Bolton Abbey village

After the Christmas and New Year break, followed by some icy weather, it's proving hard to motivate myself to start going out again, even though the paths and roads are safe. I did eventually manage to persuade myself into the car to drive to Bolton Abbey. It took forever to demist the windscreen but once that hurdle was conquered, the half hour or so drive passed without incident. I usually park down by the riverside but this time I parked in the main village car park, thinking I'd take a few photos in the village itself.

It proved more difficult than I anticipated to find good compositions, as the buildings are really rather spread out and the roads narrow. There's this little village green, surrounded by a few houses. Two of them are now cafés and one was an attractive bookshop specialising in antique and rare books, though it looks as though that has now closed down. 

The village postbox usually has a 'topper', so there must be a local crochet enthusiast. This one celebrates the New Year - and the numerous local moles, whose underground presence is disclosed by the molehills all over the place!

Along the road there's the famous arch in the wall, 10' 9'' (3.28m) high and 9' 5'' (2.87m) wide. It's amazing that tourist coaches and the Dalesbus can squeeze through here! (See HERE). It always feels tight when you're in a car. The wall is apparently part of an 18th century aqueduct, and is now quite a tourist attraction, though hard to get photos of as the approach road is so narrow with no footway. There was little traffic about so I dared to walk along. 

Near the arch, one of the estate houses has some interesting decorative features. The Bolton Abbey Estate buildings are not as distinctive as those of some of our grand estates but, with their solid gritstone ashlar blocks, they are still quite attractive.  

Of course, the grandest building of all is The Hall, the private residence of the Devonshire family. When they're not here (ie: most of the time), it can be rented as a holiday home. Built as a gatehouse to the Priory c1325, it was converted to a shooting lodge after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 and has subsequently been altered and enlarged.