Walk 32: Litchborough & Farthingstone Circular – a little cardio exercise!

The ‘Needs to Know’

Distance: 3.5 miles (5.5km)

Time to walk: About 1.5 hours, although there’s a couple of decent ‘watering holes’ en route so you might like to combine it with a Sunday lunch at one of them

Difficulty: Mainly across fields & then footpaths in the villages. The fields were pretty dry when we did this mid March 2014. The terrain is quite hilly at times so it’s a good cardio workout. There’s also several stiles & bridges to negotiate

Dog Friendly?: Some stiles & likely sheep & cattle

Parking: Park in the main street in Litchborough outside The Old Red Lion Pub

Public toilets: The Old Red Lion in Litchborough, or The Kings Arms in Farthingstone.

Map of the route:

So what can we tell you about this short walk? Well we’d like to thank Robin Gee for his research & coming up with some amazing facts

The countryside in this area is quite hilly for Northamptonshire & the two villages we’ll visit are quiet & unspoilt

Litchborough, our starting point, is a small village about 10 miles south west of Northampton and 5 miles west of Towcester,  just 2 miles off the A5, although it is a world away from the hustle & bustle.

The original passage of the road B4525 was a grassy track known as Banbury Lane, the oldest known road in the county, The Great Salt Road between Droitwich & London ran across the back of the village when a toll of a penny or a peck of salt was levied on every passing wagon.

In Saxon times the village was known as ‘Lygenburg’, the Saxon name for cemetery or burial place. It was the last of 4 Roman British garrisons to fall to the Saxons in 571AD

A ‘lychgate’ at a church was a covered gateway to a church where the dead would be placed before burial. They might lie there for 2 or 3 days, but they were guarded at all times to stop body snatchers from stealing the body !!!

So Litchborough…a place for the dead!!

There’s also a smoking heritage in the village which is home of the famous ‘Blakemar pipe’

The founder of the Blakemar dynasty, Thomas Martin, started his 5 year apprenticeship in the early 1880’s with John Friedrich of Soho. He then went on to learn briar pipe making with Loewes of London, the most prestigious of pipe makers of the day. Thomas returned to the village of Blakesley & set up the first Martin Pipe workshop in 1890. His son Dick carried on the business & the business was moved to Litchborough in 1961 & was located at the end of the village on the Fathingstone Road

One of Dick’s loyal customers was WWII Battle of Britain flying ace Douglas Bader who smoked a small billiard with a short stem (one for the connoisseurs  of pipe smoking)

It’s well worth keeping your eyes & ears open for wildlife on this walk. As well as numerous sheep & lambs, we saw several buzzards, kestrels & a lovely little wren (who wouldn’t stay still long enough to have his photo taken!!)

We’ll expand on the features & history of the villages as we pass through them but, as it’s a glorious day….

Let’s Walk!

1. As mentioned above, this walk starts outside The Old Red Lion pub in Litchborough…

The Old Red Lion has been run by Radmore Farm in Litchborough who have farmed there since 1937. The menu is therefore sourced from their own & other local farms

Next door to the pub is the rather wonderful Dee Cafe which is great for refreshments at either beginning or end of the walk. And…if you mention you’re a member of Northamptonshire Walks they will kindly give you 10% on Saturdays & Sundays!! (open 9am 5pm)

2. Across the road is St Martin’s Church, a grade II listed building…

The church dates from 13th & 14th century. It was closed today, but apparently on Sunday afternoons during the summer they serve tea & cakes.

Inside the church of St Martin is a a tomb to Sir John Needham who died in 1618. During that time that the village established a medical connection with royalty. In the Deer Park there’s a cottage named ‘Deer Park Cottage’ amongst a Spinney where grew the medical herb ‘Gentiana Concava (Feltwort)’ or ‘Saponaria Concava Anlica (Soapwort)’.  Due to the Royal Patronage of King James I, the herbs were over-picked by his herbalists & became extinct in the early 17th century

Litchborough was the only know source of the plant. Was used for the treatment of boils,ulcers & other skin ailments

The graveyard has a tale to tell…

In the 19th century a gravedigger turned up one November morning to inspect an area where he was due to dig a grave. He found the body of a man slumped across a mound where a local had been buried the previous day. The dead man was George Bates, a regular at the Red Lion & a doctor confirmed the death from a heart attack. However his face was contorted with fear & he was also clutching a sword which passed through his tailcoat into the soil

A group of men who had been drinking in the Red Lion the night before had been discussing Albert’s funeral, the man who had been buried the day before. They had all been praising Albert, but George, who had been drinking heavily, didn’t agree. A sword hung over the fireplace of the inn & a local wag, Nobby Clark, dared George to plunge it into Albert’s freshly dug grave. He went into the churchyard carrying the sword & that was the last time he was seen alive

Obviously this was the talk of the village for many weeks, but it was eventually assumed that when plunging the sword into the grave, a drunk George speared his tailcoat & pinned himself down. Having tried in vain to get up, George must have thought that Albert had grabbed him from the grave to take his revenge, hence the heart attack & the look on his face

Next door on the green is the war memorial…

The War Memorial was dedicated on 1st January 1920 & is a Cross of Weldon Stone on an octagonal-tiered base of Yorkshire Limestone. The names of 8 men from the village who were killed in the First World War are recorded. 3 of those men have ‘No known grave’.  Those from the village who served in the armed forces during Second World War all returned

3. Head down the main street & on the corner there’s some wrought iron gates which mark the entrance to Litchborough Hall…

Another grade II listed building, it dates back to 17th century. Occasionally the gardens are open under the National Gardens Scheme yellow book

Litchborough Hall is the home of Bob Heygate, who was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1997 & who, with cousin Paul Heygate, owns & runs the landmark Heygates Mill at Bugbrooke & the Fine Lady Bakery at Banbury.

