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BB2132
: Akay and the Pepperpot
Thursday
2nd September 2021
According
to David Olusoga in this week's
Radio TImes:
Houses
make better history
than
tales of kings and queens.
That
was certainly true of our short outing
today.
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Parking
at the Millthrop bridge over the River Rawthey
at Sedbergh, we went in search of Akay House.
Or what remains of it. There
is not a lot to see apart from one notable
feature.
The
Georgian house had been rather grand.
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It
was built in the 1820s by James
Upton, son of the owner of Millthrop
Mill.
Then
in 1893 Charles Edward Taylor,
a local chemist, bought the
house and more land.
Ten
years later he developed it
into a large mansion that incorporated
the old house.
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He
died in 1924, after which the house was
abandoned and deteriorated.
In
1936, Sedbergh School bought the house including
the outbuildings, grounds including cricket
field, and woodland. The school governors
subsequently decided the house should be
demolished.
All
that we could find were two garden archways
that they didn't photo very well and parts
off the tiled floor which did. And
we found the notable feature.
The
Pepperpot
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The
Pepperpot had been abandoned and at one
time was occupied by cows, upstairs and
downstairs. This was featured in the
Westmorland Gazette in 1948.
It
had originally been built as part of the
grand development Local legend has
it that it was used as isolation quarters
for Taylor's daughter though others belive that
it was a sort of fine picnic palace.
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Today,
the building has been renovated thanks to
grant form the Heritage Lottery fund and
the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
on the understanding that is should be available
for use by the local community.
It
certainly is impressive and stands in a
elevated position with open views of the
local fells.
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Other
than the railway bridge, there were no other
structures of great interest for some distance.
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It
was a pleasant walk along the River Rawthey
(sadly no access from path to the lovely
old Quaker Church) then across fields and
road to the River Lune where the Howgills
lay ahead.
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It
was upstream where stands the next feature
of architectural note. Not a house
but the Waterside railway viaduct that used
to carry the trains from Clapham to Tebay
and presumably back again. Sadly it
is no longer in action thanks, probably,
to Dr Beeching.
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A
little higher I was able to take a bonus
picture for Margaret!
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We
walked back along Howgill Lane towards Sedbergh
then down a steep path to Sedbergh School
where rugby practice was in full swing.
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In
town there are more fine buildings. Not
just those of the School but also Sedbergh
Church, the Old School House then down to
the river passing the very fine Old Vicarage.
Vicars certainly used to know how to live
well! But perhaps not quite as well
as at Akay.
Don,
Thursday 2nd September 2021
Comitibus:
Don, TV Mike, Tony, Mike B
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