Panoramas

The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley, who also built Rievaulx Abbey. The priory was surrendered in 8 December 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Legend has it that Kirkham was founded in remembrance of l'Espec's only son who had died nearby as a consequence of his horse being startled by a boar. Dormitory This view of the dormitory showing a doorway and lamp niche on the upper part of the wall. Normally the canons' dormitory would have bee at first-floor level, with a staircase in the south transept for access to the church for night services. At Kirkham it was set at the level of the cloister, because of the fall of the ground to the south. Cloister The cloister is a rectangular court which formerly had a covered alley on each side, though all trace of these has now vanished.The alley roofs would probably have been supported on open arches, and may have been embellished with animal and figure sculptures as they were in other Augustinian priories.The central court or garth might have been laid out as a formal garden which may have had water running through open drain channels around the sides. When not attending services in the church, the canons spent most of their days in this court. they would have been provided with a series of carrels or desks at which thy might study or write. The western end of the priory church and the vaulted entrance to the cloister with the remains of the chapel above. Gatehouse The great gatehouse formed the main entrance into the priory and was built in about 1320 to 1340 and rebuilt in the 13th century. It has a wide carriage arch, surmounted by a very decorative pointed gable around which is ranged a series of figures and shields bearing the arms of the noble patrons with which the priory was associated. Originally, the figures and the shields would have been painted. The gatehouse viewed from the south. The gatehouse arch viewed from the south. The decorated exterior wall of the gatehouse viewed from the north. Church Window Remains of a tall (13th century) window at the east end of the Priory church.

The River Etive rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. The river flows through Glen Etive, draining into Loch Etive, a sea loch. The river was peaceful when this picture was taken from the 'garden' of our rented cottage. After a period of heave rain the level can rise by about a metre over a fairly short period of time resulting in a much more active scene. The PiP shows River Etive with Buachaille Etive Beag in the distance. A small, single track road runs alongside the river for its 18km course to the loch – this road is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque roads in all of Scotland. The pictures above and below show a small section of this road at the lower end of the glen, about 2km from the head of Loch Etive. The point at which the river enters Loch Etive

Tate Hill is a small, sandy beach located on the eastern side of the harbour.

The view from Sutton Bank is to the west and the market town of Thirsk, about 6 miles/9.5 km away (hidden by the haze). The Vale of York (left of picture) becomes the Vale of Mowbray to the north of Thirsk (right of picture) The road leading into the picture is the A170 which runs from Thirsk to Scarborough via Pickering, a distance of 47 miles/76 km. The Vale of York is often said to stretch from the River Tees in the north to the Humber Estuary in the south. More properly it is just the central part of this area which is truly the Vale of York, with the Vale of Mowbray to its north and the Humberhead Levels to its south. It is bounded by the Howardian Hills and Yorkshire Wolds to the east and the Pennines to the west. The low-lying ridge of the Escrick moraine marks its southern boundary. The city of York lies in the centre of the area. The Vale of Mowbray (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Vale of York) is a stretch of low-lying land between the North York Moors and the Hambleton Hills to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the west. To the north lie the Cleveland lowlands and to the south, in the region of Thirsk, the Vale of Mowbray becomes the Vale of York proper. At Sutton Bank the A170 road runs up the bank with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%), and includes several tight bends as well as a hairpin bend. The road rises 520 feet (160 m) in under 1 mile (1.6 km) in this section.

Wastwater November 2013