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BB2030
: The Mystery of PC Groves
Wednesday
26th August 2020
Between
Stan, Tony and me we have over 200 years’
experience of living in Kendal. You
would think, therefore, that we would find
it difficult to make new discoveries about
the town and the surrounding countryside.
Not so, there are still things of
which one, two or three of us were unaware.
Sandwiched
between two days of rain and between a late
start and an early finish, the three of
us were able to embark on this journey of
discovery.
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Our
intention was to walk along
the Scars but Tony insisted
on taking us into the Kendal
cemetery to see the grave of
PC John Groves who was killed
in Kendal in 1886 by a drunken
youth.
The
Westmorland Gazette headlines
referred to
A
POLICE CONSTABLE KICKED TO DEATH
COMMITTAL
FOR WILFUL MURDER
Tony
thought the lad should have
been hanged and was appalled
that the sentence was only twelve
months in Carlisle gaol.
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An
interesting account of how, in 1982,
the story came to be discovered when a church
organ was being overhauled can be found
in the Police Review 7th March 1986 under
the title Murdered Police Officers-
The
Mystery of PC Groves.
We
passed under the old "change"
bridge where tow-horses crossed from one
sideof the canal to the other......
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.....
then we did passed over the river bridge
and headed south, discovering Horticare-
a place where "people and plants grow
together" and painted hubcaps hang
on the gate.
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Our
progress was slowed by Stan and Tony bumping
into people that they had known for many,
many years. To my surprise, there
was even one whom I knew.
Back
at the river we looked to see if we could
spot Aluana,
the old Roman fort at Watercrook but there
was nothing to see so we headed up through
Scroggs Wood and across the A591 to Helsington
Laithes. Normally we go straight on
but this time we took the left hand path
which gave us a fine view of this grand
old building about which I know nothing.
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After
climbing through the fields and reaching
Brigsteer Road I had two objectives. The
first was to see what we could see of what,
on Bing Earth aerial photos, was a large
house on the scar side of the road. Incidentally,
Bing now gives better definition than Google
Earth. Unfortunately the house is
very well screened from prying eyes.
The
second objective was to find a new way onto
the scars that I had discovered in the Westmorland
Gazette.
We found the gate but Stan reckoned
he had been there before so that doesn’t
count as a first, though it was for Tony
and me.
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We
made our way up and along to the Mushroom
where we stopped for lunch. Showers were
lurking over the Coniston and Langdale hills.
Would they come our way?
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Stan
wanted to approach Kendal via Boundary Bank,
more of which later, but first he insisted
that we should complete the ridge by visiting
the Cunswick Scar summit cairn.
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On
our return, we had to pass through
a group of inquisitive bullocks.
Having lived next door
to a farm for over forty years,
I have come to learn the polite
way to talk to bovines in a
language they understand in
order to achieve the required
behaviour.
Fortunately
my requests seemed to have great
effect in keeping them at bay,
though at the expense of a very
sore throat.
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Boundary
Bank lies on the other side of the by-pass.
Once upon a time this was just a few
barns and a rough road where the farmer
used to make a lot of shillings by allowing
people to access the bypass without having
to risk the clogged up Kendal traffic. Now
there are several smart new industrial units
and offices and two more buildings under
construction.
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The
footpath I thought we were going to take
was terribly overgrown to the point of being
impassable without a scythe but Stan had
other ideas. He led us through the
old farm buildings and up on to the golf
course.
For
those not in the know, the major part of
the golf course is actually designated as
a Village Green and as such exists for the
enjoyment of the people of Kendal. Consequently
residents have the right to roam over the
course- something not always appreciated
by certain members of the golf club.
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We
had to admit that the fairways and the green
looked in excellent condition; groundsmen
were hard at work making sure things remain
that way.
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Very
few people were actually playing.
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Something
at which I always enjoy looking is a couple
of unusual limestone features known as the
Battleships.
The
puzzle is why they survived being destroyed
when the area was a quarry. Or maybe
the question should be why they were created
when the area was a quarry.
Dropping
down into Kendal, we passed what I think
of as the Hansel and Gretel Gingerbread
house- an old property where the owners
really go to town with flowers in the summer
and lights in the winter.
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Next
were the faces carved into a wall. I
have commented on these before but I usually
find them a bit of a challenge to find but
this time went straight to them.
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The
Scotch Burial Ground always intrigues Tony.
We still haven’t managed to locate
the key holder to let us in but he has found
this information:
There
is no public access but it's distinctive
enough to arouse curiosity. Behind the door
is the burial place of members of a Calvinistic
sect founded by Benjamin Ingham and known
as Inghamites. They were unpopular and the
town's notables decreed that they were not
allowed a place of burial in the town of
Kendal. However, the sect managed to purchase
a small plot of land on Beast Banks which
they were able to use as a burial ground.
We
decided to climb up Castle Howe mound to
see if we could see anything of the Burial Ground
from on high. It was inconclusive
so we continued up to the monument dedicated
to the "Glorious Revolution".
Stan
was getting a little frustrated by now as
he was in danger of missing his deadline
so we dropped down into Kendal without lingering
over other potential points of interest.
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Tony
reckons there are gravestones incorporated
into the wall of the passage that runs behind
the brewery. Perhaps that is another
mystery that we need to investigate. I
wonder if PC Groves might have been able
to help?
Don,
Wednesday 26th August 2020
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