[B]THE RED ROSE COUNTY[/B]

Nice pics/ descriptions and travelogue, Mathos, evidently a labour of love.

You are a modern-day John Bull.

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm,
this England.

Thanks for that Mac. Appreciated.

I prefer to use the old roads, steering clear of the motorways, which isn't easy, but it makes for a much more pleasant drive.

I went across Barton Bridge into Manchester!

The traffic was quite busy, but they have really smartened up Trafford Park.

Once we were through Stockport, Marple, Hazel Grove and going up onto the tops, the landscape really took on a new meaning, even though it was a cloudy and somewhat dull morning.



There is something special about seeing where you are as you drive along, being able to stop when you see something you like or want to pull into a lay by and stretch your legs, or even take a photograph.

You can't do any of that on the motorways. The sides are really all you see unless there is a stretch of land with an interesting point around you, or if you are passing higher than the ground and the route is not through a quarry.



How often on motorways do you pass by beauty like this. (Don't miss the horse on the bottom right of this picture)

There's many a younger person won't even be aware of the existence of such places we thought.




The horses alone looked specimens and when you look at the surrounding landscape.

There were some superb villages along the way. Small Hamlets that didn't want to be rushed at all.




We actually felt like we had got there too early and might be disturbing their mornings.



Even the bin men were waiting for the streets to air.

Some times it almost feels like a torch is being shone from the skies above, out of the muggy skies, selecting a special little place for you to aim your camera.



There's all the time in the world when you look at views like this though.



This is the entrance to Hassop Hall Hotel in The Peak District.

Absolutely outstanding Hotel. Family owned and run, rooms range from £95..00 to about £225..00 a night.




HASSOP HALL - A SHORT HISTORY

The recorded history of Hassop reaches back 900 years to the Doomesday Book.

HETESOPE in the Book of Winchester: to give Domesday its correct title - was the Manor and principal residence of the FOLJAMBES who remained until the reign of Richard II(1377-1399). The infant heiress to Hassop became a ward of the King. He sold her for 50 marks to Sir John Leake, who speedily made one hundred percent profit by re-selling her at a price of 100 marks to Sir William Plumpton, who wished to secure her as a wife for his son. The matrix for England was still that increasing power struggle between the Barons and the only real power was the possession of land. The Foljambe heiress was eleven months old when her covenant of marriage was made, and her considerable dowry of Hassop with a dozen other Lordships and moieties in twenty townships passed to the PLUMPTON family.


At the close of the 15th century, they sold Hassop to Catherine, widow of Stephen Eyre. From 1498 at the time of the purchase, the Eyre family who were Roman Catholic and staunch Jacobeans moved into that testing period of religious persecution. Throughout the reign of Elizabeth I they suffered a great deal in consequence, emerging steadfast. They were among those few Catholic families of the nobility who did not switch sides as a temporary expedient.


The Civil War in 1643 was another time of trial for the family, and Rowland Eyre turned his home into a Royalist garrison. It was the scene of several skirmishes and after the Parliamentary victory, the captured property was only redeemed at a cost of £21,000. Rowland's father had dismantled much of the old Hall and replaced it with the present one.
In 1814 Francis Eyre, a direct descendant of Stephen, succeeded to the title of Earl of Newburgh. Born into an age when it was fashionable for Noblemen and their sons to follow the Byronic grand tour of Europe, Francis left his mark on the rapidly changing face of Britain with the unusual Catholic church built 1816-1818 in the severest Classical Revival style, its front resembling an Etruscan temple, the interior with a coved coffered ceiling - it has an underground passage to the Hall. Improvements to modernise the Hall and some alterations in the Neo-Classical mould were carried out a few years later. The estate passed to Dorothy, sister of Francis, in 1852, and a year afterwards to her widower, Colonel Charles LESLIE.


The Hall bought from the Leslies in 1919 by Colonel H. K. STEPHENSON (later Sir Henry Stephenson Bt) eventually became the home of his son Sir Francis Bt and it was purchased by the present owner, Mr. Thomas H. CHAPMAN, in 1975.


Hassop Hall is linked to only five families since the inventory of Domesday Book, there are remarkably intact records with specific dating of days and years.

