Jl walk aroun8 §t. u:>ilfri8' 5 <tfjurcfj1'ar8
Guardsman
on horse
N
The Church School
....
St. Wilfrid's Parish
Church, Calverley
.". ......: .... ..
.. ..
.. .. .. .. ..
'
.
'
Calverley
Angel
.. ....
Alternate route
avoiding the steps
\,
Matthew Balme's Grave
Tarmac
road/path
Key
Steps
Numbers relate to information
on the reverse of this leaflet
Bell Pit
Beware of loose stone work on graves,
uneven ground due to settlement.
sheep and goat droppings.
1111
Route
_...
Banking
1HIH1I
Tree
Boundary/wall
View
point
I;
Fence
.......
.~.
Gate
"-
Start
Point of
interest
*
Jl walk aroun8 §t. u:>ilfri8' 5 <tfjurcfj1'ar8
Guardsman
on horse
N
The Church School
....
St. Wilfrid's Parish
Church, Calverley
.". ......: .... ..
.. ..
.. .. .. .. ..
'
.
'
Calverley
Angel
.. ....
Alternate route
avoiding the steps
\,
Matthew Balme's Grave
Tarmac
road/path
Key
Steps
Numbers relate to information
on the reverse of this leaflet
Bell Pit
Beware of loose stone work on graves,
uneven ground due to settlement.
sheep and goat droppings.
1111
Route
_...
Banking
1HIH1I
Tree
Boundary/wall
View
point
I;
Fence
.......
.~.
Gate
"-
Start
Point of
interest
*
By the Boiler house steps lies the grave of Benjamin
Cromack, 'The Calverley G iant ' who, according to
the inscription required a coffin 7 foot II inches long. It
doesn't say if this was the inside or the outside of the
coffin. However if we allow 2Y2 inches each end, it still
would leave him 7 foot 6 inches tall! His mother who
died in 1827 aged 100 is buried in the same grave.
On the tower, juSt above your head a carve d arrow
points to a line, the line indicates the height of 365 feet
above sea level. It was cut into the stone as a reference
point when the first Ordnance Survey maps were drawn.
Oxeye Daisies
7 As you walk through the gate by the line of trees you
are leaving the old graveyard and entering the Victorian
extension.
-
The overgrown bank with nettles, by the north wall,
is a haven for butterflies and other insects. The ivy on
the old trees provides an ideal home for insects and
nesting birds. Other trees have bat boxes. In the autumn
a harvest of tasty blackberries can be had.
At the foot of the Tower is the grave of Ja mes
Thompson who died in 1708. Notice the religiOUS
symbols such as angels, hourglasses, skull and gateway
carved into the stone, which were a common feature
of gravestones during that period.
Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Three carved stones, one with a curved design and
two with crosses can be seen. These are reused stone
from an older building, so recycling isn't a new thing!
Looking across towards the church you will see a square
column with a cross on top. The column shows a carving
of a Guardsman m ounte d on his horse. He was
Thomas Dibb the Guards Riding Master at Hyde Park
Barracks in London until his death in 1871 aged 32.
A small wooden structure by the church wall acts as
one of the goats shelters. Goats hair is not waterproof
so they need to have shelter, unlike sheep with their
waterproof fleeces.
Further along there is the grave of Matthew Balme,
an important person in the nation's history. He was one
of a number of social reformers responsible for the Te n
Hour Act (1847) which restricted the employment of
children in factories to ten hours a day.
Looking over the boundary wall you will see the The
Church School. Prior to 1840 the school was situated
at the front of the church. It moved to it's present
position in 1878. The school was endowed by the
Church and the Calverley fam ily.
Beyond Matthew Balme's grave stands the two hundred
year old bee ch tree trunk that has been carved to
resemble a angel, symbolising the presence of God
overlooking the departed.
The meadow ahead of you has drainage problems making
it unsuitable for burials, thus the site is being developed
as a Wild Flower Meadow. It is crisscrossed by grass
paths, with a central lawn in the shape of the Christian
symbol of a fish , the Ichthus, that has a compass as its
eye inscribed 'Jesus will Guide Us' .
Walking alongside the Eastern boundary wall there is
a wonderful view across the Aire Valley with the Leeds
liverpool Canal and river Aire below and Horsforth,
Hunger Hills and St. Margaret's Church standing proudly
on the horizon. Foxes and deer have been seen on the
far side of the wall, foragi ng for food.
Another wildlife habitat looked after by the Scouts,
resides in the south east corner comprising a woodpile
and stacked pallets. An ideal home for insects such as
beetles, spiders, harvestmen and ealWigs. Many of those
insects are food for the resident toads, birds and moles.
Nearby a fortress formed from a pile of stones also
provides a hiding place for a host of small creatures.
Minibeast Hotel
Inside the Town Gate boundary are shrubs pla nte d
in 1932 in memory of Percy Gaunt CBE of Elmwood
by his widow. This lady was a great supporter of the
Calverley Girl Guides in t he 1920's.
In the Flower garden by the gate you will see the grave
of Geo rge Crosley of Idle who died in 1806 after
being trapped by a roof fall at a bell pit in Horsforth
where coal was mi ned .
Turning round you can appreciate the Calve rley
Ange l from the front.
By t he car park are a pair of Liste d Geo rgia n
House s. They are mentioned by Nikolas Pevs ner in
'Buildi ngs of England' and were built at the direction of
Si r Walter Calverley.
Welcome to St. Wflfrib's
paris~ ((~urc~, ((ah?erlel'
We hope you have enjoyed your walk around
the Churchyard. Please fee l free to come
inside the Church and join in on one or more of these
Occasions.
Sunday
Holy Communio n
Book of Common Prayer
Every second and fourth Sunday at 8:00 AM
Holy Communion
Every second, third, fourt h and fifth Su nday at
9: 15 am for I hour and 15 mi nutes.
Family Communio n Se rvice
Every first Sunday at 10:30 am for 11/1 hours
Across the road is the Old Vicarage, now a nursery.
The Vica rage used to extend up to Thornhill Street,
but now mOSt of the grounds of the Old Vicarage have
been bUilt on, creating Thornhil l Grove which is at the
rear of the new vicarage.
The King' s A r ms All Age Se rvice
Every second, third, fourth and fifth Sunday at
II :00 am for I hour
W eekdays · Morning Praye r
Term Time only, every Weekday at 8:00 am for
Yl hour
W edne sday
Holy Communion in place of Morning Prayer
Term Time only every Wednesday at 8:00 am
for Yl hour
Fr iday Coffee Shop
Church ope n for refreshmne t s
We are open duri ng Term Time and closed
during half-te rms. Friday at 9:00 am till noon
Times of services may change so please contact the Parish
Office for more details at:
http;llwww.calverleyparishchurch.org
oct.I,0 11 32577968/2577222
The Old Vicarage
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