The Pepper Pot

Eaves Wood, in which the Pepper Pot sits, is an area of Ancient Woodland (a woodland that has existed since at least 1600) and the walk up to the Pepper Pot takes you through a chunk of it. Keep an eye out for many woodland plants and animals such as Bluebells, Wood Anemone, Roe Deer, Common Buzzard, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. It is owned and managed by the National Trust and you will start your walk at their car park. It is a small car park though so you might need to get there early to ensure you get a parking space on sunny days.

The woodland itself is dominated by native trees such as English Oak, Common Lime and Hazel, which is managed by coppicing, which is when the tree is cut back to its base to allow it to regenerate and grow multiple new shoots. This is repeatedly cut back every 7-15 years and will provide a very sustainable source of timber as well as habitat diversity for wildlife.

The climb through Eaves Wood to the Pepper Pot isn't too strenuous but it is uphill all the way so be prepared. Follow the signs, which have a little silhouette of the Pepper Pot on them, and you will get there after about 15 - 20 minutes.

The Pepper Pot, or Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Monument as it is also known, stands towards the edge of a cliff on the top of Castlebarrow Hill with views across the Lancashire coast.

The Hebden family were the owners of Castlebarrow and wanted to do something to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria which took place in June of 1887, so a local man called Mr. Bowskill was commissioned to build the tower on the top of the hill. It is of rough stone construction, that appears to grow from the stone on which is stands and has a conical roof which gives it the look of a pepper pot, hence its nickname!

There is also a Toposcope next to the Pepper Pot that was installed by the National Trust and Silverdale Parish Council, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in February 2012. The plaque on the top shows the direction and distance to various local landmarks, including the famous Blackpool Tower, which is visible 43km away on clear days.

There is a local tale about soldiers who were stationed at the nearby Bleasdale House, a Red Cross hospital during the First World War, who decided that they should build a salt cellar next to the Pepper Pot so it wasn't lonely. Sadly, this never came to fruition and while a fun story, is probably just a local myth.

Who knows, one day the team at Fabulous North might be writing about the Salt and Pepper Pots of Silverdale!