Well, not so
much ‘mysteries’, more ‘oddities’, really. Take, for example, the fact that the
village’s most famous historical relic is its set of watery features known as
the ‘Moorsholm Docks’ – despite the sleepy settlement’s decidedly landlocked
situate.
OK, then, so
they’re not real ‘docks’, but more accurately a set of half a dozen sunken
water troughs which lie against a boundary wall at the northern end of the
village. A curious sight in themselves, regardless of their ambitious name. One
can only assume that some joker first coined the phrase many years ago and it
stuck. Picture a dozen or so cows or horses nestling up against the man-made
waterway and you can just about see how the analogy was made.
(picture
courtesy of Chris Twigg of ‘Hidden Teesside’ – see here)
Then there are
the strange-sounding pubs that exist, or have existed, in the village. What was
formally The Plough is now the Toad Hall
Arms – and no one seems to be able to explain the odd new title. Then
there’s the (fairly) nearby Jolly Sailor …
in the middle of the moors? And, furthermore, there used to be another pub
called The Station hereabouts –
despite the planned railway line never actually being built!
And, yes, that
planned and abandoned railway link still, sort of, survives. The remains (for
what they are) usually being referred to as ‘Paddy Waddell’s Railway’, after
the guy behind the failed plan.
As if that isn’t
enough, the nearby Freebrough Hill is the burial place of King Arthur, don’t
you know?
Posts
I used to work for the previous landlord who gave the pub the name Toad Hall Arms. He told me that when he first bought the pub, a local commented on its exposed location by saying it was like Wind in the Willows. This is how he came up with the pub's name.
ReplyDeleteAh, so that's one of the mysteries explained. Cheers, Anonymous!
DeleteMy great Uncle used to run the Jolly Sailor before the new road was built behind it. I remember visiting and at the time he owned the farm opposite and had pigs behind the pub. It was very smoky in those days and had low ceilings.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous. Would still like to know why it's called The Jolly Sailor, though, in view of its location!
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