© Mieneke Andeweg-van Rijn

Detail of a statue at Gretna Green, called ''The Gretna Green lovers''.

Gretna Green is one of the world's most popular wedding destinations, hosting over 5000 weddings each year in the area, and one of every six Scottish weddings.
Gretna's famous "runaway marriages" began in 1753 when Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act was passed in England; it stated that if both parties to a marriage were not at least 21 years old, then parents had to consent to the marriage. The Act did not apply in Scotland, where it was possible for boys to marry at 14 and girls at 12 years old with or without parental consent (see Marriage in Scotland). Many elopers fled England, and the first Scottish village they encountered was Gretna Green. The Old Blacksmith's Shop, built around 1712, and Gretna Hall Blacksmith's Shop (1710) became, in popular folklore at least, the focal tourist points for the marriage trade. The Old Blacksmith's opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887.

The local blacksmith and his anvil have become the lasting symbols of Gretna Green weddings. Scottish law allowed for "irregular marriages", meaning that if a declaration was made before two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony. The blacksmiths in Gretna became known as "anvil priests".
Since 1929 both parties in Scotland have had to be at least 16 years old, but they still may marry without parental consent. In England and Wales, the age for marriage is now 16 with parental consent and 18 without.
Gretna's two blacksmiths' shops and countless inns and smallholding became the backdrops for tens of thousands of weddings. Today there are several wedding venues in and around Gretna Green, from former churches to purpose-built chapels. The services at all the venues are always performed over an iconic blacksmith's anvil. Gretna Green endures as one of the world's most popular wedding venues[citation needed], and thousands of couples come from around the world to be married 'over the anvil' at Gretna Green. Source: Wikipedia.

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© Mieneke Andeweg-van Rijn

Holy Trinity Church in Skipton.
The first church on the site was built in the early 12th century, probably in wood. The present church dates from about 1300, and was extended to the east in the late 15th century. The church was damaged during the Civil War, and was repaired and restored in the 1650s with financial assistance from Lady Anne Clifford of Skipton Castle. In 1853 the tower was struck by lightning. The church was restored in 1909 by the Lancaster architects Austin and Paley. During this process, the galleries were removed, new vestries were added, and new seating was installed. The church was struck by lightning again in 1925, causing a fire that destroyed the organ and damaged the roof. The roof was repaired, and a new north transept was added, again by Austin and Paley. In 1979 the Lady Chapel was created in the southeast corner of the church, and more recently a Prayer Corner was developed in a corresponding position at the northeast of the church.

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