Castleton is such a beautiful place...
Having been driven through Castleton on several occasions as we went about daily life in the Peak District, I soon came to associate Castleton with this sculpture.
I can be driven through the village many times in an average day up there - but, for me, I'm not in Castleton until I see the sculpture. Given that it's off the main road, hidden by a building and not something that would be easily spotted, I don't get to see it every day.
I can be driven through the village many times in an average day up there - but, for me, I'm not in Castleton until I see the sculpture. Given that it's off the main road, hidden by a building and not something that would be easily spotted, I don't get to see it every day.
castleton is full of surprises!
Visiting this page as part of an update that I'm carrying out in 2017, I was prompted to check to see if I had any architecture on the page that I could provide more information on. Unfortunately, I don't have any architecture here yet... but, what I do have is a whopping great discovery that neither my husband, nor I knew anything about
I learned that the town would have once been enclosed behind walls which are believed to have been built by King Henry II after he acquired Perveril Castle from the previous owners, the Peveril family.
Sadly, there isn't much remaining of the old defences these days since a lot of them were encroached on and removed by later development of the town - however, there are two areas that remain if you know where to look for them. Of course, I'm not about to reveal those locations here for the sake of preserving the monuments.
I learned that the town would have once been enclosed behind walls which are believed to have been built by King Henry II after he acquired Perveril Castle from the previous owners, the Peveril family.
Sadly, there isn't much remaining of the old defences these days since a lot of them were encroached on and removed by later development of the town - however, there are two areas that remain if you know where to look for them. Of course, I'm not about to reveal those locations here for the sake of preserving the monuments.
Why do these ducks look so confused?
Two confused ducks walking down a ditch isn't something that I would usually consider worthy enough of the time that it takes to shoot the picture.
However, I made an exception on this occasion because this "ditch" is actually usually a small stream that I tend to like to send our dog(s) for a paddle in to cool off on a hot day. It just happened that the weather had been so hot in the days leading up to this picture that the stream had dried up completely - which explains why we have 2 ducks walking down a ditch.
However, I made an exception on this occasion because this "ditch" is actually usually a small stream that I tend to like to send our dog(s) for a paddle in to cool off on a hot day. It just happened that the weather had been so hot in the days leading up to this picture that the stream had dried up completely - which explains why we have 2 ducks walking down a ditch.
Fried Duck!
This rather smart duck has figured out that it's a few degrees cooler in the shade than it is out there... with that said though, I still preferred to be in the air conditioned confines of the museum and Tourist Information Centre than out there in the shade with him since it wasn't really that much cooler even in the shade.
I was barefooted (I like to be barefooted as often as possible) that day and I found that there were times when even I was having to put my shoes back on to get some relief from the burning tar... even in the shade, the ground was still warm underfoot.
I was barefooted (I like to be barefooted as often as possible) that day and I found that there were times when even I was having to put my shoes back on to get some relief from the burning tar... even in the shade, the ground was still warm underfoot.
My place marker...
Whenever I get out on location, I like to take a shot of something like this to mark where I was when the particular image(s) were shot. Of course this isn't always possible to do, but it helps me to know that all the pictures between this marker and the next one were taken here.
The reason that I've included this particular place marker is because I like the font that the text is written in and the way that they've tried to incorporate the giant stone disc, which is something of a mascot for the Peak District.
For those of you who don't know, the disc in this case is represented by the circle sitting on a rectangle beside the word "Centre".
The reason that I've included this particular place marker is because I like the font that the text is written in and the way that they've tried to incorporate the giant stone disc, which is something of a mascot for the Peak District.
For those of you who don't know, the disc in this case is represented by the circle sitting on a rectangle beside the word "Centre".
References to the area's mining history are never that far away!
Given that we are within an area where mining is still carried out to this day... it's pretty safe to say that you will be doing well to get through a day trip without encountering any reference to mining in one form or another - whether it be something obvious in the museum like this horse turning the wheel or something less obvious like the beautiful pieces of jewelry adorned by Blue John - which is what is mined in this area of Derbyshire.
Just because an area is famous for something, it doesn't always mean that it doesn't showcase other things as well...
One thing that I like about the museum is the fact that, although the area is famous for mining - local life is just as important to them as the mines and the rocks that they contain. This is illustrated best within the museum, which has a good mix of focus on the local mining operations and a snapshot of what local life would have been like in the olden days. You will get some idea of what I'm talking about as I work through this page... though, it's important to say that this is not the complete picture by a long shot.
