Synopsis: A trip for Helen and me with Mum, Christine, Sarah and Louise to Okehampton Castle and Finch Foundry (Sticklepath).
I’d recently seen the Finch Foundry on the Edwardian Farm television series and had thought that I’d like to visit this place sometime. But first we thought we would visit Okehampton Castle and then find somewhere to eat in the town.
Okehampton Castle - information board
From where we parked near the town centre it was a short walk of about half a mile to Okehampton Castle. There happens to be a car park within a few hundred metres of the castle itself but the English Heritage web pages for the castle do not state this, mentioning only a disabled parking facility in a lay-by close to the castle entrance. Each of us were provided with an audio guide that proved very interesting, and nicely complemented the information boards dotted around the castle.
Okehampton Castle - Great Hall (left) viewed from kitchens
Although a ruined castle, there were more of the ruins still standing than I had expected. The castle was of the traditional motte and bailey construction introduced to England by the Normans. The earth removed at the time of digging the defensive ditch was used to increase the height of the mound on which the castle keep was built.
Okehampton Castle - staggering! - (back row) Louise, Mum and Sarah; (front row) Christine and Helen
Helen had us posing for photographs at various positions within the bailey. This did serve to visually delineate the walls of the various buildings.
It was made apparent by the audio commentary that Okehampton Castle was never attacked, therefore its defensive fortifications could be viewed as having been rather superfluous. The audio commentary seemed to suggest that the castle as a protection against an enemy was quite whimsical. The wall of the castle keep are however 2 metres thick, which to my mind seems a reasonable deterrent against attack.
Sticklepath - Finch Foundry - entrance
After a plain and simple pasty, chips and beans lunch in a cafe in Okehampton we set off to cover the short distance of 3 miles to Sticklepath for a visit to the Finch Foundry (National Trust). One of the first things we learn on arriving is that it isn’t actually a foundry at all, but a forge (or edge tool works). Apparently William Finch probably took his job title of foundryman and used that in the construction of the name, and it’s stuck ever since. Apparently one woman visitor suggested to a steward the place should be called Finch Forgery, which I thought rather amusing.
Sticklepath - Finch Foundry
The demonstrations of the working forge take place on an hourly cycle beginning fifteen minutes past the hour, giving us 30 minutes till the next demonstration which we wiled away in the museum. The forge itself is dimly lit making it very hard to take photographs by natural light. The furnace could be seen aglow in the far right corner, a floor duct feeding a stream of air from a water-driven propeller pump.
Sticklepath - Finch Foundry - tilt hammer in operation
One of the things I was particularly interested in seeing was the tilt hammers in operation. These mighty hammers are operated direct from a waterwheel shaft made from an oak tree. The huge heavy hammers can be dropped at a rate of 4-6 times per second making a loud pounding sound as they drop. The anvil (base that is struck) is still visible in the foreground of this photograph, but the anvil of the larger hammer behind it has long since been driven into the ground. Apparently these anvils sit on a huge tree trunk sunk into the ground, which is sat on a bed of heather, of uncertain purpose. Helen suggested this could provide a dampening of strike force, and that made sense to me.
Sticklepath - Finch Foundry - gardens
We finished our visit to Finch Foundry with a short walk around the small but pretty garden. There’s a sun house in the garden that was constructed by Thomas Pearse of Widecombe Fair fame. Not altogether surprising as Spreyton village, from which it is said the famous journey was begun upon their old grey mare, is just a short distance away.
We stopped off at Tesco on the way home and acquired various curries, salads and bottles of wine for our supper which we ate at Mum’s place.
Both Okehampton Castle and Finch Foundry proved fascinating places to visit making this a most interesting day out.
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