Although a generally crap year for many reasons, 2020 has given me the opportunity to renew my appreciation for my hometown. With the reduction in traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian), the generally relaxed air when walking around town means that treasures previously ignored can now been rediscovered at leisure.
Such as:
- The Fellowman: the oldest public-house we have, dates from around 1573. Currently owned and run by the Dove family, it has provided respite and refreshment for generations of workers and travellers. In 1644, the property was almost destroyed in a fire that was supposedly started by Royalist supporters who believed that the owners at the time were supporting the rebel cause.
- Osbud Lane: an easy to miss back street now, in the mid-to-late 1800s it housed the workplace of the sculptor Justinian Daucer. It was here that he produced his best-known works such as ‘War Resplendent’, ‘The Fires’, and ‘Kind’. Sadly, it is also the place in 1876 where he died when part of his studio collapsed.
- Although one of his minor works, the Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed Greenhead Bridge still spans Awther’s Way. Nowadays used mainly by walkers and cyclists, it originally connected the more affluent area of Greigton to the rest of the town.
Those are just three sites that I have enjoyed getting to know over the past few months. Rather than keep them to myself, I think I’ll let the world in on our secrets in future posts.