Upper Batley

Wednesday, 15th September 2004
Wild West Yorkshire nature diary

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1 p.m., Batley

A big sky over the local Tesco car park: a bank of cumulus is moving steadily in from the west over Upper Batley. A map of a century ago shows a spur (now disused) of the Great Northern Railway running along the foot of the slope towards Birstall.

Batley High School is the prominent building on the ridge. The suburb of Batley to the right of the school on the hill is Lamplands. Other intriguing names in the immediate area are Soothill to the east of Lamplands and Carlinghow facing it across the valley to the west.

Carls were free peasants, how is a hill or headland. Carlwark, an ancient hill fort near Hathersage, occupies a commanding ridge top position.

As I sit with a cappuccino, I draw the clouds from the top down, dabbing the black line with a waterbrush as I go to create the tonal washes. Next Page

waterbrush

Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk

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