Houses, life, countryside; reflections thereupon...

I had to get my car MOT'ed today and it meant that I did some walking for a change. I like walking and, for some reason, I really like walking through villages, towns and cities. I look at architecture, the shape, colour, facade, proportion of houses, flats, cottages and so on...I look to see whether they have a name or a number or both...

It's taken me while to get used to living out in the country and perhaps I still don't really qualify as a true country person. I like living out here, don't get me wrong, but I am not sure I could live out in the wilds, wilds, wilds of the countryside somewhere. I still argue it out in my head whether I could live on a farm for instance. Being out in a building where I might not see people for days...unless I made the effort to see anyone...now that I would struggle with.


You see - I like people and I also like people to be around (even whether I speak to them or not).

My local town is called Haltwhistle. It is not named after anything to do with a train (although that idea has now passed into common mythology). It's believed that the name came from Old English meaning a high piece of land overlooking where two streams or rivers meet. (For more detail look at Wikipedia.) It is in the "Heart of Hadrian's Wall Country". It has the claim to fame of being in "The Centre of Britain"  - the literal geographic centre of Britain. For more uptodate photos click here.

Now you can read about Haltwhistle in a variety of places on the internet. (If you do come here try to get a copy of the booklet 'Haltwhistle's Historic Parishes' which is incredibly informative.) I'd like to talk about it having lived here for eight years now. I find it an incredibly friendly place. It's almost impossible to walk down the high street (or anywhere else) without someone saying hello to you whether they know you or not.

You won't find the 'famous' high street names here apart from about three retailers  - one of which you have to search for because it is hidden away. I like to think that is down to the stubbornness of Haltwhistle - even huge "retail" names have to behave like everyone else. (Everyone does know one another by and large.)

It has (or did have) the reputation of being a frontier town and in many ways it is. Haltwhistle is right on the boundary with Cumbria. Northumberland is a huge county and is the least populated in Britain (with 62 people per square mile apparently). Haltwhistle used to rely on the railways, mining, quarrying, the paintworks and other industrial activities but, sadly, a lot of those activities have melted away. Farming and Tourism are the main employers now.

Anyway I digress. What fascinates me about Haltwhistle is that a lot of the streets and alleyways lead nowhere or to appear to lead nowhere. I still wonder why. This is represented by Hadrian's Wall up at Cawfields where the Wall suddenly goes nowhere. It was cut off/destroyed by the quarrying. (Click the "nowhere" link to see that.) You can also tell when someone 'made money' as a posh house would be built...with a substantial drive and outhouses.

Going further out farmhouses cling to the edge of the land whereas over in Cumbria (a few miles down the road) the countryside becomes softer and flatter...reflecting that - so do the farmhouses and cottages. Quite often local farmhouses were built by the side of the road (on the old trackways) with little or no garden. The rooms were smaller so that they would be easier to heat. Quite often, in the past, they would have no heating except in the kitchen or the parlour.

Contrast this with, say the village of Gilsland (the next village along to our B&B, which became a Spa town attracting the likes of Sir Walter Scott. The houses, in the main, are much, much grander. They are more like the houses I got used to seeing in the wealthier outskirts of Newcastle and London. The owners would have had servants or some sort of people in service to run these bigger houses.

There is one particular house which catches my eye every time I go to Gilsland along one particular section of the Wall:

It is called "Romanway". It used to be the vicarage in Gilsland and it is on Hadrian's Wall trail. It used to be a B&B and Hunter Davies stayed in it whilst 'Walking along the Wall' and writing his book of the (almost) same name in the early 1970s (see p.182-186). It is now in serious disrepair. Apparently there used to be two Roman altars in the porch - one of which was inscribed. Not sure whether they are still there. (Must find out where they are.) In a way it is representative of the type of house which can be found in Gilsland although all the others are in better nick!

There is lots to be said about Gilsland as well and I'll leave that for another blog post. What do your houses in your area tell you about your local history? Is there any one house which sticks out and why? Be definitely interested to hear about them and know why...

Lots of updates :)

Again I am writing this very quickly as I seem to be in a permanent rush.

One blogger, Rick Cooper, left a very pertinent comment about the Lake District (on my last post) and the floods. Yes!..a couple of areas have suffered from the floods but the main message is that The Lake District and all areas of Cumbria and Northumberland (for that matter) are very much open for business! Please continue to come and see the delights of these two counties.... :)

OK...I'll stop bossing you about now....

These photos show another Cumbrian surprise...Askerton Castle Estate. A Reiver Castle nestling just above Brampton...it is from here that we source our organic meat. It is a glorious farm run by a wonderfully friendly family. (They have taught themselves to farm in just five or six years.) They throw open their doors for a day long Summer Barbeque. They also have animals galore...alpacas, hens, sheep, ducks and loads more.

