Frith Wood and Painswick: Mosaic Monday

On these grey days (although the sun is currently shining here), it's hard to remember how hot it was in the summer. During our trip to France and England just a few months ago, we enjoyed marvelous weather. Sunshine with very, very little rain. 
One thing we had been looking forward to while visiting the Cotswolds was walking some of the ancient trails. You may remember that we were down for a few days and not up to walking very far. 
However, on our last day there, we determined to go for some sort of a walk, if not a long one. We had planned to do a canal walk in Stroud, but there was no shade at all, and the heat so intense that we turned back. The kind ladies in the tourist office suggested Frith Wood, and gave us a map. So off we went, first driving along a nail-biting narrow road through the prettiest valley, through the village of Slad and beyond, until we came to a public footpath with a small parking area.

The trail took us along a ridge between the Slad and Painswick Valleys, through an ancient beech wood that filtered the light, and beside fields that baked under the fierce sun.
The beech trees were probably planted shortly after the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century, from Belgian seed. 

There was little relief from the heat, even in the forest, but oh, how beautiful it all was. We would have walked longer, but the main trail seemed to end. We wandered along a road for awhile, then turned back and made our way back.

From a high point on the walk, we spied a village in the distance and thought it might be interesting to pop down there for a bit. Our adventurous GPS (Sat Nav) assured us that there was a road. It didn't indicate how narrow the road would become. After arriving home I looked at the "road" on Google maps and see that it is labeled a "lane." Much more accurate. 
While Tim drove, I leaned forward, craning my neck to see even one inch further around the corners as the branches slapped the sides of the car. At one point we met up with a rather snooty lady driving a fancy white convertible who wouldn't give an inch and was rather impatient with our efforts to back up to a somewhat wider section in order to let her pass. 

And so we arrived in Painswick, Queen of the Cotswolds, with its pretty Georgian houses, St. Mary's church that dates back to the Domesday Book, and best of all, The Patchwork Mouse Art Cafe where we fortified ourselves with Cheese and Tomato Toasties. A most serendipitous find.

New Street was built in 1428, at a time when the wool trade flourished. The doors are painted such wonderful colours, but after looking at all the photos, I realize that I have a slight list in all of them.
The arched door shown in the mosaic above is an older part of the church that probably dates to the 14th century. 

The tower was built in the 15th century and I'm assuming the clock was installed then, although I couldn't find any specific information. The clock was restored in 1986.

We managed to find another way back to our lodgings without having to drive that narrow lane, where we collapsed in relief, took cool showers, and later walked to The Apple Tree Pub for a satisfying, and easy-on-the-nerves dinner. 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

Hailes Abbey: Mosaic Monday

In 1535 Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Henry's right hand man, Thomas Cromwell, went on a royal tour. Henry and Anne stayed at nearby Sudeley Castle, while Thomas lodged at Hailes Abbey, founded in the 13th century.

Below the center arch of the ruins in the photo above is a long washbasin. The refectory door, where the monks dined, is on the right. Before entering the refectory, the monks would wash their hands in the basin, which was supplied with rainwater from pipes on the roof. 

Perhaps Cromwell also washed and ate there, enjoying the hospitality of the abbot and the monks. Yet, on Christmas Eve in 1539 he sat on his horse on a hill above the abbey and watched as the destruction he had ordered began. 

The history that led to the dissolution of the monasteries is long and complicated, with intrigue, greed, desire for control, lust and romance tangled together. Hilary Mantel authored Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, which tell the tale of Thomas Cromwell, his ascent to power and his decline.

On a warm July morning we wandered through the ruins, mostly alone, passing under arches and through doorways, trying to grasp the enormity of this place and something of the everyday lives of those who once lived here. 

I had always assumed that these massive ruins and others like them were constructed of cut stone. How wrong I was. Rough stones are mortared together in thick walls as seen above, which are then faced with cut stone. Much more efficient.

Over the years, seeds lodged in the stones, took root, and grew so that the ruins appear to have tufts of fine, golden hair growing atop. 

Sheep pasture undisturbed by history on the hills above the ruins. There is an informative museum on the site that explains the Abbey's story in more detail. 

Water trickles through channels constructed long ago. Cow parsley waves in the wind, much as it did centuries past. Visiting history always leaves me with an awareness of my smallness in the grand scheme of things, but also aware that although technology advances, people's motivations and emotions remain the same. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

It's a Cotswold Mystery

Back to the Cotswolds again. We drove through the picturesque town of Winchcombe en route to Hailes Abbey and Sudeley Castle. It's a town I wouldn't mind exploring a little more thoroughly. Next time!

