B@R Does Bolsover: A Whistlestop Tour Through the Town’s Heritage
Last week, the ‘Buildings at Risk’ (B@R) team were in Bolsover for a fantastic walking tour of the town centre and New Bolsover model village led by B@R volunteer and local historian, Wendy Stevenson. It was great to see several new faces alongside some of our brilliant B@R volunteers and longstanding supporters brought together by a shared interest in protecting Derbyshire’s heritage.
We enjoyed an excellent morning with Wendy exploring some of Bolsover’s hidden gems, from the remains of the town’s medieval earthworks dating from at least the 11th century to the quirky Victorian gravestone of local watchmaker Thomas Hinde!
The tour was further enhanced by a stroll down to the model village of New Bolsover, enjoying spectacular views of Bolsover Castle and the surrounding landscape on the way. In the village, Wendy shared her extensive knowledge of life in the settlement, its 1891 creation by Bolsover Colliery and the recent restoration project to preserve the houses and bring them back into occupation as modern homes.
After a bracing (!) walk back up the hill, stopping off to visit the cottage-like 17th-century Cundy House which once supplied water to Bolsover Castle, the group enjoyed a well-earned hot drink, some nibbles and a chat at Bolsover Assembly Hall.
This visit was arranged as part of our ‘Buildings at Risk’ project in Bolsover and as well as enjoying the town’s rich history, participants had the opportunity to find out more about the B@R app and how to use it to complete condition surveys using real examples of historic buildings on the tour.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on this visit and special thanks to Wendy for volunteering her time to help us plan the event and using her incredible local knowledge to lead a really engaging, informative tour. If you haven’t explored Bolsover, or have only ever been to the castle, we would highly recommend a visit!
If you would like to find out more about our ‘Buildings at Risk’ project and its progress across the county, send the team an email to:
Follow us on social media @dhbtrust to be the first to hear about further ‘Buildings at Risk’ volunteer support and social events throughout the year.
