by Steve Tanham
I’ve written about Kirkby Lonsdale, before. This lovely market town, on the border between Cumbria and Yorkshire, has many faces, some of them well hidden…
A photo-tour is a good way of sharing these…
Our journey starts with Devil’s Bridge, located below the town, and the old crossing point for the River Lune. This used to be the main road to Yorkshire…
The way down to the River Lune is steep and treacherous. People jump off the bridge into the river, here…
It’s a popular spot with canoeists. This is a regular group who appear to have ‘hexagonal’ canoes.
The Old Mill at the bottom of the steep lane from the town centre is one of the most photographed buildings in the town. But seldom seen by those who only take the tourist route.
Climbing Mill Brow, which is very steep, we come to what I always think of as the ‘Jane Austen’ house.
Looking back down Mill Brow, we can see how steeply the road drops off to the river.
There is a ‘secret road’ through the town that used to be the main thoroughfare. Here, hidden near the summit of Mill Brow, is the old market square. Market in this context meant ‘Cattle Market’.
From the market square, the ancient lane runs in a dog-leg towards the church.
St Mary’s Church is located at the Kirkby Lonsdale’s highest point. It is one of the oldest part of this landscape.
The oldest parts of the church are Norman. Three doorways and the inner north arcade date from the early 12th century. The church was restored in 1866. The ceiling was raised, giving the outer north aisle a separate roof,
The old door of St Mary’s Church. The main entrance is to the right.
The interior of St Mary’s is simply beautiful.
St Mary’s supports a popular children’s group.
The far end of the church yard is the gateway into the town centre.
©Stephen Tanham 2022
Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being.
http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog
Sun in Gemini 
Very different feel from the ones I’ve seen online or in person before!
Love the children’s toys. The collection of photos evokes an unbroken line of time. The old market square is fascinating — how did it come to be bypassed? The handful of places we visited (like Banbury, for example) showcased them or kept them very visible and very central.The history must be interesting here….
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Thanks Darcy. That’s what is so fascinating about the place. It’s a living piece of history…
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Wow! I like the children’s toys. The church has a different look than many of the ones we visited. The market square is intriguing — I am wondering how and why it got bypassed into a “secret road”! The unusual sense of time is visible.
I tried posting earlier and got tangled up in passwords so this may be the first or second post…
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Both came through, Darcy. Thank you. The cattle market in the photo may have always been separate from the more general one in ‘Market Square’ – the main part of town. But the former may well have been the first market. Local towns and villages would have had their own specialised markets, some of them tiny!
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A beautiful tour in pictures, Steve. I love the narrow stone streets. We don’t have anything like that here. 😀
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It’s a beautiful place, Diana. Hopefully I can show it you when you visit.
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I can’t wait. 🙂
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