Luck and promise

Even on a dull day, spots of colour, shape and texture attract my eye. I snapped all of these in a small area by the entrance to Linton churchyard. Some of the dying geranium (I think) leaves had turned to vivid orange and red. The winter jasmine was in full bloom, a little early perhaps as it's been quite mild. It's such a cheerful shrub, happily promising spring from the depths of winter. As for the horseshoe, it's a lucky symbol (and we could do with some of that in the current mire!) Hung with the end upwards, they say, it catches the luck; others maintain it should hang with the ends down to pour luck on those who pass beneath it. If you're of that persuasion, you'll have to turn your laptop upside down!

Linton Falls

Just upstream from where it curls around Linton churchyard, the River Wharfe thunders over Linton falls. I've posted photos from here before. It is a popular spot, a short and pleasant walk from Grassington village centre. In winter it can be a fairly bleak, dark, colourless scene but the roar of the water adds drama, so that it is worth visiting in any season.

There are two weirs. You can just see the upper weir in the background of the photo above. The weirs built up a head of water to power Linton Mill, originally a medieval corn mill and, from 1788, a worsted and cotton mill, which was sited alongside the lower weir. The mill went out of business in the 1950s and was demolished in the 1980s, after which housing was built on the site (see third photo).

The upper weir is harnessed for hydro-electricity. The original hydro plant opened in 1909 to power the nearby village of Grassington. In 1948, when the National Grid took over, it became redundant and closed. The plant was reopened in 2012, using the original building and fitted with two screw turbines.

Below the weirs, the river is constricted by limestone outcrops and, particularly after rain, it sweeps down in a dramatic cascade. The bridge across the river is known as the Tin Bridge and was originally constructed so that mill workers could get to work from the village. The current wooden footbridge was built in 1989.

New Year's Eve excursion

I went out with some friends on New Year's Eve, for a gentle ramble around Grassington. We stopped at the church of St Michael and All Angels in Linton, a long name for quite a compact church! It nestles very attractively in the Wharfe valley, where a bend in the river cradles the church and its graveyard in a kind of a hug. The church has Norman origins, as the two rounded arches (above on the left) inside suggest, but was rebuilt in Victorian times (1861).

It's not very fancy inside, but has a few interesting features including some attractive stained glass windows:

It also holds this royal coat of arms from George III's reign. After the reformation, Henry VIII wanted to assert his authority over the Church and royal coats of arms began to be displayed, to remind congregations of the link between church and state. When King Charles II was restored to the English throne in 1660, ending Oliver Cromwell's 'Commonwealth' period, it became accepted practice for churches to display them. This ceased in Victorian times and this particular board was, I gather hidden away in the back of a cupboard until it was rediscovered.

The roof of the church has some interesting carved bosses, two of which are of 'green men' with foliage spewing from their mouths. Originally a pagan image, green men are found in many of our churches and cathedrals. 

Some of the furniture has more recent symbolism: a characteristic mouse carving, that shows it was made by 'the Mouseman of Kilburn', Robert Thompson - a renowned ecclesiastical furniture maker from North Yorkshire, who 'signed' all of his pieces in this way.

Linton Falls

Another day, another Yorkshire Dale... This time I took a walk around Grassington in Wharfedale. From the main carpark in Grassington, I walked down the ancient stone-flagged track, known as Sedber Lane, to Linton Falls.

This is where the line of the North Craven Fault crosses the River Wharfe. After all the recent rain, the falls were quite spectacular. There are three main falls.

The upper fall has a hydro-electric plant, using two Archimedean screws to generate electricity that is fed into the National Grid. It was restored a few years ago, as part of a drive to create more 'green energy' and to reuse the old building, which had housed local generators from 1909 to 1948. 

Coat of Arms

There has been a church in Linton since Saxon times (850 AD) and the present church contains many ancient features such as a Norman font and arches. The church has been modified and extended several times, including a major Victorian restoration in 1861, which created the distinctive squat belfry with its carillon of four bells. I can't find much information about this coat of arms on the wall, but it makes an impressive feature. It relates to King George III. I believe that at one time churches had a statutory duty to display the royal coat of arms as a sign of loyalty to the crown and to the sovereign as Supreme Head of the Church of England.

Linton Church

The little parish church of St Michael and All Angels sits beside the River Wharfe at Linton Falls, just across the river from the village of Grassington. To my mind it's one of the most picturesque places in Wharfedale. We were lucky enough to catch quite dramatic lighting, in between dodging the rain showers. Look closely and you will see this is a self-portrait too, shadows being unavoidable in the low sunlight. Me and my tripod!

There are estimated to be over 10,000 people buried in this churchyard and some of the memorial stones are fascinating. There is one for a two-year old boy who died of pneumonia in 1926, after playing Cupid (in the nude) in a pageant in Grassington.