I found a little piece of history about Askerton Castle completely by accident. (My rummagings on the internet know no bounds.) I will include the link here. (From: English Castles: A Guide by Adrian Pettifer)

I'm currently preparing the accounts for the B&B. Things are looking up but I don't want to spoil things until they are in the bag. I just don't want to jinx it. So I will tell you more when it is ready to be hatched.

There is so much that I want to do with this blog. When things calm down...(will they ever?)...I can write those posts which I have promised you over this year.

We went to a breathtakingly enjoyable Christingle service yesterday up at Knarsdale (on the way to Slaggyford and Alston). Knarsdale is still in Northumberland but like many places along the border with Cumbria (just like our B&B) they have a Cumbrian address and post code.

There was a Christmas fair (involving lots of scrumptious homemade cakes, biscuits and Christmas pressies to be) in the very pretty and attractive church of St. Jude's. The Christingle service followed - at which the children of Herdley Bank School, sang songs, conjuring up tears unbidden, such as this Celtic blessing:

"May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And the rain fall soft upon your fields.

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand."

We even managed to get a coffee, or something stronger, at the well recommended Kirkstyle Inn - next door to the church (kirk) obviously. (Link to Walk 13: Knarsdale and Kirkhaugh...one of the famed 22 Haltwhistle "Ring" Walks. Also found a potted history of Knarsdale here...mighty interesting it is too! Cycling around the Pennines leaflet is included here.)

There are lots of Reiver Castles, bastle (houses certainly fortified with stones/iron bars, perhaps with alcohol) houses and castles scattered around the Border Country. (The Border Country..which covers the border of Scotland and England...going a fair bit inland either side of the border of the two countries...encompassing Cumbria and Northumberland.)

The Reiver period is something I want to know more about. It could be said that it lasted from the break up of the Roman Empire c. AD400 until early/mid 17th century(AD). It was at its zenith from the late 13th century to the late 16th century.

Basically it became The Wild West to East Border up here. There was a great deal of fighting (that is putting it mildly) between the English clans and the Scottish clans and families. The families also bickered amongst themselves.

Border Reiver family names along here abound: Nixons, Armstrongs, Grahams, Ridleys, Liddells, Reids, Elliotts, Taits, Bells and so on...their descendants are still among us. These Reiver surnames (and more) are very common in these parts.

Their ancestors were notorious for stealing cattle, horses, harvests and even women! And that was when they were in a good mood...

We get bereaved and blackmail from the Reivers. (There is much more vocabulary which I will expand upon another time.)

Although it will not have been a dreamy period through which to live, nay, survive...what they have left behind conjures up lands of mists, adventure, lawlessness, thieving, brigands, daredevilry, lawlessness, murder, ghosts, passions, guile, spite, lawlessness, torn love, kidnap, jealousy, clannishness and many other words which allow the imagination to roam boundlessly and lawlessnessly. (In these days of political correctness...I do tend to think of them as heroes...although I know deep down...that is not the case....)

So all I can say....Please do come and visit Cumbria and Northumbria......and let the landscape do the talking, whispering and the unfettered imagining for you!

A big thank you to Tartetartan

A couple of days ago I was awarded this wonderful award by Tartetartan and I have to admit that I am still thinking of which 7 other blogs to nominate....(a condition of accepting this rather nice award). I'm really rather rubbish at all of this so whilst I think on I would like to make this award to:
1. Test Match Special Team because it is very English and Henry Blofeld "Blowers" is so, so, very PG Wodehouse. So here you are "you dear old thing".
2. Northumberland/Cumbria because every time I look at their lushious, verdant sceneries they are show stoppingly brilliant (even in the rain).
3. The blogging world in general because I love to rake through other people's lives, experiences, off white washing and so very nearly clean jokes.
4. The English Language because I am absolutely 100% fascinated by it.
5. Britain because it ain't the full penny without the other bits.
6. The British Sense of Humour because I wouldn't be able to get through the day without it.
7. The creator of "Wallace and Gromit", Nick Park, because that man is a genius. "Cracking good, Gromit!"
8. The British "clubs" of this world...without whom I would never have met...(ahem)...the other half.
9. The "Spanish Inquisition" scene in Monty Python......"Surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our three weapons are fear, and surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our four...no... " (Did I say 7 points? I meant...err 8 points, or was it 9 points...no...darn it! I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition! (Ed: didn't realise that the scene was set in Jarrow. It was where Hadriana was born. Eh! Lass..."Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise!.......")