Every road has a story to tell. Sometimes the unknown steps into an ordinary life, and nothing is ever the same again.
Explore the map, follow the trail, and discover what waits along the way. You never know what you might find before you reach the waterfall.
Tynebottom Mine
Tynebottom Mine
Tynebottom was once a busy lead mine in the South Tyne valley. By 1885, the mine had been closed for more than a decade, but its old workings remained part of the landscape. For the Whitakers, it was a reminder that the hills around their home had been shaped not only by farms and streams, but by generations of miners searching for lead.
Whitaker Children's Wall
The Whitaker Children's Wall - The children drew what they saw. This is our vision, what is yours.
The Crossing — Guy Fawkes Night
This area of the Deep River, South Tyne, is the narrowest, but deepest on 11/5/1885. Can the Purelings™ make it? Will the night cost their souls for ever? While the flyers fight, the smaller animals trudge through a deep grunge, growing weaker by the minute, in the background the watered-down Guy Fawkes celebration starts to wind down. Guy Fawkes Night—the crossing.
The Krakatoa Effect
See how a huge volcano from far away exploded in 1883 and made the strange, smoky skies of 1885. Its ash created the rare ring of light around the sun over the Shire. Learn more.
What are Purelings™?
Purelings are living, talking beings. They were safe for centuries in the Sanctuary, until it broke. Discover more
Imagine standing beside a roaring waterfall in the hills of Northumberland, with nothing but rock, mist, and rushing water around you.
Ashgill Force is a real waterfall, tumbling 55 feet into a rocky gorge. And there’s something rather unusual about it—you can walk behind the falling water and stand beneath the rocky ledge while the river thunders past.
But in Broken Sanctuary, Ashgill Force is much more than a waterfall.
Thank you for visiting Peckles-Wood Shire. We hope your journey through 1885 brings wonder to every road you travel.
Continue the adventure with the Broken Sanctuary novel, the first journey into the world of Peckles-Wood Shire. Then discover collectibles and keepsakes inspired by the Whitaker family’s adventure.
Own a Piece of 1885 → | Peckles-Wood Shire Map →
Copyright © 2026 Lee Wimmer & Hightower Publications. All rights reserved.
The Illustrator’s Vision—The maps and illustrations of Peckles-Wood Shire are inspired by the real landscapes, places, and traditions of Victorian Northumberland. Created for The Chronicles of Peckles-Wood Shire, they blend historical research with imagination to bring the world of Broken Sanctuary to life and invite young explorers to step into the Whitaker family’s adventure of 1885.