Eating Out – The Dog Inn, Pentrich
Many years ago, before man had walked on the moon or The Beatles had got together, one of the simple highlights of a warm summer Sunday evening was to walk with my brother and our parents to The Dog at Pentrich. Our route was via Lowes Hill, Hammersmith, Asher Fields (no A38 in those days) and in to the village. The stroll was timed to put us outside The Dog at precisely 7pm; the time local licensing laws permitted public houses to open on Sunday evenings. Too young to enter the pub, me and my brother would sit outside on a low wall, bottle of Vimto in one hand and a bag of crisps in the other. Our most recent evening visit to the Dog Inn was not going to be for Vimto and crisps but to discover what the new chef, Adam, was offering on the completely re-styled menu. The Dog Inn has changed dramatically over the years; it’s larger; the main extension houses the dining area and has a contemporary interior but still retains many of its period features. It also boasts a wood-burning stove. A welcome site on a cold January night. Jane who, from the start of the New Year, has taken over running the front of house met us. This is a family affair; Jane along with her husband Graham run the bar and restaurant and Chef Adam is their son. Adam has worked in several well-known local restaurants and, until returning to Pentrich, was head chef at one of Sheffield’s top eateries. Some things change for the better and it was a delight to see the array of gins that are now on offer from ‘Bathtub’ through to ‘Rhubarb and Ginger’. Sue ordered a G&T made with the latter. It was served in a long stemmed copa glass which is shaped to enhance the botanicals in the gin. And some things don’t change; I ordered a pint of good old-fashioned Bass and it didn’t fail to delight. We sat and chatted in the cosy bar till our table was ready. Sue started with the soup of the day; a silky, smooth comforting leek and potato with house-baked focaccia; a pillow of soft dough laced through with olive oil infused sundried tomatoes. I chose the salt and chilli squid with a toasted sesame Asian style ketchup. Adam had made a change to the menu and the salad part of the dish was mostly fine strands of mooli. This cool, mild radish provided a counterpoint to the tempura batter on the squid and the hint of mild chilli in the ketchup. This is an ever-evolving menu as I witnessed when my main arrived with spinach; a welcome addition to the rich flavour of the slow cooked marinated blade of beef and the refreshing savoury note of the smooth celeriac fondant. Set on a bed of tangy white onion purée it was accompanied by sliced chestnut mushrooms and just the right amount of deep, dark real ale sauce. A salty note was provided by the crispy cooked pancetta. The plating was thoughtfully balanced and presented a visual feast. For her main Sue chose an 8oz rump steak with a peppercorn and whisky sauce; if there is a grill section to any menu it will always be her first choice. All the steaks are served with, chunky chips, Portobello mushroom, confit tomato, beer battered onion rings and a watercress salad. The steak was grilled beautifully; just the right amount of charring on the outside and still pink on the inside. Throughout the meal we never reached for any extra seasoning. After our unhurried starter and main we had a little room left for desserts; Sue chose the ice cream and I chose the lemon parfait. The ice cream was a trio of flavours, decorated with shards of French meringue, and served with raspberries, blueberries and a buttery, homemade shortbread biscuit. The parfait was served with sherbet, lemon curd and toasted almonds and again decorated with the French meringue. The Dog has a varied and quite extensive bar snacks and meals menu, served till 3pm in the afternoon and 9pm in the evening, which we will be returning to try. There are around 30 wines to choose from ranging from easily affordable whites and reds to some special occasion champagnes. But I still have a soft spot for those warm summer evenings of the late 1950s with a bottle of Vimto. 00
Walk Derbyshire – Viator’s Bridge & The Dove Holes
This short walk can be fitted in with a trip exploring more of Dovedale or simply as a day out combined with lunch at one of the hospitable pubs in villages round and about the valley. It is over 300 years since Izaak Walton fished in the pure waters of the river Dove along with his impecunious friend Charles Cotton of Beresford Hall, near Hartington. Apart from light traffic along the short stretch of modern road through Milldale, the two friends would easily recognise this part of the dale. Dovedale and its famous trout stream have changed little since Walton and Cotton spent time along its banks, angling and philosophising. Walton referred to the Dove as being ‘The finest river that I ever saw and the fullest of fish’; a sentiment true even today. Many of the houses in this tiny hamlet are founded on dwellings that would have been standing in Walton and Cotton’s time. The village takes its name from two mills that once provided employment for people living there; remnants of both mills remain, still capable of taking power from the river. Lode Mill is higher up the valley; converted into a barn, it once ground and separated lead ore from the parent limestone. The mill closest to the village is Ochre Mill; powered by water from the leat which begins a few yards upstream of Viator’s Bridge, is also recognisable as a barn, but in its day it produced powder for making red lead paint. In his angling treatise The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton refers to himself as ‘Viator’ (traveller), and addresses Cotton as ‘Piscator’. (angler). In the book Walton expresses amazement at the narrowness of the bridge which bears his nom-de-plume, ‘Viator’. The route followed by this walk follows the river downstream from Viator’s Bridge as far as the curious rock formation known as Dove Holes. A secluded dry dale to the left