There and Back

Suffolk is known for its BIG skies and has inspired many artists to pitch their easels in the countryside and paint what is before them - or pick up a camera and try to capture the image as I do! Harvest time is one of the good times to see Suffolk skies at their best, with the contrast between golden corn and blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Magic! Masters of air - the windmill and aircraft Pakenham Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill which has been restored and is maintained in working order. It was built in 1831.Clement Goodrich was the miller in 1846, when he took on an apprentice. The mill came into the ownership of the Bryant family in 1885. A steam engine was used as auxiliary power. In 1947, the mill was nearly tail-winded, but the miller managed to turn the cap in time to avoid this happening.  What, you may ask, is that?Well, apparently a windmill caught with the wind blowing towards the rear side of its sails, has a risk of reversal of rot...

Bury St Edmunds is a great place to visit at most time of year. A summer visit calls for a look around the Abbey Gardens - well worth it, and a great spot to sit in the sun or have lunch and watch the world go by. Historically, Bury has many splendid places to look at, but the gardens are not to be missed.   Home

Woodbridge is one of those places where you never mind going back. Well I don`t anyway! It has history, by the bucketful, and beautiful walks by the river Deben. Here are some images of a couple of visits, starting with the iconic view of Woodbridge, the Tide Mill. But before moving down to look at the images, a bit of history.  The earliest record of Woodbridge dates from the mid-10th century, when it was acquired by St Aethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, who made it part of the endowment of the monastery that he helped to refound at Ely, Cambridgeshire in AD 970.The Domesday Book of 1086 describes Woodbridge as part of the Loes Hundred. Much of Woodbridge was granted to the powerful Bigod family, who built the famous castle at Framlingham. (Thats for another day) The town has been a centre for boat-building, rope-making and sail-making since the Middle Ages. Edward III and Sir Francis Drake had fighting ships built in Woodbridge. The town suffered in the plague of 1349, ...