Our intended destination on this warm July day was Hailes Abbey (also spelled Hayles). Just across the road from the Abbey ruins stood this charming stone church, with its graveyard enclosed in a low stone wall. It begged to be explored.

The church predates the Abbey by a century, and was built in the Norman style, in the late 12th century. I think it's one of the earliest buildings we visited. The stone floor is uneven, the walls rather rough, and there is an old organ that another elderly visitor attempted to play, with some success.

Medieval paintings are still seen on some of the walls, and in other places, remnants of paint confirm that the people of the time used colour for decoration in elaborate ways.

The leaded windows are not highly decorated and were added much later.

After the dissolution of the monasteries, the above window was removed from Hailes Abbey in 1789, then placed into the church here in 1903. During the time of the monasteries, this chapel was used as a place of worship for the public - for visitors and others who were not permitted to worship in the grand church on the Abbey grounds.

This inscription is part of the floor of the church, underneath which John Peak is buried. 

In the graveyard outside, I was intrigued by the inscription on this not-so-very-old gravestone. 

"Things are as big as you make them
I can fill a whole body
a whole day of life
with worry
about a few words
on one scrap of paper; 
yet, the same evening,
looking up,
can frame my fingers
to fit the sky
in my cupped hands."

What could it mean I wonder? I did a little internet searching after arriving home and discovered a very tragic tale - Lucy Katherine Partington was a murder victim who disappeared when she was 21 and no one knew what had happened to her for 20 years. When her remains were discovered, they were buried in Exeter, Devon.

I think the words on the tombstone were written by a novelist, Martin Amis, apparently a cousin of Lucy's. But why, is it here, in this small, out-of-the-way graveyard? That's the mystery. (see note at the end of the post)

And one more detail from the church interior - remnants of rich red paint. How stunning it must have looked to the worshipers who gathered here.

I've not written a post about Hailes Abbey. There are still so many stories to share from our trip - I hope you're not tiring of reading them. We had so many rich and varied experiences. 

I'm off to an educator's conference for a couple of days, then it will be Thanksgiving weekend. I'll catch up with reading blogs later. To my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving!

edited to add: Many thanks to Rosemary, of Where Five Valleys Meet, who lives in the Cotswolds and provided more complete information than I could find on line. The words on the marker are Lucy's own. The marker was placed in this particular graveyard as a memorial stone because it was a place she loved to visit. Lucy's sister wrote a book touching on forgiveness - a most difficult thing after such a horrific tragedy.  

More about Sudeley Castle

I was so enchanted by Sudeley Castle that here is another post with more photos. The Cotswold countryside is full of fields and pastures that resemble a patchwork quilt with wide blocks of green forests. 

More of the ruins of the great banqueting hall, this time taken from the second story of the house, in the section still lived in by the family. This view is from one of the guest bedrooms. 

Elizabeth I visited the castle at least 3 times. She got on well with her stepmother Catherine Parr, and likely spent some time there with her before she (Elizabeth) became queen. The knot garden is based on a design from a dress that Elizabeth I wore for a painting that hangs in the castle.

Another detail of that banquet hall ruin. Can't get enough of it. 

This rose climbed very, very high to bloom alongside the empty window. I zoomed in as much as possible to get this shot. 

There's a wonderful rose garden, with all the roses labeled. I took many photos there, but this rose was against the castle wall, nameless, but oh, so wonderfully scented. Isn't she beautiful?

What did we do today? A little of this and not much of that. Walked a little, got lost, drove even narrower roads without a scratch, sat in the garden here and read. I have nothing but admiration for English drivers. They are patient with us, seem to be able to stop on a dime to avoid collisions, and take the narrow roads with savoir faire. Amazing!

Tomorrow we head for Wales. 

Out and About - Sudeley Castle

Here we go. Up the hill, hoping whoever is on the other side is hugging their side of the road. After a good night's sleep and a good breakfast (I ate well, Tim had half a piece of toast and some tea), we programmed our little GPS (on my cell phone - without data!) for Hailes Abbey and Sudeley Castle, said a little prayer, and ventured out. 

Here's another stone wall. I told you there would be more. Isn't it picturesque? 

So. First thing - I've been mispronouncing Sudeley - it's "Soodeley" with a long "u", not a short one. Before visiting the castle, I knew that the last wife of Henry VIII (who managed to outlive him and keep her head) was buried in the church here, and had lived here with her second husband, Thomas Seymour (who was later beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I). Whew! That's a lot of history just there. But there's so much more. I won't burden you with all of it, but I was fascinated.

