Whalley

It was a cold but bright and sunny morning as we arrived in Whalley. Although British summertime is officially over, John is refusing to go back to wearing long pants. Vic has decided that as we are visiting an abbey, he might as well look the part.

The entrance to the abbey is through the western gatehouse entrance. There is a cafe to the right hand side of it, but it was closed. Too early for a brew anyway.                                        When the Cistercian monks at Stanlow, on the site of the present refineries decided that the biting winds coming off the Irish sea were too much for them, they decided to move to Whalley in 1297. The Abbot and staff of Sawley Abbey felt this was not to their liking. Monasteries needed plenty of land around, to sustain their occupants, and complained that Whalley was too close to their own abbey. They took their complaint to the Pope. Eventually though, permission was granted and building began in 1320, but was not finished till 1444. I did take some photos of what remains of the abbey, but the bright morning sun overexposed them.

       There is a room above the western gatehouse that was used as a school by the monks. Between the classroom windows is a sundial.                                                                      The last abbot before the dissolution of the monastery was John Paslew. He was one of the leaders of the Pilgimage of Grace. He was executed, some think, on the banks of the river, by the abbey.                                                                                                                                 Following the dissolution, stonework from the dismantled abbey, appears in a number of post thirteenth century buildings in the immediate area.

Next door to the abbey is the Catholic church of English Martyres, Within the grounds of which is an outdoor Stations of the Cross.

Just outside the Eastern Gatehouse of the abbey, is the monumental 600 yds long, with 48 arches railway viaduct. Built by the Victorians in 1850, it carries the line from Blackpool to Clitheroe and beyond into Yorkshire.

          Some said that Vic would look better in a screen set from The Lord of the Rings.

The ever meticulous Victorians even built gothic arches, on either side of the way into the abbey, to mimic the gatehouse behind.

We followed the road alongside the river Calder, passed the Whalley Sewage Works. Pendle Hill is prominent in the background.

We followed a path around the perimeter of the now largely demolished Calderstones mental hospital, originally built as a military hospital during the first world war. It closed in 1995, but some long stay wards still remain.

A large part of the grounds has been and is being developed for housing. Some woodland within the grounds still remains, with paths through it, that seem to be mainly used by dog walkers......... But we don't mind sharing.

Leaving Calderstones we crossed the Mitton Rd and made our way down a well made farm track but once passed the farm, a signpost directed us into a diversion which led through a gate into some very boggy ground. The more rebellious among us found alternative, though not strictly legal ways to avoid it. John our leader, decided that we should go back and take another more direct path, but there was still rebellion in the air, and six to one is not very fair odds, so onwards we went, disregarding the muttering from behind.

On reaching a level crossing over the railway line we had a decision to make. We had been told by a local man that the trains are only one an hour and that he often walks alongside the line to whalley. A train had just gone past. So do we do likewise. Definately not said John, and stood his ground. So straight ahead over the next stile we went towards Barrow.

Had Vic known how many stiles we would encounter on todays walk, I think he would have had second thoughts about wearing his habit today.

As we sat by the side of a narrow farm track having our afternoon brew, I had to concede that John was right all along, and we would have got here much sooner, had we listened to him.

                                                                            More mud

Back in Whalley we called at the graveyard of St Mary and All Saints church, where I had read that there were three Celtic crosses. The crosses are thought to date from the visit of missionaries from Iona in the tenth century.

                   We found two of them, but where a bit unsure about the third.

The church being open we went in. This caged box pew in front of the chancel on the south side was commissioned by Roger Newall of read Hall. He was the magistrate who arrested the Pendle Witches and had them committed to Lancaster in 1612. He had the pew made for his own use in the church. He must have forgotten to ask the vicar first, for he was refused permission to put it in the church. Their followed lengthy but unproductive law suits, and the pew languished in a barn. A compromise of dividing the pew, so that both parties in the dispute had a share was to no avail. It was 70 years later that the pew was placed in it's present position. By then Roger Newall was not in a position to use it. Ownership of the pew carried on to be disputed over the years. The date 1830 on the pew refers to the date it was divided by ecclesiastical court order to resolve the dispute.

The brass memorial on the north side wall, pictures the Catterall family. Behind the father are nine sons, and behind his wife nine daughters. 

 Time getting on, we headed back to the cars, for our journey home. Thanks for a good walk John.                                                                        DK