Tags
Bungay, Churches Conservation Trust, gargoyles, grotesques, H Rider Haggard, John Barber Scott, Priory Church of Saint Mary, Suffolk
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am writing a series of posts about a few places I visited last year but hadn’t the time then, to feature in my blog.
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Last spring I went to see an exhibition of ancient and modern needlework and textiles at St. Mary’s Priory Church in Bungay. The exhibition was called ‘A Stitch in Time’ and the leaflet I was given as I entered the church stated that it “… offer(ed) the visitor the opportunity to explore Bungay through the textiles that have been left as legacies of its past and … (admire) textiles that, it is hoped, will become heirlooms for future generations”.
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) were in flower in the churchyard.
I enjoyed the exhibition exceedingly but photography was not allowed because many of the exhibits were extremely old and precious and all were unique and beautiful. I spent some time admiring the needlework and also watching as some of the members of the ‘Sew on Sunday’ group worked on their current projects.
St. Mary’s Church began its life as part of a Benedictine Priory, its Parochial Nave, which was founded in the 12th century (about 1160) byGundreda wife of Roger de Glanville. The nuns who resided in the priory were skilled needlewomen and made beautifully embroidered wall-hangings, altar cloths and other textiles used in church and chapel. They probably also made embroidered vestments for the clergy. The leaflet told me that after the Reformation in 1536 the Priory was closed and according to the parish accounts and local wills, “some of the church embroideries and vestments were cut up and made into elaborate theatrical costumes for the plays forming part of the annual Ale-Games in the churchyards during the Whitsun period!” Don’t ask me about Ale-Games, because I can’t tell you a thing about them! On display were some exquisite vestments and other church textiles. Local churches, the Community of All Hallows and the Museum in Bungay had contributed some items for display, as had a number of local people.
Also on display were some needlework samplers dating from the late 17th century. These were made by the female ancestors of John Barber Scott (1792 – 1862) who was a wealthy local gentleman, diarist, philanthropist and Town Reeve.
I particularly enjoyed the display of work by the All Hallows Embroidery School which used to be part of the Community of All Hallows in Ditchingham.
I returned to the church a week later once the exhibition had finished, and took some more photographs of the church, inside and out. This church is now redundant and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.
I enjoy looking out for grotesques and gargoyles on churches.
The inside of the church is less interesting than the outside. Damage was done to the church in the Bungay Great Fire of 1688 when most of the roof timbers were destroyed and again during the Second World War when most of the glass was lost.
The slideshow above is of the windows and the stained glass in the church, most of which had to be replaced after the Second World War.
Some of the original 15th century woodwork was saved. I have no idea if this might be one of the older carvings. Most of the roof dates from the restoration after the fire which was completed in 1699.
Behind and to the right of the font is a stone bowl thought to be part of a Saxon or Norman font which was found near the Staithe in the town.
The cupboard was restored in the 19th century but it is dated 1675. Or, it may be a fake and made in the 19th century. Who knows! There is a rebus on the lower front of the cupboard; a large Q with a rat inside it (Curate) and his initials. There are also mitred bishops being pulled downwards by hands. Hmmm! Bishops can’t have been rated very highly here!
This beautiful carving was the gift of Sir H Rider Haggard of ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ and ‘She’ fame, who lived in Ditchingham House nearby.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this long post!
Lynette d'Arty-Cross said:
Great photos. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Lynette.
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Lisa G. said:
So much to see, Clare – so many details! I liked the kneeling dog, which seemed unusual to me. Too bad you couldn’t photograph any embroidery, though. As for the ale games, the name implies something unsavory, doesn’t it?
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Lisa. Ale Games sound as though they might be a bit rough and rowdy! I think I’ll have to visit Bungay museum to find out if they know anything about them.
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Laurie Graves said:
What a fabulous church. So much to notice and admire. Is the church close to where you live?
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Laurie. Yes, Bungay (where the church is) is just over five miles from us and is where we do most of our day-to-day shopping.
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Laurie Graves said:
Oh, nice!
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susanpoozan said:
Such a lot of interesting detail you spotted, thanks a lot.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Susan.
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Jill Weatherholt said:
The church is amazing, Clare. How fortunate we are to have you as our tour guide. Your photographs are so beautiful. For someone who didn’t enjoy history as a child, you certainly make it more interesting. 🙂 I hope you and the family are all well! xo
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Jill. I didn’t enjoy the history about wars and parliamentary acts! I’ve always preferred social history and I love architecture. We are all well (except for another cough and cold!). I hope you are well and that you have a wonderful weekend! xo
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Jill Weatherholt said:
❤
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Clare Pooley said:
❤
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derrickjknight said:
Gosh, Clare, you have shown me what I have missed when visiting friends in Bungay. Only one is left alive and we are both dodgy on our pins, but, who knows, after surgery I may rectify the situation.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Derrick. I hope the surgery makes a positive difference to your life. I wish you the best of luck for Monday.
