Spennymoor is a town in County Durham. We usually bypassed it on travelling to and from Barnard Castle but last December we decided to have a look at it on our way back from visiting Bowes Museum. Unfortunately the light was fading a bit by the time we did.

Spennymoor’s War Memorial stands at a road junction:-

Closer view:-

Dedication; above cross “Pro Dieu et Pro Patria.” Below cross, “To these men of Spennymoor district who fell defending our liberty let their names be cherished with gratitude and pride and the remembrance of their steadfast endurance and gallant sacrifice be enshrined in t e haerts of our people for ever
and let this land whose hearts they saved from shame for many and many an age proclaim eternal honour to their name.”

“The Glorious Dead” of the Great War. I Abley – J H Evans:-

Below these are the names for World War 2:-

Great War Names K Farthing – F Perry above and a 2011 Afghanistan name below:-

Great War Names, J Perry – W Young:-

Great War 100th Anniversary bench, litter bin and effigy of soldier:-

Former Town Hall. It still holds Town Council meetings but now houses an Art Gallery and various other outlets:-

The main attraction at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle is a silver swan automaton. The model in itself is a beautiful object:-

Replacement parts:-

Unfortunately when we were there the swan wasn’t in operation. I think it needed maintenance work.

Hoewvere there was an explanatory video of its operation and movement. (The video is also available on YouTube. See below.) The articulation is amazing, the glass rods representinng water in motion are particularly effective. The swan “catches” and “eats” a fish at about 4.50 in the video. Real swans are of course vegetarian:-

I liked this piece of stained glass too:-

We took a trip up to Dunkeld last November. I had previously noticed out of the corner of my eye a ruined church in the village of Bankfoot just off the A 9. This time we took the opportunity to pop into the village for a look.

It was apparently Auchtergaven and Moneydie Parish Church.

There were lots of signs warning that the area wasn’t safe to enter.

Speaking to a local we were told that the church had been reasonably intact until a few months before when sparks from a garden bonfire had drifted onto its roof and set it alight. Shame. I suppose it will have to be demolished now.

On the way back up from Sunderland in September instead of the A 697 we took the A 68 for a change and stopped off to have a look at Earlston in the Scottish Borders.

Its War Memorial is a Celtic Cross rising from a square plinth.

Dedication. “To the glory of God and in memory of 48 men of the parish of Earlston who gave their lives for King and country during the great War 1914 – 1919,” with below, “1939 – 1945” and World War 2 names:-

Great War Names:-

Aikman – Forbes

I mentioned the replica of the Commandant’s House at Arbeia Fort, South Shields, in this post.

Replica Commandant’s House viewed from northeast:-

Viewed from southeast:-

Commandant’s House and Barrack Block from northwest:-

Entrance colonnade. Various rooms lead off it:-

Colonnade and Frieze:-

As you would expect the rooms within the Commandant’s House are much better appointed than the barrack rooms were:-

Room with cot:-

Commandant’s Room:-

Private Room:-

Reception Room for meetings etc:-

At Arbeia Fort, South Shields, there are some mock-ups of barrack rooms as they would have been when the Romans were there.

Centurion’s Dining Room:-

Centurion’s quarter’s cot. Certainly looks like it was for a child:-

Centurion’s room:

Centurion’s sitting room:

The soldier’s quarters were a bit more spartan:-

Soldier’s sleeping quarters:-

In the exhibition centre at the fort was a stone with a dual language inscription. Latin and Aramaic:-

Arbeia Roman Fort stood guarding the mouth of the River Tyne at what is now South Shields. Its now surrounded by housing on three sides but its remains have been excavated.

There is an exhibition centre but its entrance gate, Commandant’s House and a barrack block have been reconstructed. The entrance gate is particulalry impressive:-

Model of fort:-

Information board:-

Arbeia Fort site from top of entrance gate, reconstructed barrack block and Commandant’s House to right:-

An excavated corner of the fort:-

Original columns, recosntucted entrance gate seen through them. When excavated the columns were lying on their side. They have been re-erected where they would have stood:-

This is an obelisk on a square based stepped plinth and lies in the grounds of the Bowes Museum.

There is a wood carving/sculpture to its left in this view:-

Facing view:-

Great War Dedication, “Pro Patria 1914 – 1919. In grateful remembrance of the men of Barnard Castle of all ranks who fell in the Great War. For God and King and Right they gave their all,” and names F Allison – P Finn:-

Second World War Dedication, “In memory of those who fell in the Second World War 1939- 1945,” names for World War 2, and, “They died that we might live.”

Great War names, W Fleet – T B Kipling:-

Great War names E Lee – C H Smith:-

Great War names, J T Smith – R E Young. Bowes Museum in background:-

Three photographs of the memorial to the men of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) which lies in the grounds of Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle.

Dedication: “To all ranks of the old Barnard Castle Militia, Durham LI, who died for their country Aug 1914 – Nov 1918.”

The reverse carries the symbol of the DLI:-

Between the Town Ward and Inner Ward of Barnard Castle there is a strange thing to find inside a castle’s perimeter: a valley, seen below with the modern wooden bridge across it.

This ruin is to the left as you look in the above photo:-

Interior valley seen from the bridge:-

Valley from above:-

North west corner building (circular tower to right):-

From top of circular tower:-

Weir and bridge over River Tees from the castle:-