There has been a church on the rise at the top of the market place for a very long time. It was probably first built by the Saxons though little evidence of that still remains - the top part of the font probably comes from that time and a carved cross shaft is also from … Continue reading Painting the church
We have a castle
Our town of Pickering has a castle at its northern end which is probably hidden and unseen by many visitors to the town, though signs do exist to guide the tourist. There is little parking by its walls so a walk up from the market place is required to gain access. In the 16th century John … Continue reading We have a castle
Ghostly bedfellow
A recent report in the International Business Times (yes, really) has a photograph supposedly showing a ghost or spirit in bed with a baby. The photo is of a video baby monitor and the baby's mother says she saw the 'face' on the monitor but when she went to investigate there was nothing there. She … Continue reading Ghostly bedfellow
Let me introduce …
Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-1983). I discovered Mr Pevsner quite late in life and I wish I had got to know him earlier. Who is he? He was a German born architectural scholar, probably best know for his county guides of England. Each guide covers a county, or part thereof, and lists all the building of interest … Continue reading Let me introduce …
Enriching the list
I'm sure most of you have heard of listed buildings, those structures that have been deemed interesting or important to our heritage and have therefore been offered some measure of protection. Did you know you can view the listed buildings on the web? Historic England maintain the list and web presence and it is free … Continue reading Enriching the list
Date with a Dove
Richard Baines – North York Moors National Park Turtle Dove Officer Was Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, a birdwatcher? As she sat about looking pretty with doves fluttering around her feet maybe she wondered when Turtle Doves would arrive back in Yorkshire from Africa that year! Valentine’s Day has long been associated with doves, […] … Continue reading Date with a Dove
Bring your own stone
Catching up on my magazine reading today I came across an article in Current Archaeology about neolithic Britain and mentioning the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney. This is a large stone circle (see photo) which is part of a prehistoric landscape and thought to have been used for ceremonial purposes or other gatherings by the indigenous … Continue reading Bring your own stone
The Haunted Toaster
I stated in an earlier post that I needed proof of the paranormal so when I came across this on Facebook I just had to post it. Haunted Toaster
So, let’s talk about language
Anyone that knows me could tell you that I get very annoyed at the wrong use of the English language. I am not a perfectionist by any means and I make mistakes myself, everyone does, but I do get annoyed at the incorrect use of words by quite a large percentage of the English-speaking world. … Continue reading So, let’s talk about language
Spookiness
Since I was a school kid I have been interested in all things paranormal, occult and Fortean, though I doubt I knew them by those names at that time. I read Dennis Wheatley novels and watched Hammer films consuming everything I could to increase my knowledge. I graduated onto non-fiction quite quickly and started to … Continue reading Spookiness
