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Archive for the ‘Northamptonshire’ Category

St John the Baptist Church

20 Feb

Hidden away on the outskirts of the current village of Boughton, is one of the most allegedly supernatural places you will come across in Northamptonshire.

For many, many years it has always been considered very dangerous to go near or even pass the now derelict churchyard of the St John the Baptist church, particularly late at night…

An attractive young redhead is said to haunt the churchyard after she committed suicide in the 18th century after her husband died a mysterious death shortly after their wedding at the church.

It has long been said that the redhead and her husband haunt the surrounding area and should anyone approach the churchyard late at night (particularly at midnight on Christmas Eve), would become victims of their charms and die of causes unknown within one calendar month…

The ruins of the St John the Baptist church is the only remaining structural evidence of the original village.

If you respectfully wander around the churchyard you will find the very reason a church was built on this spot in the first place, namely the St John the Baptist spring.

The last wedding ceremony to take place at the church was in 1708 and by 1719 the church was described as being roofless and falling in to a state of ruin.  In 1780 the tower and the steeple fell down and most of the stonework was taken away and used to help build the existing church that is still in use today.

 
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Posted in Days Out, Northamptonshire

 

Rushton Triangular Lodge

12 Jul

A symbol of the Holy Trinity, the Rushton Triangular Lodge has got to be one of the strangest buildings you will ever come across.  With 3 walls, 3 floors and even a 3 sided chimney, there is certainly a lot of detail to look at!

Around the outside of the Lodge is a freize that is 33ft long and has 33 letters along it so as you can see, the number 3 plays an important factor in this building.

Previously known at The Warryners Lodge, it was originally used by a keeper who would of been in charge of the keeping of the rabbits and the pidgeons that were once there.

If you look closely at the 3 sided chimney you should see the date 1595 which is when the chimney was constructed.

The outside of the building is heaped with religious meaning so if you are not an expert in this area then it may be worth while taking someone who is with you to decipher all the hidden meanings.  A camera should most definately be on your list of things to take to this site as there is plenty of detail on the building that you are sure to miss and with the aid of some photos you will see the bits you missed.

In contrast to the fancifull exterior, the inside of the Lodge is fairly bland and ordinary with very little detail, so don’t expect to see anything too exciting on the inside.  There is a spiral staircase which you can use to navigate your way around the 3 floors.

From what I have found out on the Internet, there is apparently an underground passage way beneath the Lodge, but on my visit I could see no evidence of its existence.  From what I gather, the passage way is haunted with reports of rewards being offered for anyone who rid the passage way of the evit spirit that was haunting it…

 
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Posted in Days Out, Northamptonshire

 

Kirby Hall

28 Jun

Dating back to 1570, Kirby Hall was originally commisioned by Sir Humphrey Stafford who died before the building work had completed.  The property was then sold to Queen Elizabeths Lord Chancellor, Si Christopher Hatton who had the building work completed.

As with a lot of these types of places, the sheer cost of maintaining and running such a place can often become too high a cost and often saw families going bankrupt.

Currently Kirby Hall is owned by the Earl of Winchilsea but is managed by English Heritage.

Part of the site is in ruin, but parts of it are still in tact and currently (at the time of writing this content) restoration work is being undertaken.  There is also the large garden to take a wander around that has previously been described as “ye finest garden in England” so it it definately worth a wander around.

During my visit, there were several Peacocks wandering around the place which would explain whey there are metal chains hanging from the doors of the parts of the hall that are in tact, as I assume these are to keep the Peacocks out of the property!

 
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Posted in Days Out, Northamptonshire

 
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