and a few yards prior to the holes, climbs up to Hanson Grange Farm where the walk joins an ancient packhorse way back down to Milldale. The Walk : From the car park walk down to the river and cross narrow Viator’s Bridge. Turn right to follow the riverside path for a little under a mile. The thin alkaline soil on the craggy valley sides, supports many semi-alpine plants such as thyme and dwarf cranesbill. Turn left at the finger post pointing to Alsop-en-le Dale and climb the tree-lined dry dale and go beneath the line of rocky crags known as The Nabs guarding the dale’s exit. Before turning left uphill, walk forwards for about 80yards to visit Dove Holes. These massive water-worn holes appear, at first glance to be the start of an extensive cave system but are, in fact only about 20ft (6m) deep. This is a good vantage point for views up and down the dale. Return to the finger post and turn right to re-join the described walk. Turn left though a stile at the dale head and follow a series of stiles leading to the right of Hanson Grange Farm. Join its exit lane about 100yds (91m) beyond the farm. Hanson Grange Farm. There were several extensive monastic sheep walks in the area, until the Dissolution. Hanson Grange was part of one. The farm house looks Jacobean, but is probably built on older foundations. At the end of the partly walled section of the farm lane, turn left as indicated by a signpost close to an underground reservoir. Follow the sign’s direction across a series of fields, downhill towards Milldale. Zigzag downhill on the ancient packhorse way back into Milldale. The George at nearby Alstonfield is a popular pub for travellers, either by car, on foot, riding or pedalling. The oldest relic in Alstonfield Church is the economically worded inscription on the double decker pulpit which states: ‘Be faithful and etc., and I will give thee a crown etc.’ No doubt the carpenter was in a hurry when he carved those words! Useful Information 2½miles (4km) of valley walking, with one steep climb through woodland beneath The Nabs. Level farm tracks followed by a narrow packhorse track back down to Milldale. Recommended map. Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale Outdoor Leisure Sheet 24; The White Peak Area. Car Park. About a quarter mile above the village, west along Hope Dale (free). Refreshments: a cottage in the centre of Milldale serves light refreshments over a half-door. Pubs in several nearby villages. [wpgmza id=”33″] 00
Product Test – Balance Me
the power of nature and the knowledge of science We provide our customers with a natural skincare alternative, to achieve visible results through botanically active formulations that we manufacture in the UK. Our pioneering skincare has been made possible thanks to innovative advances in natural chemistry. Over the years we’ve been able to push the boundaries on what is possible in natural beauty innovation and introduce skincare to solve everyday concerns such as fine lines, loss of tone, pigmentation and sensitivity, without creating others. Flash Cleanse Micellar Water 180ml £16 Perfectly cleansed and radiant skin in a flash Following the success of their Collagen Boost range which launched in 2015, Balance Me is delighted to announce the introduction of Collagen Boost Flash Cleanse Micellar Water. Quicker and easier to use than face wipes, Flash Cleanse is the fool proof, fuss free way to remove make up and dirt. More than just a micellar, Collagen Boost Flash Cleanse’s unique peptide complex boosts skin’s collagen and elastin production, while Chamomile soothes, Bergamot brightens dull complexions and Neroli and Mandarin Oils encourage healthy skin cell regeneration. Key benefits • A quick and effective way to cleanse the face without stripping the skin. • Powerful ingredients that work in synergy to create a smoother, plumper skin surface. Restore and Replenish Face Cream 50ml £40 Firms, smooths and promotes collagen production At the core of the new Collagen Boost line is the Restore and Replenish Face Cream, a super hydrating daily moisturiser containing a unique peptide complex to boost collagen and enhance the skin’s ability to repair and restore itself. Key benefits • A day and night cream that offers multi level protection against premature ageing. • Powerful ingredients that work in synergy to create a smoother, plumper skin surface. • Instantly boosts hydration and radiance. Wonder Eye Cream 15ml £20 Refreshing, awakening and lifting Wonder Eye Cream is hydrating but light and absorbs beautifully, helping to immediately reduce the appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. Key benefits • The delicate skin around the eyes is strengthened and better able to protect itself against signs of ageing. • An instant hydration hit smooths fine lines and helps to reduce the appearance of fatigue. Key ingredients Hyaluronic Acid A super fine grade that is able to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, and can hold up to 1,000 times its own weight in water to help skin instantly hydrate, smooth and plump from within. Cucumber Oil Calms, soothes and brightens the eye area. Witch Hazel Tightens skin, reduces inflammation and puffiness. For more information and to buy online visit www.balanceme.co.uk Restore and Replenish Face Cream is a natural collagen boosting face cream, it quickly absorbs into my skin which is perfect in the mornings for the school rush before applying my makeup. Over time it aims at fine lines and wrinkles, but even after the first use it gave my skin an instant plump and glow. Great Product! CB Wonder Eye Cream, I found this cream really soothing which I imagine is from the cucumber oil and witch hazel that it contains. It was soon absorbed and felt lovely and light. A reassuringly gentle eye cream to use. I loved it. JP Micellar Water has a great pump action dispenser. The product smells lovely and cleansers effortlessly. I’m a big fan of Micellar Water rather than a standard cream cleanser. Love this. VP 00
