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Keppel's Column & Field
Keppel's Column
Keppel's Column is at
Scholes, Rotherham, close to the A629 three miles north west of Rotherham town centre. It is an eighteenth century folly built by John Carr in 1778 and named after Admiral Augustus
Keppel, in memory of his court martial acquittal. I have been unable to track down his connections with Rotherham.
Yes I have - It's pretty mundane when you found out that the good Admiral was a friend of the second Marquis of Rockingham and the column was built by the Marquis to celebrate Keppel's acquittal.
The Grade II listed column has been found in a poor state of repair yet again and this time safety fencing has been erected around it. Another repair bill RMBC would rather not meet. I malign them. The column has been strapped and looks - well very ugly. The Council hope to restore or rebuild and open the column up again for the public to climb to the top and enjoy the views. However estimates quoted are in silly money so unless the Lottery or English Heritage or some combination of interested charities are willing to cough up the necessaries it looks like the old gentleman is going to remain strapped up for quite some time.
December 2002 - Rotherham Council have allocated £60,000 of capital funds towards the repairs needed by Keppels Column. At the same time they have agreed to put in an application for Heritage Lottery Funding for close on the half a million pounds (told you it was silly money) reckoned necessary to complete the rebuilding work.
October 2003 - Some £22,000 of Heritage Lottery funding has been allocated to further investigation of Keppel's Column. A sky crane has lifted experts to the top and it has been assessed that the internal staircase has collapsed. I have read somewhere that bids for upward of £2million, yes that's right TWO MILLION have been prepared (there's inflation for you) for rebuilding and restoration.
Call me picky, call me mean if you will I don't mind, but this is a mind-bogglingly ridiculous sum for one stone column with no current meaning or purpose.
In January 2007 'The Star' reports that the Heritage Lottery Fund have finally pulled out of plans to repair and restore Keppel's Column as they consider it too risky a venture as the projected visitor numbers do not justify the level of funding required. I understand from the "Rotherham Advertiser", also in January 2007, that a further £19,000 is shortly to be spent on repairs. Perspex windows will be fitted to the apertures in the column to keep out the elements and help prevent further deterioration of the inside.
Keppel's Field
Keppels Column is set at the top of a large field which is criss-crossed by paths and much used by walkers and dogs. I've always called this Keppel's Field but others seem to know it as Scholes Meadow. Whatever you call it it is a former open cast site. It used to be part of Scholes Wood but during the Second World War the trees were felled and the site mined by draglines. When the coal had been extracted the remaining soil was thrown back onto the site.
The field along with Scholes Coppice is a Local Nature Reserve. It is owned by Rotherham Council who manage it for increased biodiversity. There are dry areas and boggy areas, and those in between. Its not a particularly pretty field but it is notable for the wide variety of grasses and wild flowers that grow there in the various habitats and the number of butterflies found there.