This is the mill, as it looks today…
…and again seen from downstream – you can see where the water diverted to drive the wheel flows out under the building…
John Dobson Ltd. still seem to be a going concern.
John Dobson (Milnthorpe) Ltd. are the largest producer of hair combs (in volume terms) in the U.K.
from their website
Comforting to know that somebody still makes combs (or indeed anything) in the UK.
If they began to make combs here in 1866, but were established in 1704, where were they based in the interim? Langdale?
A heron was fishing in the river just by the mill. I saw a pair of goosanders further downstream, but had to content myself with a photo of a tufty blue-tit…
On the bank of the Bela, I found another early spring flower: butterbur. We saw them in Aldingham too, a few weeks back, but the photos didn’t turn out too well.
This was another excursion which took advantage of an opportunity of a break in a Dad’s taxi service evening. After a short section along the river, it took in a field path and then came back through the town, finishing through Police Square (past the Cicerone Press office, perhaps of interest to aficionados of walking guides.)
A hedge bottom violet. A much darker colour than the ones I photographed in Eaves Wood. These also had the strong ‘nectar-guide’ lines (but in the failing light I didn’t get a particularly good photo of the inside of the flower.)
Beating The Bounds 