Cat & Fiddle
w/e 24 March
2002
"Hey Diddle Diddle, the cat and the
fiddle. The cow jumped over the moon." Well you won't find
any cows, moons or dishes and spoons for that matter on this
page, but all of the images have an association with the cat
and the fiddle. This first view is the Ilkeston skyline from
the approach to the town via Kirk Hallam, enhanced as it is at
this time of year by the yellow and gold of the roadside flowers.
The building partly obscured by the trees in the centre of the
picture is the "Cat and Fiddle" public house.
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A few yards further down the road and the
"Cat and Fiddle" emerges from behind the trees.
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Travelling along Ladywood Road in the opposite
direction out of Kirk Hallam towards Derby, the motorist is treated
to this view of the "Cat and Fiddle Windmill". The
trees to the left of the picture form part of Lady Wood and in
a few weeks time the air will be filled with the scent of bluebells
growing there.
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Just beyond Lady Wood a busy well-used
lane on the right leading to West Hallam and Stanley also carries
the name "Cat and Fiddle". From the highest point on
the lane where the road sign is visible above, a gated lane leads
to the windmill but viewing is by appointment only.
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This view from near the entrance to the
mill is over the undulating landscape of Derbyshire towards Crich.
It is possible to make out with the naked eye, although more
difficult in this photo, the war memorial to the 1st Battalion
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment known as Crich
Stand. A lighthouse type structure, the memorial is about a dozen
miles away on the high point on the horizon in the centre of
the picture. A little closer and more to the left, is the village
of Heage which is the home of Derbyshire's only other windmill.
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Although properly known as the "Cat
and Fiddle Windmill", it is also known locally as "Dale
Windmill" standing as it does close to the village of Dale
Abbey. It is a wooden post mill originally built in 1788. A stone
roundhouse at its base is surmounted by a wooden box-like structure
that houses the machinery. For a number of years, it has been
undergoing extensive restoration and it was only recently that
the mill was able to once again boast four sails, a very welcome
addition to the skyline adding to the character of the area.
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