Search this site

Wedding Packages Providing Everything You Need In Photography Book Your Consultation If you are not sure what package to choose. Simply book a consultation and we will contact you direct to arrange a meeting at a time of your choosing. We can then come and see you and discuss your wedding day requirements in detail. Check Out Our Bronze - Silver or Gold Packages at: https://www.robertbarnes-photo.com/wedding-packages

Wedding packages by Robert Barnes Photography©️, serving the northeast of England. Check us out: https://www.robertbarnes-photo.com/wedding-packages

CAMERA SHUTTER COUNT Shutter count is an estimation of how much the camera has been used. Most shutters are rated to a minimum of 150,000 (entry and mid-range DSLRs) or 300,000 (professional DSLRs). Most shutters last well beyond their rated life... To find out how many shots your camera has taken, please visit: https://www.camerashuttercount.com

Druid's Temple The Druid's Temple is a Regency-era folly in open woodland near the Yorkshire village of Ilton, near Masham. The folly was loosely modelled after Stonehenge and illustrates the fanciful ideas about Druids held by Georgian and early-Victorian antiquarians. The circle and stone altar HISTORY William Danby (1752-1832) was an eccentric 19th-century country squire, a former Sheriff of Yorkshire and the owner of Swinton Park, near Masham. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, the residents of Danby's Yorkshire estates were suffering from a serious economic depression, so he decided to do something about it. Danby was inspired by the stone circle at Stonehenge, which leading antiquarians incorrectly assumed had been created by the Druids of Celtic Britain. He decided to create his own Druid's Temple, modelled loosely on Stonehenge. The stone circle entrance portal He hired unemployed workmen and paid them one shilling per day to create a fanciful folly based on a circle of standing stones. The stones ranged up to 10 feet high and formed an arrangement measuring 100 feet long. The standing stones were arranged around a low stone altar. At the back of the circle was a cave in the style of a tomb. There are two large stone circles. One is in the form of a vesica piscia (intersecting circles creating an eye-shaped outline) that has four monolithic standing stones and a central monolith like a phallic symbol on a stepped base. Three more stones form a screen to an antechamber, and beyond that is a circular chamber centred on the altar, or sacrificial stone. Beyond that is the tomb area. On the hillside overlooking the circle is a large column carved with the signs of the zodiac. The 'hermit's tomb' Aside from the main temple, there are clusters of standing stones throughout the nearby woodland. Not only did Danby design the temple, but he also hired a 'hermit' to live in the 'tomb' for seven years. The hermit was instructed to remain mute and let his hair and beard grow. It was always going to be a difficult task; the successful hermit lasted only four years in his role and it was rumoured that the requirements of the job drove him insane. The Druid's Temple was built at a time when there was growing interest in British history - and a lot of confusing speculation that wasn't founded in facts. Antiquarians like Danby hearkened back to an idyllic golden age of British history, ruled by a Druidic elite. The temple is fascinating not only as one of the most interesting follies in England but as an example of what the early 19th-century English wanted to think about themselves and their heritage. Looking out from the 'tomb' The Druid's Temple made an unexpected appearance in the national press in 2000 when Baroness Masham of Ilton argued in the House of Lords in favour of restricting public access to the countryside because, in her words, 'there has been Devil worship there'. According to Baroness Masham, her secretary was taking her dog for a morning walk and discovered a pig's head on the stone altar. NOTE: The most commonly accepted date for the Druid's Temple is sometime around 1820. The official English Heritage listing, however, gives a date of around 1800. Don't mistake this Druid's Temple folly in Yorkshire with the similarly named and entirely authentic Druid's Circle in north Wales. GETTING THERE The Druid's Temple is in woodland at the end of Knowle Lane, just north of the village of Ilton and four miles west of Masham. From Masham take Swinton Road ( signposted to Ilton). Carry on through Ilton and look for Knowle Lane off to your left in one mile. Follow the lane to a parking area at the Swinton bivouac cafe and campsite. From the parking area, a signposted trail leads into the woodland and the Druid's Temple. There is an information panel near the parking area with a map of the site, but there is no information at the Temple itself. About Druid's Temple Address: Knowle Lane, Masham, Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire, England Attraction Type: Historic Building Location: In woodland past the end of Knowle Lane on the Swinton Estate north of Ilton. The nearest postcode is HG4 4JZ. Parking area at Swinton bivouac café and Campsite. Location map OS: SE174786

BORROWDALE MILL: 54°30'38"N 3°09'17"W · 133 m How to get there? Nearest postcode for car park: CA12 5XN The Borrowdale Mill is tucked away and can be quite tricky to find. You'll find this 'secret' location at Coombe Gill, between Rosthwaite and Seatoller in Borrowdale, Keswick. There is a fairly decent sized National Trust car park behind Seatoller Farm which I would recommend using as a good starting point. From the car park, you'll want to take a left back onto the B5289 and walk in the direction of Keswick. After around 10 minutes walking time, you'll come to two blocks of white cottages on your left hand side. A little further around the left bend in the road (after you've past the cottages) you'll find a wooden gate on your right. Ignore this gate and take the next one which you'll find a few yards further up the road. Once through the gate, there are some faint tyre markings which will bend right towards a stone wall. Follow this path, keeping to the left side of the wall. Eventually, you'll walk past a stone structure which i think used to be an old power house. You'll then briefly walk through a small wooded area, followed by walking over the bridge which crosses Coombe Gill. Follow the path to your right and you will very shortly find yourself at the Borrowdale Mill. 😁👌 www.robertbarnes-photo.com