moved into an old cinema premises further north in 

Carnforth.  Once again only the façade survives but this has a bit of cinema history in that it stands near Carnforth station where the filming of David Lean's Brief Encounters took place in the 1945 and it stood in for 'Kent'. (Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations)  Locals were used as extras so I imagine when it was screened in Carnforth the interest was not only in the film's story. I have in the past asked what the cinema was called but nobody ever seemed to know but thanks to the Cinema Treasures site I eventually discovered it was built some time pre 1923 as the Kinema (Frith postcard image here) and later renamed The Roxy it closed in the 1960s.  In those early days it was one of the James Brennan's portfolio of cinemas and theatres who was sometimes called the 'cinema king' because of the number he owned  in this corner of north west of England including

my local, also called the Roxy (a lot of his cinemas were called The Roxy). Here is a postcard image from possibly the 1950s and in this case the cinema survives (but not the Rose Garden) although the art deco interior has been split horizontally with the cinema now living on what used to be the balcony.  This is not my nearest cinema which is a rather unadventurous multiplex but it is my cinema of choice for its atmosphere and large screen, it celebrated its 75th birthday in 2012.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at C here

Quixote

Don Quioxote is a long way from La Mancha seen here in Clearbeck gardens on his old horse Rosinante.  Described as an 'eye catcher' the metal sculpture can be seen from many directions or glimpsed through greenery

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I'm behind the Gunnera, a plant I'm attracted by because they always look spectacular in a  landscape garden and if I see one its usually accompanied by a click of my camera.  This one is just started its journey to  look like a giant rhubarb.  There are about 50 different species and the largest can be 8 ft high with leaves 4 ft across living up to its nickname of dinosaur food.. I don't know what species this one is , who knows it could even be Gunnera Quitoensis from South America. The Gunnera species like moist boggy ground so its quids in here high in the Tatham fells

Don Quixote can't find any windmills to tilt at so he will have to make do with a tree. The owners say the sculpture like his namesake is "ever ready to charge over the grass bridge at the sheep grazing nearby. He sets the mood for the garden as a slightly crazy quest"  Clearbeck is sometimes called the "Artists Garden" and indeed one could call it quixotic. The two dimensional steel creation is by Andy Kay and I wonder if over time it will rust like our poor gentleman of La Mancha's acquired rusty armour in Carvantes famous story.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a quest to blog every letter of the alphabet this week sojourning at Q here 

 

Preston Parched Peas

 Journey to the heart of Lancashire and you will discover the local delicacy of parched peas and at this stall in Preston combine them with baked potatoes. They are also traditionally eaten on bonfire night in November out of a cup with salt and malt vinegar.  So what are parched peas?  They are black peas soaked overnight and then simmered, hence the name parched which is an old term for a long slow boiling. (Recipe here) The man on the right doesn't want to waste any time in eating his. As I live in what is historically known as Lancashire North of the Sands, they are not sold here, only the traditional accompaniment to fish and chips, mushy peas, which are cooked in a similar way only with dried marrowfat peas and bicarbonate of soda.

The Roberts family have been selling their popular baked potatoes and parched peas in Preston since 1955 but the van was showing its age so they decided on a new build, not the usual generic food van but a replica of a Preston Guild tram.  This was built in time for the Preston Guild celebration in 2012 (the next Guild will be in 2032) and the      

birth dates of Keith Jr's children were used as the tram number.  Here the tram is seen operating from the Market Square, in the background is the newly renovated (and now gleaming white) Cenotaph for those who died in the Great War.  Designed by Sir Gilbert Scott (1880-1960),  famous as the architect for Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Battersea Power Station and the red   

Phone Box.  This row of phone boxes is just around the corner from the square.  Replaced by a more utilitarian design in the 1980s by British Telecom around 2000 of these red boxes were given listed status and remain, some were adopted locally and turned to another use such as libraries, art galleries and even a defibrillator station and some were sold so it is not unusual to spot one in a garden. The use of the telephone box is of course in rapid decline with the use of mobiles and I don't think many of them would remain except for the fact that BT has a "Universal Services Obligation" to retain them.  In the middle of nowhere with no mobile phone signal and an emergency a red box would be a welcome sight.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at P here

      

Lapwings

 Granite pavement embellishment on the Stone Jetty, Morecambe.  

