FOUND! Bledlow Cross

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thank you so much, Mr WC21, for having me along, quite a privilege to be here at this very early stage of a monument re-emerging from decades in hiding. I'm also impressed by how you managed to string together all my blathering to make a coherent narrative! Despite my attempts to derail it with cowslips, and the like. That was a very fun day out, and I look forward to the next one!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Tweedy! I really enjoyed the day and it does feel special to have visited this long-forgotten monument as it finally sees the light of day again. Interesting that in the records you sent me, the cross was lost before in the early 1800s. That document you unearthed actually pushes the first written record date back a bit as it refers to the cross being there in 1802. I've come away from this adventure with a sense that the Bledlow Cross might have an origin in antiquity. And you are bang on the money in terms of that trackway, I believe. Until the next one!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Yes the lack of written records prior to the 19th Century could be partly explained by its habit of disappearing every now and again! I think in those Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society articles there's also a suggestion that at least one of the crosses (I forget which) was accidentally extended at one time when it was scoured. It's easy to imagine it being stumbled upon in an overgrown and neglected state at some point in history and then being reworked - deliberately or otherwise. Could it have originally been some small fragment of something like a cross dyke perhaps?

[@philcollinson328]

Great work Tweedy ..Very brave trusting the rope on that swing you were on. I'm surprised we didn't see Darren doing his antiquarian Tarzan impersonation too! He's the same age as me...Whereas I enjoy a nice cup of tea in front of the TV, he goes off on expeditions up windswept mountains in Winter. I think he'd benefit from sherpa Tweedy accompanying him up those hills in winter 🤣

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@philcollinson328 Tweedy was brave trusting that rope swing! It was very creaky when I got on it. You can see the evidence that I did, over on Tweedy Outdoors!

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtdHaha! Somehow I knew you would have. I'll go check it out.

[@chrish5319]

I may be easily amused but the sight of Tweedy launching himself into the air behind Mr WC21 made me laugh out loud, thank you! You complement each other perfectly and I love the combination of research with physical exploration. Thank you again.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Chris! Glad it made you laugh - the risks we take for our “art”! Really appreciate your positive feedback.

[@jameswalksinhistory3848]

Fantastic and totally enjoyable !

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you James! We had a lot of fun making this!

[@museonfilm8919]

An utterly eccentric, British duo - marvellous!!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you! We really don’t have to try!

[@hedleythorne]

There's something quintessentially English about a man in tweed, swinging on a rope, teaching you history. Enjoyed this tweed overload, super video. But with you two I expect nothing less nowadays!

[@philcollinson328]

Darren...Tweedy ...You simply must abduct Hedley one day, force him to wear a Tweed suit and get him to explain something historical..Demand a ransom ...30 cups of coffee or you'll give him back 🤣

[@hedleythorne]

@@philcollinson328 I shouldn't like this idea. But bizarrely I do.

[@philcollinson328]

@@hedleythorne Kinky🤣.

[@philcollinson328]

A need for tweed.

[@philcollinson328]

In fairness to Hedley, I think he'd cut a fine figure dressed in tweed.

[@hedleythorne]

Ooh a Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee collab! Will watch when I get in! Splendid.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Hedley! Appreciate a placeholder comment! This one is loosely linked to our video - I hope you enjoy it.

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Hedley is sensible ...He'd not have chanced that ropey rope ...I agree with Hedley.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Outstanding from beginning to end. In 1978 I went on a Geography A level field study to that same ridge. It was a cold Sunday. Thankfully we found the delights of a pub selling ABC beer in Chinnor. Perhaps if our tutors were as engaging and eccentric as you two I might have learned more about “the ridge”. Thank you sirs ….. keep up the good work. 👏👏👍😀🍷🍺

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Andrew - that’s a really nice thing to say! Quite why I decided to waste my life in business I don’t know - I should have been teaching this stuff instead. Oh well, at least KZbin has provided me with a platform!

[@Oscartherescuedog]

“I’ve got OS maps!” 😂 Another belter from our two intrepid peas in a pod!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Oscar - I liked that line too! Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching.

