Anyone guess where?

To be honest I didn't even know the chair was there until I heard about its imminent demise. There were a fair number of people looking at it this afternoon and you can approach it from either direction on the track between Jay’s Grave and Natsworthy Manor. Apart from the structure itself, the work really draws your attention to the wonderful Widecombe valley:



Pictures from www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk

Article about the chair’s future: www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7880924/Giant-chair-on-Dartmoor-to-be-pulled-down.html

The church is St Matthew, Cheriton Fitzpaine and is known for the huge sundial attached to the two-storey porch. This dial was built circa 1720 and then re-built some twenty years later.

The size of the dial is believed to be so that it could be seen from the dwelling of an important person. But who this is is not known. It has changed shape slighly over the years as originally it went up in the top centre to within the raised piece of the porch as seen in this sketch below drawn by Mrs Crowley in 1954. At this time it had the evening VI o'clock, as also seen in the sketch, but this has since disappeared. The word 'warden' seen by her has since worn off, above which would've had written the name of the warden when the dial was first erected.

Mrs Crowley had a fascination with sundials, especially with those in Devon and Cornwall, and went around in the 1950's sketching all those that it was possible to see. These notebooks were hidden away in a drawer belonging to the horological bookseller, the late Rita Shenton, who then decided, with the aid of the British Sundial Society and the Antiquarian Horological Society, to publish them in a format that would also include up-to-date notes and photographs and this was duly undertaken in 2007 and published as 'Mrs Crowley's Sundial Sketchbook of Devon & Cornwall'.

When she first visited the dial had lost it's gnomon (so sadly was 'gnomonless!) but this has since been rectified and a modern one installed.




The clock within the tower was made by Smith's of Derby, a well-known firm of turret clock maker's, in the late Victorian period and replaced an earlier example, the maker of which is unknown.

Well I can’t believe how miserably you all failed this time with only one correct answer from Stefano. All the places can be viewed on google street view and below are all the answers and a quick guide to where they can be found on street view.



Number one Main Street of Taunton (over side of bridge at end of town) google Bridge Street and put the street view man just past Goodsland Lane

Number two In Radipole Lane Weymouth, not far from the football ground, if you use google maps then make the map large and look for a road on the left on Radipole Lane called Causeway. Move the street view man onto the first left hand bend just past Causeway and you will see the cottage.

Number three The old brewery at Wiveliscombe, google Old Brewery Road and put the man near the RGB builders merchants to see where I took the picture from (well one of them the other I drove up a private road to grab the shot)

Number four The Keep Military Museum Dorchester, on google find Bridport Road and put the man on the corner of Poundsbury Road.

Number five Langton Herring (close to Weymouth) put the google man on Shop Lane just before Church Hill( I drove here just to get the picture, the village has a great looking Norman church and its well worth taking a look if you are over that way.

Number six Bridport, put the man on the corner of S. Walk off South Street and you will see this fine old house

Number seven Cartgate Services off Cartgate Roundabout on the A303 and the A3088. The google man goes around the service area so put him on the left hand side just past the figure of eight to picture one, picture two was taken from the other side.

My sincere apologies to you dear Stefano, checking back on the thread I see you did indeed post other correct answers that somehow I missed, I will put it down to old age

Spotted this cricket ground a few days ago. Football is also played there. Any guesses? Anyone played there?

Looks like Chagford with the old slope taken off to me.

Yes, it is Chagford and I think I'm right in saying that a lot of work was done on the ground around twenty years ago. Apparently you can fit two football pitches either side of the square and the football club's facilities were good enough for them to be founder members of the Devon County League in 1992. They played at that level for four seasons and now, for the new season, are making the switch from the South Devon League to the Devon & Exeter League.

Torquay United paid a visit to Chagford in 1991. Perhaps this was to celebrate the new facilities? The TUFC history site records it thus:
17/07/91 A v Chagford W 6 - 0 Loram, m Holmes, Hall, Moore, Dobie, Whittington

There's also a reference to a game against a Moorland XI a few years previously. What was that all about?

30/07/84 A v Moorland XI W 7 - 0