There and Back

We had booked a week on the island of Anglesey having first visited with Gra and Jane in 2012 and planning to return one day and explore further. This was our time! The journey was longer than anticipated but we arrived safely to begin our weeks holiday.  Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. The Roman conquest of Anglesey began in AD 60 when the Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assault and then destroying the shrine and the nemeta (sacred groves). News of Boudica's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, in AD 78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper, something which continued for hundreds of years after ...

In general, a Manor was the dwelling of a feudal lord, and if the lord was the owner of several manors, he only inhabited it occasionally. Sometimes an administrator or seneschal was appointed to control and manage the stately property. The ordinary administration was delegated to a bailiff or a reeve. Below is the building on the site of the Medieval Hadleigh Manor, the Manor itself long gone; however I read that the medieval core is still evident in the current interior. There were four other lesser Manors in Hadleigh and I attach images of three of the current buildings on their sites. The fourth one is now demolished and the site is empty. Hadleigh Hall School - On the site of Hadleigh Manor House The medieval Manor House was built around 1297. There would certainly have been a Manor house on the site in the C10 and definitely before the Norman Conquest. It`s possible before that even, in the time of Guthrum (c880-890).  Aethelstan or Guthrum as we know him, was the Danish King...

T he  Captain Tom image that appeared on the wall in Angel Street to honour the memory this great man Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer who raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic. He served in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War, and later became an instructor in armoured warfare. After the war, he worked as managing director of a concrete company and was an avid motorcycle racer. On 6 April 2020, at the age of 99, Moore began to walk one hundred lengths of his garden in aid of NHS Charities Together, with the goal of raising £1,000 by his 100th birthday. In the 24-day course of his fundraising, he made many media appearances and became a popular household name in the UK, earning a number of accolades and attracting over 1.5 million individual donations. In recognition of his efforts, he received the BBC Sports Personality...

George Street is a lovely reasonably quiet road with lots of old properties in it. So, looking at some listed properties here, I am starting with number 3-5 which was probable a public house in times past. It`s a C15-C16 2 storey timber framed and plastered building. The upper storey projects at the front with massive close-set joists. Although it is now part of Partridges store, it was the Moulders Arms . Apparently, it was given its name referring to the iron foundry once located behind the building. Crossing Magdalene Street, you arrive in George Street proper, I like to think.  This property is no.15 and is a C17 property which has been altered, fittingly called Tudor Gables .  Next door to Tudor Gables is this lovely building called The Old House which was previously listed as no19 and 20. It is probably C17, and is a two storey timber-framed and plastered structure with a cross wing at the east end with the upper storey projecting on curved brackets. The main block has...

This Beast from the East – a phrase recently used to describe wintry conditions in the UK caused by easterly winds from the near continent – is a result of cold air from Scandinavia and Russia combined with an active storm front (named Storm Darcy by the Dutch meteorological office). The best remembered Beast from the East hit Britain at the end of February 2018, bringing with it 10 days of heavy snow. This one though does not compare with the 2018 one in severity or length it persisted. However, a winter walk was require to capture the occasion. View from the front door in the morning Swans and Canada Geese awaiting breakfast Drifts on the roadside as we went for our walk More piles of snow on the bank plus a close up of the wonderful texture Clumps of snow on the hedges and fences The approach to Overbury Hall Icicles abound along the roof of this cottage Izobelle making a "Snow angel" Later, sitting in the snow seats for a warm cuppa! What about this for a giant icicle on ...

Having been photographing some of the many Listed buildings in Hadleigh, I was surprised at the number of inns, taverns, pubs etc which have been in the town over the years. Then I came across a site called `The Lost Pubs of Hadleigh` and was taken by the idea of photographing all that I could find; bearing in mind that some have been demolished and some are noted, but there is no certainty as to where they actually were situated. There are 21 in total that are listed here, but I understand that there are others of more uncertain nature which may have been inns or pubs. However, here is my effort, starting with what to me was a big surprise! - the ex Council Offices. The Anchor - Bridge Street This pub / beer house managed to go through a few names in its time:  Between 1661 & 1835 it was called the Standard** Between 1837 & 1871 it was called the Barley Mow** Between 1871 & 1927 it was called the Anchor** One landlady was named as Elisabeth Scrivener, and is recorded a...