Pendle Hill
The observatory sits on the slopes of Pendle Hill in Barley, where the landscape and local history give the name its first meaning.
The story of the Witchmark
Why is it called Witchmark Observatory?
The name comes from two things: the landscape around Pendle Hill and the protective marks carved into the fabric of an old house in Barley.
Pendle, place and history
A name rooted in Pendle
Witchmark Observatory is in Barley, on the slopes of Pendle Hill, in the Forest of Bowland. That setting is the first reason for the name: this is a place shaped by a landscape with a remarkable history.
Barley is closely tied to the Pendle witch trials of 1612, one of the most famous and well-documented witch hunts in English history, which led to the execution of ten people in Lancashire.
That local story is one half of the observatory’s name — and the house itself provided the other.
The old house
The mark that gave the observatory its symbol
Although there is a date stone of 1878 above the front door, research suggests the house began life as a 17th-century dwelling before being refaced and gentrified in the early Victorian period by local doctor Edward Buck.
Parts of the earlier building still remain, including a cobbled stable and an original oak door carved with protective symbols known as witch marks, or apotropaic marks. These symbols were intended to ward off evil and were often cut near doors, windows and fireplaces.
One of those marks — the daisy wheel shown here — became the inspiration for the Witchmark Observatory logo. We still enjoy spotting witch marks in old buildings whenever we can, and it feels fitting that the observatory should carry that story forward.
With Pendle Hill on the doorstep, a house with roots in the time of the trials, and a door marked for protection, the name Witchmark Observatory felt inevitable.
The old door
An original oak door at the house carries protective daisy-wheel carvings, linking the property to a much older tradition of witch marks.
The name
Together, the place and the mark gave the observatory its identity: a private place where local history and the night sky meet.
And yes, there have been the odd strange goings-on in the house — you will have to ask me about those when you visit.
Witchmark Observatory