[@JimChampion]

On the OS maps app the aerial view shows the area of the cross clear of trees (although the cross isn't really distinguishable) - must be more up-to-date than google maps aerial view.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Oh wow! That is up to date then. Cheers Jim.

[@keithm603]

Interesting subject filmed in an entertaining manner, what more can we ask for?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Keith - appreciated as always. We really did have a fun day and the filming didn't get in the way!

[@CosyLifeKits]

This is great Darren! I had no idea! Thank you 😃

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

No problem and thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@andrewbarnett5542]

Another over-the-top exciting investigation with Tweedy going down the WC. We all have our crosses to bear. A quote which has an appropriate ending for the shenanigans of antiquarians of ill-disrepute. Laurel and Hardy of the Wooster/Jeeves vintage. Good luck lads in not suffering food poisoning.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Andrew! I love that description: "antiquarians of ill-disrepute" - I might use that in our marketing material, if that's OK with you?!

[@andrewbarnett5542]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd In the interest of fostering good relationships between Wiltshire and lesser Britain I hearty approve of the Wc21 using the catch phrase. It only follows that you should follow in the foot steps of the past antiquarians who gave plundering of grave goods and roman tessellations a bad rap.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@andrewbarnett5542 thank you, Sir. When we do a corporate brochure, that quote is going in!

[@philiptaylor7902]

I visited Bledlow Cross a few years back when it was still largely overgrown. Involves a little minor trespass, but well worth it. Glad to see it getting some overdue attention

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

It must have been really difficult to find it - you did well! Hopefully it will be scoured and standing out clearly in the near future. Thank you for watching.

[@stevenevets]

👏👏👏😀love these explorations, keep up the good work please

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@stevenevets thank you Steven and will do!

[@olias2716]

Another action packed adventure .....mr tweedy really is a great addition to your channel...keep it up,,,,,!!!!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you! Agree - Tweedy adds another dimension and he’s also great to “work” with.

[@olias2716]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd handy for a glass or two of over priced french wine too,,,!!🍷🍷

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@olias2716 Definitely that! I have to say, he's raised the bar on the local Spar for me!!

[@olias2716]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd i have checked out of price of some of the wine he drinks....wow......he lives in a different dimension to me....

[@lookeast3047]

15 minutes of my time, well spent. Thankyou.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you very much - glad you enjoyed it.

[@janecapon2337]

Really enjoyable video. Thanks so much for sharing this. I think bored monks did it one lazy Thursday.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed it! Like the idea of it resulting from boredom!

[@liberty_and_justice67]

Brilliant! Enjoyed the scenery as usual. Ridgeway was very interesting. But, what amazed me most was how much can change in 100 years.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you and yes, that blows my mind too. When you’re in the woods on that hill, you’d think they have been there for hundreds of years!

[@JimChampion]

Had the same experience seeing a Victorian photograph of Hurst Hill (or Cumnor Hurst), to the west of Oxford. Just over 100 years ago it was almost completely bald. There's a trig pillar up there too, so when the retriangulation was being done it must have had decent sight-lines. Now it is almost completely covered in trees. Originally I went up there looking for 'Cumnor Folly' but I've since learned that folly was a term more normally given to plantings of tree clumps on hills (rather than the sort of fake ruin that you get in landscaped parkland near big houses).

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@JimChampion interestingly, Tweedy found a document from the very early 1800s and it seems Bledlow Cross was overgrown then. It’s had a career in and out of the limelight, it seems!

[@keithattwood59]

Memories of my childhood. I cycled all around that area from Haddenham. Chinnor had a cement works in the day, and I remember going into one of the chalk excavations and found they were testing tunnelling machines (for the channel tunnel). No health and safety back then. I got a full tour of the machine.😊

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Keith and those are marvelous memories. I went to the old cement works a year or so back. The lakes that have formed in the excavations are strangely beautiful.

[@keithattwood59]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I used to play trombone in the Chinnor Silver Band. Happy days!

