Pipewell and Rushton Trianguar Lodge Walk

Really looking forward to this relatively short walk. A walk that will take in one of Northamptonshire's finest follies. There is also the promise of seeing something else that is unique in the county. 

Starting point is outside the Thornhill Arms in Rushton.Definitely earmarked this as a place to enjoy some liquid refreshment of the beer kind afterwards. 

 

The footpath is on the other side of the road and is slightly uphill.Within a couple of minutes we are in open countryside as we cross over the Railway Bridge on the Kettering/Corby line. Walking anti-clockwise with the wind turbines on our right. A tractor is busy going up and down the field, spreading fertiliser judging by the pungent aroma drifting across.... 

Perfect walking conditions today, just a slight threat of a blustery shower. The path is very straightforward as we head towards the Hamlet of Pipewell. The route is to our left but a detour into Pipewell is always worth a visit. Not only one of Northamptonshire's smallest hamlets it is also home to the smallest Church in the county.  Known as the Abbey Church of St Mary which was built in 1881.

 

Pipewell was the site of a Cistercian Abbey established in 1143 by William Butevilain, and all of the settlement is built around three fields where this used to be.It contains the Harpers Brook a tributary of the River Nene.

The abbey was suppressed as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in November 1538. Demolition took place soon after and by 1720 no standing masonry was visible. 

Pipewell Hall a Grade II mansion, was built in 1675 with some of the stone from the former abbey: the abbey remains are contained in its estate. West of the site, there is a mill pond and dam, together with a series of medieval quarries which have been worked into the twentieth century. 

We retrace our steps out of Pipewell and back to the road. The old red telephone box has been converted to a book exchange. A quick glance and there are a few Peter James and Linwood Barclay offerings, all of which I have read at some stage. 

Looking back there are some excellent views of Pipewell Woods which I have walked a few years ago. The footpath is on the right hand side and was very nearly missed such was the overgrowth. Thankfully one over the footbridge things were much easier. The path across the cornfield was well maintained by the Farmer.

 

 

The next field is not so obviously marked out. As today is a 'shorts wearing' day it is safer to follow the field edge, rather than risk an allergic reaction. It's a nice walk down to the Railway Bridge which we walk under. It seems to be well known for it's puddles under the bridge too!

We stop just after the bridge for a drink as it is quite warm by now. This is when disaster strikes.... I put the maps down on a rail and stupidly put my phone on top to stop them blowing away.

 Unfortunately a sudden gust of wind saw the phone take a tumble. The end result being a cracked screen which was a bit annoying. Moving on we continued on the track as far as the road. The footpath continues ahead but we need to turn left back towards Rushton and the ' Triangular Lodge'!

What can I say? The 'Triangular Lodge' has been on my wish-list for far too long. As a dedicated lover of a folly I don't really know why it has taken so long? I think a fellow walker once put me off saying that you couldn't get close , or see over the wall. Well that clearly wasn't the case as can be seen from the photos. Designed by Sir Thomas Tresham and constructed between 1593 and 1597 it is now in the care of English Heritage. It is magnificent, perfect in it's design, sadly it isn't open to go inside but that isn't stopping me from having a closer look. 

 

Tresham was a Roman Catholic Tresham  and was imprisoned for a total of fifteen years in the late 16th century for refusing to become a Protestant. On his release in 1593, he designed the Lodge as a protestation of his faith. A design dedicated to the Holy Trinity(unity of Father, son and Holy Spirit as three persons yet one substance or essence).

The Triangular Lodge has a strong claim to be the purest folly in the country. It is a means of expression and indeed obsession. This passion was transferred into stone. The brick building has three sides, each measuring thirty three feet, three storeys, three gables on each side, a total of nine gargoyles. The building has three floors, upon a basement, and a triangular chimney. Three Latin texts, each 33 letters long, run around the building on each facade.The windows on each floor are of different designs, all equally ornate. The largest, those on the first floor, are in the form of a 'trefoil'. (outline of three overlapping rings).  The Lodge was the only building Tresham designed which he saw completed before his death in 1605.

 On the entrance front is the inscription ‘Tres Testimonium Dant’ (there are three that give witness), a Biblical quotation from St John’s Gospel referring to the Trinity.

The broken inscriptions inscribed on each gable combine to read "Respicite non mihi laboravi", which means "Behold I have not laboured for myself alone". It is truly awesome and I am so glad to finally have seen it. I will definitely come back and look inside one day. 

It is now just a matter of following the road back in to Rushton. We pass All Saints Church,  built in the 13th century of warm ironstone and limestone . It is a medium size building with a tower at one end. To the rear of the churchyard a cricket match is taking place. It is a perfect scene of English village life. It is about to get even better as armed with a pint of Wadsworth 6X I sit in the pub garden in the sunshine watching the cricket match unfold. 

Apart from the phone incident it has been a cracking short walk, coming in at just under 6 miles. 

The walk itself was a triangular shape which was quite appropriate considering the absolute highlight was the Triangular Lodge.