Sudeley Castle (with a long "u") is set in an AOB - Area of Outstanding Beauty. Gentle hills, clumps of forest, sheep grazing, golden stoned cottages - it's pure loveliness.

So what does one do with a very large tithe barn missing most of the walls and all of the roof? One creates a peaceful garden. This is half of the garden, behind the unseen photographer is the other half. 

Earlier today we visited Hailes Abbey. That will be another post. Hailes Abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. Thomas Cromwell was Henry VIII's minister who oversaw the destruction. 

Ironically, Oliver Cromwell, Thomas' great-great-grand-nephew, destroyed much of Sudeley Castle years later during the English civil war. 

The remains of two walls of the banqueting hall loom over the gardens evoking the grandeur of the past. Empty windows frame the view of the yew hedge and rose knot garden.

Roses, clematis, and all sorts of plants clamber up the walls. There's a lot of scope for imagination here, and plenty of inspiration for photos. 

Another window from the banqueting hall ruin. And a stone chair. Not too comfy looking, but elegant with its festoon of roses.

Here's a view of the church with the castle in the background. Oliver Cromwell did a number on the church, too, using it as a butcher shop for hanging animals, and cutting meat on the communion table.

Acts of terror and desecration are not new, unfortunately. Power and greed corrupt throughout history. 

But let's move on. Don't those clouds add to the mood of the photo? We're enjoying warm, dry, beautiful weather. 

The building was left roofless and vandalized and the church members gathered in a very small chapel accessed by this door.

The quietness and peace of the gardens belies its disturbed past. 

In 1979 the present owner, Lady Ashcombe and her late husband, created this garden in honour of their wedding that year. Wide beds of perennials line each side. Tim and I sat on one of the benches for some time, soaking in the warmth and sunshine.

The rose garden is worthy of its own post, too, later. I'll leave you with Rosa Eglantyne- isn't she a beauty? 

Tonight we're going to The Apple Tree pub for dinner. Tim's ready to eat a proper meal. Thank you for all your kind comments. I wish you could all be here, too. What fun we could have had at the castle today.

Taking it Easy

Scientists say that learning new things is a good way to maintain brain plasticity. Our brains had a good workout yesterday as we rented a car and drove to the Cotswolds. Tim drove and I went "eek, eek" from the driver's seat. It seemed like cars approaching around corners were going to drive straight into us. As we left the motorway (the M roads), and the A roads, the way became narrower and narrower. I sucked in my stomach and pulled my elbows closer to my body in an involuntary response to shrink the car. It didn't work. But somehow, we made it without incident. Thanks be to God.

As we zoomed along, tall stalks of cow parsley waved at us from the roadsides. In places, the road seemed to be a mere track between two high banks. Unnerving. Then I saw my first Cotswold stacked stone wall. So picturesque. There was no way I was going to ask Tim to stop for photos. Where would we stop? There's no shoulder. 

The wall above surrounds the churchyard in the small town of Woodmancote where we are staying. It's so pretty. There are bound to be more photos of stone walls. 

We arrived around dinnertime and after settling into our Air BnB room (delightful), and talking with our host, we walked into town to find some dinner. We didn't have much luck. The one pub was full up until 11 pm, and the other we tried didn't serve food in the evenings. A dinner of ale wasn't appealing, so we found a pizza place, ordered, and walked home with it.

Before we went to bed, I started feeling a bit off. In the middle of night, Tim began. Something we ate, I assume. It's been a very quiet day here. Tim slept most of the day. I was doing better so I walked, much more slowly than usual, to the local Tesco supermarket and got him some Sprite. He slept. I read. Watched a little television. Took a nap. He still didn't want anything to eat in the evening, so I took another walk to Tesco's and bought myself some bread, cooked chicken and an avocado for dinner. The rental car is only in Tim's name so I can't drive it. Can't say that's a bad thing.

If we have to be ill, we've settled in a wonderful location. Our Air BnB lodging has a private entrance through a sunlit conservatory where I'm sitting now, at the table, overlooking the very quiet and pretty garden, and an upstairs loft bedroom and bath. 

I'm feeling much better and Tim seems to be on the mend as well. Nothing to worry about. Tomorrow we hope to visit Hailes Abbey and perhaps Sudeley Castle. I don't think we'll be doing a vigorous hike quite yet.

Thank you for all of your comments on these posts. I will catch up with you when we return from our travels. I took these photos during my walk to and from Tesco's this morning.