There and Back

On a walk around Woodbridge, it doesn't take long to realise that there is a name that crops up time and again - Thomas Seckford. It is remarkable that the life of one man, living in the turbulent Tudor era, should have had such an enduring impact on the town of Woodbridge and the surrounding area of Suffolk: an impact that is as powerful today as it has been down the centuries. Thomas Seckford was born in 1515 at Seckford Hall, the family seat outside Woodbridge which is now a luxury hotel. His country house was the Abbey, now the junior school for Woodbridge School. He built for the town the Shire Hall to serve as the local court, which it continued to do until the late 20th century and now houses the Council Chamber and the Foundation’s archives. For a time he owned the iconic Tide Mill, one of only two working tide mills remaining in the United Kingdom. Seckford was a prominent lawyer who served Queen Elizabeth I in a number of important judicial roles. He amassed a considerabl...

Now for a story of the strange going-on in Akenham churchyard, near Claydon. This strange incident from a sleepy Suffolk parish had a far reaching impact in that it is considered that it led directly to the passing of the Burial Laws Amendment Act of 1880. Peace in the parish was initially disturbed following the appointment of Rev George Drury as rector of Claydon and Akenham in 1846. He was of the High Church, or what today would be called Anglo-Catholic, and introduced candles, a cross on the altar at Claydon, vestments, daily communion and incense none of which went down well with the local Protestant parishioners and resulted in the Bishop of Norwich intervening. All the items he introduced were actually illegal at the time and other priests had been prosecuted, and some imprisoned, for similar actions. Tensions in the village continued to rise when the parishioners elected as churchwarden Mr Smith of Rise Hall, a local landowner and a nonconformist. Rev Drury obviously refused ...

St Mary's in Badley, is one of Suffolk's most remarkable medieval churches - its setting and unmodernised interior give an atmosphere of great peace and stillness. To discover its charm, you must begin with a journey - a mile's walk or drive down a rutted track across Suffolk farmland, to a small valley of trees and birdsong. The flint-and-brick church has nothing for company but a sixteenth-century farmhouse and the wildlife of its pretty churchyard. Passing through the sturdy medieval door with its iron grille, you step into a time capsule - a church scarcely changed for 300 years with plain walls and a brick floor set with memorials to the Poleys, once owners of the house nearby. The seventeenth/eighteenth-century arrangement of the pews, which incorporates Medieval benches, combined with fragments of a screen with seventeenth-century panelling, where the oak is silvery-grey with age, make an extraordinary ensemble. The day I chose to visit was rather dull and damp so th...

`Make the most of the good weather` was our cry for this year, as summer weather seems in short supply at the moment. This week was forecast as sunny for most days and three days were marked as potential `days out`. We were lucky as we managed all three days. One to Redgrave and Lopham Fen, another to Pipers' Vale Nature Reserve with its stunning views of the Orwell Bridge, and the third to Ramsholt Church on the Deben River, to see the poppies all around the churchyard. So, here are images from all three days to remind us of at least some summer in 2021! As you can see, the churchyard is a riot of colour at the moment. Certainly a view to remember. In amongst this colour, with the River Deben as a backdrop, you have an interesting church as well. See my previous post. Moving on to the next sunny day, and a trip to Pipers` Vale. This is a Nature Reserve that is worth visiting for its flowers and butterflies, but also its views of the Orwell Bridge. Two views of the Orwell Bridge. A...

Having spotted one or two Nature Reserves on the map, we headed to a reserve, spent a little time there, and decided to move on. We then headed onto the Dingle Nature Reserve which was beside a stream and had the added attraction of resident Red squirrels. Sadly, when we arrived we found that the reserve was still shut. Not sure why, but signs indicated unsafe. Luckily there was a cycleway through part of it so we headed along it, cameras at the ready. An early Marsh Orchid This I thought was beautiful - Bogbean Marsh Marigold Robin posing for us - this taken at Dingle Nature Reserve Jay - spotted along the cycleway My shot of the day - a Red Squirrel on  a branch overhead. Magic! The stunning red squirrel is native to England and it's always a special sight to spot one of these cheeky critters scampering through our woodlands. Unfortunately this is becoming an increasingly rare occurrence as the last century has seen a dramatic decrease in their numbers. The reason for the widespr...