More #OnePlaceLandmarks blog posts

It’s fair to say that I’ve been blown away by the excellent response to our first blogging and social media prompt, not just in terms of numbers but also the variety of interpretations. In #OnePlaceLandmarks – the stories so far I summarised and linked to 18 blog posts from 12 Places. Another 18 landmark stories – from members and non-members – have been posted since then, bringing the total blog posts up to 36 and the Places represented to 25. Let’s now navigate our way through these fabulous features of our one-place study.

Badingham and Cransford, Suffolk, England (Elizabeth Walne)

In One-Place Landmarks, Liz defines the term landmark as including “elements of people, memory and community” and takes us on a personal tour of landmarks which have great meaning to her, in two places which are not only one-place studies but also where she grew up.

Cuckfield, Sussex, England

The Queen’s Hall, built by public subscription in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, is the first feature to be described on the Landmarks page of the Cuckfield Compendium website.

Dunster, Somerset, England (Liz Craig)

I have fond memories of day-trips to Dunster during past holidays in Somerset, and Conygar Tower (poking out from the trees in the photo above) is one of a very small number of one-place landmarks I have actually visited. Liz not only describes the tower but also details, why, when and how the it was built (and how much was paid for the workmen’s cider!).

Fawsley, Northamptonshire, England (Steve Jackson)

Having announced on this blog (in Building a one-place study website and blog) and teased on Twitter that I had a new one-place study, I couldn’t resist adding another post here exploring The landmarks of my new one-place study. A church full of heraldry, a 500-year-old hall with fluctuating fortunes, a park landscaped by Capability Brown, and the ruins of an ancient, isolated house – all help to define the Fawsley that myself and other locals know and love.

Great Ellingham, Norfolk, England (Heather Etteridge)

The history of a landmark which was demolished during WW2 to make way for an airfield, Hawhill Farm, is the subject of Heather’s blog post. Using auction particulars, Inclosure Commissioner’s documents, parish registers, censuses, newspapers and Kelly’s directories, Heather looks at the farm and its occupants from 1800 up to the property’s demise.

Kingston, Dorset, England (Martin White)

More one-place landmarks which I know from holidays of yesteryear (Chapman’s Pool and Houns-Tout on the delightful Dorset coast), and several more which I haven’t (yet) explored, are featured in photos and briefly described in A quick tour of some of the landmarks in the parish of Kingston, Dorset.

Long Buckby Wharf, Northamptonshire, England (Julie Groom)

This third helping of one-place landmarks from Julie takes a peek at Park House, a listed building and the largest property at the Wharf, along with its inhabitants. It has undergone many changes, internally at least, over its 200-year history, and although now partially hidden from view by trees it would once have been a much more visible and better-known landmark.

North Walls and Brims, Orkney, Scotland (Jane Harris)

The Crockness Martello Tower in North Walls was, in Jane’s words, “built in response to the threat to the Baltic trade from American privateers in the 1812-14 war between Britain and the USA.” In this blog post you can find out more about the tower, its history, people connected with it, and Martello towers in general.

Numurkah, Victoria, Australia (Jenny Scammell)

Towering over us as they do, towers make great landmarks. Although we’ve seen several in #OnePlaceLandmarks, for me there’s no feeling of repetition because of the varied forms and functions  of the towers in question. Here’s a Brick Water Tower - A Landmark of Numurkah, built in 1888 on the west bank of the Broken Creek. 70 feet tall, the tower was built with 70,000 bricks!

Oxenholme, Cumbria, England

Dominating Oxenholme’s skyline, the rocky ridge of The Helm is another natural feature making an appearance in #OnePlaceLandmarks (the photo above was taken from it, and looking along the ridge). It is of course far from being untouched by humans, its summit being home to the scheduled ancient monument of Castlesteads. Today it is managed sympathetically and enjoyed for its wildlife and its outstanding views.

St Day, Cornwall, England (Lesley Trotter)

Special offer – two towers for the price of one! In A Cornish Tale of Two Towers, Lesley takes a look at one long-gone tower (that of the Holy Trinity chapel) and a newer one, a clock tower built in 1831. Lesley notes that this is “more than a visual landmark” – it is “part of the local soundscape”.

Springhill, Lancashire, England (Janet Barrie)

Springhill House, the principle building in the area according to estate agents. Despite the reputation estate agents have for, erm, creativity, they are in this case spot on, as the house is the most prominent building in Springhill. When was it likely to have been built? When was it extended? What does it look like? Find out in Springhill Landmarks #2.

Sticklepath, Devon, England (Helen Shields)

#OnePlaceLandmarks: Menhirs #SticklepathOne’s Standing Stones, our granite pillars is Helen’s third contribution to the landmarks theme. Learn about the Tolmen stone, the Honest Man, the Incised Stone and an ancient granite cross, all of which are ancient landmarks with various stories and meanings attached to them over time.

Tibberton, Shropshire, England (Margaret Ford)

A relatively short-lived landmark, Tibberton paper mill was a prominent feature of Tibberton’s local landscape because of its chimney – or rather chimneys, plural. The loss of the first chimney almost makes this a #OnePlaceTragedies story (our theme for February); its replacement came down in 1932. Thankfully several pictures survive, and Margaret shares them in this blog post.

Turner’s Retreat and Woodlands Place, London, England (Chris Jolliffe)

Bermondsey Baths – another landmark which has been and gone, along with the streets which Chris is studying. Public baths in days gone by, like those at Bermondsey, were not just for recreation. In an age when living conditions and sanitation were poor, community facilities for washing clothes and bathing provided a much-needed boost to the quality of life for many local residents. Why not dip in to Chris’s blog post and learn more?

Waters Upton, Shropshire, England (Steve Jackson)

It took a while for me to write about #OnePlaceLandmarks in my original one-place study, but I got there in the end even if the second of my two posts was delivered in February! In Waters Upton Landmarks – Part 1 I look at Waters Upton’s boundary rivers, the bridges over them, and the recreational hunting and fishing which took place in them. In Part 2, I turn my attention to a shared landmark of great cultural significance to Shropshire people, the Wrekin (pictured above) which can be seen from Waters Upton, but does not lie within the parish.

Yuin Reef, Western Australia, Australia (Emmerson Brand)

Last but by no means least is a post from the youngest contributor to our blogging prompts, Emmerson Brand – to whom we extend our congratulations on her recent engagement. Emmerson has been blogging about Yuin Reef on her Finding Our Pasts website since November 2020, and has tagged the posts so that you can find all of them in one place. The Place itself, incidentally, is an abandoned mining town, and Emmerson has focussed on the remains of one of its buildings as A Landmark at Yuin Reef.

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In conclusion, thank you once again to everyone who has joined in with the #OnePlaceLandmarks challenge. I hope you have enjoyed researching, writing and sharing your blog posts; I have certainly seen some positive feedback for the idea in your posts and elsewhere. I also hope that others are enjoying reading your work – and will be inspired to join in with our blogging prompts!

Steve Jackson
Social Media Coordinator, Society for One-Place Studies
One-placer for Fawsley and Waters Upton

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Picture credits

Dunster High Street with Conygar Hill and Tower, by Flickr member Anguskirk – CC-BY-NC-ND/2.0

The Helm, Oxenholme, by Geograph contributor Mick Garratt – CC-BY-SA/2.0 – Modified

The Wrekin, by Geograph contributor Eirian Evans – CC-BY-SA/2.0 – Modified