There and Back

Next day it was off to Broughton-In-Furness for some shopping and continue onto Coniston. Broughton-In-Furness was the town nearest to us and the obvious port of call for groceries etc. As we had to pass through it, a stop and quick look around was our first objective for the day. St Mary Magdalene's Church, the oldest fabric in the present church is the late Norman south doorway, dating from the 12th century Alterations and additions were made to the church in the 16th and the 19th centuries. So, like many English churches, not obvious which parts are really old from those reworked by the Victorians! Just a street name but when you see a name like this, the mind does wonder where it came from.  The road between Ulpha and Broughton is a nightmare after the wide roads of East Anglia, although with stunning views. I suppose you cannot have it all. When we first stepped out of the car, our reaction was `where are the shops`, a short wander later and we found all...

Never having had a holiday in the Lake District, this was our destination for May - to the south of Cumbria, in a village called Ulpha, to be precise. So, on Friday evening about 6pm we were on our way to Days Inn in Peterborough where we where to stop the night thus saving ourselves 2 hours on our Saturday journey onward to the Lakes. At around 8:20 am on Saturday, we started our journey up the A1 toward Scotch Corner where we intended to turn onto the A66 toward Penrith. The idea being that by travelling so far up the A1 and travelling over the top of the Dales, we could miss most of the built up, busy roads like the M6 and arrive in a less tired state. That was the idea, but the drive down through the Lakes NP was another thing!! Perhaps we will do the M6 on the way home after all!  However, all clouds have a silver lining, and we were able to get a few pictures (above) before reaching our destination for the week.  Our cottage for the week. ...

A chance to visit Kersey Mill and to see a variety of cars - old and new. We met Hayley, Andrew and Izobelle and had a wander on a very pleasant morning stroll. Some details of two of the more interesting vehicles among the many! A Morgan - The Morgan Motor Company is a family-owned British motor car manufacturer that was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan. Morgan is based in Malvern Link, an area of Malvern, Worcestershire and employs 177 people. Morgan has stated that they produce "in excess of 1300" cars per year, all assembled by hand. The waiting list for a car is approximately six months, although it has been as long as ten years in the past. Trojan 200 - The Heinkel Kabine was a microcar designed by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke and built by them from 1956 to 1958. Production was transferred under licence to Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland in 1958 however the licence was withdrawn shortly afterwards due to poor quality control. Pr...

A distant view of Polstead church of St Mary as we approached. Beautiful surroundings in the pretty village of Polstead with its lovely pond. St Marys is a delightful church dating originally from 1160 but with major alterations in the 1400’s and 1500’s. Still retaining some Norman clerestory windows, its stone spire is the only remaining one of its kind in Suffolk.   North view South view St Mary has an unusual nave roof. Back in the 1980s, essentail repairs had to be carried out economically. Aluminium was chosen, and is a striking sight from a distance on a sunny day. The stone spire  The entrance Not difficult to see in the stonework where previous alterations have been made. One of the little clerestory windows An extraordinary brick octagonal font, which might be any age, but is set on a 13th century base. The most striking aspect of the interior is the colour, the combination between white walls and the red brick of the arcade arches. These bricks bear close examination...

It was a cold and frost morning when we visited Flatford Mill, and we were pleased to see that everywhere was covered in, what my dad called, `a hoar frost`  Not the usual warm day that you visit Flatford , but nevertheless, very pretty!  This image was taken on a cold and frost morning with the sun creeping round from the other side, and the water frozen. Originally part of Gibbeon’s Gate Farm, Willy Lott's House is a Grade 1, listed building. Willy Lott (1761-1849) was a tenant farmer who worked the 39 acres around Flatford that made up Gibbeon's Gate Farm. He lived in a house attached to the farmland, which long after his death, became known as Willy Lott's House. Willy Lott's parents lived in this house, Willy and his sisters and brothers were born there. A image facing in the opposite direction, depicting the Field Study Center, leased by the National Trust to the Field Studies Council, FSC, which is an environmental education cha...