Castle Combe

On our recent outing to Stonehenge and Lacock, we ended the day at a picturesque little village called Castle Combe. There are sometimes regrets that you have about trips, and in this case, we were so sorry that we ended up in the town around dusk, and thus missed some prime time to visit what proved to be a charming surprise. Perhaps if we had eaten a quicker lunch, perhaps if we had walked around Stonehenge just a wee bit faster, perhaps if we had spent less time chasing Harry Potter at Lacock Abbey, and perhaps if we had not stopped to take a photo at the town of Tiddleywink along the way, we would have had more time to enjoy Castle Combe--but how were we to know?

Entering the town I was reminded of what I had read. Castle Combe, only 12 miles from the city of Bath, is considered the southern most town of the Cotswolds Region.

Situated in the very center of town is the 14th century Market Cross with the old water pump beside it. It remains from the time when the privilege of holding a weekly fair was awarded. Imagine merchants coming in from all over the countryside for the big market day.

The church dates from the 12th century

and the graveyard beside it was particularly haunting that day with a sprinkle of snow and the setting sun.

Castle Combe was a center of the wool industry in medieval times

and in recent times has seen the arrival of a new industry--the film industry. Among the films shot here were Dr. Doolittle and most recently The Wolf Man.

The houses are typical Cotswold style, hundreds of years old, and spinsters and weavers would make the cottages their homes. The By Brooke supplied power to run the mills.

Truly a city lost in time, I was afraid we might not ever get back for a visit, but as we were leaving, we spotted the Manor House Hotel, and guess what spreads out behind it?

An incredible golf course! So, guess who is suddenly very interested in another weekend trip???

Maybe we will get back someday....?

Bits and Pieces Along the Way

I'm sure you've gathered by now, that I had fun taking a lot of photos with my new camera on our trip to the Cotswolds in late September. Hope you've had a chance to look at the earlier posts with my best photos, but there were just a few fun ones left over that didn't make the cut in the original blogs on the Cotswolds. Like this view????

So did this group of painters painting by the riverside--what a peaceful day they were having. I would have liked to take her painting and frame it right away for my house in London. Is it nosy to look over a painter's shoulder? I sure wanted to stick around and watch.

This might be a little hard to see unless you click on the photo to enlarge it. It's named the Vine House, and unlike the beautiful and flaming red vines we saw all over the countryside, this one is still very green and if you look closely, you'll see small grapes growing towards harvest time. Wonder if they make a little wine from these? You could just pluck a snack as you went out your front door.

On one of our walks, we saw these stones. A mini Stonehenge, perhaps?

Hope you don't need any drugs if you have the swine flu, because you are definitely not welcome in the pharmacy if you do.

In the small town of Upper Slaughter, you could help yourself to some fresh vegetables or homemade jam on the side of the road--just leave a little donation in the jar. Can you imagine how nice that would be to be able to leave a money jar outside your house and feel assured that no one would take it?

Looks like a fox running across this thatched roof, but we were told that each roof-maker tops his completed roof with a certain emblem. It's his form of advertisement.

Loved the animals we saw along the way, like this mama and her ducks

and these love birds cooing overhead

and the cows grazing in the meadows.

If you needed a little "poo," that could be arranged for just 3 pounds a sack. Wonder how big the sack is???

And lest you forget, Please Dogs, Please All of Us, Don't Foul the Churchyard. Sound advice, and that's a good note to end on....

Seasons of our lives

Fall can sneak in quietly at the end of a summer you hope won't slip away,

or can enter with confidence in a blaze of glory.

Such is the case in the Cotswold landscape, where fall has not entered meekly.

It shouts for attention

and demands one sit up and take notice.

The process of change

leads to a pause

and moments of reflection,

giving thanks

for the seasons

of our lives.

Savor each and every one. The fruit is ripe for the picking. Reach out and enjoy.

Holy Ground in the Cotswolds

As we traveled through the Cotswolds, we were struck by the beauty of the ancient churches that we found in each town. Many dated back to the 11th century when they were first erected.

Some are even older than medieval times. This charming one was in the town of Lower Slaughter.

Attached to each church was a graveyard showing signs of age.

If the walls could talk, what stories would they tell?

Stories of births, marriages and even deaths.

Many graced by beautiful glass such as this one in Burford

and another in the small village of Bibury

where its cemetery marked the graves of townspeople from long ago.

One of the most spectacular churches was St. James in Chipping Campden. Its beauty can be attributed to the rich wool merchants of the 15th century,

and is one of the finest churches in the Cotswolds built in the Perpendicular style.

On not quite as grand a scale, but of a lot of interest to us was the ancient church that was adjacent to the manor house where we stayed in the petite village of Buckland. More about that manor house in a later post.

Although parts of it displayed signs of neglect, the church was overall in great shape for a structure which dates from the 13th century.

Strolling the grounds of the church and the cemetery we caught beautiful views of the pastoral landscape.

Inside angels guarded memorials from long ago,

such as this one for James Thynne, who died in 1708/9.

While strolling through the village of Stanton, I was surprised to spy something perched on top of the steeple.

Some brave soul was gilding or painting the weather vane.

Now that's one brave soul who's doing "heavenly" work! Wonder if he gets hazard pay?