Thoresby Lake film

This film was taken on the north side of Thoresby Lake, an area which had been a well used public footpath as late as the 1940's. The people from Perlethorpe would walk along here to Budby (and visa verca), able to purchase sweets from vendors along the way, or take a seat on a bench and admire the view. In the 18th Century this is probably where the general public were invited to stand and view Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston upon Hull, as his boats maneuvered about the lake.

In 1928 Perlethorpe School had to introduce a new rule to prevent pupils from Budby taking this route when the lake became frozen over and was considered dangerous. They were instructed instead to walk via Nelson's Lodge and the Woodyard.

Most of the little piers along the lake's edge are crude, relatively modern, concrete and tarmac constructions. But at the start of the film you will see stones which were clearly once a part of something more significant. Did Evelyn launch his boats from here? This area is situated half way down the lake's edge, near Chameleon lodge.

Above: The cascade as the River Meden flows from Thoresby Lake. As you can see from the end of the video, this feature is long since gone. However, in the 1960s, a wooden bridge still existed (see THIS LINK).

For a short time after the millenium the footpath was once again opened and became a popular walk for those staying at Warners Thoresby Hotel, although one could no longer proceed any further than this halfway point towards William Castle (Budby Castle), and Budby itself, nor get a clear view of Kingston Island, the latter of which seems to have lost all definition to its boundaries. Sadly, at the time of writing (2012) access to the lake has been closed off once again.