[@atrampinthehills.841]

love stuff like this...all so interesting

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Steve - really intrigued by the relationship between the ancient Ridgeway, barrows and cross here. And by how much a hill can change in less than a century!

[@unfinable125]

I found it

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Correct - you did! Sorry for stealing your idea, but you know what it's like on KZbin!

[@stuartbridger5177]

Great work, fascinating subject. I will have to put it on the list for a visit

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you, Stuart! I’d heartily recommend this area for a visit. The Chilterns are beautiful and there’s a lot of history to find!

[@pink58]

This was posted on my village fb page. So interesting. My dad took my brother and i to find the cross in about 1970 when we lived in Princes Risborough. We did find it 😁

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you and fascinating to hear about a trip to the cross in 1970. What sort of condition was the cross in back then? I’ve seen some old photos of it dating back to the 80s, when it was surrounded by trees, but still very clear - I understand it was still being scoured at that time. Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for watching.

[@pink58]

As far as I can remember it was quite clean. It couldn’t be seen from the road. I guess my dad knew where to look from an OS map. Sadly lost him last October so can’t ask him. Don’t know why he got the idea of looking for it either 🤷‍♀️ but it was a bit of a Sunday adventure at the time lol

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@pink58 thank you and sorry for your loss. A lovely memory to have It seems the cross has faded in and out of existence over the centuries. Tweedy found a record from the early 1800s and it was all overgrown then too.

[@metabugs7702]

Fantastic, we live in High Wycombe so you are showing us some great local sights to go and see.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Oh thank you - that’s really nice to hear!

[@metabugs7702]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd May even have to take one of my drones up there

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@metabugs7702 yes, we could have done with a proper one! You’ll get some amazing footage.

[@metabugs7702]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd if you ever get stuck and you are in this area maybe give me a call, we have a range of drones right up to inspire 2

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@metabugs7702 thanks! I suspect I'll end up getting one at some stage when I overcome my fear! The little flying camera I've been using for a while now has helped improve my confidence, although I did nearly lose it in Scotland last week. It came close to crashing into the sea!

[@bensmith372]

Superb 👍

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Ben!

[@Jonathan_55018]

excellent work great film both of you

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Jonathan_55018]

Who needs that other guy can't remember his name now think it's something like Paul ??

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@Jonathan_55018 we did actually do a Paul style, “it’s time to step things up a gear”, but it didn’t make the final edit!

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi Darren, Excellent duo of videos. Really enjoyed watching. I was wondering if unfinable had placed a flying saucer in the background? Looks like you might have had a close escape. You really coached Tweedy well on the historical details but I can't help thinking with his elegant suit on and his arms tucked behind him that he was auditioning for a 21st century update of the Monty Python classic, Whicker Island!! Well done to both of you!!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Ha ha! Now you’ve pointed that out, there is a similarity! I’d forgotten about Whicker Island! Unfinable will appreciate the mention. He thinks I stole the idea of covering the Bledlow Cross! Thank you!

[@philcollinson328]

Great work guys. Fascinating as ever to listen to your knowledge of history and your interpretations of how the cross may have come to be. Given the barrows are situated so near the cross, and both occupy such a prominent spot in the landscape, it does seem likely they are connected in some way. It could well be there was an ancient symbol there in the forgotten past that those industrious monks decided to eradicate in favour of the team they were batting for.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Phil - glad you enjoyed it. I went into this one expecting to come away thinking that the Bledlow Cross was no older than 18th Century, but I am now inclined to think it may have an origin in antiquity. Really interesting that both of the crosses are just above an ancient route, with burial mounds close by. If we imagine the hills clear of trees, both would stand out very clearly. It was a really interesting and fun day out.

[@garyheap3780]

I kissed one of my first girlfriends by the bledlow cross some 50 years or so ago. Thank you for reminding me

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

No worries Gary - glad it brought back memories for you. Thank you for watching.

[@keithattwood59]

As a young boy, I used to cycle all around that area. Went there one day and there were two ladies making out on the Cross. Whiteleaf and Bledlow Crosses were both visable from my bedroom window in Haddenham.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@keithattwood59 Proper hotbed of friskiness that cross, it seems!

