Thursday 15 June 2023

Set In Stone

Today we're setting our course for the village of Barnack in that curious geographical anomaly known as the Soke of Peterborough. This small area was once part of Northamptonshire, but in many ways independent. Then in 1888 it became a separate county. Later it was amalgamated with Huntingdonshire till that county, and the Soke, became part of Cambridgeshire. No wonder Bing Maps is confused enough to think that Barnack's in Lincolnshire!



Barnack and its neighbouring villages certainly don't look like part of Cambridgeshire. Lets have a leisurely wander around on this unusually warm day. 



Most of the buildings here are constructed of honey-coloured stone. This remote corner of Cambridgeshire is one of the very few places in the county that has any good building-stone and it's been used (and re-used) over the centuries so that many houses display a complicated history to the inquisitive passer-by. The house above dates back, in part, to the 13th or 14th centuries. It was altered in the 16th century. It's roof by the way, like many around here, is made of Collyweston Stone, quarried just a few miles away. It readily splits into thin sheets, a bit like slate.



Many farm buildings use the same materials, like this handsome dovecote that stands in a field grazed by horses.



Well, a horse and a pony anyway, both desperately seeking out a bit of shade from the sun.



There are even stone walls around some fields and farms, something you won't find anywhere else in Cambridgeshire. A little tuft of Stonecrop has made a home for itself in one of the cracks.



The stone, Barnack Rag, takes its name from the village and, although it is used locally for all kinds of mundane structures, it is one of the most prestigious building materials this country has. It was used in building both Peterborough and Ely Cathedrals, as well as the many great abbeys of the Fens - Ely, Thorney, Ramsey, Crowland. When the life of the abbeys was brought to an abrupt end by Henry VIII, much of the fabric of those great buildings was re-purposed for the construction of the Cambridge colleges.



You could easily study the geology of the British Isles by just looking at the building materials used in old cottages and farm buildings. Although good stone was moved long distances to make churches, mansions and large public buildings, the common people always used whatever was at hand locally.



Thatch is used here and there. This cottage was home for many years to the artist Wilfrid Wood, famous for his intricate townscapes and a series of posters for the London Underground.



And here's the Wesleyan Chapel dating from 1898. It looks to me as though this is now a private house.



But how do you account for this? It appears to be some sort of old church window which has found its way to being part of a barn or stable. It says much about the historical richness of the village that neither this, nor the chapel above merit any mention in the records of listed buildings.



This house is included, of course. It was once a (very grand) vicarage, but is now known as Kingsley House. Charles Kingsley, author of The Water Babies, spent his childhood within these imposing walls.



I find myself more captivated by the more modest dwellings which, far from making a bold statement, whisper secrets and conundrums into the ear of those willing to linger in their presence. When did they swap to using pantiles on the roofs? Presumably when the quarries at Collyweston ceased operating. And why is this little house built at such an odd angle to the road? I really have no idea!



The garden flowers are set off beautifully by the colour of the stone walls and also make me loiter along my way.



Here someone has had built, relatively recently I think, their dream of what an English country cottage should look like. Not all that close to the real thing, but with a certain Wow-factor nevertheless. And you should see what they've done with their front hedge....



I love it, though I wouldn't want the job of keeping it trimmed. But we'll end our perambulation of the village with another of those idiosyncratic old houses that seems to have grown out of the very ground on which it stands - which in a way it has, being constructed of such local stone.....



The observant and insightful reader will have noticed the very top of a church spire appearing above the trees and will have guessed where I might be heading next.

Take care.


25 comments:

  1. Might the odd little house be a toll house?
    Ragstone is a lovely material for buildings. I wish modern construction would re-use when good stone buildings get demolished.
    A quietly beautiful corner.

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    1. I doubt it's a toll house as it's right in the middle of the village. But there must be a reason!

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  2. Yet another beautiful meander. I love the buildings. And the gardens. Thank you very much indeed.

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  3. Hi John - that is a stunning post about 'little old England' at its summer best - gorgeous shots all of them. Thank you ... we are in happy days ... and another place I'd love to visit - cheers Hilary

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  4. I never knew that this part of the country was so pretty. Thatch is very attractive but you have to live with the 'rustlings' in the roof. The stone, honey coloured like the Cotswold stone, it makes a world of difference the colour of stone. Grey and miserable here the gritstone.

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  5. The rooftops stand out the most for me. Very scenic beautiful photography.

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  6. Am I correct in assuming that people who live in these very old homes upgrade the interiors with better insulation.modern wiring etc?

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    1. Yes, though some of these properties are easier to update than others; low ceilings and small rooms often have to remain as they are. There are more planning restrictions on what can be done with the outside of the building.

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    2. The comment above was from David M. Gascoigne, John. My settings seem to be screwed up and I am trying to resolve it.

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  7. I'm sorry John - I am sure your houses and the stone they are built from is very interesting but do you really expect me to comment on them when you thrust Red Valerian, Rambler roses, ox-eye daisies and the wonderful clump of stonecrop (haven't seen any 'in the flesh' for years) past my old eyes? As usual a wonderful wander.

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  8. Wonderful photos, I remember this area so well from our time in the area and days out to Stamford and nearby Helpston for John Clare:)

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  9. It's all so beautiful, John!

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  10. The homes and gardens are so beautiful there. Such a great walk. I love the tree shadows on the horses.

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  11. Beautiful houses and gardens. What a grand tour you took us on. Thanks, John.

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  12. Those thatched roofs are really beautiful especially against the stone walls.

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  13. Who knew building material could be so interesting? Lovely homes and beautiful flower gardens!

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  14. What a great day, weather-wise, for your amble around the village of Barnack. I wondered, John, about your comment that it's located in "that curious geographical anomaly known as the Soke of Peterborough." That said, the houses were interesting and that former vicarage looks like a grand house. Even those you called modest dwellings were impressive and the one you termed what an English cottage might look like in someone's mind was not my choice at all.

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    1. The history of the Soke is well explained by the relevant page in Wikipedia and rather too complex for me to answer fully here. Very briefly, it was a difficult area to govern back in history; the church had a lot of power there and was left to rule the area, not through church teaching but more through violent thuggery; the special rules persisted even when the church's power waned and the area became more accessible and governable. It was then transferred between various neighbouring counties and even made a county in its own right for a while.

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  15. Like your captions "Set in Stone". Alot of the history was then set in stone. Most of our buildings are wood so deteriorate and destroyed.

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  16. A fascinating tour. I love the rich history and your telling of it!

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  17. An intersting Post John. I travelled through Barnack more times than I care to remember and didn't really study it like this. Did you pop into the Hills and Holes area, plenty of butterflies there at this time.

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  18. What gorgeous buildings. I love the re-use of the stone.

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  19. I always enjoy the way people have reused building materials, like that window. I am sure its former life was much grander!. But oh my the flowers! Just stunning.

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  20. I'm another reader who has enjoyed the stone of the buildings but was more impressed and delighted by the beauty and colour of the gardens.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll try to answer any questions via a comment or e-mail within the next day or two (no hard questions, please!).