Tuesday 12 April 2011

Attermire Scar Settle Teddy Tour

I think I'll post a couple of Teddy Tours, before it turns into a cup and ring stone blog.
If I walk up the field at the back of the house I can see Warrendale Knotts and Attermire scar so it's easy to nip over for a quick brew into Limestone country.Drive to Settle and park on the Malham road and walk along the bridalway to Attermire scars
The Victorian Rifle Range soon came into view. Here it's looking down on it from the scars behind. SD 83866 64098
Attermire Rifle Range, Settle
In the mid-19th century, with the threat of war with France hanging in the air, County lieutenants throughout the country were authorised to raise volunteer rifle corps. In 1854, in Settle, 30 volunteers were signed up. By 1864 they had a drill hall at the foot of Castlebergh in the town. The Settle Volunteers took their shooting practice seriously and Attermire Range was set up for them in 1860. Competitions took place and Settle won many of the top prizes in the county. The shooting platforms laid out at regular intervals away from the targets can only just be made out. More obvious are the remains of the butts at the base of Warrendale Knotts half a mile away, which originally had pairs of two metre diameter targets. The Volunteers were transferred into the Territorial Army in 1908 and they continued to use the range up until the First World War. During the Second World War, the local Home Guard reused the range.
Source:-http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/record.asp?id=108
Where the kettle was soon on for a brew
Russian Caravan Tea.
From Wikipedia, Russian Caravan is a blend of Oolong, Keemun and Lapsang Souchong teas. Although a Chinese tea, its name originates from the 18th century camel caravans that facilitated the transcontinental tea trade to Europe via Russia. "It took at least half a year to make the six-thousand-mile journey from the Chinese border to Russia, Russian Caravan has a distinctive smoky aroma caused by the Lapsang Souchong in the blend, originally intended as a natural preservative. Stoves a Samuel Heath & Son Birmingham.
with a brew on the go it was time for a steak and onion butty with home made bread. Mind the hot fat splashes!
It looks like Dads army used more than black powder muskets and 303's on the cast targets
It seems like a piece of history is slowly being lost, took me awhile to clean the muck of this target back
Back to the van and took the Malham road to the Airton turn off
Looking back at Settle
Another Teddy Tour just a quick one but non the less enjoyable. Just thought I'd share.
cheers all Danny
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I'll add a bit more history :- for Alan from http://www.settledistrictu3a.org.uk/nchtjournal/Journals/1998/J98A9.html#Rifle
From the Stockdale road, to the butts at the foot of Warrendale Knotts, was half a mile. A 6' target at that range is but a speck, and very few shot at the distance. Today a keen eye can still see what remains of the shooting platforms, which were raised areas of about seven feet square at distances of 150 yds, 300 yds, 450 yds, 600 yds, 750 yds and 880 yds, the latter by the lane wall. About half way along the range by the west wall, stood a wooden hut which contained a water boiler for the refreshment.

The target end of the range consisted of a very substantial building which housed the score keepers. This was equipped with a pair of mirrors to give a periscopic view over the boundary wall along the range with the semaphore communications to the shooting positions. Two pairs of 6' dia. targets rotated on an iron axle. The score was recorded from the bottom target, the shot holes being papered over while the top target was being shot. Then the pair were reversed. Shooters drew numbers from a bag for the order of shooting so the target end only knew the number of the shooter and not his name, but for all that it was said that tricks were played between mates when one of them was on duty with the score sheet.
After the end of World War I there was no more TA at Settle and the Attermire range was silent, but 30 years later during World War II the Home Guard was issued with rifles and the range was used again. The iron plates by the ruins were used to shoot .22 in short range practice, but towards the end of the war the H.G. received some armour piercing equipment which they tried out. It proved to be very effective on the 1860 iron plates. Now some 50 years later little more than a pile of stones and bits of scrap iron mark the shooting butts, but spent bullets can still be found among the stones on Warrendale Knotts.

and for Steve - bits of scrap iron mark the site of something that will soon be lost !
thanks for comments Danny

4 comments:

  1. Great post Danny, Good historical piece. I like that nearly as much as the butty and cuppa.

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  2. Top post Danny and nice photos.

    Good job on cleaning that target back,I had to do the same thing with Cardinal Wolsey's grave at the Bradgate park here in Leicester.

    Thanks for sharing Danny,I really enjoy your blog.

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  3. Excellent info Danny.thanks.
    Shame it is all being taken by nature.

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  4. Danny is a rare individual who harks back to the explorers, scientists and dreamers who are the foundation of both our countries. He makes me proud to have English ancestery. John from the land of bad beer

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