Last evening was a first for SPAG when 15 members gathered in a rather warm room at Ashday Lea for a showing of The Shedden Valley Mystery. This was a talk by Titus Thornber in the last century (!) which had been videoed, transferred to DVD and retained by Titus’ son David. Titus was a […]
On a sunny evening in late May, fourteen Spaggers met below Moss Bank Park in Bolton at the bottom of the steps leading up to Barrow Bridge village. Those who had enjoyed Geoff Timmins talk on Lancashire Factory Villages a couple of weeks before were particularly keen to see the reality of what had been […]
Martholme On the sunny afternoon of 24 May 2023, 15 members of SPAG enjoyed a guided tour of family-owned Martholme House (Grade I listed), its gatehouse and crow-stepped entrance arch (both grade II* listed), expertly guided by a family member. Martholme: the arched door on the left of the picture once led into the now […]
We were very privileged to welcome Geoff Timmins, Emeritus Professor from UCLan, to be our speaker yesterday evening. Geoff educated and entertained us with an illustrated talk on the development of towns and villages built during the 19th century to house the rapidly growing number of people who had come to work in the factories […]
Andrew preaches to his flock
On Monday, 17th April, several SPAG members joined others for a walk led by our own Andrew Gill as part of the ‘Active Together Walking Festival’. We set off from Helmshore Textile Museum with a forecast of zero rainfall and the drizzle started about fifteen minutes later. Our plan was to circumnavigate Musbury Tor. We started along its northern flank with wonderful views, through the mist, of the Musbury Valley below and noted features relating to when it was an enclosed deer park, some seven hundred years ago. Even though it wasn’t meant to be an archaeology walk, with so many SPAG members present, we felt it only fair to share our knowledge with those less fortunate. We then crossed the Exe (the flat, fertile plateau behind the Tor) and stopped for a snack at the Township of Pilkington. Andrew read extracts penned by the Rev. Marshall Mather who undertook the same walk one hundred and forty years ago. This was likened to the Sermon on the Mount but without any mention of ‘cheesemakers’ from those at the back.
Finally, we dropped down into the lovely Alden Valley, crossing several streams and with much bog-hopping. By now, the clouds had lifted and we were able to see the Rossendale Valley in its full glory. A final count back at the car park revealed that of the seventeen people we started with, fifteen had returned. Andrew jokingly said he would search for the others sometime later in the week!
A jolly good time was had by all.
