Village in the ideal time warp

SO, we did get a white Christmas after all, even only a few flakes actually fell on Christmas morning.

Boxing Day, however, dawned bright and clear -- a perfect winter's morning and so what better incentive could I have than to stroll around a perfect English village -- Bolton-by-Bowland. The most attractive feature of any English village is its green and so what can be said about Bolton-by-Bowland, which has two?

The largest green is fringed by trees on one side and on the other by an assortment of attractive and well-proportioned buildings constructed by local stone.

It does seem, however, that the smaller and less obvious green may have been the main focal point of the old village because it is here that you can see the broken stump of the old market cross and the posts which once supported the stocks.

These are overlooked by the church of St Peter and St Paul, which is neatly sandwiched between the two greens.

Inside the church is a memorial to Sir Ralph Pudsay and his three wives.

Oh yes -- his 25 children are also commemorated. I bet the sculptor didn't land very many commissions as good as this one.

On the slab of limestone are carved all 29 members of Sir Ralph's immediate family.

These include the fertile knight and his wives -- Matilda, Margaret and Edwina.

A staunch supporter of the Lancastrian side during the Wars of the Roses, Sir Ralph concealed King Henry VI after his defeat at Hexham in Northumberland in 1464.

Poor old Henry seems to have visited a number of villages in the Clitheroe area but he did remain quite a long time at Bolton-by-Bowland. Still existing to the present day is a structure known as the King's Bath and the design of the church tower is said to have been influenced by the monarch.

This structure does seem to have a style more typical of Somerset than Lancashire and Henry did know the south west of England very well.

The ruins and some of the outbuildings of the Pudsay residence remain but Bolton Hall itself was demolished in the 1960s.

This was a great pity because it was for centuries regarded as one of the most impressive stately homes in the North West. In my collection of old photographs I have an image of what Bolton Hall looked like round about 1900 -- and mighty impressive it was.

Few villages have such tradition as Bolton-by-Bowland and hunting with dogs is still practised. This is a pack of harriers which means that they hunt with the hares.

I am a countryman at heart but I still do not enjoy the spectacle of the kill. My view is that a compromise should be possible. In the Lake District, where I was born, there is the sport of hound trailing when the dogs chase a trail of aniseed.

In the future could we keep the pageantry of the hunt with the sounds of the hounds, the call of the bugle and the scarlet of the riders but abolish the final gory detail. Anyone who enjoys seeing a hare torn to pieces is surely not a sporting person.

On a less controversial note, Bolton-by-Bowland is a time-locked village surrounded by glorious walking country. There is river scenery between Bolton-by-Bowland and Sawley, while in another direction a road which leads to Gisburn Bridge. There are wonderful views of the Ribble along both strolls.

From Bolton-by-Bowland there are road walks and footpaths following hedgerows and tiny patches of woodland which in winter provide clear views up towards the Trough of Bowland.

There are lots of lay-bys where motorists stop to have picnics and most share their scraps with the eager and hungry birds which have learned to expect these treats.

Finally, there is a well-marked footpath running around what remains of Bolton Hall

The route is at its best on a crisp winter's morning, although early spring is also exciting as the first flowers burst from their buds.