I met over 20 members of Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society for a conducted tour of Stonyhurst College. It is located high on Longridge Fell to the west of Whalley. I've cycled past it several times in the past but never visited. It is a Catholic School so is only open during the summer holidays. It was a hot sunny day so we were glad of the large interior halls and their cool atmosphere. Many notable people have been educated here such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Laughton.

The magnificently impressive Sodality Chapel also known as the Chapel of the Angels. One of the first people to photograph it was Roger Fenton (1819 - 1869) a Lancashire born pioneering British photographer and one of the first war photographers. Some of his most notable pictures were taken in the Crimea in 1855.

View of Stonyhurst College.

Student's names carved in an old desk. Just up from the centre is the name A Doyle. Better know in later life as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the author of Sherlock Holmes.

It was a nice sunny morning. I’d just been over Great Hill and was returning to White Coppice when I stopped to look at the Joe’s Cup memorial plaque near Drinkwater’s ruins. I’d often wondered who Joe was and an earlier telephone call from my mate Charlie in darkest Northamptonshire asking the same question prompted me to do something about it. An internet search found a reference on the website of Wigan Phoenix Running Club. An email to their Paul Carroll revealed the following information.
Joe Whitter was a real and very funny Wiganer and a brewery delivery man. He was an endurance ultra-runner of the highest standard and often ran or cycled up past Drinkwater’s ruins very early.
Joe developed a brain tumour in 1990 and died after a few months at the age of 52. The 'Joe's Cup' memorial plaque was placed there a few month's after his death and is where each year they remember Joe and previous members who have passed away and hopefully doing personal bests in a better place.
At their memorial run in Dec 2007 Alex Turnbull read out his poem especially written for the day.

The cup Joe used to drink from the adjacent 'well'

Shoemaster, 70 Market Street, Chorley.

Another few mile from my boots.

Inside the barn

Lunchtime drove to Rivington Lower Barn (Great Barn) with Steve for lunch. They always do an excellent homemade soup of the day. No packet or tinned stuff here. The barn date stone is 1702, indicating a major renovation. It’s original date is estimated between 811 A.D. and 1300 AD.

the 1702 version of the barn.

tea and home made mushroom soup, yummm...

Serendipity is a wonderful word. It means accidentally discovering something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. I’d never visited the coffin graves on the coast at Heysham. The site overlooks Morecambe bay and I decided to have a look at it. While walking up to the ruins of the 8th century St Patrick’s chapel I noticed the church of St Peter (serendipity moment) through the trees. The original foundation of the Church of St Peter is of a very early date, probably seventh or eighth century. The first recorded date connected with the Church is 1080 when the site was that of an old Anglo-Saxon Church. There is evidence that there was an earlier church, probably built by the Angles in the seventh century. The reconstruction probably took place about the middle of the 10th century. Fortunately Mr Richard Martin, a local expert, was on site and he gave me a fascinating historical tour.

St Peter's Church

Rock-cut graves.

In the church yard of St Peter.

Further south along the coast is Sambo's grave (or Samboo as marked on the grave). It is a memorial to a young, black slave who is thought to have arrived in 1736 at the port with his master. He was born in Africa and taken first to the West Indies as a slave before being brought to Lancaster by his master. He was taken ill and died near a local inn at Sunderland Point. He was buried in an unmarked grave but in 1795 a schoolteacher - Rev Watson - raised money to erect a memorial to Sambo.

Similar view shown in
Wainwright's Southern Fells Book four.

Almost the same scene in about 1950

Path to Prayer.

While walking home along Victoria Street, Wheelton I looked up along the old cobbled path that leads to the site of St Peter's Church which was demolished some year ago.

This morning drove to Scan Computers, Horwich / Bolton to spec up a new PC. it was the first time I'd seen their new reception area setup. Also in the reception was a Formula 1 racing car!

Drove through thick mist and heavy rain to the Tan Hill Inn, Reeth, Yorkshire. Many wet cyclists were there and some walkers. It’s a good job the main bar has a flagged floor and not carpets. Food was ordered but with no system. How did they know where we would be sitting? The result was that the soup took 45mins to arrive and the main meal an hour. We were told someone else had been given our order. What do they expect with no system? All we got was a “sorry for the mix up” from the girl who brought the order, and it wasn’t her fault. The proprietor, who should have apologised, was nowhere to be seen. We left unhappy with the service, something no eating establishment should ever allow.

Tan Hill Inn, the bar.

After and hour my meal arrives.