People in Glasshouses...
Nov. 4th, 2010 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
endlessraritiesAs you've probably appreciated by now, I'm very eclectic in my tastes as far as history, archaeology and architecture are concerned. Along with prehistoric ritual landscapes and medieval cathedrals, I'm rather partial to industrial archaeology. So I'll be taking a brief diversion over the next week or so to introduce you to some of the industrial built heritage we stumbled across in our travels in Yorkshire.
One of the places which caught my eye and provoked my curiosity was the intriguingly named 'Glasshouses'.
Its origins lie in the mid-19th century - the village was established to provide housing and other facilities for workers employed at a local flax-spinning mill. We walked there from Pately Bridge (past the church I've been featuring over the last couple of days) and the approach was suitably picturesque:-
At its heart, we found this lovely old mill building:-
Glasshouses Mill was built in 1874, and it's still in use, though it's now been subdivided into smaller units. Its outbuildings are still pretty much intact, too. Unfortunately, it was looking a bit dilapidated in places, so its coat is still on a bit of a shoogly peg, so to speak.
Remembering what happened to the Old End Mill in Johnstone just a few months back, I couldn't help but feel grateful that I was granted an opportunity to see this proud old fellow in person. Hopefully, its owners will invest in some much-needed repairs soon and it'll have a secure future before it. Oh, and the little tea shop that was tucked away in its heart was well worth a visit, though unfortunately I was unable to sample the cakes...
The walk continued for a short distance beyond Glasshouses along a former railway track, one of many such rural branch lines which met their nemesis in the form of the infamous Doctor Beeching.
The remains of an old viaduct still survived on the river bank:-
Remembering what happened to the Old End Mill in Johnstone just a few months back, I couldn't help but feel grateful that I was granted an opportunity to see this proud old fellow in person. Hopefully, its owners will invest in some much-needed repairs soon and it'll have a secure future before it. Oh, and the little tea shop that was tucked away in its heart was well worth a visit, though unfortunately I was unable to sample the cakes...
The walk continued for a short distance beyond Glasshouses along a former railway track, one of many such rural branch lines which met their nemesis in the form of the infamous Doctor Beeching.
The remains of an old viaduct still survived on the river bank:-
And in case you're wondering, since I was visiting Glasshouses, did I succumb to temptation? The answer is, 'yes, I did.' But please let me assure you that it was more of a toss than a throw. And it wasn't really a stone as such. It was a pebble! I threw it a couple of feet down the path, just as a symbolic gesture!
You just can't take some folk anywhere, can you?
You just can't take some folk anywhere, can you?
