A Day Out in Buxton

Buxton Railway Station

Having finally managed to visit St. Peter's church in Thorpe Salvin, as part of my investigation of the mediaeval churches in and around Rotherham, I decided to have a long day out in Buxton - a spa town founded by the Romans under the name of Aquae Arnemetiae that, with an elevation of 300 metres above sea level, is the highest market town in England.

A Google Map view of the topography between Treeton and Buxton

Its geothermal springs were further exploited by the Duke of Devonshire in the late 18th century, who used profits from his copper mines to develop the town into a fashionable resort, and its popularity and regional significance was further enhanced by the Victorians, especially after the arrival of the railway in 1863.

A geological map of the area between Treeton and Buxton

Set on the edge of the White Peak, like Bakewell, the centre of the town occupies low lying ground on the Bowland Shale, where two branches of the River Wye converge and which has since been landscaped to form the Pavilion Gardens. To the north, the high ground comprises the Corbar Grit and the Roaches Grit of Upper Carboniferous age and, to the south, it is formed from the Monsal Dale Limestone Formation of Lower Carboniferous age.

A bridge over the River Wye

Buxton is now a major tourist attraction for its gardens and various fine examples of Georgian and Victorian architecture, but the surrounding area is a major source of industrial limestone in England and the quarrying industry still contributes significantly to the local economy. Although the despoiled parts of the landscape have been excluded from the Peak District National Park, old quarries at Calton Hill and Hillhead are still of great interest to geologists and the quarrying, construction and recycling industries.

A view of the landscaping in the Pavilion Gardens

As the crow flies, the distance from Treeton to Buxton is about 40 km and, according to Google Map, a typical journey by car would take 1 hour and 6 minutes, providing that the weather conditions are good and various roadworks and traffic jams aren't encountered; however, by bus or train it takes no less than 2 hours and 25 minutes.

The Crescent

On a hot and sunny Saturday day in August, I was not to be deterred and being well prepared for an early start and a late finish to the day, I discovered that - like on the No. 272 -  a day out on the No. 65 bus provides another great introduction to the geology and landscapes of the Peak District National Park and that it is well worth the effort to make this journey.

A view of St. Anne's church in Miller's Dale from the No. 65 bus

St. Peter Thorpe Salvin - The Interior

The 12th century font at St. peter's church in Thorpe Salvin

The Thorpe Salvin Garden Trail is a very popular local event and it brings very many visitors of all ages to St. Peter's church and, although I arrived with a full set of photographic equipment, there were simply too many people wandering around its interior for me to set up my tripod and I had to be content with taking a few quick snaps to record the principal features seen in its interior.

Details of the relief carvings on the Norman font

The 12th century font is carved from a single block of Caen Stone, a soft Jurassic limestone that was extensively imported from Normandy after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and which has been used in the Tower of London and Canterbury Cathedral, amongst other places. There are various scenes carved in relief around part of its circumference, which are extremely detailed, and these deserve further investigation at a much quieter time.

A general view of the arcade and the chancel arch

The 2-bay round arched arcade has semicircular responds and a central octagonal pier, with various styles of decoration to the capital - and the chancel arch is similar in style; however, that of the tall pointed tower arch is transitional between the Norman and Early English Gothic styles.

A detail of the decoration to the eastern respond

As well as the general stonework to the interior being lime washed, the walls to the upper parts of the nave are plastered and, although it is not possible to see the differences between the original Norman masonry and that used for the raising of the clerestory, it is interesting to note that the extreme thickness of the walls – as seen in the window reveals – is continued to roof level.

A view along the nave to the tower from the chancel

Viewed from the north aisle, other features of particular interest are the asymmetrical arch to the north chapel and an original roofline, as seen from the north aisle, a sedilia in the east wall of the chancel and various memorials to members of the Sandford family, which are set both into the floor and on the walls in the nave and sanctuary.

A general view of the sedilia in the sanctuary

St. Peter Thorpe Salvin - The Exterior

A general view of St. Peter's church in Thorpe Salvin

When I first visited St. Peter's church in Thorpe Salvin 20 years ago, whilst surveying various geological sites in this part of Rotherham, I only spent 5 minutes to take a few photos of the sundial and general views but was particularly stuck by the sandstone used in part of it, which was unfamiliar to me at the time.

The south elevation of St. Peter's church

Described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as “essentially a Norman church”, the only externally visible evidence of its date of c.1130 is in the lower part of the tower and above the porch, where small and narrow round arched windows can be seen.The chancel and north chapel were added in the early and late 14th century respectively, with the former built with roughly coursed and squared walling and the latter with fine ashlar, as also seen in the tower. 

Mottled Rotherham Red sandstone to the north aisle

Although its quarry source is not known, from the 12th to the 14th century, dolomitic limestone from the Cadeby Formation has been used in all of the parts of the church so far described, as well as for the extension of the tower in the 15th century; however, the clerestory has been raised and the north aisle has been built using very large blocks of mottled Rotherham Red sandstone, as seen in the later phases of building at Harthill, Todwick and Wales.

Various masonry styles and window designs

Walking anticlockwise around the church, starting at the tower, the various windows are designed in various styles, from simple slit and lancet windows to the more elaborate Decorated Gothic style with elaborate tracery and the Perpendicular Gothic style, where wider arches, squared head window surrounds and simple tracery are favoured.

