The Green Man ...

Those who know me will know that I have an interest in the Green Man. Whenever I visit older churches and assuming I can get inside [legally] I always look out for the Green Men on the walls and arches in the church. 

Sometimes they're carved in wood as at Tideswell ...

 

or as at Ault Hucknall, where he's sticking his tongue out ...



Usually though they're carved in stone. Here's one from the cloisters of Norwich cathedral ...

 

You have to look up to see him as he is in the celing looking down on those who pass below.

More locally I spotted this one, a corbel in the church at Alstonefield ...

 

There are many, many more though I haven't photographed as many as I would like.

I've recently been reading Clive Hicks's book on the Green Man and on the front of the book there's a photograph he took of a Green Man in Bamberg Cathedral. This is a Green Man you ought to see if you haven't already. If you click on this link ~ http://www.clivehicks.co.uk/seeforyourself/greenman.html ~ you'll see the photograph to which I am referring.

I don't think I have ever seen such an unnerving Green Man before. It must have something to do with his eyes which appear to be staring straight at you. Or perhaps it's those lips ...

Walking around Hardwick Hall ...

We parked near the village of Rowthorne, and set off in the sunshine along the Rowthorne Trail ...

This was the footpath that runs parallel to the Trail. It's just a few yards away.

We left the Trail and turned south towards Norwood Lodge. Across the first field though we had to negotiate a slippery, sludgy, mess ...



Once through the wood the path for Norwood Lodge was, as usual, well marked.



I looked back when we reached the handful of houses at Norwood Lodge ...



From the lodge we walked into Lady Spencer's Wood. According to a National Trust interpretation panel Lady Spencer, who was born in 1737, was the mother of five children including Georgiana by her husband, John, the first Earl of Althorp. Georgiana married the 5th Duke of Devonshire and so the Cavendish family [the Dukes of Devonshire] and the Spencers [which included Lady Diana, of course] were linked.

Lady Spencer loved the countryside and gardening and created the walk I was using some 250 years later.    



Also on the interpretation panel is an extract from a letter written by Georgiana to her mother, Lady Spencer, "I could not bear to write till I had seen your dear walk. It is in great perfection and poor Mallinson, tho' he has had a stroke of the palsy has kept it up very neatly ...". She then goes on to say how she will add some benches to the walk and make it "quite an object for any day when it is fine to go to the wood ..."

There are no benches in the wood. Perhaps there never were ...

We walked across the avenue of trees between Hardwick Park Farm and the Hall itself before reaching Park Piece. There were more muddy paths in this wood ...



We followed the road that brings the visitors into the park before picking up the bridleway that runs from the ponds uphill to The Grange and then onto Ault Hucknall. The gate at The Grange has an interesting latch in the form of a snake.



A snake being the emblem of the Cavendish family who used to own Hardwick.

We reached Ault Hucknall which comprises a farm, two or three houses and a fascinating church ...



As we looked around the church we found this ...



... the gravestone of Lexey Mallison, "Servant to his grace the Duke of Devonshire at Hardwick" and who died on the 15th August 1799. Was this the "poor Mallinson" that Georgiana wrote about in her letter to her Mother ?  Or was it perhaps his or her son ? I've noticed the letter refers to 'Mallinson' and the gravestone to 'Mallison' but surely they're the same surname ... just misspelt by Georgiana or the stonemason.  

As I have mentioned elsewhere Ault Hucknall has some interesting stonework in its wall. There's a small window with some interesting carving above it ... and also to the right of it there's another interesting stone ...



  Then there's the carving of George and the Dragon below another carving of a half man/half horse with a spear [?] and with some creature[s] to his right too  ...



Then to the right of George and the Dragon etc. there's a hollowed out stone ...



After the church we took the left hand of two paths which leads eventually to Rowthorne village ...



After we'd finished our walk we went and had a look around Hardwick Hall itself and noticed the snake on a downspout ...




I finish with a couple of photos of one of my favourite stately homes, if not the favourite ...





Date of walk ~ 4th April 2010

Length of walk 4 1/2 miles

Total walked so far in 2010 ~ 55 1/2 miles

Total walked since 1st September 2009 ~ 185 1/2 miles.

12 of 2010