4 Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, November 10th, 1977 Recovery of the lapwing '


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THE decline and recov­ ery, ebb and flow in animal and plant life may not be as predict­ able as the tide, but if you are concerned with such things over; a lengthy period, you cannot fail to notice the cycle. ' U nfortunately if the


demands of human civilisa­ tion are at any period conflicting with any species of plant, animal or bird, survival of that wild crea­ ture is then in the balance. Conflict is inevitable, and u nde r stand ing and co­ operation vital, if we are to preserve for the future. Consider how, during the


■E


ast three years, the thrush as in Ribblesdale been


fa c e d , with extinction. Repeated dry summers, hard ground, better farming techniques and better drain­ age have reduced this songs­ ter’s habitat with obvious consequences. A similar instance occurred in the severe frost of 1962 and it was only 10 years later that


seen in large flocks by R ib b l e and H o d d e r . Compare the scene 10 to 15 years ago, when it was feared this useful and attractive bird would not survive. Numbers were then down to a very low level and, most remarkably, this state of affairs prevailed throughout the British Isles. There were many sugges­


we saw signs of an increase in numbers. . Another really outstand­ in g -ca s e is that of the common lapwing, now to be lai


tions as to the cause of the decline and when our fears were greatest the species began to show signs of recovery until, as we note


today, the lapwing is back to the numbers we saw 20 or 30 years ago. To return to the thrush —


who can explain why its near associate, the blackbird, has maintained a steady level? Can it be that the blackbird,, being fond of deep ditches, has found food otherwise denied the thrush, which is more fond of open places which dry out quickly and soon present a forbidding,


less conducive fe edin g ground? During late September we


watched a blackbird deep in a wayside ditch busily tossing aside the dried leaves in an attempt to get at any lurking .insect also


seeking cover. Again, during the same


period, it became evident that the grey squirrel was also in for a hard winter and perhaps could soon be facing


a similar situation to the thrush with- regard to food


supply. / Bach autumn, the greys


spend a great deal of time searching for beechmasts in the topmost branches of the trees. Now they must seek other sources of face starva­ tion and a reduction in numbers. It will not cause any regret, for taken on balance the grey does far more harm than good. Go where you will, by


Ribble and Tlodder most, beech trees are bare of fruit and. indeed, as is clearly to


' be seen, several of these fine mature trees have many dead branches due to the severe drought conditions in


i^ W M W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W I W Y ^ ^


Love inspired Lawrence to write poetry


LOVE inspired Clitheroe man Mr Lawrence Brock to write a poem more than 50 years ago — and launched him on a hobby which has given him a lifetime of


enjoyment. For since then ^Mr Brock


(78), of Holden Street, has written more than 100 poems on many subjects. And he still pens the occa­


sional one on special occa­ sions or when friends ask him to. His poems are mainly religious and many have been published in church magazines. Some he has sent to famous people and he has proudly kept the


received in reply. Mr Brock has written


several poems for family occasions such as weddings and some which were inspired by funny incidents he has seen in day-to-day life.


E


“The actual writing of the lem isn’t all that difficult,”


__said. “ If I can work out the start and a majn theme I can write one in a few minutes.” Among the well-known


people he has sent his work to is his favourite actor, Wilfred Pickles. “ It gave me a great thrill when Mr Pickles wrote


letters back thanking me for my work,” said Mr Brock. He was bom in Leningrad


where his father worked as a mach in e f i t t e r fo r an Accrington firm. The family moved back to Accrington when he was five and Mr Brock stayed there until six


years ago when he and his w i fe moved to Holden Street.


.. He spent most of his


working life as grocery manager for a branch of the Co-op in Accrington, retir­ ing in 1963. But no story about Mr


■ > ^ < y s l | «| i P P N A r ^


Brock would be complete without a few lines of his poetry. He chose the follow- lng as his favourite — “because it’s about the most meaningful I have ever written.”


Oh, thou who didst create us all,


The sea, the land came at Thy call,


Thy spirit moved upon the earth,


And to the human race gave birth.


We see Thy wondrous power each day,


To Thee, our God, we kneel and pray,


Thy spirit overshadows all mankind,


Some Thy spirit never find.


They look for Thee in man­ made things,


The aeroplanes with silvery wingSj


Thou art in the trees, and flowers and birds,


We find Thee in Thy holy word.


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■i o Honours


degree FORMER Clitheroe Girls’


Grammar School pupil Miss Ingrid Waterhouse has gained an MA honours degree in English at Bangor University. Miss Waterhouse (26),


formerly of “ Limefield,” The Sands, Whalley, previ­


ously gained a BA degree and Diploma of Education. She is currently teaching English in Paris. Her parents, Mr and Mrs


James Waterhouse, left Whalley to live at their present home in Keswick about six years ago.


