Ribchester


Ribchester parish church of St Wilfrid has skylights in the roof*
Ribchester parish church of St Wilfrid has skylights in the roof

Ribchester was pure serendipity. We saw the sign pointing to "Roman fort" and on a whim decided to turn off to investigate, expecting nothing more than an open field with a few slabs of sandstone to mark the site of the fort. However it was a lovely day and we had time in hand, so what the heck.

What a delightful surprise! Ribchester turned out to be a gorgeous little village (unfortunately none of the lovely houses appear in the film) set beside the river Ribble. Infamous Pendle Hill lowered in the distance but near at hand was a wonderful church set in a churchyard of pure emerald grass. Next door was a small but fascinating museum with a friendly (but shy) curator.

Even more impressive was the friendliness of the people - smiles and greetings from everyone we met, even the builders rennovating one of the cottages! No doubt it was that friendliness that led to the curious burial in nearby Stidd parish church.