Quernmore
Encyclopedia
Quernmore is a village and civil parish
in the City of Lancaster
in Lancashire
, England
. It is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Lancaster. The parish
of Quernmore had a population of 532 recorded in the 2001 census
. Apart from Quernmore itself, the parish also includes Brow Top, once a local crafts mecca, now merely a cluster of barn conversion
s, like a last outpost of civilisation before the Trough of Bowland
.
The village consists of a small number of residential properties, mostly farm houses, nestling in the bottom of the small valley of the River Conder
. The Methodist
chapel lies at the heart of the community but is smaller than St Peter's
, the Church of England
church which lies isolated next to Quernmore Primary School.
There used to be one public house whose address is still the Temperance Hotel. The name used to be the Dog and Partridge (this name can still be seen on the electrical substation, 100m to the south). It became the Temperance Hotel after the construction of the Thirlmere Aqueduct
, completed 1894, as a consequence of the rowdiness of the navvies
working on the aqueduct. The public house closed in 1900. The premises became the post office and village store until closure in 2008.
The largest residential property is Quernmore Park, built in 1793 by the architect Thomas Harrison
.
The valley has an ancient history. In 1970 a Roman
pottery kiln
was unearthed near the Friends Meeting House
, and other kilns have been discovered in the local vicinity. In former times, the slopes of Clougha Pike
which forms the eastern wall of the valley, were mined for millstone grit to form quern stones
. There was some small scale coal mining and charcoal production. The valley also has two surviving watermill
s, one on the slopes towards Littledale and one at Conder Bottom whose mill pond
now is used as a fishery. Quernmore was at one stage a Royal Forest
.
Quernmore lies within the Forest of Bowland
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
, although historically it maintained its own separate identity and even in medieval times, never came under the sway of the powerful Lordship of Bowland
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the City of Lancaster
City of Lancaster
The City of Lancaster , is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Morecambe, Heysham, and Carnforth, as well as...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Lancaster. The parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Quernmore had a population of 532 recorded in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
. Apart from Quernmore itself, the parish also includes Brow Top, once a local crafts mecca, now merely a cluster of barn conversion
Conversion (barn)
The Conversion of Barns involves the conversion of old farming barns to commercial or residential use structures. Many older farm buildings are being converted for holiday use...
s, like a last outpost of civilisation before the Trough of Bowland
Trough of Bowland
The Trough of Bowland is a valley and high pass in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Lancashire, England.The pass, reaching above sea level at the head of the valley, links to Wyresdale, dividing the upland core of Bowland into two main blocks...
.
The village consists of a small number of residential properties, mostly farm houses, nestling in the bottom of the small valley of the River Conder
River Conder
The River Conder is a river in the English county of Lancashire.The source of the River Conder is a spring at Conder Head on Black Fell near Littledale, from where the stream briefly runs north, then west through Cragg Wood...
. The Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapel lies at the heart of the community but is smaller than St Peter's
St Peter's Church, Quernmore
St Peter's Church, Quernmore, is in the village of Quernmore, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster and Morecambe, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with those of St Mark, Dolphinholme, and Christ...
, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church which lies isolated next to Quernmore Primary School.
There used to be one public house whose address is still the Temperance Hotel. The name used to be the Dog and Partridge (this name can still be seen on the electrical substation, 100m to the south). It became the Temperance Hotel after the construction of the Thirlmere Aqueduct
Thirlmere Aqueduct
The Thirlmere Aqueduct is part of a water supply system built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works between 1890 and 1925.The aqueduct was built to carry approximately per day of water from Thirlmere Reservoir to Manchester. The construction of the reservoir and aqueduct was authorised by the...
, completed 1894, as a consequence of the rowdiness of the navvies
Navvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
working on the aqueduct. The public house closed in 1900. The premises became the post office and village store until closure in 2008.
The largest residential property is Quernmore Park, built in 1793 by the architect Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison (architect)
Thomas Harrison was an English architect and engineer. He built a number of bridges, including Grosvenor Bridge in Chester. He also rebuilt parts of Chester and Lancaster castles...
.
The valley has an ancient history. In 1970 a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
pottery kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
was unearthed near the Friends Meeting House
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, and other kilns have been discovered in the local vicinity. In former times, the slopes of Clougha Pike
Clougha Pike
Clougha Pike is a hill in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. From the west it looms over the Conder Valley, the city of Lancaster and Lancaster University. It is visible from as far away as Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland mountains such as the Old Man of Coniston, and Blackpool Tower...
which forms the eastern wall of the valley, were mined for millstone grit to form quern stones
Quern-stone
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand grinding a wide variety of materials. They were used in pairs. The lower, stationary, stone is called a quern, whilst the upper, mobile, stone is called a handstone...
. There was some small scale coal mining and charcoal production. The valley also has two surviving watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s, one on the slopes towards Littledale and one at Conder Bottom whose mill pond
Mill pond
A mill pond is any body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam across a waterway. In many places, the common proper name Mill Pond name has remained even though the mill has long since gone...
now is used as a fishery. Quernmore was at one stage a Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
.
Quernmore lies within the Forest of Bowland
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
, although historically it maintained its own separate identity and even in medieval times, never came under the sway of the powerful Lordship of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
.