Derbyshire Antiques & Collectibles – Royal Commemorative Mugs
Most commemorative objects, from coins to china plates, tend to cost a lot more to buy than you get back for re-sale, as the plethora of relatively modern specimens which come up for sale in Bamford’s general sales testify. Today you can expect to pay in the region of £10 or more for a 1953 Coronation mug, given free to most school children (including me) at the time. But it is not so much the occasion commemorated, but the manufacturer that made the item. For instance had one’s parents gone for a Wedgwood one for about £1 with a design after that striking and original inter-war artist Eric Ravilious, then today you might expect £250-280. The best names show the best returns, in other words. The earliest Royal images on mugs (or similar) were those of Charles I and Charles II which turn up on a few extremely rare tin-glaze mugs, for which you may expect to pay £5,000 or more assuming the condition is better than dire. Up until the mid-eighteenth century all commemorative mugs were hand painted, too, but towards the end of that era however, the invention of printing on pottery allowed for mass production. As a result you can find plenty of George III images making that monarch known to far more of his subjects as a result. Consequently, it is possible to put together a selection of mugs that chronicle the most significant events of the King’s 60 year reign. Those that celebrate the return of George to health after his first bout in mental difficulties sell for about £400, depending on condition. The reigns of his two sons George IV and William IV saw mugs to commemorate both their coronations and deaths. These tend to cost £300 or more, although royalty was not the only subject to catch the potters’ eye. Heroes of the wars against France, Nelson and Wellington in particular were at a premium. Today it seems to be Nelson who outshines Wellington in popularity. A Nelson, blue printed mug used to make around £400 but since the bicentenary of Trafalgar in 2005 prices have increased noticeably, whereas the bicentenary of Waterloo had a notably less inflationary effect on Wellington’s. For the new collector, the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901 offers the most opportunity with prices starting at £20. Her Coronation (1838) mugs have been the subject of debate amongst collectors as to whether they were made in Staffordshire or South Wales, although in either case auction estimates hover around £750-850 for examples in good condition. Fortunately Victoria’s Golden and Diamond jubilees of 1887 and 1897 offer richer pickings and more affordable ones, too. A good maker such as Doulton produced Jubilee bone china mugs in several colour schemes, now fetching around £120 for a clean example. Earthenware Jubilee mugs by lesser known makers can regularly be found for £30 and less but some of these bear images of the old Queen which she would have found less than flattering. The advent of the new century saw more in the way of Coronation mugs: Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and the Queen all provoked a welter of commemoratives of varying quality. For most a price of between £10 and £40 should be the norm, and at Bamfords they turn up our general sales rather than in Fine Art ones. People often mistakenly assume that because Edward VIII reigned only 10 months and abdicated without being crowned, his commemoratives will be scarce, but this is not the case. In fact every enterprising pottery in the country put out commemoratives in anticipation of his coronation, and they had to be sold off inexpensively when he decided to give it all up for love. One of the best is, surprisingly Burleigh earthenware, but designed by Derbyshire’s own Dame Laura Knight, which sells for £50-60. As we are currently remembering the slaughter in the trenches and elsewhere occasioned by the Great War, mugs relating to this conflict have edged up a little being usually in the £30 to £60 bracket. In more recent years subject matter has included our Queen’s two Jubilees but more importantly her children’s rite of passage. At home I found a mug commemorating the inauguration at Caernarvon Castle of the Prince of Wales in 1969 by Delphine pottery, and royal weddings have generated a wide variety from Princess Anne through to that of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (with Meghan and Harry to come pretty imminently). The 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana generated a plethora of mugs, some pretty dire, but one in bone china by, say, Caverswall sold for a bit over a fiver in 1981 would now fetch £25 or even a tad more, for Caverswall is a good maker, whereas mugs by less well regarded firms go for prices nearer £8-12. Of course, here in Derbyshire, it is often worth going for Royal Crown Derby examples. They are very good quality, for which initially one would pay a great deal comparatively, but second had examples in good condition with their boxes are still highly collectible, although if you bought one new, it will take a few decades to make your money back. 00
Derbyshires Lost Houses – Meynell’s House, Derby
