Whitworth to Wright's Folly: A Circular Walk
Whitworth to Wright’s
Folly: A Circular Walk
History
Thomas Wright (1711-1786)
is topical at the moment with the recent unveiling of a commemorative plaque in
his name in his birthplace of the small village of Byers Green, near
Spennymoor. I am yet to visit the plaque and the walk featured here does not
pass through Byers Green. An earlier post on the North East leg of the Camino
de Santiago covers this area if you are interested. The main feature of this
walk lies a little closer to my childhood home of Middlestone Moor, in the
nearby hilltop village of Westerton, where Wright designed an observatory tower
(or “folly”) which remains fairly well intact to this day. Below I provide some
historical details about Wright and his folly as well as more general information
about the area covered. At the bottom, I describe the route in detail should
you be interested in following it.
Wright and his Folly
Thomas Wright was
something of a polymath. He is best known for his work in astronomy and in
particular his work on the Milky Way. His most renowned book An original
theory or new hypothesis of the Universe, written in 1750, influenced the great
German philosopher Immanuel Kant. As well as his work in astronomy, Wright was
also an accomplished garden designer. In retirement, Wright returned to Byers
Green and designed his famous “folly”, a circular observatory tower on the
hilltop village of Westerton. According to “Keys to the Past”, a website
dedicated to North East history, a design for the folly was found in one of
Wright’s manuscripts of 1744, but the tower itself was not completed until
after his death. According to Historic England, the tower dates back to 1765
and was used as a reading room and by 1924, as Council Offices. Though it is
unclear on Historic England’s website what exactly “dates from” refers to.
Perhaps this was when building was started, but if Keys to the Past is correct
about the completion date, this suggests the building of the folly took quite
some time. The building is grade II listed and there is a commemorative plaque erected
by Durham University in 1950. It reads:
This observatory tower was erected by
Thomas Wright. Born at Byers Green 1711, died there 1786. To commemorate his
treatise Theory of the Universe, published 1750. This plaque was placed
here by the University of Durham 1950.
The part of the walk featuring Wright’s folly is section 3. Here are some pictures:
Middlestone
Moor
Much of Middlestone Moor,
particularly the housing estates in the northern part of the village are
relatively modern, much dating back to the 1950s. The part of Middlestone Moor
covered in this walk (section 2) has a richer history owing to its occupying a
main road between Spennymoor and Bishop Auckland. It passes the site of two
historic pubs. First The Binchester Hotel (locally known as “The Binnie”),
named after the nearby village and Roman Fort. Unfortunately the pub was
recently demolished and the last time I was here, it consisted of a pile of
rubble. I spent many a night in here and several Christmas days too. This was
one of the oldest pubs in the area and it is missed by many locals. On a
similar note, the pub further down from the Binnie (The Masons Arms) was
also closed recently. I was in here for a few games of pool with my Uncle Alan
a couple of years ago, shortly before it closed. Unlike The Binnie, it has been
spared the demolition job, and will have a new lease of life as a Chinese restaurant.
But it is undoubtedly a shame that these two pubs are lost to history. The only
remaining pub in Middlestone Moor now being the Working Man’s Club on Rock
Road.
Here are some images of Middlestone Moor's former pubs. Luckily I took these photos when I did for they ceased to be shortly after.
I’d normally complete this walk from my family home in Middlestone Moor, on Hawthorn Road. But to cater to those outside the village I have chosen the Auckland Way Car park on Whitworth Road as the starting point for this route.
Route
Starting Point: Auckland
Way Car Park on Whitworth Road
Distance: About 5.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
1: From the car park, proceed
to walk down the left of two tracks which are joined to the car park. The track
you are following has open fields to its left. Either take the next left turn
or the following left turn at the Dog Kennels. Both these tracks join up shortly
before Crowes Farm, where you need to turn left through a wooden gate beside a
larger metal gate. Continue along this track until it meets the main road on
Clyde Terrace.
2: Upon meeting the main
road, turn right and continue walking along the path. Keep an eye out on the
other side of the road for the Aged Miners Homes. Just ahead of these is where
the Binchester Hotel used to be and you will pass the building which used to be
the Masons. On the side of the road you are on you will pass a small row of houses
with a street sign reading “Club Buildings” as there was once a working man’s
club here. Not long after passing by a new housing estate, the path veers to
the right, away from the main road with a steep strip of woodland to the left.
Follow the path until it meets the road on Church Street near Binchester Blocks.
Once at the road, turn left and then cross the main road. Then turn right. Just
ahead there is a petrol station. You need to take a public right of way which
veers off to the left and skirts behind the petrol station. The right of way
then cuts diagonally across the field to meet a stile leading to a road.
3: Cross the stile and
turn left to follow the road into the small, hilltop village of Westerton. Westerton
boasts virtually nothing in the way of amenities. But it is a pleasant village
whose height provide panoramic views over to the Pennines in the west and the North
York Moors in the east. It also holds the star attraction of this walk: Wright’s
Folly. The entrance to the Folly is closed, but there is enough to admire from
the outside.
4: Having finished at the
folly, continue following the road. Keep straight on past a flimsy old
directional sign. Follow the road along until it meets a junction. The walk
itself follows the road along to the left. But if you wanted to stop for a pint
in one of the best pubs in the north east, turn right into Middlestone Village
and pop into The Ship Inn. It has long been well regarded for its selection of
real ales and has featured in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. As I say, the walk
itself goes left at the junction following a country lane. The road then winds
to the left, passes by a farm and then proceeds downhill via the “Old Tip Road.”
At the bottom of the bank is an area known as “The Old Mine” and the remnants
of its former industrial history are apparent in the nearby slag heaps. Also
nearby is Jewett’s slaughter house. The path then continues up a bank to meet
the A688. This road is then crossed, leading into Middlestone Moor. Be cautious,
as this is a dangerous section of the road, known by locals as “mad mile”.
5: Having crossed the
road, continue along the path, passing the allotments to the right. The path
leads to a road at South View, which you should cross and then turn right. Continue
to follow this road ignoring the first left turn. The road passes a row of houses
on the left and then a horse’s meadow. At the end of the road, turn left onto
rock road. Follow this road all the way to the four lane ends traffic light
junction, passing the cemetery, a couple of schools and Middlestone Moor WMC. Cross
the road at the junction continuing forward onto Whitworth road, passing
Spennymoor House on the left (one of the oldest houses in the area) and
Whitworth Comprehensive school on the right. This road will lead you back to
the car park on the Auckland Way.
Further Reading:
Keys to the Past entry on Westerton Folly: http://www.keystothepast.info/article/10339/Site-Details?PRN=D37725
Historic England entry: https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/westerton-folly-bishop-auckland-8132
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