[@davidneal6920]

Awesome history. Can just imagine the local church community committee doing that back in 910. Or perhaps the 1st Saxon Regiment as a post battle activity to keep the squadies busy! lol. Quite interesting 🇬🇧 🇳🇿

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you David! I really do wonder if the cross has an origin in antiquity after making this. The similarity with both of them being above the ridgeway and close to prehistoric barrows..

[@JimChampion]

I walked up that hollow way on 18 Feb 2024 but have no idea if the trees had already been cleared from around the cross - it was so slippery underfoot that I was looking down at my feet most of the way up! Epic mud lower down the hill too. The top of the hill was OK.

[@JimChampion]

Actually, I think my visit on 18 Feb was inspired by watching the @tweedyoutdoors video containing the cookery by Chinnor barrows.

[@JimChampion]

And no mention in the video about the theory that the cross marks the site of buried pirate treasure! Come on, X marks the spot.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Hi Jim, it’s a great trackway isn’t it? You can taste the antiquity! I got the February date from a Facebook post, so not sure exactly when it happened. You are absolutely right, we dropped the ball on the pirate angle! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@JimChampion]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I just noticed that the county boundary runs right up that hollow way (with the cross on the Buckinghamshire side).

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@JimChampion oh, I was probably wrong then when I told Tweedy he was rope-swinging in Oxfordshire! Need to check now how long that’s been the boundary.

[@philcollinson328]

I'm being naughty and promoting your vids on my North American groups to my friends there...I think the guys there who are of a similar demographic will enjoy your mix of Monty Python meets history ..Don't expect a deluge...but hopefully you'll experience an uptick. Let's get you to 1,000.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s very nice of you - thank you Phil! In the KZbin Studio you can see the geographical breakdown of your audience. USA is on the up!

[@philcollinson328]

9 more for the 1K ....Well deserved success Darren.. MR WC21(UK) Productions Ltd

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Oh my goodness! Soon all the special powers of KZbin will be revealed to me!

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd LOL..I doubt it dear chap...But it'll be an acknowledgement of your joy as an antiquarian that you have brought to thousands.

[@philcollinson328]

I doubt you're even checking

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Always a bit disorienting when you’re close to these milestones, so there is an inclination to not look! I think I hit 500 about 3 times before safely passing it!

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd 992

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

If I could go back in time, I wouldn't try to change history, I'd just record what I could see and fix it's position. I wouldn't ask for the local history of the site because we wouldn't understand each other!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to do that?! Good for KZbin views too! Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@philcollinson328]

Haha ..this one starts with a Gordon Ramsey ad ....You've arrived Sir. Well deserved

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

These are quality advertisers! They obviously recognise the quality of the WC21 (UK) Productions Ltd audience.

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Absolutely ...huge quality companies who wish to get onboard with a high quality content KZbinr.

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd The algorithm hit the right mark...and indeed you've been discovered

[@philcollinson328]

Another advertised in this vid this was Chemist warehouse. A huge and trusted pharmaceutical chain in Australia ...Your Wallabies up in the hills vid must have scored a hit 🤣

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@philcollinson328 maybe that’s what it is! I will have to check in the studio to see if the Australian demographic has gone up!

[@jointgib]

interesting

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you!

[@unfinable125]

You can not copy me😂

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

I see it that we were inspired by you!

[@AllotmentFox]

It still looks a tad cold over there. I like the watch chain but I can't fifgure out how a non-waistcoat wearing man can incorporate such a look

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

It was freezing on top of Chinnor Hill at the end. Pleasant Spring weather to start with, gradually returning to winter as the day progressed. Fortunately Tweedy's cooking warmed us up. You can get away with wearing a watch chain with a cardigan, if it has pockets. Also in a jacket breast pocket, with the chain attached to the lapel button hole.