Bob & his wife live in a house within the grounds built in 1870’s. His working routine is to go to the mill each morning about 8.30 am, return home for lunch & then again return to the mill at 8pm each evening, including Saturdays

The Tudor Hall is now derelict/defunct. The roof has collapsed & the interior is unfit for any inhabitants It was previously owned by members of the whisky family Grants until the 1970’s

4. Further down the road there’s two great different examples of a Monkey Puzzle tree…

…& over the wall you get a glimpse of Litchborough Hall

The manorial hall is of Tudor construction & one inhabitant Sir John Needham was a gentleman pensioner to Elizabeth I & James I

His Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as ‘The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners’. The corps was formed as the Troop of Gentlemen in 1509 by King Henry VIII to act as a mounted escort, armed with spear & lance to protect the sovereign, in battle or elsewhere

Henry decided to have “this new & sumptuous Troop of Gentlemen composed of cadets of noble families & the highest order of gentry as his personal Body Guard or ‘Nearest Guard'”, cadets being the younger sons of nobles

Today, the duties are purely ceremonial: the Gentlemen accompany & attend the sovereign at various events & occasions, including state visits by heads of state, the opening of parliament, & ceremonies involving the various orders of chivalry, including the Order of the Garter

The Deer Park attached to the manor hall was the smallest in England of some 19 acres & held deer until 1970

5. At the cottage on the right with the thatched peacock on the roof turn right down Kiln Lane…

…& then turn left along the grassy path …

6. Walk down between the 2 hedges to the stile ahead

Just over the stile is a Wellingtonia tree…

This is from the same family as a Giant Sequoia tree which we saw many of when visiting Yosemite USA some years ago – one of the most stunning places on this planet

7. Head diagonally right across the brow of the hill towards the fence & the footbridge & stile in the corner of the field

Next walk straight up the hill keeping the hedge on your right

8. Head for the kissing gate beside the pines…

9. After passing through the kissing gate head diagonally left across the field keeping the farm buildings on your left & heading for the gate in the hedge

This is now simply a case of keep bearing left up & down fields & across stiles, bridges & gaps in hedges…

…& finally we emerge across an open field…

10. One final climb below & you’ll reach Farthingstone. Climb the hill keeping the sheds on your left…

…& cross a final stile to arrive at the road in the village

11. So…welcome to Farthingstone!, another lovely Northamptonshire village, probably best known for its undulating golf course

After climbing the final stile into the road turn left & head into the village to see what treasures await you

12. On the left look out for Joy Mead Gardens. The gardens were created by the Agnew family in 1922 to commemorate their two children who had died through illness & injuries from the Great War. The Gardens have been left in trust to the village to be enjoyed by the villagers and are managed by a Committee of trustees for that purpose

 

Joy, the mother, died in 1921 & the garden was started in that year as a memorial to her. Her husband, Philip, purchased an area of ground which was to be used as an “open public ground for the resort & recreation of adults & as a playground for children & youth” It was also intended that the Garden should be used for “lectures, bands, musical & dramatic entertainments, dances & other social amenities”

It opened on August 3rd 1922. Pass through the gate below & have a look around…

13. Continue along the main street & have a look at the village pub on the right…The Kings Arms

The pub has an unusual & award wining garden… have a look around the back

14. Across the road is the local church…St Mary the Virgin

A very pretty little church which, like so many we come across these days, it was locked

15. Head down Maidford Road passing the village hall on the corner…

…& then the quirky Pansion Row with its embedded broken glass, china & shells embedded into the walls…

16. Further along the road pass Wheelwright’s Cottage to a signpost indicating that you need to pass through the black gate…

17. Walk down the narrow alley & climb over the stile below to enter the horse paddock…

Walk down the hill & through the gate…

18. Now head up the hill to the corner & cross another stile. Keep walking up the hill keeping the hedge on your right

There’s just one more field to cross…

19. Eventually you’ll reach the hedge & there’s a bridge ahead, but STOP! You need to ignore this & turn left keeping the hedge on our right. Eventually you’ll come to a gap & now continue straight ahead with the new hedge on your left…

…& ahead is your exit carefully onto the road

20. Turning left now & follow the road for a couple of hundred yards. Go through the gate at the signpost on the left

21. Bear right & head towards the barn where you’ll find another footbridge & stile in the hedge

Now head straight towards the Wellingtonia tree you passed near the start of this walk

One final stile & you’re back under that huge tree…

Cross the site back down the narrow path you came up earlier

22. To arrive back out onto the road. Turn left & head back to where you left your car

So…what’s our verdict on this short walk?  Well it’s mostly across fields & there isn’t too much to stop & look at but if you fancy a good leg stretch & lung buster then this is one for you. Litchborough & Farthingstone are both lovely rural Northamptonshire villages

So…if you fancy a Sunday afternoon stroll…

Go Walk!