Wombwell
Yesterday an old friend let me down. We were planning to meet up for coffee and endless conversation but something cropped up and he needed to drive back to Devon with his wife as soon as possible. "Next time", we agreed. There was uncharacteristic panic in his voice Anyway, so there I was at loose ends. Promptly, I decide to catch a train to the very heart of South Yorkshire and quickly printed off a map to assist a hastily planned walk. I was off to Wombwell... or "Wonderful Wombwell" from my imagined advertising campaign for the little town. A special monument in Wombwell Cemetery Wombwell is often thought of as a post-industrial community now that the coal mines have all gone. Once it was at the very heart of the South Yorkshire coalfield. It is not the kind of place that receives holidaymakers or day visitors like me. Labels like "gritty", "functional" and "deprivation" are commonly and often unfairly stuck to such places. After al...