Appleby adventure

On Friday 10 July and in glorious weather, IAG members set off on the Settle-Carlisle railway to Appleby.

We first visited the Council Chambers in the Moot Hall (pictured above) and had an entertaining talk by ex-Mayor and Council Elder, Stanley Rooke. There has been a meeting place on the site since 1179 and the present building is Tudor.

We moved on to a guided tour around the atmospheric Appleby Castle, with its Norman keep and amazing buildings full of history and stories. The castle’s slightly dilapidated state only added to its charm. It was once owned by, among other people, Lady Anne Clifford – a local celebrity in her time.

After lunch we visited St. Anne’s Hospital Almshouses which were established by Anne Clifford for destitute widows, and are still in use today. It has a tiny chapel and lovely gardens. Yvonne Luke gave us a brief explanation of alms houses and their history.

Our final stop was St. Lawrence’s Church, founded shortly after the castle, but restored in the mid-17^th century by Anne Clifford, who is buried there, along with her mother. Lady Anne’s exploits were shared with us by IAG member, Sheila Gordon.

We had lots of time to wander around historic Appleby and get refreshments before climbing aboard the train for our journey home. The least said about this journey, the better, with the exceptional summer weather causing power problems and consequently a long delay around Ribblehead viaduct! Despite this, we had a fantastic day. Thanks to Dianne and Yvonne for organising this wonderful trip, which was enjoyed by almost one-third of the IAG membership. By Sarah Moorhouse.