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derrickjknight said:
Very many thanks
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Liz said:
fascinating, Clare – all those architectural features are gems, aren’t they. And tantalising to learn about the textile exhibition, although completely understand of course about the photography ban. I bet it was wonderful though. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, LIz. Yes, the exhibition was good; especially the really ancient priest’s vestments with such exquisite embroidery. I will have to visit the museum in the town and see if they have any examples of embroidery on display.
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Liz said:
Sounds like a good plan. And you have reminded me that I have not yet seen the new displays of textiles at our National Museum of Scotland, so I must pop in for a look at those.
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margaret21 said:
Lovely photos as usual. I particularly enjoyed the grotesques and gargoyles.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Margaret. The carvings are great fun and I imagine the mason enjoying creating these horrors far above the heads of the church officials.
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KerryCan said:
It makes me crazy that you saw all those textiles and couldn’t take photos to share with us!! But the pictures of the church exterior are wonderful and I love the phrase “knock-kneed kneeling knight”. I could look this up but what’s the difference between a grotesque and a gargoyle?
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Kerry. I went to the exhibition with the hope of photographing the exhibits and was very disappointed. I hope to be visiting the local museum soon to see if they have anything on display. A grotesque is just a carving but a gargoyle is a grotesque that also works as a water spout, draining rain water off the roof.
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Jane Sturgeon said:
Thank you for sharing your visit lovely Clare. ‘A stitch in time’, what a wonderful exhibition to visit and what a beautiful church St.Mary’s is. Thank you. Huge, soft hugs and much ❤ flowing to you ❤ xXx ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Jane. It was a wonderful exhibition to visit in an interesting church. Lots of love and hugs, xx ❤ ❤ xx
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Gallivanta said:
What a superb setting for a needlework exhibition. Your photos and text were so informative. I enjoyed the link to the Town Reeve, and with the dole cupboard the origin of’ the dole’ dawned on me. I am feeling enlightened tonight. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Amanda. Dole is an ancient word (Saxon = to share) and I also thought until just a few years ago that it was a modern word for social security payments!
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Gallivanta said:
It’s good to know it has a good meaning but also sad that it has become a word for disparagement and despair for many.
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Clare Pooley said:
Yes, you are right. I used to work in the ‘dole office’ when I was quite young and naive. It was a real eye-opener and made me aware of the suffering of many of the people around me.
It is also interesting how words gradually change their meaning or emphasis.
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Lavinia Ross said:
I always enjoy these posts, Clare! Town Reeve is a new term to me, and I enjoyed reading about the Community of All Hallows in Ditchingham. I don’t run into many people that share my first name! H. Rider Haggard is also new to me. It is unfortunate he was unable to marry Lily Jackson when he wanted to do so. He must have felt great love for her, to support her in twice.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Lavinia. You are right; there aren’t many Lavinias around! I thought Rider Haggard must have been a really decent and good man and acted nobly when he helped Lily. It was sad he couldn’t marry her when he was young.
Rider Haggard’s books still seem fairly popular, ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ especially, which has been made into a few films https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Solomon%27s_Mines_(film)
‘She’ has also been made into films and Ayesha the main character in the story is the original ‘She, that must be obeyed’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_(1965_film)
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Lavinia Ross said:
I’ll look into the movies. Thanks, Clare!
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Richard Sutton said:
Thank you Clare. The modern embroidery in the church looked fine. My wife, Wendy, used to do embroidery. She now knits. When others see her knitting in hospitals and doctor’s surgeries it always sparks off a conversation. Everyone seems interested, it’s such a soothing pastime – for the onlookers as well!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Richard. You are right about knitting and probably many crafts. To watch someone skillfully making something is soothing and satisfying for all concerned.
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markspitzerdesigns said:
Really unusual stone infill walls – quite lovely in their own casual manner
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Mark. The flush work is quite a common feature in medieval buildings in East Anglia where I live. There is no stone for building found here so it would have been imported at great expense. If there was no money for imported stone then the local flints were used instead and the masons tried to make it look as decorative as possible. Some times the length of time it took to build the church is evident by the different styles incorporated on the building.
Different stonemasons and flint knappers with different levels of expertise were used too. It makes for an interesting building!