[@AllotmentFox]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd good tip. I was given a pocket watch by my father-in-law. I play with it but cant wear it

[@alexguest9937]

I think the 'local legend' says it all. "If you walk up and down the cross, you will never get lost again". That, to me, says that it was a navigational marker placed on the hillside for orientation. As such it was probably so mundane, that it wasn't thought important enough to list in local charters etc. Please have a look at my video about the White Horse hill figures in the Avebury area. See what you think; kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGKpfqShorqDebM

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Alex - I will watch your video now. Yes, I went into this one expecting to conclude that the cross was no more than a few hundred years old. But I'm not so sure about that now. The proximity to the ancient ridgeway and the barrows, really does make me think it might have an origin in antiquity. The old picture showing the hill before it became covered in trees really does illustrate how prominent it would be as a locational marker. Thank you for watching and commenting. Will watch yours next.

[@reddevil310]

Not a pub in sight !

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

No! Although that building in one of the black and white pictures was The Leather Bottle up until the 1920s. Unbelievable really - miles from a proper road! There’s a bit more about it in Tweedy’s video on Tweedy Outdoors. Thanks for watching.

[@terryhunt2659]

Wild speculation: given the proximity of the two crosses to long barrows, could the crosses have been made by churchmen or pious locals in order to contain or ward off 'pagan evil spirits'? Is there a wider correlation between such crosses and barrows? Christian churches were often deliberately built on older pagan sites in order to 'take them over', so where such hill marks are adjacent to churches, monasteries, etc., the cross may have predated the later building which may have obliterated or incorporated the original barrow.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Terry, the potential link between the crosses and the barrows intrigues me - and all the possibilities that arise for the crosses to be Christianised earlier marks. It is fascinating that both hills have a cross, barrows and the Ridgeway in close proximity. As you say, there are plenty of examples of churches on Pagan sites. With the Whiteleaf Cross, it sits on top of that peculiar triangle and I’ve wondered if that predates the cross itself. Really fascinating stuff. Thank you for watching and engaging.

[@barryconway]

oh. my initial comment appears to have been removed, presumably for the inclusion of words that referenced the alleged origin of some of those chalk hill marks. be warned! any, hoorah, excellent. more please! also, I think that I used to be able to see that cross from a location above Wheatley. but maybe it was another chalk mark. future investigation, maybe?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Barry! Sorry your comment got removed - KZbin can be touchy! I think you would have been able to see the Bledlow Cross from Wheatley when it was scoured. I have some walking books from the 1990s that mention it, so I think it was still visible then, but I don’t remember ever having been able to see it. Hopefully they’ll make it stand out clearly with a good scouring!

[@barryconway]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd once scoured, I shall sally forth with my sighting compass and… open a bottle of red. anyway, note to self: don’t mention such things in future comments, even with judiciously replaced letters (with numerals). Bah!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@barryconway I'm intrigued as to what your original comment was! I wonder why it upset the KZbin police?!

[@barryconway]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd hmm. Can I explain without being further sanctioned? Let’s see. Perhaps I made a play on the word phallacy, using a word that referenced one of the alleged origins of some of these chalk hill marks. I might have further sealed my fate by suggesting that a form of (online) direct communication might persuade me to share the hill location from which I thought that I could see said mark. I also referenced the alleged hill mark origin with the clever (not) substitution of a ‘3’ for an ‘e’ and a ‘1’ for an ‘i’ in a (I now know) naughty word. Phew. Did this work?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@barryconway yes - all clear now!

[@JimBagby74]

No way the Saxons would have made a modern looking cross like that. And it’s just not a Saxon-y thing to do is it? Monks, Antiquarians. You gotta watch ‘em! Not you two. You are lovely gentlemen of course.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks James. I’m not that convinced by the monks argument either. Possibly Whiteleaf, but unlikely with Bledlow. The joy of this is often the not knowing! Just like the antiquarians of old, but without the destruction!

[@townsend5321]

Love your videos, and you are certainly putting in so much work.... the audio is all over the place in this video, left and right.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you and appreciate the feedback on the audio - can’t say I noticed that. New mics in some of this, will have to try and figure that out!