Francis Meynell (1698-1768) was a member of what was, in the early eighteenth century, a younger branch of the great Derbyshire house of Meynell, recorded in the county as of knightly status from c. 1100. His father had an estate at Anslow in Staffordshire and property elsewhere in that county, but also set up as an apothecary in Derby, building himself, in the first years of Queen Anne a very fine town house immediately adjacent to the surviving house built by his friend Alderman William Franceys. The building, which was destroyed in 1935 to make way for a branch of Martin’s Bank, was without doubt by the same hand as its larger and rather grander next door neighbour, Alderman Franceys’s house of 1694. Although the architect is not known, both houses have very similar detailing, especially in respect to the first floor window surrounds. Indeed the upper storey surrounds are eared and contain rose paterae, a feature still to be found on the former Lloyd’s bank on the corner of Market Place and in Sadler Gate as well as the former George Inn (now Fould’s) a few doors up in Iron Gate, of 1691. Unlike Franceys’s House, Meynell’s three storey brick façade was articulated by a giant Corinthian order enclosing all five bays of windows, with an entrance to the shop part of the premises between bays one and two, and a carriage arch giving access to the family’s entrance and the yard behind, between bays three and four. A large scar in the tiles on the street front of the roof in a photograph of 1855 suggests that when built and until the mid-19th century, there was a row of dormer windows there lighting an attic Inside, the first floor contained two spacious rooms with fielded oak panelling, and entered through eight-panelled doors in muscular eared architraves. The staircase was a fine one, also in oak with two turned balusters per tread. Even the garden was of above average description, boasting a ‘pilastered summerhouse’, presumably a brick edifice built en-suite with the house.. At the time of the ’Forty-five, when Meynell and his family, faced with the imminent arrival of the Jacobite claimant in the shape of Bonnie Prince Charlie, forbore to join the Whig corporation in their flight to Nottingham, they found themselves host to Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Pitsligo and his entourage. The words ‘Charming Kitty Bailey/Wm. Napier’ were found scratched by a diamond on the pane of a window. But any romantic tale of Jacobite romance it vitiated by the date below – 1747 – and by the absence of any Napiers from the roll of officers in the Highland army! Nevertheless, bearing in mind that ‘Bailey’ may be as mis-spelling of ‘Bayly’ a connection with Francis cousin’s and sometime Derby MP Thomas Bayly might reasonable be postulated. Francis Meynell, had been born at Anslow Park, was baptised at Rolleston, for Anslow is not a separate parish. He had been educated at Derby School and on his father’s death in 1727 inherited his modest landed estate in Anslow, making the Derby residence a true town house, as well as being the place of business, the shop portion being serviced on the ground floor. In their day, apothecaries were the nearest most people got to having a GP, and they were in consequence, the repository of much confidential information concerning their clients. Indeed, this fact is often used to explain why Henry Franceys, the apothecary next door (son of Alderman William), was allowed into the County Assemblies when in fact, not being a member of the gentry (unlike Meynell), he should have been restricted to the separate Borough Assemblies. More likely, Franceys got in because he had married a Harpur of Twyford Hall, and by chance more than intent, Francis Meynell had also married a Harpur, but in his case she was Jane, daughter of John Harpur of Littleover Old Hall, senior cousins to the Twyford branch. The next step up from being an apothecary in those days was to train as a surgeon, and in due time Francis Meynell’s son John (1726-1802) was duly articled in 1740 to a local surgeon and in 1747 – the year that next door neighbour Henry Franceys died, enabling Francis Meynell to take over most of his clientèle – he qualified and worked at first from the house alongside his father. In 1778 he was practising in London, despite having inherited the apothecary’s business in 1768, and married a cousin there, from whom his son Godfrey was eventually to inherit a large portion of the ancient Meynell Langley estate, which had gone out of the family in the fifteenth century. Thus with John in London, the business was run after 1768 by his brother Francis (1738-1825) from Rotten Row – as the area was then called, prior to the demolition of the houses opposite Meynell House in 1870-77. At some stage, this Francis retired, and there is no record of his two sons having succeeded him. The date was, in all probability 1796, for that is the date claimed as that of the initiation of their business by Thomas and James Storer, who took the building on and opened the shop part as a grocery. The section on the right of the ground floor they let off to Benjamin Smith, a hosier who was there for many years. In 1890, the Storer family sold the business to Giles Austin a west-countryman, who traded under his own name. He rebuilt the house, improving the shop façade, adding iron bratishing to the facia and installing a parapet centered by a pediment which read TEAS COFFEES/1796/AUSTIN & Co/GROCERIES which clearly indicates that he considered himself merely a continuator of the concern. In 1910, he moved out of the house itself, building a pleasant detached villa in a couple of acres of Village Street, Normanton-by-Derby called Homelands (later replaced by a large grammar school of the same name, now itself no more) and
Visiting Italy – Naples to Rome
All holidays have to come to an end but we had one last card up our sleeves. We had flown out to Naples but had booked our return flights from Rome. Now being a bounder for adventure I hadn’t quite factored in the distance from Castellabate to Rome (348km) as I had been carried away by visiting the south, but all was not lost, as using the motorways would only take three and a half hours with a coffee break. At this point it was suggested that if we set off early we could pull in a trip to Herculaneum, just south of Naples, before continuing on to Rome for our overnight stay. I’m still mystified by speed limits in Italy but worked out that 150 Km/h is pretty quick and so we did well with time! To say we crammed a lot into these last two days is an understatement. Arriving at Herculaneum before lunch, and being in a rush, we started our tour the wrong way round but stuck at it and did all the numbers in reverse order. Herculaneum, destroyed when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, is