Time has set Hassop as a tranquil backdrop to ages when a woman was worthless except as her Lord's chattel, when it needed great courage to hold fast to a faith, and when Civil War blighted this lovely countryside. With the opening of a contemporary chapter there is, not surprisingly, a determination to conserve and care for this outstanding heritage. Endlessly interesting; bound up with history; a place with many tales to tell; still a home - Hassop Hall is somewhere to find a welcome.


The above information is from the Internet Site of The Hotel and is well and truly worth a visit.

Hassop Hall Hotel is located in the picturesque hamlet of Hassop, near Bakewell, close to all the attractions of the Peak District.
Set in beautiful gardens and rolling parkland, the hotel offers you a retreat where you can relax and enjoy the comforts offered in this family run establishment.

Hassop Hall Hotel, deluxe, luxury hotel, restaurants, bars, near Bakewell, Derbyshire, England, UK. Weddings, parties, weekends.

Well worth looking at.

I took this photograph of the two young ladies on the horses after they were startled.

A blithering idiot on a motorcycle, roared between the cars which had slowed down to a crawl in order to pass the horses safely.

Those horses could have thrown the girls.

The front horse had just about regained it's posture as we got the snap.

They were very lucky.

The motorcyclist was young and was probably unaware of the dangers he was presenting to the horses with the noise from his powerful machine.

You know, you can't reveal to the innocent youth..

I was concerned, a right good friend of mine lost his wife in similar circumstances many years ago, she was thrown from her horse and suffered head injuries which left her in a coma and she died after about two days.

She was a right grand and lovely lass, good mother, everything.

He was left to bring three lads up by himself.



It took me back in time when they reared up.

_________________________________________

Knutsford is a really outstandingly beautiful little village.

There is a movement afoot in the village to stop men wearing shorts!

They reckon it looks unsightly.

There's a host of really nice hostelry's there as well. My favourite is The Whipping Stocks.

It's out of town towards or in the area of "Over Peover"





It was a hell of a busy pub up to a few years ago especially, it still holds it own from what have seen but I think the signs of pub trade degeneration in general apply to this beauty as much as any other.

Fantastic garden area as well, years ago, there were some really good barbecued meals to be had out here. They had a Chef cooking outside on a regular basis, weather permitting.



There's no saying it still doesn't do really well, but I know from the odd time or two over the last couple of years or so, when we have called of an evening or lunchtime, it didn't score the levels it once did.

It's steeped in history.




General George Patton was stationed at Peover Hall in Cheshire, in fact the United States Third Army under his command were based at Toft Camp just down the road.

Patton visited virtually all of the hostelries in the area, Peover, Mobberley and Knutsford. He dined with Eisenhower at Lower Peovers famous Inn:- The Bells of Peover.

There are various plaques in many parts of the area making reference to General Patton. In the Whipping Stocks there is a plaque with his photograph, (along with those fancy pistols on his belt) mentioning how General George Smith Patton had a regular table and seat there, just by the main door. He also had fresh flowers placed there daily. When he left for the invasion of Europe, he paid for a years flowers in advance to be placed in that same spot.

I thought that was a nice, really nice gesture.



The section below is from the Internet.

Ruskin Rooms
On 25 April 1944, at the old Town Hall in Knutsford, which is now a furniture shop and post office, Patton made the speech which caused his downfall and became known as the 'Knutsford Incident'. Speaking to the soldiers attending the opening of the Knutsford Welcome Club Patton made a few brief remarks and happened to say, ". . . it is the evident destiny of the British and Americans, and, of course, the Russians, to rule the world . . . " The remarks hit the newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic omitting the Russians thereby slighting one of our allies. All witnesses to the event said he included the Russians. Anthony Cave Brown, in Bodyguard of Lies, states that a British Government representative named Mould "almost certainly" released Patton's remarks to the media as part of the FUSAG deception. read the whole speech

For detailed information on General Patton visit The Patton Society website

_______________________________________[/u]

The Knutsford Lodge, which now appears to be a private residence, is siutated just outside The Whipping Stocks.

This is something else to look at.



The whole appearance of the building is simply spectacular.

It's a credit to the Country, let along The County.


The above photograph is one I took myself on Tuesday 15th July 2008

(Just for the record, because lately I keep forgetting things) :wink:

The rooms in The Whipping Stocks, retain their original character, and that is nice to see. Far too many of our older pubs have been butchered by knocking walls down, removing old fireplaces etc. and turning them into soul-less rooms which have added to the ruination of pub life and it's original foundations.

