A charming medieval church in the woods ...

 

Whilst out in the beautiful Shropshire countryside, we came across this 12th century medieval church down a peaceful green lane in the hamlet of Linley (meaning Lime Wood). It is a redundant, Grade 1 listed church under the care of the Conservation Trust. 

 It had a sign board at the entrance for The Churches Conservation Trust - Historic Church - open 

It is built entirely from local stone except the dressing stones & tiled roof. 

The Norman Church &  late 12th century tower served the medieval town of Much Wenlock. 

The strapped, studded wooden door opens in to a space that is not showy at all - it is where local people have worshipped for 800 years & has seen life through good & bad times. 

I always think - if these walls could only speak, what history they have been witness to .... 

Entry is via a south doorway with a half arched carving above, a similar doorway is found on the back of the church; the north door was blocked off when the tower was added centuries ago but it still has it weathered tympanum details. 

The blocked off door (top image) has more detailed carving than the door now used but their design is so similar, just on opposite sides of the church. 

The green man details on the north door is with his legs open & foliage in his mouth ...

The interior (according to the church website, no booklet available) has Romanesque carvings like the round tub font near the door. 

The tiled floor was a later addition in 1800's, made locally by Maw & Co near Ironbridge. 

The church was quite dark inside (I couldn't get the lights to come on) because it has rather narrow windows. The altar has 3 windows behind it & 2 narrow stained glass ones. 

However, the altar has a charming triptych panel of a cross & angels that was painted about 1870 by Harry Burrows. 

The gold paint glistened even in the low light, a really lovely painting. 

The tiles are again by Maws with some cross shaped patterns at the altar. 

We walked around the church & the narrowness of the windows is very evident from outside, as is the north door & its detail that was blocked off. 

You can see how the narrow windows are set in to the deep stone walls - a narrow band of window in the large recess (top right).

It is a charming setting amongst lime wood trees & has a lovely peaceful feel to it. 

Sometimes country lanes lead to unexpected spaces & this charming church is beautiful for its simplicity & understated details that belie its long history. These more simple spaces often feel more spiritual because there is no showy details that detract from the space.  

I hope you have enjoyed the visit with me, 

Dee 🪾🌳⛪️ 🙏

A perfect Solstice meal for hot weather ...

 I love to take my time over preparing a pretty table & menu for friends, even if it is a relaxed meal because it says someone has taken time over it & given thought to, many things like the weather (summer hot), the season (summer solstice) and the friends visiting.  

Using coloured glass brings in a freshness to a table setting & I enjoy using mine. It is not dishwasher proof so they are all rinsed by hand, a small price to pay for enjoying them. 

For the Summer Solstice,  my menu harked back to travels in Africa & hot summers travelling in Europe ... 

This is what I made - 

Spatchcock chicken - with a zingy lemon, lime & ginger marinade

New potatoes with lots of mint from the garden to give them that minty freshness 

Carrot & pineapple salad with an orange dressing - a summer favourite in Africa, made ahead so it is cold & refreshing. 

Green salad with cucumber, mange tout, green beans, tiny pepper rings, feta, radish & home made black pepper & thyme croutons. Salad bits served separately for choice 

Shopska salad (I enjoyed this in Sofia in Bulgaria) diced tomato, cucumber, peppers, red onion, feta, red wine vinaigrette . I added a little honey to take off the sharpness, made ahead of the time for flavours to develop ... 

 

A traditional Bulgarian restaurant & menu in Sofia on our trip across Transylvania. This very traditional restaurant was close to our hotel & it had beautiful authentic decor. 

Shopska salad was regularly served with our meals across Belgrade, Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo & Arbanasi 

It was all absolutely delicious & light enough for a very hot summers evening while we mulled over how the first half of the year had been. We all agreed that it has been too hot for anything other than lots of salads with meat or fish 

Pudding / desert was a British classic of Eton Mess. It is strawberry season &  they were just ripe.  I made a mixed berry compote ahead of time to drizzle over it all & add that softness that is needed. 

All prepared ahead of the time & everyone assembled theirs as they liked. 

We decided on a refreshing mango sorbet instead of ice-cream.  It always looks better served in glass bowls  & these coloured vintage ones are perfect with their deep bowl. We had the pudding out on the patio to catch the early evening breeze - easy enough to enjoy outdoors in the softening light. 

 We enjoyed my friend's freshly baked lemon drizzle cake to finish it off - a lovely evening just catching up while the candles burnt low. 

The conservatory sideboard is the perfect place to set up & serve such meals from - convenient for everyone to help themselves to what takes their fancy & to return for seconds. 

This space is used the most for meals with its views over the garden & wide doors to the garden for a breeze too. 

I hope the next 6 months to the Winter Solstice is as blessed for everyone. Thank you for stopping by, each & every visit is appreciated. 

Dee ☀️🥗🏡💚

A colourful supper to start to Summer …

It is a bit of a tradition to embrace bright colours in summer. Ours is so short lived;  the warm days & long nights are a joy after winter. 

I'm having friends join us for supper, not dinner. For me, supper is a relaxed get together with generally only a main & pudding. It is a time to catch up on each others busy lives. Dinner is a bit more formal & is rarer. 

