However, what is it they say about the "best laid plans"...
On my "reccy" visit the previous day to check out the route, I couldn't find the trigpoint! I spent about an hour and a half walking round fields to try and find it but to no avail. I even asked someone who lived in the area but unfortunately she didn't know what a trigpoint was. Even Ashover's countryside officer, who I met on my travels, was not sure where it was - so I gave it up as a bad job and made some slight amendments to the walk.
Enough of the preamble; we met up in Ashover
Ashover was known in Saxon times as Essovre ('beyond the ash trees'), and was probably in existence during the first taxation survey of England by King Alfred in 893. However, the first written reference to the village occurs in the Domesday Book of 1086, in which Ashover is owned by Ralph FitzHubert.
Ashover was the scene of a confrontation between the Royalists and the Roundheads during the English Civil War in the 17th century. The Roundheads, short of ammunition, demolished the windows of the church and used the lead to make bullets.
They also reduced nearby Eastwood Hall to ruins; all that can be seen today are the ivy-clad remains. Royalists slaughtered livestock and drank all the wine and ale in the cellars of Eddlestow Hall while the owner Sir John Pershall was away.
Job Wall, the landlord of the Crispin Inn public house, refused entry to the army, telling them they had had too much to drink. But they threw him out and drank the ale, pouring what was left down the street. Outside, affixed to the front wall of the pub is a signboard with a history of the inn. Named after the patron saint of shoe, saddle and harness makers, the Crispin was once occupied by a cobbler. Outside, affixed to the front wall is the famous signboard telling the history of the inn.
The Old Poets' Corner (previously called the Red Lion - c1780) is the home of the Ashover Brewery .... and we would be returning here later!
See http://ashoverbrewery.com/Beers.aspx for further details
In the past Ashover had a long history as an industrial centre, with quarrying and lead mining dating back to Roman times. The stocking frame knitting industry once rivalled lead mining in importance. It was based in that part of the village generally referred to as ‘Rattle’ because of the noise made by the machinery. There was also a flourishing cutlery business in the village.
We saw this in a garden in Kelstedge.
Not sure what this is ... but it certainly isn't the trigpoint
The building we know today as Uppertown Social Centre started life in 1881. It was built as a Church of England school and was known as Ashover Upperend Endowed School, and eventually closed in 1948. In 1971 the Uppertown Social Centre was established but in April 1994 disaster struck, and the building was gutted with fire. The building was restored to its current state through hard work from the committee members, local tradesmen, and the community as a whole, and was re-opened in April 1996.
Dave and Chris leading the herd home
On the way to Stone Edge
Orchids and ...
Cotton grass and ...
... the oldest industrial chimney in Britain
Dating from the mid 18th century, Stone Edge smelting site is where "cupola" furnaces were built which kept fuel and ore separate. The bulk of the lead was extracted from the ore in the furnace, but the chimney ensured a strong draft through the system, which typically had long horizontal flues. In the flues, lead that had vaporised in the furnace condensed, and so an especially pure form of lead could be collected from the sides of the flue. Another cupola furnace can be seen at the Magpie Mine near Sheldon.
The fumes that escaped were recognised as poisonous, especially to animals grazing in areas where lead was deposited by smoke. The poisoning was called "bellanding" and Belland Lane runs past the Stone Edge smelter
We concluded that the health and safety risk of being "bellanded" was small and ...
... we decided to lunch at the chimney
Splendid views towards Chesterfield - the crooked spire is just visible on this photo - on the way to Alton
The Press Reservoirs - the three reservoirs hold some 31 million gallons. They are now used for fly fishing
Just past the reservoirs the rain started and we decided that we would take the "Alton variation" - basically a shortcut back to Ashover. But what a splendid shortcut it was ...
We came across this viewpoint and boulder ...
... locally known as 'The Fabrick' or 'Ashover Rock'.
Lying to the east of Ashover, the Fabrick sits on an area of heathland 299 metres above sea level. It is the highest viewpoint for a considerable distance, and the majority of the landscape east of this point to the coast is lower. Consequently, on a clear day, excellent views can be seen of nearby Chesterfield, Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Hall, some suburbs of Sheffield, the surrounding counties of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and, if the atmospheric conditions are right, it is possible to observe Lincoln Cathedral, around 40 miles away, with a telescope.
One of Ashover's most celebrated residents must be Miss Elisabeth Bassett of the famed confectionery family known throughout the world for their brand of 'Liquourish Allsorts'. Elisabeth Bassett, or 'Betty' as she was known fondly by her many friends, was born in Sheffield but moved to Hilltop Cottage in Ashover when she was a young girl. She lived to the grand old age of 103 and died in 2005. She had owned the Fabrick and bequeathed it to the County Council.
And much to my surprise and delight there was a trigpoint - so our "variation" was definitely worthwhile
For the trigpoint aficionados among you, the "technical bits" are that its Flush Bracket number is S1730 and the trigpoint is named Ashover. Importantly it is ranked joint 2395th with 24 other trigs in the trigpoint "charts".
We returned to Ashover via the ginnels in Farhill - thanks to Chris for spotting these.
For a welcome pint in the Old Poets' Corner with some very soothing background music
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