Sadly, there doesn't seem to be much focus on the area's involvement in the war effort...
...Given the fact that the area happens to be small villages and miles of countryside, and the close proximity to Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK, I think that it's safe to say that the area would have been a hive of activity in Wartime Britain - whether it be efforts to feed the nation or as a result of being bombed by the German army as they sought to get the munitions factories in Sheffield. It seems that it makes no difference either way, since this display and the board to the right are the only things that cover Wartime Castleton.
Farming In the area
This was a display that I pretty much expected to see in this area - especially when given that a short walk up the road would place me back into the countryside once again.
For me, there are a couple of items in this cabinet that really give me the "Wow" factor. The first one is the gun. Guns in museums like this are still something of a rare event for me... especially with the museum that I had grown up visiting having no need to display guns since we didn't need them in our local life and it's main focus happens to be on education anyway.
The second thing that blew me away was the branding iron... these are something that I've often read about in both fiction and non fiction books, but this is the closest that I've ever been to one in real life. If they were to open the cabinet up and allow me to touch just one item within, it would have to be this one.
For me, there are a couple of items in this cabinet that really give me the "Wow" factor. The first one is the gun. Guns in museums like this are still something of a rare event for me... especially with the museum that I had grown up visiting having no need to display guns since we didn't need them in our local life and it's main focus happens to be on education anyway.
The second thing that blew me away was the branding iron... these are something that I've often read about in both fiction and non fiction books, but this is the closest that I've ever been to one in real life. If they were to open the cabinet up and allow me to touch just one item within, it would have to be this one.
Heavily photoshopped!
This was a real nightmare of a display to shoot... not only was it a big one - but it was also very dark. I had to rely heavily on Photoshop to brighten it up enough for us to see the detailing of things like the saws and sign on the wall. Now that I have done that, we can clearly see that the problem wasn't in my flash failing me at the crucial moment since we can see it in the sign - so I'm guessing that the area was just too dark for my flash alone to light up effectively.
No computers to be seen!
Children's toys and their evolution over the years is something that I never tire of looking at! One of the first thoughts that enters my mind tends to be "I wonder just how many of these would pass today's safety checks that would allow them to be played with by the children of today?".
I know that the true answer will more than likely be "Not many", since I have managed to easily break some older toys myself as a child - which would be an instant failure with our quality control checks right away.
Another game that I like to play is to imagine that this cabinet is mine to decorate with toys from today to give children of the future a taste of what today's childhood is like... what toys would be going into it?
I know that the true answer will more than likely be "Not many", since I have managed to easily break some older toys myself as a child - which would be an instant failure with our quality control checks right away.
Another game that I like to play is to imagine that this cabinet is mine to decorate with toys from today to give children of the future a taste of what today's childhood is like... what toys would be going into it?
Which room is this supposed to be?
No matter how long I spend looking at this display, I still find it impossible to decide on which room in a house it would depict a snapshot of. The most obvious thing in the display is the fireplace, which I would expect to find in a lounge somewhere because it doesn't look anywhere near big enough to be the type that would be used to cook off, the pictures and brasses also indicate a possible lounge - but the spoons and the iron to the left of the display suggest that it could well be a kitchen after all...
A selection of samples of Blue john
This cabinet contains a selection of different samples of Blue John, which is the stone that is still mined locally today. One thing that I never get tired of looking at is the difference between the different stones. To me, they are all beautiful in their own, unique way... though I have to admit that I've been hard pressed to find a piece for sale that shows the yellowing in the rock as clearly as the sample in this case, though!
Given that the term "Blue John" is supposed to be a play on the french words for blue and yellow, it would mean a lot for me to be able to see and shoot a piece of jewelry that depicted those shades as clearly as that sample does!
Given that the term "Blue John" is supposed to be a play on the french words for blue and yellow, it would mean a lot for me to be able to see and shoot a piece of jewelry that depicted those shades as clearly as that sample does!
Save the best for last!
This cup is rumoured to have been made out of the Blue John rock from a local mine... although I'm no longer certain as to what it's uses would have been now. If you are lucky enough to visit the museum and see it in person, there is a selection of leaflets that you can buy a copy of... and it's use is explained on one of those. Unfortunately, I have managed to lose my copy of them since I haven't been there for a few years now.