There and Back

Hedingham Castle grounds have been known for some time for having a beautiful display of snowdrops in the springtime, and although I had been there before, we decided to take Izobelle in her half term holidays. Luckily, it was a lovely day, weather wise. The snowdrops are planted mostly on the banks, which were part of the moated area in the past. Firstly, an image of the remains of the castle itself. Hedingham Castle is arguably the best-preserved Norman keep in England. The castle fortifications and outbuildings were built around 1100, and the keep around 1140. However, the keep is the only major medieval structure that has survived, albeit less two turrets. It is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument. The manor of Hedingham was awarded to Aubrey de Vere I by William the Conqueror around 1086. The castle was constructed by the de Veres in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, and the keep in the 1130s and 1140s. To accommodate the existing castle, a ...

This morning was spent wandering the river side in Southwold with a brief of `DETAIL` as our objective. It's interesting what you actually see when looking closely at things you normally just give a casual glance!  So here is my offering of things that I focused on and recorded. It is surprising the little things, patterns or objects, which come into focus when you are concentrating like this. Well worth the effort.    Index of posts  

One of the things I have noted for this winter is the frequent occurrence of frosts and the picturesque scenery created by them. Just wandering around the village provided some lovely images. Here are a few of them. Around the playing field area with even the spider's webs looking beautiful covered in frost. Not sure what the spiders think. Then a couple of images of the river Brett partly froze. Frozen leaf on the frozen ground. Then a couple of images across the fields to Shelley Then onto Sudbury where these three images were taken on Sudbury meadows where the previous rutted field was now solid in ice. All very picturesque and well worth the cold fingers and toes!    Index of posts  

I had often thought to visit Woolverstone Hall which is now an Ipswich Girls school, so when I did, I was able to enjoy a pleasant wander around the outer grounds of the magnificent Hall and onto the church of St Michael and all Angels, which was at one time the estate church. In fact, a very pleasant walk this sunny morning. This trip was actually in April this year, but I have only just realized that I had not recorded it! Built in 1776, Woolverstone Hall is a Grade I listed building set in 80 acres of parkland on the banks of the river Orwell. It is widely thought of as one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in England. William Berners (10 July 1709 - 13 September 1783) was an English property developer and slave owner in the 18th century. He is particularly associated with the development of the Fitzrovia area north of Oxford Street in central London; Berners Street was named after him. Berners purchased the estate in 1773 and engaged architect John Johnson to build h...

One of the things attracting me to the gardens today was the sculpture in the ruined Crypt where the coffin of St Edmund would have been originally kept. So, a visit and photo were a must! I was expecting more than just one sculpture, but I guess I just mis-read it! - only to discover they are changing monthly for six months. MAY - The first sculpture in the 6 months, is a 2.3m (7ft 6in) tall sculpture, The Monk, designed by Nigel Kaines and made by blacksmith Kevin Baldwin. The 2mm thick steel monk, weighing 250kg (550lb), was "certainly the most unusual project I have worked on" and "quite tricky", Mr. Baldwin said. The Monk

Day two on our stay in Happy Valley, and we headed to Massingham and had a lovely lunch at the Dabbling Duck, before moving on the Castle Acre to see the massive ruins of the Norman Castle (which gives its name to the town) The castle was built by William de Warenne soon after William the Conquer gave him the land. It was lived in by his family until the early 14th century, when it fell into ruin. Considering how old the ruins are, a fair amount has survived. You can get a sense of the scale of this castle from these images, I hope. Some history of the site The Bailey Gate is one of two stone gatehouses added to the settlement's massive earthwork defences in about 1200. The main road into the village still runs between its towers. Adjoining the castle grounds are the ruins of one of the largest and best-preserved monastic sites in England dating back to 1090. It was the home of the first Cluniac order of monks to England and the Cluniac love of decoration is everywhere reflected in...