You can imagine how 'warm and welcoming' a room like this is, especially in mid winter when snow is on the ground outside and a nice coal or log fire is blazing away in a room like this




This is the rear 'yard area' of the pub, were they used to cook the food on a large barbecue.



I'd bet General Patton has walked through those French Windows, many a time.

The entrance to Jodrell Bank is only a couple of mile or so away from the pub.



It's probably obsolete so far as telescopes go nowadays, especially thinking of the new one they are building or have built in Geneva.

Still Manchester University are making good use of it nowadays, I understand. It's open to the public on a regular basis as well.



It's really nice countryside in this part of the country too.

There's something extremely special about the countryside in great Britain that you never come across elsewhere on the planet.

Most, if not all of England's Counties boast spectacular scenes, hamlets, homes and inns, Wales, Scotland and Ireland also have so much to vaunt about.

I think we are very fortunate to be amidst so much beauty. The weather can be a bit of a nuisance at times. It hasn't stopped raining here today.

This would have been a really great photograph, but the enormous cow in the centre of the young bulls, dropped her head, just as Flobo snapped the same.

The young black bull gave a really indignant look as well.

Bet he's a right "toughy" in the herd.


I think the animals grazing like this reflect a peace and tranquility we probably take for granted, but which is rather special.



This particular area of Monsal was a very nice spot, with some magnificent views.



We actually had our 'Fish and Chips' dinner up here at a nice hotel right on top of the peak so to speak.



The scenery really is second to little, if any at all.



Some superb houses in the vicinity also.



Bonny property is that.

This guy looked happy enough on the Banks of The River Wye.



We crossed the Irwell at Barton Upon Irwell.

The canal on the other side, which appears to link up with the Irwell will be the The Bridgewater, There were some nice houseboats on here.




Canals and rivers in general are quite fascinating in my opinion.




This is a wonderful example of a dry stone wall as well.



It's quite amazing how quickly the professionals can build one of these as well.

A real work of art.



Whenever I come across buildings like this, there is an amazing attraction to try and find out as much as I can about the same.

The most annoying part of the trip, is the fact that I have lost some of my notes and am totally at a loss to state the name of the town where this particular pub was and a couple of other places which I have either put on the thread, or have yet to enter.


I think I may have lost a couple of pages whilst getting in or out of the car.

This pub was closed as well, had it been open we would have gone in for a beverage or soft drink and had a chat with the staff regarding the same.

On the off chance that anybody viewing can assist, please let me know.


I have earlier placed a photograph or two from Tideswell on the thread, this one represents the Village Store and Post office.



Really nice.

It's good to see another Post Office which appears to have been saved from oblivion too.

The Church in the town was really impressive.

There really are some wonderful buildings in our country when you study the same.

We are extremely fortunate.


The Church is actually dedicated to St John the Baptist and often referred to as the Cathedral of the Peak.

The building was started and completed during the 14the Century, That's a fair old age.

Apparently it's a landmark for miles around, being virtually original in its existence since it's creation.

It is thought the builder was Sir John Foljambe from a very prominent family of landowners.

Here is a really quaint little cobbled street in Tideswell. just a few hundred yards from The Village store.

Now that's really quaint.



This scenic photograph over the tops, is quite interesting too.

I like how the rock formation is jutting out from around the grassy tops of the hill as well.



Next time we are in this particular area, we will take a detour over to Kinder Scout. There are some really spectacular rock formations in that particular area.

Kinder Scout is a high plateau, standing about 2000 feet above sea level.

The highest part of the area is known as Crowden Head. It's a nice spot and should produce some decent photographs.

It's been absolutely years since I was last there, I think I was about sixteen years of age. Amazing rock formations and some extremely weird looking giant stones if my memory serves me right.

There are many times when you look for something special with regards to a thread of this nature, not exactly knowing what it is.

Then you spot a particular scene whilst driving, you go past it, think about it for a moment or two, and just know it's what you are looking for.

That was certainly the case with this photograph, I turned the car round, drove back and it suited. Sometimes, I turn around and when I go back, it doesn't suit. This one did.