now a World Heritage Site. Having now visited both Pompei and Herculaneum, I feel that the latter, though less well known is better preserved. Mosaics floors and wall art, timber structured buildings complete with roofs, beds and doors are all in a remarkable state of preservation. You have to get your head round the proximity of Herculaneum to the sea to understand why more than 400 cowering skeletons were discovered in 1981 under old arched boat buildings down by what was once the seashore. The larva deposit that covered Herculaneum differed from the ash that covered Pompei leading to many things surviving intact there. A mix of ash and hot gases, hit the mostly evacuated town of Herculaneum at speeds of 100Mph. Six more flows and surges buried the buildings, causing small damage in some areas and preserving structures, objects and victims almost intact. Other areas suffered significant damage with walls being smashed and columns torn away and in some instances being moved huge distances including the marble statue of Herculaneum’s patron, Marcus Nonius Balbus, being found in two pieces –with head and torso separated. The partially repaired statue now stands in front of the Basilica. Excavation of the site began in the early 1700’s but took a back seat whilst it was found that Pompei was much easier to excavate. When we visited Pompei years ago we had a tour guide and I would recommend doing the same when visiting Herculaneum. As we hadn’t booked one we had to eavesdrop on other tours. Not understanding Chinese, Russian, Swedish and many I couldn’t identify, didn’t help much so I was at a terrible disadvantage, not helped by going the wrong way round too! We didn’t really do this fascinating site much justice as a long hot journey to our hotel just off Via Assisi, not far from The Appian Way in Rome beckoned. A much needed shower, dinner, and a Peroni in the bar ensued as we planned which sights we could pull in before our 7pm flight the next day and then it was lights out. The Trevi fountain for the grandchildren was chosen first (one having to be hauled out because his 5 year old brother, wreaked revenge for earlier holiday misgivings, and shoved him in!) He was rescued before the police got there. It’s sacred you see and you can’t go in. There is a lot of begging on the streets here. One man was so invalided that the only way he could move about was by sitting on a skateboard and using extremely deformed hands to propel him around. On a trip to Egypt we saw worse suffering with some of it inflicted by parents on their children to cause sympathetic people to donate spare cash. What awful times we live in when we have to resort to this. Compared to Paestum and Herculaneum the Trevi Fountain is new! Built in the 1700’s and cramped in by buildings now used as shops to extract money from tourists who jostle to get to the front to get a picture. The ones in the brochure where there isn’t a soul around is far better unless you want a selfie of course. But I didn’t because I know what I look like! I wasn’t as impressed with the Trevi as I should apparently have been. Ah well there’s no accounting for taste. I prefer Aber Falls! We made our way to the Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda. One of Rome’s best preserved and visited buildings and one of the most recent completed by Hadrian around 126AD. Factoring in queueing time is important and wearing the right clothes too. Ladies with bare shoulders aren’t allowed and one of our party had to wait outside for a jumper swap. “It’s a religious building’ the security man armed with a gun explained in an annoyed voice. The Pantheon is famous amongst other things for its hole in the roof. Let’s face it, not many people invite you round to look at the hole in their roof! I suggested that a big a cork could fix it. But this is a hole with a difference, you do come out with neck ache as you marvel at the superb architectural 142 feet high structure which is still the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome. Amazing for a 2,000 year old building. The famous painters Raphael and Annibale Carracci, the composer Arcangelo Corelli, and architect Baldassare Peruz are all buried here along with kings and queens. I had read that Voltaire was buried here but that’s an easy mistake to make as he’s buried at The Pantheon in Paris. Changes over the years has seen parts of the building swallowed up by surrounding structures with some of the marble removed and the tops of two pillars are now in the British Museum. We just
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
We are fortunate in having three preserved railways in our part of the North Midlands. Peak Rail, the Midland Railway, Butterley and the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, follow routes through attractive countryside, but arguably the Ecclesbourne line is through some of the best unspoilt farming countryside in Derbyshire. Part of its route is almost as though it is running through woodland, and there cannot be many places where trains have to slow down behind bouquets of cackling kamikaze pheasants. Running between Wirksworth and the Midland Main Line at Duffield, the Ecclesbourne Railway was originally the idea of a group of coal mine owners in the Erewash Valley. Around 1856 they wanted a quicker route to take their coal to the textile mills around Manchester, but as the Midland line only went as far as Rowsley, the alternative was to link up with the Cromford and High Peak Railway. This line already ran across the high limestone moors of the Peak District and the intension was to build a line along the Ecclesbourne Valley. The new line would join the Cromford and High Peak, connecting with it at Ravenstor above Wirksworth and its rapidly growing quarries. The only problem was that the last part of the route, via Ravenstor, meant a steep climb up a 1:27 gradient. No doubt this would be possible (and still is), for lightly laden passenger trains to climb up from Wirksworth, but