However, I still love to set the table. It was my ‘job’ as a child to set our long dining table for 7 each night or more if friends & grandparents were joining us. Supper was always at the table at home & it was a time to catch up on each others day in the era of no mobile phones.

I digress; pink table cloth & runner, green & pink placemats,  green tinged wine glasses & green glasses & jug that belonged to Olive. 

It is always fun to have lots of candles & my coloured glass ones do very nicely. Taller pink & green holders & smaller tea lights in pink, green & blue -  summery & fun. 

It has been a hot week so the menu is planned for a lighter meal with interesting salads. 

It is strawberry season so Eton mess  & fruit compote will be served in coloured vintage glass bowls. 

I think it is a good choice for a solstice meal that is wholesome without being heavy. 

What would your ideal mid summer meal be?  The updated Solstice menu is blogged here ... Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 🥗☀️🏡🫜

Marking our Summer Solstice …

 And just like that, we have arrived at our summer solstice on the 21st June.  Longer brighter days are here with late sunsets & lazy evenings as the sun is reluctant to set until almost 10pm soon. The darkness is banished for a time & we have to embrace the light & colour. 

My garden is bursting with colour & even though I try to keep to pinks, purples & blues, the reds & hot colours appear too like punctuation marks in the garden. 

It is a space we love being in. Our large tree provides much welcome shade on hot days & cools the air at night so the breeze in the house provides welcome relief. 

This green space is calming & I feel a little smug that I am doing my but for the wildlife who make themselves at home  Green spaces cool urban heat islands so it is great for the environment too.

I made an iced lemon verbena tea today with herbs from the garden & sat in my green space, grateful for blessings. 

On the Solstice, I always reflect on the past 6 months & decide in my head how I want the rest of the year to be. Set intentions as the light returns in its full power for summer. I think having supper by candlelight is always good as the flickering light is gentle & provides space to think. I am hosting friends tomorrow on Solstice Day with fresh food & lots of candles. 

So much can change in the 6 months to the next solstice in the dark mid-winter so use this time to enjoy nature & the longer days, commit to self care & gratitude for all the things that are right in your life. Gratitude begets gratitude. 

Thank you for stopping by & visiting. Celebrate the solstices - be it summer or winter where you are. 

Dee 🌱🥗🏡☀️🌤️

A castle (ruin) with a long history ...

A bright sunny day is not to be wasted & my choice was a return visit to Acton Burnell castle that we had only visited on a dull day some years previously. 

It is a beautiful drive through picturesque Shropshire countryside, with the windows down & the smell of summer fields.  What can be better?

Acton Burnell castle was built between 1284 - 1293 as a fortified manor house. Robert Burnell was Bishop of Bath & Wells & a friend & advisor to King Edward 1.  

His influence was such that Parliament was hosted twice at this little Shropshire village,  in 1283 & again in 1285. That really put it on the map & showed the importance of the connection to the King. 

The double storeyed living area was in the Norman style. The King stayed several times & it would have been of much importance to have that honour. 

Right next door to the castle is St. Mary's church which is of similar age to the castle. 

Robert Burnell also built St Mary's church next door in the same red sandstone; most important houses were connected to a nearby church that they funded & which contained their memorials & tombs. 

The church was built between 1275-1280, making it 700 years old. The castle can be seen to the right of the church, at one time they would have been one space, not separated by a wall as they are now. 

It is humbling to think of the generations of people who have passed through this space  & continue to do so as it is still used for services. 

I was fascinated by the elaborate tombs in the north transept that date back to 1382. 

I once again picked up a Short History of ... brochure & read that the elaborate Elizabethan tomb of Sir Richard Lee (d 1591), his wife & details of the 9 daughters & 3 sons. 

None of the 9 carvings of the daughters are the same - I had to have a closer look.  The eldest son is carved at their head, his hand on his Dad's helmet, & 2 other sons at their feet. The fashion of the daughters is interesting too.

I find these details fascinating how their family of 12 are preserved along with them.  

I have since read that they are ancestors of the American Confederate General Robert E. Lee.  

Just next to this is a table tomb to Sir Nicolas Burnell who died in 1382.

 It is a splendid mediaeval brass on the wooden tomb, noted as one of the finest in Shropshire. This is also the oldest memorial in the church.

The details are quite stunning, his belt buckle & sword handle as well as the headplate contain so much detail still for something that old. 

Set in to the floor of the north transept are some very old headstones which confirm the long history of this fascinating place of worship. 

The floor tiles are mediaeval & have interesting patterns. It is fascinating that they have survived 700 years of people walking over them.  

I always find these old floor tiles very interesting with their colour variations & patterns. 

The south transept has 13th century stencilled rosette patterns on the walls. 

It is amazing that these have survived all this time. 

We think of stencils as something modern but these show otherwise. The pigments that was used have certainly stood the test of time. 

Just near the altar is a glass space set in the wall - this is a leper window where those inflicted with leprosy could stand outside the church & see the altar through the hole. They could not participate but they could observe the service through the glass. 

I am so pleased to have suggested a return to this interesting castle & a visit to the church that was locked on a previous visit. 

Between the castle & church lies an old grave yard with connections to various religious orders from Shrewsbury - what a fine place for them to rest amongst the wooded area that has such a long history of life & worship ... 

I hope you have enjoyed this visit with me, thank you for stopping by, 

Dee