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Elizabeth Melton Parsons said:
Love, love, love all the architectural photos, Clare. Beautiful. ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Elizabeth. You are so kind ❤ ❤
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
That’s quite a church! I like all the carvings, especially the gargoyles and other stonework. The masons were indeed very skilled.
The stained glass might not be original but it’s very colorful.
The studded doors from that time always leave me wondering why they were studded. I wonder if it was to keep people from knocking on them. Since it was a church door I hope not.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Allan. I’m not sure why a door was studded but I suppose it might have been purely decorative and a show of wealth. It might also have been the only way a panel could be attached to a door made of very solid wood. It could be to strengthen the door. I have never considered this before, as you no doubt can see! I do hope it wasn’t to stop people knocking on the church door!
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mypeacockbooks said:
Oh I love this post. I’ve become so fascinated by old buildings and their details. to think, unlike to day, everything would have been carved by hand, how long did it take to create every beautiful part! Not sure I feel quite the same with the gargoyles though. Thank you for writing this post, so interesting 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Cat. Those large buildings often took decades to to build and the care and skill taken with them was amazing. Not everyone likes gargoyles, I know! They were often put there to guard the church/building from evil spirits and they were also a way for the stonemason to practice his skills or make comments about the people he worked for. Some grotesques are supposed to be caricatures of the important people of the town.
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mypeacockbooks said:
Wow, I didn’t know that about the gargoyles and grotesques! It makes me wonder what conversations people may have had about some of them, I can imagine some of the people in the town might not have been too happy to have a grotesque made of them! lol 🙂
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Nathan Rogers said:
Awesome post. Loved the pic of the grotesque man with a toothache! Someone had some serious artistic freedom on this building!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Nathan. Yes, I think the mason had some fun here!
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tootlepedal said:
I am sorry that we couldn’t see the embroideries but your pictures of the building were consolation. There was some wonderful stonemason work there.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Tom. I was most impressed by the delicate work on the top of the north aisle.
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Ste J said:
Everybody loves a church, even if not for the religious aspect, the feeling of history, those ghostly footsteps of generations and those that created the art weigh on one’s curiosity. Absolutely lovely.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Ste J. Yes, the church buildings have so much to say about the time in which they were built and the people who created them.
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germac4 said:
Wonderful post and you have such rich history around you.. I think the stone masons of the time were very talented. Interesting to see the grotesque man with a toothache… a very common occurrence I’m sure. I saw some wonderful needlework in a museum in Bath…. a great way to see recorded history.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much. The stone mason was a very skilled man and it could also be a very dangerous job too. No safety harnesses or secure scaffolding in those days! I have also been to the museum in Bath and seen the wonderful needlework there.
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quietsolopursuits said:
I’m glad that you revisited the church after you went once for the embroidery, which it was a shame that you couldn’t show us. I liked the grotesques and gargoyles, and all of the details that you photographed, both outside and inside of the church. I imagine that much was lost in the fire and during WW II, but what remains is still something special. Even the ruins of what’s left of the priory attest to that.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Jerry. I was amazed, once I actually started looking properly at the building, at how much was there to be seen. The fire would have gutted the building and damaged most but not all of the roof timbers but it didn’t damage the stonework. It must have needed a lot of cleaning but the basic structure was still there. I expect the original priory buildings began to be pillaged for their materials as soon as the priory closed. All the valuables were taken away by the Crown to be put in the King’s coffers and the empty building was left for the town to look after. The stone would have come in useful to mend the rest of the church and to be carried away by the towns people to add to their homes, no doubt! It was fortunate the church didn’t suffer a direct hit during the war. Most houses lost their window-panes in the war due to bomb blast and had to get used to having tar paper covering the windows. Churches were very cold and draughty during the war and for sometime afterwards until glass could be found to replace what was lost.
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Annika Perry said:
Clare, this is a fabulous post and I’ve enjoyed learning about Bungay church, and the photographs are great. They convey a lovely sense of atmosphere and history – you have an eye for detail and I would never spot all the carvings, gargoyles etc. The church setting looks rather incongruous in the midst of a modern housing estate. As for the mystery animal … I think it resembles a meerkat but I am fond of them so probably biased! A pity you couldn’t photograph the textiles and needlework … I would love to see them and will keep an eye out for another time to visit myself! Hope you’re having a good start to the week and enjoying the sun at last! 😀🌺
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Annika. It has been a lovely couple of days – so warm at last! The houses round the churchyard aren’t that modern. Most are Georgian and the rest are Victorian though of course, compared with the church they are modern! Have a lovely week! xx
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Annika Perry said:
Yes, it’s all relative, I suppose! Where I live the churches and church yards are isolated, away from other dwellings so this is what struck me.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Wow, Clare. The work shown here in stone in particular is breathtaking. Thanks for sharing. No wonder most churches took such a long time be be completed. A bygone era indeed. Are there still stone masons in England capable of doing such work today?