A square headed window to the west end of the north aisle

The doorways on the north elevation, one of which has been blocked, have ogee arches that were particularly common in the 14th century but it is the highly decorated Norman south door, together with the font, which makes the effort to see this church worthwhile - when it is unlocked.

The Norman south door

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

The Vernon Chapel

A detail of the monument to Sir George Vernon and his wives

The Vernon Chapel at All Saints church in Bakewell is best known for its very large monuments to various members of the Vernon and Manners families, who controlled the Manor of Bakewell from the nearby Haddon Hall.

Sir Thomas Wendesley

The oldest tomb, which depicts Sir Thomas Wendesley, provides a fine example of the work produced by the Nottingham alabaster industry that flourished from the 14th to the 16th century, but rapidly declined after the English Reformation. Dying of his wounds in battle, when fighting on the Lancastrian side, he is seen here wearing plate armour and a camail.

The tomb of John Vernon of Haddon Hall

The small tomb chest of 1477 to John Vernon of Haddon Hall is relatively austere and, given that various genealogies don't mention him, it is quite likely that he didn't acquire a position of such high status that would merit his likeness being recorded in the finest alabaster.

Sir George Vernon and his wives

The large tomb chest, which commemorates Sir George Vernon and his two wives, provides a good example of polychromy, with the alabaster being painted in bright colours. Although this soft rock/mineral is easily carved, and finely finished products were once exported from England to the rest of Europe, its translucent nature and red veining were considered to be problematic to the designers of the grand church monuments of England at this time.

Sir John Manners and Dorothy Vernon

As previously seen in Wentworth and Chesterfield, the standing wall monument to Sir John Manners and his wife Dorothy Vernon depict them on their knees and facing each other across a prayer desk, with their children below.

The monument to Sir George Manners

The largest and most impressive monument is to their son, Sir George Manners, and his wife - Grace Pierrepoint - which also depicts the whole family in prayer.

A  detail of the monument to Sir George Manners

All Saints Bakewell - The Interior

Information for tourists at All Saints church in Bakewell

When visiting All Saints church in Bakewell, I spent less than half an hour exploring its interior – including the porch – taking only a few quick snaps of the general layout and a few details and, with my objective being to take a much closer look at the Vernon Chapel, I missed several points of interest that are highlighted in the official guide that I purchased.

A general view of the nave and chancel

To the west bay of the nave and in the west wall, tall round arches are from the original Norman church and the surrounding walling may include Anglo-Saxon masonry, but the other parts of the arcades were rebuilt in 1852 with round piers, octagonal capitals and cavetto-moulded arches.

A  general view of the nave and west wall

Along the walls of the north aisle, several early mediaeval grave slabs have been embedded into the masonry and in the chancel, a large sedilia and a piscina are incorporated into the remaining 13th century walls, and various decorative stones can be seen in wall memorials of a later date and the steps to the altar provide a good example of the use of Ashford Black Marble.

The font

The octagonal early 14th century font is carved with figures and appears to be made from a pale coloured limestone, with a sandstone base, and it is surrounded by a polished stone tile floor in a chess board pattern, with Ashford Black limestone alternating with Italian white Carrara marble.

Various wall memorials

Of particular note is the small alabaster wall monument to Sir Godfrey Foljambe and his wife, which is found at the east end of the south aisle. According to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, who gives a date of 1385, it is apparently the only surviving mediaeval example of a style of wall monument that was very popular in the late 16th century onwards, as seen in Wentworth and Chesterfield.

The memorial to Sir Geoffrey Foljambe

All Saints Bakewell - The Porch

Decorative crosses on mediaeval grave slabs from the 12th to 13th century

During my investigation of the mediaeval churches of South Yorkshire - in Conisbrough and Thrybergh for example - I have encountered a few fragments of what are considered to be Saxon crosses and I have seen a few examples of mediaeval stone coffins and their carved lids but, at All Saints church in Bakewell, there is the largest and most varied collection of early mediaeval monuments of this type to be seen in the UK.

An interpretation panel in the porch

Now covering both walls of the interior of the 15th century porch, these were discovered during the major phase of rebuilding in 1841/1842 – along with others that have been removed or reused elsewhere in the church - and date from the 10th to the 15th century.

Anglo-Scandinavian sculpture

The earliest examples – on the right hand side when entering the porch - are of both Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Scandinavian styles, with geometrical designs, mythical beasts and other creatures, and which have been interpreted as fragments of cross shafts and parts of a decorated frieze that formed part of an earlier Saxon church.

Norman cushion capitals and miscellaneous carved stones

Above these, there is a large collection of small Norman style cushion capitals, gargoyles, figurative sculpture and various fragments of grave tops with crude shallow relief carvings, together with miscellaneous carved stones that were salvaged from the mediaeval church when it was largely rebuilt in the 19th century.

A general view of the porch

On the opposite wall of the porch, there are several large grave slabs from the 12th and 13th century that, with their decorative crosses, are very different in style to the 10th century sculptures. Many of these are carved with symbols – including a sword, chalice, keys and pairs of shears – which reflect the status or occupation of the persons interred in these graves.

Mediaeval tiles in the porch of All Saints church in Bakewell

Also, in addition to various other interesting examples of ancient masonry on the floor, there are two small stone slabs - with drafted margins - upon which have been set some mediaeval floor tiles, where the decoration and coloured glazes are still clearly seen.