Greasley Church -
Views From The Tower
w/e 21 July
2002
Travellers up and down the M1 motorway will be familiar with
the tall chimneys on the old Watnall Brickworks site but few
will have seen them from the parapet on top of the tower of St
Mary's Church at Greasley. Here, framed by the pinacles and flag
pole, the chimneys are one of the many landmarks visible from
this vantage point.
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In a southerly direction, from left to right, it is possible
to see the UHF televison mast at Swingate, the water tower also
at Swingate and the chimney and cooling towers of Ratcliffe-On-Soar
Power Station. I am also told that on a clear day and to the
right of the power station, the new communications tower at East
Midlands Airport at Castle Donington can be seen (some 12 to
15 miles distant).
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The views westward over the stables are towards Heanor and the
hills at Belper. To the left in the mid distance is the church
tower at Eastwood whilst at the far right on the horizon is the
lighthouse-like memorial to the Sherwood Foresters Regiment known
as Crich Stand.
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North, south, east and west - just when we thought we had exhausted
all the views, we were reminded of another dimension by the sound
of a small aircraft above us. It turned out to be a Spitfire
on course for its home base at Hucknall Aerodrome, just north
of Greasley.
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But now it was time for us to return to ground level so with
a final thank you to our escorts, we each in turn, grasped the
rope securely fastened around one of the pinacles and ....
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.... no, we didn't jump over the side to abseil down the tower,
but used it as an aid to negotiate the trapdoor accessing the
well-worn stone steps and descending via the spiral staircase.
Click here to see "St Mary's Church" at Greasley.
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