it would create problems for trains loaded with tons of coal. This was soon proved to be impractical and coal continued to move by canal to be off-loaded at High Peak Junction until road traffic took over. Work began on the 9 miles (14.5km) of track of the Ecclesbourne Valley line from Wirksworth to Duffield with the ceremonial cutting of a sod at Duffield. The line was opened on 1st October 1865, much to the delight of the local businessmen who had thrown their weight behind the Erewash coal owners. Planning the line was not without its problems, which in turn led to the building of what became known as ‘Travis’ folly’. Up and until 1933 if you had travelled along the line you would have seen a much grassed-over 19 arch viaduct crossing the line. Simply linking fields on either side of the line, it was known officially as Hazelwood Viaduct, but more commonly as ‘Travis’ Folly’. It was built, so folk lore suggests in order for Thomas ‘Canny’ Travis’ cattle to get from one side of the track to the other. The ideal and much cheaper solution would have been to install a level crossing, but the railway company was forced to spend £10,000 building the bridge. Like all folk tales, the story linking the bridge to ‘Canny’ Travis is not exactly true. As the land over which the line ran was owned by the then 7th Duke of Devonshire, it was his agent who insisted on this expense. The argument was that it was necessary in order to allow Travis’ and a neighbouring tenant’s cattle to reach fields on the opposite side of the line from their farms. By 1933 and with a new duke (the 9th) at the helm, arrangements were made to demolish the hardly used bridge. Much to the delight of the huge crowd that had gathered, a detachment of Royal Engineers blew up the 19arch bridge. It was replaced by the more practical level crossing. Travis, whatever his involvement in this crazy scheme, for the rest of his life took advantage of the railway every day to send his milk to the dairy. Very much a rural line throughout its existence, it cannot have paid its way purely from the number of passengers it carried. Most, if not all would join the train at Wirksworth in order to go shopping in Derby, or work. What would be profitable was the amount of tonnage carried from the quarries surrounding the end of the line at Wirksworth. As practically all the quarries were separated from the railway by the Wirksworth to Middleton road, all were connected, either by narrow gauge lines, or even, as in the case of Dale Quarry, the massive hole that blighted the town from its situation a matter of less than a quarter of a mile from the town centre; this one was linked to Wirksworth Station’s goods yard through a tunnel by standard gauge. Baileycroft, even closer to the town had a narrow gauge track through another short tunnel. Stonecroft Quarry further up the road had both standard and narrow gauge tracks. The top half of Middlepeak didn’t use the valley line and was joined to the Cromford and High Peak line by standard gauge; however its lower twin did run stone by narrow gauge into the station yard, along with a conveyor built in 1954. Coleshill Quarry half way up the incline sent its stone by trucks on a narrow gauge track. The sleepy branch line was never going to be a commercial success, passenger use was never going to pay its way. Gradually road transport was taking over from rail, especially affecting the morning milk train. No longer was milk laboriously moved in pails from farm to station, to train, to dairy, but simply pumped into a tanker. Stone was easier to send by road and in any case, many of the quarries around Wirksworth were running out of space; the last stone train left the station in December 1969. Passenger services ended in June 1947 – the excuse being to save coal. From some reason the then owners of the line, LMS, possibly thinking forwards to nationalisation a year later, did not officially withdraw passenger services. They continued to publish a time table, but added the word ‘suspended’, and effectively stopped running passenger trains without the need for a public inquiry. Following nationalisation, British Rail saw no need to alter the status quo, and so the line slowly sank into oblivion. Gradually the nine miles of track disappeared beneath
Paestum & Agropoli
Within a thirty minute car journey north from Castellabate, via the gateway to Cilento town is the larger town of Agropoli, just south of Salerno. Agropoli sits prettily on a promentary looking out at the Tyrrhenian Sea, where African and Eurasian Plates meet. Reading facts like this sent to me straight to the atlas. There can be times, even after many years of travel where we just don’t piece the world together in relation to our current position. With Africa only a short distance away it made this area of Italy’s coast a target for raids from North Africa in the 16th and 17th century and, according to one historian, Turkish Pirates contributed to the diminishing population. The large, as yet to erupt, underground volcano of Mount Marsili, standing at nearly 3,000 metres, sits just over 450 metres under the sea’s surface. We didn’t see it! Agropoli is one of the liveliest towns in the area. A ‘must see’ and it will take you a good day to explore taking in sights such as Aragonese Castle, built as a watchtower and reconstructed by the Aragons in the 15th Century, although there have been other fortresses here since Byzantine times. Whilst we didn’t have too much time to explore Agropili it is one of our ‘next time explore’ towns. Driving on to the impressive ruins of Paestum, which dates from around 600BC (or if we follow the latest school curriculum BCE), these three well preserved Doric temples are surrounded by the ruins of the ancient town. Walking around the paved roads of this 2500 year old ancient city and examining the old structure of shops, semi circular amphitheatre, and gymnasium reveals so much about the rich history of this settlement. Just touching the 5th