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Cynthia. Yes there are many stone masons who are skilled in this work. As you will see from the link below, York Minster is under-going renovation at the moment.
https://yorkminster.org/york-minster-revealed/restoration-and-conservation.html
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Wow. Wonderful that the skills are alive.
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Charlotte Hoather said:
Great photos, I like gargoyles they have them in Paris just on walls, the creature looks like a meerkat but maybe that’s too many adverts on tv.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Charlotte. I believe the Notre Dame cathedral has many gargoyles. Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris!
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Sheila said:
I love churches like this for the chance to walk through the centuries. There’s so much beauty in the ruins and in imagining those days gone by. I love the different personalities of the gargoyles too!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Sheila. I love those gargoyles!
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Ari said:
What a great set of photos, I have always loved the intricate detail of church architecture. Beautiful collection.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Ari. There is always so much to see in an old church.
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Ari said:
Very true. They always have such character
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bitaboutbritain said:
Enjoyed that, Clare – my kind of place. I could lose myself in those priory buildings! And I loved the dole cupboard and grew up with flint-covered churches in Hampshire. I hope you don’t mind my saying that I’m kind of glad to see that someone else has trouble focussing sometimes – my interior shots can be dreadful! I never knew that flower was called Star of Bethlehem, either – but will impress Mrs B the next time I see it!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks Mike! That’s what I like to see – a little bit of one-upmanship in a marriage! It’s always good to impress one’s spouse!
I don’t mind your comment on my badly focussed photos at all. I am having real problems lately and I suspect it is my eyesight as much as anything.
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bitaboutbritain said:
Well, you look after yourself; but I expect that you’re fine!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Mike. I am fine, just very long-sighted!
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Aquileana said:
Dear Clare,
St. Mary’s Priory Church is stunning. I am glad that you enjoyed the textile exhibition and I understand why people were not allowed to take photographs , as it is an usual policy at Museums and similar places.
Back to the Church, I love the architecture. The gargoyles are really stunning, and I love to seee them show up as they seem to make orthodoxy and ecclesiastical liturgy more flexible, so as to speak.
The carving details are so beautiful, paricularly those on the West Front.
A great tour, my friend. Thanks so much for sharing!.
Love & all the best to you! 🙂 ❤ 😘
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, my dear friend! I agree, the grotesques and gargoyles bring things down to earth and seem to invite us non-ecclesiastics in to church! Have a fantastic week! 🙂 ❤ 🙂
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Retirement Reflections said:
Stunning photos and posts, Claire! I am so happy that you went back and revisited and shared. This is very motivating to me — I am good at sharing present adventures, but not great at sharing past ones. In this way, much is lost. Thank you for the inspiration. It is greatly appreciated!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Donna. I often have trouble finding time to post about present adventures because of other commitments. In lulls of activity I have a look back to see if there is anything vaguely interesting I can make a post about. I am not particularly organised, I’m afraid!
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Tamara Jare said:
Great details captured 🔝👌👌👌👌🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Tamara 🙂 🙂
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whitefeatherfloating said:
Wow! Beautiful photos, Clare! What an interesting trip you had. I love gargoyles.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks so much, Patsy! I love gargoyles too. The stone masons really seem to have had fun with some of these ones!
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whitefeatherfloating said:
They must have had fun! Have a great weekend, Clare. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks very much, Patsy!
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whitefeatherfloating said:
You’re welcome, Clare
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quercuscommunity said:
Some great carving there. I’ve often seen flatwork, but never knew there was a name for it so you have educated me.
I found this on the bombing of Bungay. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/98/a2990298.shtml
It always amazes me what violent events have taken place in some very quiet places in this country.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Simon. I was very pleased with the link you provided. I am assuming the writer of the letter was working at Clay’s the printworks in the town (which has just been sold to an Italian company).
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quercuscommunity said:
Yes, he appeared to be in printing. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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revolutionarymusings said:
What a beautiful church; so beautiful
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much!
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Sheryl @ Flowery Prose said:
I’m late to reading this post (I’m always late, LOL!) but as always, I so enjoyed your your fascinating photo tour. The architectural details are absolutely exquisite – it’s such a treat to see them!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Sheryl. I love visiting this church! There is always something new to see.
I don’t mind late visits at all. I spend most of my time trying to catch-up on other people’s posts and hardly any time to write my own posts. I love blogging but there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all I want to do!
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