Cod Beck River in Thirsk overflows its banks - once again!

Sunday, 25th November. Photos of Cod Beck River in Thirsk.

Here we go again! More rain falling on the UK than is neccesary - what a year! This was supposed be a drought year! Things rapidly changed. Wettest for 100 years! It looks quite dramatic but no properties have been affected in Thirsk. St. James House B and B is situated well above any potential flood risk. Cod Beck has regularly gone over the top of its banks on numerous occasions each year.

Have booked a good summer for Thirsk and North Yorkshire for 2013.

Millgate Bridge, Thirsk. The Mallards are having a ball.

Millgate Bridge, Thirsk. 

Looking across Cod Beck from the Millgate car Park to the cottages on the west side of St. James Green.

The picnic area beside Cod Beck. Think we will pass on that today.

The footpath beside Cod Beck from St. Mary's Church in Kirkgate to St. James Green. No one attempting to negotiate it today - under about 3 feet of water.

View of cottages on St. James Green looking across the flooded Cod Beck River from The Holmes - Norby, Thirsk.

The Cod Beck River in full flow over the waterfall at Norby, Thirsk. 

St. Mary's Church in the background 

( photo below ).

Abbey Walks

Byland Abbey - Sunday, November 18th.

Byland Abbey is situated approximately 8 miles south east of Thirsk - 15 minutes driving time.

Rievaulx Abbey - approximately 12 miles east of Thirsk and in the Yorkshire Moors National Park - 20 minutes driving time from Thirsk.

Saturday, 24th November. As you can obviously see - a foggy day - eery, or atmospheric - take your pick! A good place for a Haloween Party? Maybe, or maybe not.

Kilburn White Horse - 6 miles east of Thirsk.

Photographs taken late afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday looking across the White Horse towards Byland Abbey, 3 miles to the east.

If you look carefully in the upper middle, far distance you can just make out Byland Abbey. Lovely, autumn colours of the trees.

Glider being towed from the Yorkshire Gliding Club which is adjacent to the Kilburn White Horse.

Memorial stone and wreath remembering aircrew of a World War 2 bomber and a Sabre Jet who died close by to Sutton Bank. Roulston Scar and Hood Hill in the background.

Sunset looking at Roulston Scar and Hood Hill from Sutton Bank, 6 miles east of Thirsk.

This adventure is to show some of our local churches.

 This is St. Mary's Church in Kirkgate, Thirsk.

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St. Mary's Church, Thirsk.

Thirsk Hall in Kirkgate, Thirsk, which has been in the Bell family since the 18th century.

The Black Swan pub on Front Street, Norby, Thirsk.

St. Michael's Church in Coxwold.

Coxwold is situated 7 miles south east of Thirsk. In the past it has won various best kept villiage awards and is definately 
worth a visit.

St Michael's Church in Coxwold was one of the first churches in Yorkshire and is probably built on the site of a pagen temple. It was first mentioned in a letter from Pope Paul 1, dated 757AD.

St. Michael's Church, Coxwold.

You can clearly see The Royal Coat of Arms of George 2nd over the chancel arch, flanked by the armorial bearings of the

 Earls of Fauconberg.

 Beautiful Stained Glass Windows

The lecturn, carved by Josef Heu, an Austrian sculpter who found refuge in Coxwold in 1941 after fleeing the Nazis

This is Laurence Sterne's gravestone, which was relocated along with his remains from London in 1969. He  previously lived at Shandy Hall in Coxwold, an Anglo-Irish novelist and anglican clergyman who wrote the book  and published in 1759 

The life and opinions of Tristam Shandy. His Great Grandfather Richard Sterne had also been the Archbishop of York.

Shandy Hall

A marble monument to Henry, Viscount Fauconberg (died 1647) and his grandson Thomas.

The Tomb of Sir William Belasyse and his wife Margaret. 

Carvings of their 5 children are placed around it.

Painted in gold, red and black. The Tomb was carved by Thomas Brown, a Yorkshire sculptor, in 1603 using magnesian limestone from the Vavasour estate near Tadcaster.

Kilburn Church can be found 6 miles south east of Thirsk, around 10 min drive.

Kilburn Church is a Norman building apparently built in 1120-1130. It is one of the oldest buildings in the district - older than Rievaulx, Byland Abbey's and Newburgh Priory

The inside of Kilburn Church. 

The Bell Tower and the Font of Kilburn Church.

There are 3 bells situated in the tower, and one of the tow original founded by S.Smith at York in 1684 lies silent on the floor of the North Aisle.

The oak lecturn made by Robert Thompson the world famous makers of the Mouseman furniture which is made next door in their workshops. 

All the Mouseman furniture has a mouse carved on it but, unusually, the lecturn has an additional carved alligator on it as well. I wonder why? I am not aware of other furniture with an alligator carved on it. Must be a story behind it.

There is much more information about these churches, and others in the locality, to follow.