century BCE walls is a treat as we tread and feel the history. There are steps to climb up, and look down into what was once someone’s home, communal baths and market squares. Floor mosaics that are cordoned off show signs of a settlement that had style and oozed craftmanship. Parking here is tricky and, as a word of caution, don’t believe the locals who say ‘yes it’s OK to park here’. We did this and ended up two months after our return finding that the car hire company had charged us all on our credit cards around 12 Euro’s each for parking in a restricted zone. The big question rattling in my brain: Was this a scam by the police/the vendor/the car hire company? The jury is out on this one so beware if you do visit. Under a blazing sun with, hats, purchased from the friendly (er?) street vendor, umbrellas and bottles of water at the ready we embarked on our afternoons mission. It became clear after three hours that this is a trip that needs a different plan. It’s a good full days visit to get the best results and breaking for lunch or Peroni to get out of the noonday sun is a good plan. Buying the official guide brochure (5 Euros) which I’m still reading and finding how much I actually missed due to our short visit, is a must. Don’t rely on your mobile or tablet to get you round – you won’t see the screen in the blazing sun for a start! Each of the three Greek temples at Paestum has its own story, the oldest being Hera (9×18 columns) followed by Athena (6×13 columns) or Ceres (whichever book you read), and Poseidon or Hera 2 (6×14 columns) again depending on who you listen to. They are a mixed bag of sizes with all the fronts facing the sun and mighty impressive. Originally founded by the Greeks as Poseidonia and later occupied by the Romans who named it Paestum, this is a flat area and easy to get around with views in each direction for miles. The temples aren’t the only points of interest as the area around Paestum features outstandingly long, sandy beaches, which were used for the US army 36th Batallion landings in WW2. It’s a far cry from the swampy, malaria infested area of the 4th/5th century AD with some of the population moving south to Agropoli to escape disease. The temples and surrounding area became ‘lost’ only to be ‘rediscovered’ around the time that Pompei and Herculaneum were excavated. They are still working on excavations on this huge site. Numerous hotels and camp sites are close by with some of the best only a 2km walk away. This is an area rich in history indeed which was emphasised during our visit by one family member exclaiming, ‘They filmed Jason and The Argonauts here” and, with mobile in hand, proved it. Education is a wonderful thing! Returning to our villa in the evening it was time to fire up the outdoor pizza oven. Dragging a fallen old branch from the wood opposite (causing amusement to all) we soon got the temperature up and, while the rest were busy preparing dough bases, toppings and salad (again!), we enjoyed keeping the fire burning, playing table tennis with the children, enjoying a glass of red wine, listening to the distant dog barking and watching the sun go slowly down over the hill. 00
Product Test – Neal’s Yard Remedies
Nurture Your Hair with Neal’s Yard Remedies Natural Organic Health & Beauty 100% Organic Argan Oil £17.50 50ml Organic Argan Oil is Soil Association certified and rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids to soothe, nourish and hydrate skin. Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic Argan Oil is sourced from South West Morocco, the only region in the world where the argan tree is grown. The small co-operative of 50 women started in 2007 and its members use traditional skills to collect the world’s first Fairtrade certified argan oil. The income from the project also improves the socio-economic conditions of the region by providing valuable income for the community. Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic Argan Oil can be used on skin, hair and nails. To use on skin, warm a few drops of in your hands, then massage into the skin, nails and cuticles, taking care around the delicate eye area. For hair, simply smooth a small amount from roots to tips, to reduce frizz, replenish and revitalise. *based on consumer trials of 100 people Rosemary & Cedarwood Hair Treatment, £6.50 This customer favourite is an intense treatment for all hair types. Used either as a pre-wash conditioner, or left on for a deep conditioning overnight treatment, it restores shine, body, and vitality. The nourishing blend of organic coconut oil with the essential oils of organic rosemary, cedarwood, and lavender make it ideal to use on lackluster or coloured hair. Nurturing Rose Shampoo, £11.50 Our nurturing shampoo enhances the vibrancy and shine of dry, damaged or coloured hair, leaving it looking and feeling smoother. The blend of vitamin-rich rosehip, sea buckthorn, and passion flower oils gently cleanses your hair and scalp, and helps to minimise split ends. All our shampoos have a natural low lathering foam to avoid stripping away the hair’s natural oils, which can leave it feeling brittle and dry as well as irritating the scalp. Nurturing Rose Conditioner, £11.50 Our nurturing conditioner replenishes dry, damaged or coloured hair, to leave it looking and feeling shiny and healthy. With a botanical blend of olive and coconut oils, maple extract, and a delicate infusion of rose and calendula flowers, it enhances vibrancy and shine from root to tip. To buy online visit www.nealsyardremedies.com Tried & Tested Argan oil I’ve massaged a small amount into my hands and cuticles and over time this has improved the texture and softness of my skin with a far longer lasting effect than normal hand cream. JP Nurturing Rose Shampoo & Conditioner My hair is so dry at this time of year and easily breaks. I am so happy to have this product. Since using it’s been silky and shiny and I’ve had a lot less breakage. Fab product. VP 00