There are number these whimsical bird plaques with beautiful lettering created by Gordon Young and Russell Coleman.  

One of my favourite birds.  A lapwing flying high with its cry of 'pee-wit' carrying on the breeze down to those of us earthbound.  Look up in springtime and there may be something even better, a pair of lapwings dancing and tumbling  through the air.  In winter they might be spotted near to this Stone Jetty and the mudflats of Morecambe Bay. A bird whose numbers have sadly declined in recent times.

    

Venus de Frog

This old stone byre once a home for cows and goats now becomes an artist's hideaway at Clearbeck House gardens. Located amongst the Tatham Fells in north Lancashire the land was once a farm but the Osborne family have over the decades changed it from dereliction to a mix of formal garden and wilderness with follies and sculptures.  Lets take a walk around the corner of this old byre

As you can see from the ferns and mossy tree trunk this is a  damp and shaded corner.  No need to squint at the sign I'll go closer

and here it is "Venus de Frog",

and here she is, keeping an eye on the frogs,  The byre had been built with a stone arched niche to contain the Victorian plaster cast  of the Venus de Milo.  It has to be kept dry, as must all plaster, and she watches the flow of Clear Beck at her feet.

I would love to know about the Victorian farmer who dreamt up this idea and it does rather typify the wonderful Victorian mindset.  Why have a plain structure when there is an opportunity to embellish.   The original Hellenic Venus de Milo was discovered in the 1820s and became a sensation so perhaps that might have been something to do with the choice of sculpture.  Alternatively as she is Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology) who is not only goddess of love but also purity and one would hope the high fell spring water would be pure. I imagine in past times the beck would be the only source of water.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at V here

Tiny Tadpoles

Taking a stroll last week on the sandy path between sand dunes and sea the brackish pools lying amongst the small section of salt marsh near Haverigg on the Cumbrian coast looked so tranquil.

But something caught my eye. A seething black mass at the edge.

It was thousands of tadpoles.

 The more adventurous were swimming all over the pool

and I concentrated on trying to get a photograph of their tails wiggling.  Suddenly there was a quiver and an explosion of sand

 as a little Goby fish broke cover and swam across the pool.  I wondered what these tadpoles would turn into. 

This distinctive double string gave a clue

Lets take a closer look.

Some of these eggs will eventually turn into Natterjack toads. It is a protected species in the British Isles and only present in a handful of coastal sites.  Their preference for shallow, warm pools has the disadvantage that these can dry out but they overcome the problem by an extended period of mating from April to July and eggs are produced throughout this season,  normally 3000 to 4000 at a time.  This nocturnal toad's distinctive calls will be heard in the dunes in the night.

I think a warm winter and early spring this year may mean a productive year for all our amphibians whether by the coast or

inland. As part of the National Garden Scheme when private gardens are opened to the public to raise money for charity the owners of Clearbeck opened up their 4+ acre garden for two days this weekend and we made the trip inland into north Lancashire yesterday. I ramped up my tadpole spotting for the year at the edge of their lake

I managed to throw these little fellows into a mild panic as my shadow fell across water and they scattered.  I will not see what happens to these tadpoles, which I suspect are the offspring of the Common Frog, but will be be keeping an eye on my local pools. When I revisited the brackish pools this week there was even more life there, damselflies clinging on the reeds while little water boatmen skimmed the surface in the sunshine and the tadpoles had been joined by new ones, their small size distinguishing them from those who had spent longer in the pool.

 As Arnie says "I'll Be Back" and hopefully see their life journey as they metamorphose into toads .

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week sojourning at T here