These pictures were taken in and around Nabs Woods in the Parish of Silkstone Common in United Kingdom. The former owners of the woodland lived in Knabbes Hall and the Knabbes name link to the woods comes from the name of the hall and of Knabbes Road. The hall has been reputed to bear the Royal Coat of Arms in recognition for the allegiance shown by the owners of the hall. The family is said to have helped to hide the Prince who was later to become King Charles II when he was a fugitive on his journey to France after the English Civil War. This story has been printed in several histories and it is a pleasant historic tale to share whether it is true of false. The English Heritage description of the Grade II listed building does mention the Coat of Arms.
Kanbbes Wood, or Nabs Wood is the recorded site of the House Carr Colliery drift mine. The sloping drift entrance is sometimes called an adit or day hole. The local accent rendered the colliery’s name as Huskar. The Huskar pit is remembered for the disaster of 4th July 1838 in which 26 children died. The mine where the children were working was flooded after a great deluge of hailstones melted quickly. A memorial to commemorate the mining disaster is situated close to the roadside entrance of Nabs Wood. It is said that there are two capped mineshafts and the drift mine entrance present within the wood.
These pictures were an absolute pleasure to take as the woods offered shelter from the harsh winter conditions that night. Some of the pictures combine ambient lighting and fill in flash. The two lighting sources help to create more colour combinations within the finished images. The street lighting near the Huskar Colliery Monumuent casts a red and yellow glow on the trees and on the snow. The flash when used brings a clear white light on to the snow. The light from the flash illuminates the foliage close to the lens and helps to build the perceived depth of the images as the more distant trees are darker.
Silkstone - The Wiki
Silkstone Parish Council History of Silkstone & Silkstone Common
The Woodland Trust - Nabs Wood
Knabbes Hall
©2010 PHH Sykes
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