Thorpe Salvin

An aerial view of Thorpe Salvin

Thorpe Salvin is a small village in the south-east of the borough of Rotherham near to the boundary with Nottinghamshire, and when planning my investigation of the mediaeval churches in and around Rotherham, I was finding it difficult to track down a keyholder for St. Peter's church and the logistics of bus travel Treeton made the task of visiting this village even harder. My problem was solved when I discovered that the church was to be opened for a weekend in July, as part of the Garden Trail, which is held annually in the village.

A floral display in Thorpe Salvin

The name Thorpe Salvin – a combination of the Norse term for an outlying farmstead and the lord of the manor Ralph Salvain – in itself records part of the history of this ancient village, but further research reveals that there are further connections with All Saints church in Laughton-en-le-Morthen and it is positioned on a Roman Road known as Rynkenild Street.

The gatehouse and south elevation of Thorpe Hall

There aren't that many historic buildings in the village and most of the Listed Buildings here relate to the nearby Chesterfield Canal, which was opened in 1777; however, the ruins of Thorpe Hall – built by Sir Robert Smythson in 1570 - provide another reason to visit this village. Although it is in private grounds and can usually only be seen from a distance, on this occasion the surrounding land was used as a car park and I was able to get a closer look.

A geological map of the area around Thorpe Salvin

According to the British Geological Survey map of the area, Thorpe Salvin is underlain by the upper sub-division of the Cadeby Formation, a massive dolomitic limestone that has been extensively quarried for good quality building stone, and examples of this can be seen in the mediaeval church, vernacular buildings and boundary walling, where the limestone has sometimes been mixed with blocks of Rotherham Red sandstone.

An outcrop of limestone forming the foundation of the church boundary wall

Parts of the boundary wall to the church, however, are built on a very thinly bedded limestone that is also exposed in an old quarry just up the road, which has been landscaped to form the Coronation Garden. Here, the stone exposed in this section of the old quarry face is clearly unsuitable for producing large squared blocks of finished stone and it contrasts strongly with the wall built on top of it.

The Coronation Garden