Last Friday Anders and myself had the opportunity to have another day out and this time we went to Wycoller to see the hall ruins. I saw the hall featured on a TV programme about British villages a while ago and knew it was somewhere I'd like to visit one day.
Before going to see the hall we stopped off at the Atom, one of the panopticons in Lancashire.
The view was fantastic even if it was a bit of a dull drizzly day.
It was a shame to see graffiti in the Atom but I suppose in such an isolated spot it is bound to happen.
Travelling to Wycoller from the Atom only took about 10 minutes. The car park at Wycoller Country Park is not far from the village (I think that parking in the village is for residents only). Even though the weather wasn't brilliant that day there were plenty of ramblers about. (I did type walkers to begin with but the first thing that springs to mind then to me is TWD)
Next to the hall is the visitor centre which is a barn that was built around 1630. Behind the barn is a picnic area and pond (be prepared to be ambushed by the ducks)
It doesn't look much from the outside but inside the beams are amazing. The hole in the side of the building near the roof is an owl hole.
Walking around the ruins was like trying to stay upright on an ice rink. The old stone flags were lethal after being wet from the rain.
I love all the stone work that has survived around the window and door frames.
This must be the largest fireplace I have ever seen. I never found out what the key hole shape next to it was for. There was a mention of this feature in the visitor centre but no explanation. I wonder if any other buildings of this age have them?
How many people have been up and down these stairs for them to be this worn.
This is the floor plan of the hall
and the key which was about 8 inches long. I'm sure you wouldn't manage to accidentally lose a key that size and not notice.
The hall is situated next to Wycoller Beck which has various ancient bridges that cross it.
This 15th pack horse bridge has withstood traffic from man and horse for centuries. When I took the photos of the bridge I was only standing about 15ft from the nearest house in the village. It must be lovely to have this stream and the hall ruins as a view when you look out of your window.
Opposite the hall is a conservation area with willow sculptures and ponds.
The ponds were very clear for pools of still water. There were lots of information regarding the local wildlife. Wild plants were labeled, some with what their medicinal purposes would have been in the past.
It was a lovely day despite the not so great weather. I'm glad that we managed to fit this in to one of our child free days out as I think that the children's attention span would have lapsed after about 20 minutes.
The TV programme where I first saw Wycoller was on Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages. The programme is still available to view here, it was featured on series 1, episode 2, third segment.
Before going to see the hall we stopped off at the Atom, one of the panopticons in Lancashire.
The view was fantastic even if it was a bit of a dull drizzly day.
It was a shame to see graffiti in the Atom but I suppose in such an isolated spot it is bound to happen.
Travelling to Wycoller from the Atom only took about 10 minutes. The car park at Wycoller Country Park is not far from the village (I think that parking in the village is for residents only). Even though the weather wasn't brilliant that day there were plenty of ramblers about. (I did type walkers to begin with but the first thing that springs to mind then to me is TWD)
Next to the hall is the visitor centre which is a barn that was built around 1630. Behind the barn is a picnic area and pond (be prepared to be ambushed by the ducks)
It doesn't look much from the outside but inside the beams are amazing. The hole in the side of the building near the roof is an owl hole.
Walking around the ruins was like trying to stay upright on an ice rink. The old stone flags were lethal after being wet from the rain.
I love all the stone work that has survived around the window and door frames.
This must be the largest fireplace I have ever seen. I never found out what the key hole shape next to it was for. There was a mention of this feature in the visitor centre but no explanation. I wonder if any other buildings of this age have them?
How many people have been up and down these stairs for them to be this worn.
This is the floor plan of the hall
and the key which was about 8 inches long. I'm sure you wouldn't manage to accidentally lose a key that size and not notice.
The hall is situated next to Wycoller Beck which has various ancient bridges that cross it.
This 15th pack horse bridge has withstood traffic from man and horse for centuries. When I took the photos of the bridge I was only standing about 15ft from the nearest house in the village. It must be lovely to have this stream and the hall ruins as a view when you look out of your window.
Opposite the hall is a conservation area with willow sculptures and ponds.
The ponds were very clear for pools of still water. There were lots of information regarding the local wildlife. Wild plants were labeled, some with what their medicinal purposes would have been in the past.
It was a lovely day despite the not so great weather. I'm glad that we managed to fit this in to one of our child free days out as I think that the children's attention span would have lapsed after about 20 minutes.
The TV programme where I first saw Wycoller was on Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages. The programme is still available to view here, it was featured on series 1, episode 2, third segment.
