Thursday 25 August 2011

Stenson

My personal challenge for this round of Miss Jenny Matlock's alphabe-Thursday is to post about a location within the borders of my own county of Derbyshire, UK, for each letter of the alphabet.


Look for the letter, to see where I am.



S is for Stenson

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I've posted photos about parts of Stenson before, so I thought I would complete the picture. These brick built cottages were here well before this road became busy. Now there are traffic calming measures to stop people from speeding past their door.


The name Stenson is old English for Steina's Farm. Stenson is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, joined with the neighbouring parish of Twyford. Stenson House (above) is the largest house in the village, built by architect Samuel Brown for a tenant of the Harpur-Crewe family.


The settlement is very small; just a dozen or so houses, plus a marina and a pub. This is one of two modern houses.




The Bubble Inn is another recent addition to Stenson; though a 200 year old barn conversion, rather than a new build.


The pub is named after the lock by which it stands; lock and bridge 19 on the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Trent and Mersey was constructed in 1796 and followed the old boundary between Stenson and Twyford, effectively separating the two parishes. The lock is known as The Bubble because of the way the water bubbles from the outflow when the lock is active.


What is now a small tea room was originally the lock keeper's cottage, built in 1810.


Stenson Marina is rather more recent, developed in 1974 from the lay-by above the upper lock. It has approximately 80 moorings and a yard for servicing and repairs. Alongside the marina is also a boatbuilders yard where new narrow boats are built to order.


A narrow boat was being launched into the marina while we were there.


Trent and Mersey Bridge 19 is narrow, only allowing one car to pass at a time. Beyond it is the bridge over the railway line.



The public footpath follows the canal towpath, so named because it was laid for the horses which towed the canal barges before they were powered.  This side is below the lower lock gate and is often frequented by fishermen hoping to catch fish disturbed by the emptying lock.

I enjoy walking along the canals and have been down here many times.

14 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to rent a narrow canal boat. Loved looking at your pictures!

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  2. How charming! These pictures are enchanting. :)
    Visiting from Alphabe-Thursday!

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  3. great post I love the pictures Thanks for sharing

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  4. I really enjoy your photos of your area. The homes are lovely but I can imagine living with cars zooming by ones front door would be a hassle.
    I am so enjoying being a tourist !

    cheers, parsnip

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  5. You do get around!
    Every time I see a post about canals or narrow boats I think "I want to be there".

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  6. I do so love England and its towns and villages. I've visited so often. On a southeast Asia cruise in 1997, my tablemates those twelve days became wonderful friends. Steve was a 747 pilot for BA ( now retired ) and his wife was a hospice nurse. The other couple owned a pub in Berick Upon Tweed. The Patersons ultimately sold the pub and now live in Sarasota, Fl where they own an assisted living facility called Balmoral Court and the Clarks sold their 14th century manor house which they lived in for 20 years ( in Godalming, Surrey ) and bought a 15th century farm house in Rye. I visited the manor house four times but have only been to Rye one. The Clarks have met me in Barcelona twice and both couples have been here to San Francisco twice.

    It's funny how friendships happen!

    My Alphabe Thursday post is at:

    http://rnsane.blogspot.com/2011/08/alphabe-thursday-sex-is-for-sexual.html

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  7. This seems like a lovely peaceful place to gather one's thoughts as you walk by the canal and sit drinking :)

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  8. This looks like such a lovely place to visit!

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  9. We may just have visit and walk along the canal and have tea at the lovely lock keeper's cottage:)

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  10. Another stellar report, H. Stenson, too, is a charmer. I like all the red brick buildings of old and new, especially the renovated barn into an inn... the mix of modern and traditional works marvelously. I like your term: traffic calming measures... here that would be what we call speed bumps, the bane of my life behind the wheel (well, perhaps just one of them). Stenson looks like a very pleasant place to go for a leisurely stroll... ending, of course, at the inn.

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  11. What a very pretty village! Some really charming and quaint buildings.

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  12. Oh my. That stone wall is so charming. And the curving lane. And the houses. And the...

    Gosh.

    What isn't charming in this post?

    I guess the fact that you don't have a private plane to pick us all up so we can see these sites for ourselves - ha!

    Thanks for the continued charming journey!

    I am, as always, enchanted.

    A+

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  13. I just love coming to you blog and reading your posts about Derbyshire. It really brings to life (at least for me) all the romantic sceneries of the English countryside. If I ever get myself over to that part of the world, I'll have plenty of places to visit outside of London now!

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