Isn't it a beautiful scene. The dry stone walls separating the fields are splendid as well

There are some new properties and new extensions to old property in with that little lot, the beauty is, the planners have ensured they were done in corresponding materials with everything blending well, (weathering excepted of course) but it's a credit to them.

Another thing I like, if they have put rooms in the attics, they have only let them replace slate with glass, those ugly dormer tops on roofs look awful in my opinion.


Who the heck does this chap think he is, Father Christmas?



I wonder what he is going to be fixing up.

Roses are special:-

There were some real beauties here though and the scent from them was very strong.



Another nice show here too.



Southport Flower show is on in August, we haven't been for a few years, so I will probably have a drive out there later in the month with Flobo.

There really are some fantastic gardens set up there.

It's quite amazing at times how people go to so much trouble to create amazing features in their gardens.

The location has to be right and somewhat different for most of them. This particular set of steps must have cost an absolute fortune to build, but they look brilliant.



I couldn't get as close to the property as I would have liked to, but the walls look to me as if they are dry stone build.

The capping's are more than likely cemented down though.

Super.

If you have property like this as well in an elevated position it demands that extra polish and a manicure, you just know it's going to be on top show.



Rose Cottage.. More like a Mansion, it's an enormous house.

This was simple, but at the same time quite unique.

You don't see that many of these elevated entrances. They look great though.


The stone trough used for a small flower box was no doubt a common pig trough or cattle/horse trough for water at one time.

I can remember things like that being smashed up and used as hardcore years ago.

It's a crying shame.

This house is spectacular. An absolute masterpiece.


What an amazing building it is.

It's on land belonging to The Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth Hall.

I don't think you could buy that.

Priceless you might say.

Brlliant and very unique village indeed is Edensor.



Really nice landscape and an attractive young lady in the front of the photograph to go with it.

Edensor is quite spectacular, I think anyone would agree.



Apparently these houses never go on the market for sale.


There are some brilliant opportunities to gather a fantastic photograph if you get lucky enough I suppose.





Meanwhile back in Lancashire:-

We went through Preston, out onto the A6 going north and pulled into Guy's Thatched Cottages at Bilsborrow near Garstang.




It gets a few names does this place:- O'wd Nell's.

Guy's Thatched Hamlet.

Guy's Hotel.

The Oyster Place.

The Cider Place.

It's a nice place though, very well run and well situated.



The Canal runs right along side the Hamlet, and in summer there are cricket games on the green, the pub is always heaving, tables full outside, and it obviously must produce a really good bottom line.

They have an Oyster Day. Various other days and festival type themes.

The atmosphere is always good and on a summers evening especially it's got certain ambiance that is difficult to match.




I'll carry on with more of this later.

I personally think a previously good and well presented Forum has been totally cocked up.

You hav not got my name right even, you clowns:-

It's MATHOS not MATHO

Consequently, I have no avatar, no history and no patience with incomptetent idiots. You can buy idiots for pence any day of the week.

Nice knowing you other members.

Take care and I wish you all well.

Even that Old Oink Spendi.

I still do hope that you'll return, Mathos!

There's a report in the travel section of today's Guardian ...



... online here:
Up hill and down dale

Your stories and photos came up to those shires a lot better!

Why did this thread come to an abrupt end?

Thanks ThomasTaylor - I hadn't seen this thread until you posted - looks interesting, I hope it can be revived.

I heard some folk have passed away since I addressed this forum! Enlighten me.

Still not got my details correct! I'm Mathos not matho!

OK I'll come back and try again in 2024.

Hey, Mathos, welcome back. I remember you quite well (no details, just that you used to garble with Spendius). My own username recently got a new attachment due to computer trouble and my brain's trouble.

Mathos, As often as I've visited England, I've not seen many of the places you have been good enough to show pictures of. Actually, London used to be one of my favorite destinations from the mid-fifties until a few years ago when my travel days almost ceased. I traveled throughout England and Scotland, and some parts of Ireland. I even have a Guinness t-shirt that I still wear once-in-awhile.
BTW, you don't know me, but I've been a lover of travel, and have made over 200 trips to 83 unique countries.
The travel bug bit me when I served in the US Air Force back in the fifties, and I had an opportunity to visit England, France and Spain when I was stationed in Morocco. Have been back to all three countries since my first visit.