Pri3st
23-02-2012, 12:44 PM
In hindsight biking 20 miles along a busy motorway in seven MPH head wind is probably one of the more silly things i've done in the name of urban exploration.
The insperation for this early morning jaunt a man called tom hickathrift of whom local legend tells was a real life, hounest to god giant.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6920012561_cc0308e33c_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6920012561/)
*an artists interpretation of the final moments of tom hickathrift
(please note to save confusion at a later point, in some of the folklore hickathrift is the giant,where in others he is the giant slayer)
THE LEGEND -
*
(Courtesy of hiddenengland.com)
*
when tom knew his end was near, he stood on the bank of a now dried-up river in the Marshland, took up a massive stone, and proclaimed that he wished to be buried wherever it may land. He threw the rock with all his might, and it landed it Tilney All Saints churchyard three miles away, and there he was buried beneath the stone.
*
In 1955 a Mr. W. S. Parsons recorded a fuller version, in that Tom "announced that he would kick a stone ball and that wherever it fell he would be buried.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6773835458_03254b094a_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835458/)
He kicked the ball from Tilney St. Lawrence roughly two miles south. East of tilney all saints the ball hit the wall of Tilney All Saints church,The impact caused a crack in the church wall which, it was said, could not be permanently repaired. Immediately below the crack is the alleged grave of the giant.
*
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6773835466_9948906b86_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835466/)
I set out from home at 6am on the 22.02.12 my destination the civil parish of tilney all saints and more spesifictlly tilneys own st.georges chaple
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6773835474_cf4e511cd8_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835474/)
situated aproxamaty 10 miles north west of my current location I decided the quickest route would be to head staright down the A47 a twenty mile round trip made all the worse for the fact I hadent ridden a bike for almost 7 years prior. *
Just me, my partners fail bike and the open road, I arrived at my location. Aproxamaty two and a half hours later after a couple of stops to rest my tired legs and explore a few locations on the way, as is often the case however the journey it's self was somewhat more eventful than the final destination itself, 5 mins in to my journey I was pulled over by John law for ridding on the path, not a good start to the journey by all accounts.
But eventually I arrive at tilney all saints tired and hungry I stopped for a quick bite to eat, some photos and a spot of exploration.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6773835476_2885720ab5_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835476/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6919959177_2a7e504037_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959177/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6919959173_0c4a796436_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959173/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6919959165_c07c20bc54_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959165/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6919959175_6357f454a2_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959175/)
This was the site I believed at the time of my exploration to be the grave of tom hickathrift (notice the crack upon the wall and the age of this grave in comparison to the graves surrounding it.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6919962645_81709dd89b_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919962645/)
Although after a spot of pre exploration research I discovered the grave I thought was hickathrifts might actually not be below are a couple of pictures loving stolen from Google images of the actual grave of somehow managed to miss dispite almost an hour of exploring the small graveyard.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6920012555_c274067891_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6920012555/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6920012553_7542e0973a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6920012553/)
The insperation for this early morning jaunt a man called tom hickathrift of whom local legend tells was a real life, hounest to god giant.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6920012561_cc0308e33c_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6920012561/)
*an artists interpretation of the final moments of tom hickathrift
(please note to save confusion at a later point, in some of the folklore hickathrift is the giant,where in others he is the giant slayer)
THE LEGEND -
*
(Courtesy of hiddenengland.com)
*
when tom knew his end was near, he stood on the bank of a now dried-up river in the Marshland, took up a massive stone, and proclaimed that he wished to be buried wherever it may land. He threw the rock with all his might, and it landed it Tilney All Saints churchyard three miles away, and there he was buried beneath the stone.
*
In 1955 a Mr. W. S. Parsons recorded a fuller version, in that Tom "announced that he would kick a stone ball and that wherever it fell he would be buried.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6773835458_03254b094a_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835458/)
He kicked the ball from Tilney St. Lawrence roughly two miles south. East of tilney all saints the ball hit the wall of Tilney All Saints church,The impact caused a crack in the church wall which, it was said, could not be permanently repaired. Immediately below the crack is the alleged grave of the giant.
*
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6773835466_9948906b86_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835466/)
I set out from home at 6am on the 22.02.12 my destination the civil parish of tilney all saints and more spesifictlly tilneys own st.georges chaple
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6773835474_cf4e511cd8_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835474/)
situated aproxamaty 10 miles north west of my current location I decided the quickest route would be to head staright down the A47 a twenty mile round trip made all the worse for the fact I hadent ridden a bike for almost 7 years prior. *
Just me, my partners fail bike and the open road, I arrived at my location. Aproxamaty two and a half hours later after a couple of stops to rest my tired legs and explore a few locations on the way, as is often the case however the journey it's self was somewhat more eventful than the final destination itself, 5 mins in to my journey I was pulled over by John law for ridding on the path, not a good start to the journey by all accounts.
But eventually I arrive at tilney all saints tired and hungry I stopped for a quick bite to eat, some photos and a spot of exploration.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6773835476_2885720ab5_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6773835476/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6919959177_2a7e504037_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959177/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6919959173_0c4a796436_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959173/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6919959165_c07c20bc54_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959165/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6919959175_6357f454a2_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919959175/)
This was the site I believed at the time of my exploration to be the grave of tom hickathrift (notice the crack upon the wall and the age of this grave in comparison to the graves surrounding it.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6919962645_81709dd89b_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6919962645/)
Although after a spot of pre exploration research I discovered the grave I thought was hickathrifts might actually not be below are a couple of pictures loving stolen from Google images of the actual grave of somehow managed to miss dispite almost an hour of exploring the small graveyard.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6920012555_c274067891_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6920012555/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6920012553_7542e0973a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76602845@N02/6920012553/)