Essay


winner A S T U D E N T a t the Clitheroe branch of the WEA, Mr Joseph Till, is one of two award winners in an essay competition organised by the association’s North West district. Mr Till, who lives in


Chaigley Road, Longridge, won the award with a study o f 19th century cottage industry in Longridge. The other winner was a Black­ burn woman, Mrs Anne McDonald, who wrote about Woodfold Hall, near Mellor.


THE handiwork of Nelson man Mr Ernie Green­ wood certainly takes some matching —


as


customers at Pendleton’s Swan With Two Necks can confirm.


Ernie’s hobby for the past


10 years has been build­ ing models out of match- sticks. And he has just spent three months and more than 1,000 matches in constructing a replica of the pub, which he is seen here presenting to


Beer is


named TH E a le b r ew e d b y


G is b u rn la n d lo rd Mr Richard Vernon at his Ribblesdale Arms pub now has a name . . . it’s called Malkin Bitter. Launching a “name-the-


beer” contest when his brew first went on sale about a month ago, Mr Vernon said he was looking for some­ thing with a local slant. Mallun, he says, fills the bill because Malkin Tower, near Blacko, is supposed to have been a meeting place of the Lancashire Witches. The name was suggested


by Miss Rowena Crowther, o f B ankh ou se S tre e t , Barrowford, whose prize will be seven gallons of the


beer. Meanwhile, Mr Vernon’s


beer is proving very popu­ lar. “My only regret is that I chose the one and half-barrel production system and did not install a five-barrel system at the start,” he said. “ I am having to brew


three times a week and I must apologise to customers that I cannot guarantee the beer will be on every time they call.” He hopes, however, that


by next February or March he will be brewing by means of a larger system' in a bam near the Ribblesdale Arms.


IT IS always fascinating to “ see oorsilves at


ithers see us” and so. when I learned that G e r a r d Man le y Hopkins, notable poet of the last century, had studied and taught at Stonyhurst College, I at once determined to find out what his thoughts were about the district. At first I had a little diffi­


culty, but eventually found the “Journals and Papers of Gerard Manley Hopkins,” edited by Humphrey House, c om p le t e d , by Graham Storey and published by the Oxford University Press. Thank heaven fo r the County Library! In the 500-plus pages


there are a couple of dozen or more references .to our village and the surrounding area and although I found the book anything but easy reading, it was interesting to note that the winter of 1873 in these parts must have been particularly severe. Hopkins records a great


storm, in .Blackburn and observes that at Stonyhurst in February there had been skating on the ponds for over a fortnight. A few days-’ later, surveying the wintry


scene at Whitewell, he told of seeing “a shoal of salmon”


; in the river and “very many


hares.” The priest-poet appa-


IMPRESSED BY PENDLE Whalley Window


rently spent a good deal of his leisure hours in Hodder Woods and made several notes on the appearance of the river in various lights, the flora in general and the prolific growth of garlic in


several area — a condition that still persists. The writer was deeply


interested in natural history and numerous sketches are reproduced of specimens coflected and places visited fo r , in addition to his u n q u e s t ion e d l ite ra ry talents, Hopkins was a


clever artist and first-rate musician.. On his walks round the


district he made frequent use of the ferry at Hacking Boat, yet another of the vanished facilities in our district, and took great interest in the vernacular and dialect of the local coun­ trymen.


He details a couple of


conversations with the boat­ man at Hacking, who told him he had “supped beer until he could sup no more” and,- visiting Billington in 1793 (June 15th.) “to join in their procession,”, the ferry­ man asked “Hast a penny, Tom? “En route, he mot a fanner who said he’d been “peerkin on the seat” and thgt “ the hay was'to be


shaked.” Like most visitors to our


area who stay more than a day or two, Hopkins deter­ mined to climb Pendle Hill, whose changing moods he noted almost daily,, and m a d e th e a s cen t " in September of the same year guided by “ the. wheel­ wright’s lad.” Clearly, the poet was impressed. “ There are some black,


sclaped patches on it that look made for a witches’ sabbath,” he wrote, and “the hillside is very sheer and you might fancy them dancing on the black places and higher and higher at each round and then flinging off at last one after the other, each on her broomstick over the flat country below.” ‘ This was on the eastern


aspect of the hill but Manley descended by way. of Mear-


ley and paused at the hall where they were “marking a sea of sheep.” He noted the front of the house, “built in with pieces from Whalley. or Sauley Abbey, I forget


which.” A Jesuit, he had previ­


ously visited Saulev (his


spelling, not mine) and wrote "Cistercian. Not much to see.” A pity the poet could not revisit the abbey today, for the Department of the


Fully illuminated, the model now occupies a central position behind the bar, where it forms — dare we say it? — a strik­ ing feature.


landlady Mrs Shirley Scott.


