Sauntering 213. The Gressingham Puzzle

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Saunterings: Walking in North-West England

Saunterings is a set of reflections based upon walks around the counties of Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire in North-West England (as defined in the Preamble). Here is a list of all Saunterings so far.
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213. The Gressingham Puzzle

The village of Gressingham puzzles me. The core of the old village is a Conservation Area. There’s nothing puzzling about that – almost all cores of old villages in the region are Conservation Areas. What strikes me as odd is that almost the whole village of Gressingham, of just 150 or so residents, lies within that Conservation Area, without there being any of the surrounding modern housing estates that now bless most villages. How has Gressingham managed that?

Perhaps it’s because Gressingham keeps a low profile. Although it is an old village, being mentioned in the Domesday Book as Ghersinctune, nothing much has happened here. Nobody outside Gressingham knows anything about the place. As far as I am aware, there are no events to attract anyone to Gressingham and there are no village amenities – no shop, no pub, no school, no playground. There is, however, a church, the only Grade I listed building in the village, so I headed for that first.

The Lune from Loyn Bridge, in mist

Setting off from Hornby, I crossed Loyn Bridge, with a bank of cloud lingering in the valley and the sun trying to rise above it. I duly reached Gressingham, passing Gressingham Hall (although I saw no name to that effect at the entrance), a building of gables and chimneys, to reach the church. This stands on a small hillock. It was rebuilt in the 18th century but parts of it are said to be of the 12th century, which includes, I assume, the Norman doorway which is, for me, the most impressive part of the church.

Left: Gressingham Church; Right: The Norman doorway (photo taken on a brighter day)

I wandered about the roads of Gressingham, which didn’t take long. There’s really only Kirk Fall, the main but narrow road through the village, a small triangle called Tenter Hill to the north, and to the south a Back Lane on the other side of Gressingham Beck. The village is mainly of detached stone houses and converted barns of the 17th and 18th century, built around the confluence of Gressingham Beck and High Dam Beck. The haphazard cottages, the footbridges, and the becks may be charming but it all seemed too dark and inward-looking for my liking. No doubt, on a bright summer's day, with the gardens aglow, a different impression is created.

Left: Gressingham Hall, a listed building. (The gate piers are separately listed because of their 'pulvinated friezes', which you can clearly see. Actually, I can't. 'Pulvinated' apparently means "characteristically convex, appearing swollen or stuffed in profile". I suppose 'swollen friezes' wouldn't sound so impressive.)
Right: Ford and footbridge over Gressingham Beck. The building beyond bears a date of 1667 and has been derelict for some time.

There was a sign urging me to stay on the public footpath, which I would gladly have done except that I soon lost it. I squelched southwards over several muddy fields, eventually reaching Lea Lane further west than intended. I saw nothing and nobody on the way, with the mist dampening the spirits a little.

I turned east to the hamlet of Eskrigge, which manages an Eskrigge Hall and an Eskrigge House, both listed buildings, and one small row of cottages. I then followed the footpath (without losing it) south to The Snab. This provided good views across the valley, somewhat restricted but perhaps enhanced by the lingering mist.

The Lune valley, approaching The Snab, Claughton Moor opposite

From The Snab I passed the pond, disturbing its birds, and crossed over to the river. From here it was a very peaceful and pleasant, if muddy, two-mile walk alongside the river, seeing nobody at all, back to Loyn Bridge and then into Hornby for a cappuccino before my bus.

Swans on the Lune

The Wenning joins the Lune (Hornby Castle is on the skyline, in the middle)

You may be thinking: What about the Gressingham duck? This graces the best menus and makes the name of Gressingham known throughout the land or at least to those who peruse the best menus. Well, yes – but the duck doesn’t have anything to do with the village of Gressingham today. The duck was bred here as a cross between a mallard and a Peking duck (I am surprised that a Peking duck would associate with a mallard) but in the 1980s was transferred, duck and name, to Suffolk. The duck must have been banished by the Gressingham villagers for bringing unwanted fame to this secretive place.

    Date: December 4th 2024
    Start: SD584691, Hornby swimming pool  (Map: OL41)
    Route: (linear) N – Loyn Bridge – W – Gressingham – SW across fields – Lea Lane – E – Eskrigge – E, S – The Snab – E – River Lune – NE – Loyn Bridge – S – Hornby Village Institute
    Distance: 7 miles;   Ascent: 70 metres

The two preceding items:
     212.   The Moor the Merrier
     211.   Bigland: Hall, Tarn, Heights, Barrow, Allotment and Woods
Two nearby items:
     149.   Wayfinding and the Highfields
       50.   With the Lune from Kirkby Lonsdale
A list of all items so far:
               Saunterings

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Top photo: Rainbow over Kisdon in Swaledale; Bottom photo: Ullswater