Old, Faxton and Scaldwell Walk

Looking forward to this route today. Some of my favourite cycling areas that I have seen footpath signs on and never explored.

Starting point is opposite The White Horse pub in Old. A group of 4 lads has arrived but the pub doors are still firmly locked. It's gone 12pm so perhaps they aren't going top open today?

I like Old , it  has a church, village hall, pub and park sadly not a CO-OP though. According to the 2011 census there is a population of 490 people. We head off in the direction of the newly built village of  Mawsley. Rounding the bend the footpath is on our left over a stile. Open countryside awaits,there is rain in the air but not too muddy underfoot so far....

There are a few small ponds on the right hand side. They seem to have been maintained with the trees and bushes cut back. Therefore letting in more light which can only be a good thing. 

 

The trail gets a lot muddier as we head towards the wonderfully named ' Old Poor's Gorse'. Despite a little bit of research I haven't discovered the origin of the name. It is an area of woodland just before Mawsley. The path is really churned up as we go through , no doubt a familiar route for the multitude of nearby dog walkers. 

There is a short walk along the road to pick up the next footpath/bridleway in the direction of Faxton.     

In one of the adjacent fields two large  ever alert deers are exposed. They are a a small deer, reddish and grey-brown and I'm pretty certain they are Roe Deer. As soon as they become aware of us they are away , bounding through the field to find cover. We walk down the edge of a field and cross the road past a lovely house on the right. We continue downhill where the road forks left. This is private though and our route is uphill through the gate and up the field. This is now the area where the deserted village of Faxton would once have been.

A slight detour over another stile takes us to a wooded area. This is the site of St.Denis Church which was demolished in 1958. All that remains today is the pillar which I am reliably informed is the font. There are a few old stones to be seen around the boundary edge but that is about it. 

As we crossed the stile there was one single house , and what a cracking house it was too. Standing alone amongst stunning rolling countryside. I the distance there is the sound of shotgun fire from an organised shoot no doubt.

 

 

Despite rumours relating to the plague Faxton is simply a deserted village.The Domesday book states that there was a population of 60-80 people. As well as a Rectory, a church, a hall and an aviary. Archaeological evidence has been found of settlement at Faxton as early as around 1200.

There was no actual road into Faxton , only a track for horse drawn carts. It was the lack of access for motor vehicles that was largely the reason for the decline.

Faxton's most famous resident was Sir Augustine Nichols, a circuit judge of the common pleas under James I. He was a Knight of the Bath, born in Faxton in 1559; he died in 1616.  A memorial to Sir Augustine Nichols was positioned inside the parish church but it was smashed during the church's demolition in 1958. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London retrieved the pieces and spent three years restoring it to its former splendour. A legend is connected to the smashed memorial.
It is claimed that a phantom, reputed to be that of Sir Augustine, has been seen since the demise of the church and his memorial.

No sign  of any ghostly goings on today though. We do come across a lovely lake though which I'm guessing doesn't get many visitors as it is well hidden. Over to our right is Shortwood House complete with it's impressive 'Hawking Tower.'Three storeys high and dating back to 1720 it would have provided an elevated view to watch the birds of prey hunting whilst remaining free of mud. Not a luxury we are experiencing today , and it is getting worse. 

At least the weather has brightened a little and the sun is threatening to make an appearance. 

The hunters are starting starting to emerge from the woods. They are loaded down with the poor unfortunate pheasants. An uneven contest that takes place each year from 1st October until 1st February all over the country. 

They seem oblivious to our presence as we continue past following the hedge-line.

 

We are now making the turn for the homeward leg of the walk. There is an option to take the road route back to the village of Old. It is tempting given the conditions underfoot that are energy sapping. We decide to continue the route as planned and cross the road towards Scaldwell Spinney. 

We arrive in the village of 'Scaldwell, a village with no pub my companion reluctantly points out.I've only ever cycled through and never really paid too much attention to what is a really lovely place. 

 

On the green is a well that was still in use until the 1950’s and which has stones inset to commemorate two reconstructions. Also on the green is a memorial to the men of Scaldwell who fell in the Great War; this was placed to mark the centenary of the end of the war in 2018. 

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Between 1913 and 1963 it was the headquarters of the local ironstone quarrying company. During this time narrow gauge steam locomotives could be seen running across its fields and between the edge of the village and the Harborough Road an aerial ropeway also carried ore. Apparently they looked liked cable cars!

We pick up the last footpath of the walk at the bottom of the village. We cross yet another stile and make our way through a field of sheep. The light is just starting to fade as we arrive back in Old. Originally planned at 8 miles but I suspect a bit more with all the mud avoidance around field edges!