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Stuffynwood Hall
One of my oldest friends is a great enthusiast for huge spiky Gothic Victorian country houses. He thinks Samuel Sander Teulon (‘the good ship Teulon’ as he always calls him) a genius who far outshines Wren or Adam and considers Damien Hurst deserving almost of deification for buying and restoring vast, inchoate and sprawling Toddington Manor in Gloucestershire, designed by Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Lord Sudeley, for himself and built between 1819 and 1840. Derbyshire is (in my view) blessedly free of houses like Toddington, or Somerleyton, or Mentmore. Most of our Jacobean is real Jacobean and Victorian prodigy houses have nearly all been demolished. Readers will recall an account of Snelston Hall last year – architecturally the best of them – of Osmaston Manor the year before, and you can still visit Eckington Hall (albeit seized by Sheffield City Council in 1936) in the NE of the County, which is a classic Hollywood ‘haunted house’ of a building. Locko Park although large, is largely Victorian, but harmoniously designed, spread around a fine early 18th century central block, tactfully incorporated. One particularly lumpish example of eclectic Victorian on a fairly epic scale was Stuffynwood Hall which stood just south of Shirebrook and a short distance NW of Mansfield Woodhouse. Built in 1857-58, it is in French Chateau style – French chateau on speed – with a huge, chunky tower behind and a lower wing to one side, like the main house, steep-roofed and prickling with skinny chimney stacks and pop-up dormers. The entire composition was wonderfully asymmetrical, largely over two lofty floors (plus attics), faced throughout in muscular rock-face ashlar of Permian Magnesian Limestone, and with a main block of three bays to the left and another three, wrapped round a vast canted bay with its own hipped roof, to the right. To the right was another two bays, the end one breaking forward with a loggia-like run of six ground floor windows to the right of the entrance, all much lower than the main block, with a service wing beyond again ending in a little pyramidally hipped roofed pavilion with a largish outshut behind beyond which was a large stable block arranged round a courtyard and a further service court to its east. This extraordinarily top-heavy looking house stood in a modest stretch of parkland running to 51 acres, and the entire estate, despite the proximity of numerous coal mines, was well sequestered. The name of the architect has completely evaded my research, but one might expect the culprit to have been a Nottingham man, or even a Chesterfield one. The estate itself was carved out of the manor of Shirebrook, held by a branch of the Meynell family who took the place as their surname, but sub-let most of it to Alan de Stuffyn around 1270, who was the park-keeper of the hunting park of Pleasley, where the Bec family then had a lodge, long vanished. Their park was stocked and emparkation granted by Edward I in 1288. The family were Bishops successively of St. Davids, Durham and (titular) Jerusalem. This Alan is almost certainly to be identified with Alan son of Hugh de Glapwell and grandson of Simon de Pleasley, facts which we can be fairly sure of thanks to the survival of the charters of the Woolhouse family, later of Glapwell Hall. By the middle of the fourteenth century Robert Stuffyn, probably great grandson, was of Shirebrook, and before long his name had become attached to the landscape, when a portion of his estate was called Stuffynwood. John son of Hugh Stuffyn (1615-1695) was the first of the family to be styled ‘gent’ instead of ‘yeoman’. His eldest son, John died aged 55 a year after him without leaving issue and his widow married Gilbert Mundy of Allestree Old Hall. His brothers having predeceased him unmarried, the estate passed to John Hacker of Trowell and by various inheritances and sales to Robert Malkin of Chesterfield. Having never seen an inventory for any of the Stuffyn family, I cannot really assess what sort of or size of house they lived in, but suffice it to say that when Charles Paget, a member of an old Ibstock family lately grown affluent through business, mainly in Nottinghamshire, bought the 300 acre estate from Malkin, there was a modest Georgian house on the site of the hall. The Pagets had intermarried with the Hollins family, who had acquired the Pleasley Mills from that supreme entrepreneur, Henry Thornhill (1708-1790), and thus Charles was keen that his son Joseph should live nearby with a view to taking a hands-on role at the mills. The upshot was the building of Stuffynwood Hall, which was to enjoy a short and really rather unhappy existence. Photographs of the interior have proved elusive, although some may exist in the family papers lodged at the LSE. Fortunately my copy of Leonard Jacks’s account of the country houses of Nottinghamshire (1881) strays over the border here so that he can continue to flatter the Pagets, who also owned Ruddington Grange. He tells us that the house was greatly extended by Joseph Paget from 1873-1880, adding the rear wing, the hulking great tower (complete with skied water tank to improve the domestic economy) and a domestic (Catholic) chapel. Joseph married Helen, daughter of Revd. Edward Abney of The Firs, Derby. He was a great friend of W H Fox-Talbot, the photographic pioneer who was married to a Mundy of Markeaton. They are known to have made Talbotypes of several Derbyshire houses in the late 1840s early 1850s. Abney also encouraged Derby’s pioneering Victorian topographical photographer Richard Keene (1825-1894). Would that we still had any photograph Joseph’s father-in-law might have made of Stuffynwood! Jacks notes that the house boasted ‘large and well-lit rooms, had a separate billiard room with an adjustable frosted glass roof (to let out the fragrant vapours of the contestants’ Havanas no doubt) and that the house was very early fitted with self-generated electricity, hence
