whalley

Whalley, Clitheroe and Sawley
Saturday 5th March 2005


REPORT & PHOTO'S by PHIL.B


The day was fine, overcast and very cold when we all met up in the centre of Whalley, 8 adults, 2 children and a toddler in a pram. Our first port of call was the local St. Mary's Church. The building itself was clad with scaffolding in various parts and was locked. Within the churchyard however are three crosses believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin.

   


   


It was then on to Whalley Abbey just around the corner. The entrance gateway is very impressive and still retains doors from its original restoration in Elizabethan times. Admission at £2 for adults and 50p for kids was great value and the first port of call was the small display area where a brief history was displayed along with various fragments of stone from the Abbey itself.

       
  Entrance Gateway   Model of how Whalley Abbey
may have looked		   Pedestrian Door in Gateway  


The Group then made their way outside and round to the ruins themselves and it wasn't too long before the camera's were out in force. With guides in hand (given out with the admission) people were darting here, there and everywhere identifying all parts of the Abbey.
The layout of the Abbey Church is clearly marked by the remaining foundations, although the cloister walls and it's surrounding buildings are the best preserved, to a considerable height in places. The Abbott's kitchen also remains in some status.

  
 A general overview of the Whalley Abbey 


     
 The Altar South Transept wall 


       
  East Cloister wall   Entrance to Cloister via the Parlour   View over North Transept  


     
 The Vestry Monk's Day Room 


       
  Abbots Lodgings foundations   Base of a staircase   View over Lodgings to
the Abbott's Kitchen		  


       
  Abbots Kitchen fireplaces   A general view   View back to
the Abbott's Lodging		  


     
 The Reredorter The main drain 


     
 The Western Gatehouse An internal view 

After a good hour or so it was decided to have a cuppa in the cafe and plan the next part of the day. This is where Mitton Church was slotted in.
Mitton Church is of Medieval origins and the interior is something to be seen. But not today. There is no vicar at present and the building was locked. A good look around the outside was therefore undertaken and pictures were produced to show that it wasn't an entirely wasted journey. These included the re-erected 13thC cross and the drainage channels.

     


       


     

From here it was but a short journey to Clitheroe and the thing that most people were waiting for - lunch! A touch late a little after 1.30, this was had at a public house called the Swan and Royal Hotel. The food served was pretty tasty but the service left something out, namely speed. This threw us behind schedule as it was just after 3pm when we were able to make our way to Clitheroe Castle.
For those who have not visited this particular Castle it is very plain to see why it was built in this location. The views are phenomenal, although some would say the climb up is too! The Castle itself has just the Keep remaining from the original build although there are various auxiliary buildings from later periods within it's boundaries. Scars from the Civil War can be seen on the Keep.

       
  NW corner view   Civil War damage in East wall   NE corner view  


     
 The Vestry Monk's Day Room 


     
 The Western view
over the Ribble Valley		 The Eastern view
towards Pendle Hill		 

Our last venue for the day was Sawley Abbey, also known as Salley Abbey, and by the time we arrived here the weather had turned. We waited in the cars and after a short 5 minutes the sun was once again beaming down on us. Imagine then how we felt when we arrived at the entrance gate at 4.02pm to find the grounds closed at 4pm. All we could do was raise our cameras above our heads and the curtain wall to try and at least photograph something of Salley Abbey, albeit blindly.

     


     


     


In the end it was agreed that a good day had been had by all, both old and new faces alike. It was, after all, the first trip of the year and it signalled the start of another Year of Exploration for the NWFF.

There now follows a few pics of the people who went.

  
 l to r : Patzer, Humus, Valerie, Sue, Fish and Mrs Patzer 


       
  "Hmmm....nice arch....."   "...Ooh! Look at this over here......   ".....another arch!"  


     
 Patzer Humus 


       
  "Get out the way!!"   Sue, Fish and Valerie   "FOOD!"  


     
 Fish and Valerie The Patzer Clan 


     
 Little'un, Young Deano and
My Mate Dave		 Humus and Sue 




OTHER PEOPLE'S PICS


Humus' Photo's


Sue Hurd's Photo's