This would allow him to produce plenty for his own


pub and a surplus for sale to other outlets. Since the launching of his


“ brew-it-yourself” experi­ m en t , Mr Vernon has changed his recipe to suit his customers’ requirements. “ People said they wanted more ‘bite’ in the beer,” he explained, “so now I use more hop leaves in .each


brew.” Famous


names CHIPPING is among the p la c e s fe a tu r e d on a souvenir tea towel being offered to voluntary groups in Lancashire. The tea towel, designed


by Lancashire artist David Chesworth, is printed on L a n c a s h i r e c lo th , at Haslingden, to help volun­ tary organisations. Black­ pool and Lancaster are also featured.


#


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-


•** /If


the past two summers. Odd trees, even on the outskirts of Clitheroe, are now mere skeletons and will never again be seen in full leaf. From the beech, many


creatures turn their atten­ tion to the oak, only to find a similar state of affairs. Within a radius of 10 or


more miles of Clitheroe, most, if not all oaks have a grave scarcity o f acorns. Indeed I do not recall such a poor crop during the past 25


years. You may wonder what


this has to do with bird or animal survival. Particularly in early autumn, the pheas­ ants and rooks go to town when the acorns are at their best. Squirrels also are very fond of the fruit of the oak. What other item of food can replace this regular part of amrnal diet? Shall we see a


- reduction in the rook popula­ tion or will they, too, find an, alternative? In past years you cannot


fail to have noted parties of rooks scrambling around in the top branches of the oaks, gathering as many acorns as they can cram into their;


C O X J lS r 'TB Y D IA B Y


pouches before flying off to some distant point to either feast on them or hide them in a suitable place. Of course, they are not


the only beings which must seek alternatives^<What about the dearth- of "crab a p p le s ? Whatever will , happen next year, when the various agricultural shows usually have, a fine array of jams and crab apple , jellies on display.on the WI stalls? . The only bush which


appears not to have suffered is the hazel and by Ribble and Hodder the hedgerows have more than their usual crop of hazelnuts. What of Christmas and-


the holly berries?,. Here again, in most of the regions which last year had an , abundance of the blood-red berries, this time we find a scarcity.. Trees which were weighted with fruit last year a re b a r r e n , obviously


, touched by frost at a critical time. Even the hawthorn has a


scanty crop. It is bound to bring speculation and those who are interested in signs both natural and super­


natural begin to wonder if this is to be a mild winter. Who knows? Only time can tell.


Remember the days of


late July and August when, if you were out and about in the country, you could not fail to ignore the plague of flies. Whatever your path in wood, field or shady lane, th e i r r i t a t in g h o rd e s followed'your i every move. It was not unusual to see great swarms following animals , and humans as if intent on forming a kind of halo. •


Science has a problem and


would certainly be doing a service to man and beast by ridding us of these obnoxi­ ous pests which must cost tlie sneep and'cattle farmer a diminishing return on his captial: A contented cow gives better results, so what is the cost of so muchdiscon- tent? Remarkable - strides have been made in outer space. • W e . can fly to the moon1, yet on earth we cannot cure or prevent the common cold.'. HORACE COOK


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Environment has done an excellent job on the ruins which have now stood firm on the banks of the Ribble for close on 800 years. On holiday in the Isle of


Man, he records a visit to the church at Onchan, “ where there is an old engraved cross with knot- work such as those in Whalley;” The above more or less


exhausts his direct refer­ ences to this district and I suppose we are little the wiser as a result. Nonethe­ less, it is interesting to learn that this.eminent man of letters spent over a couple of years in our area and one cannot but think that poss­ ibly many of the lovely lines


' in his published poems were inspired by things he had seen or heard in our Lanca­ shire countryside. In my wanderings up and


down the valley these last months and years, I have noted scenes that would have made any poet burst into song and the only diffi­ culty is that, rich as our- language may be, there'are still insufficient words to adequately, describe them all or do justice to them. « If Hopkins had not died at


the-untimely age of 45,’ he would surely have returned and written'much more of the hills and-v al leys , streams and rivers that clearly had interested him so


greatly. ,>


J F -


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