In the midst of the frosty & cold winter, suddenly, the snowdrops poke their pretty heads out & it feels like Spring is on the way.
No snow to go with them at the moment, but their translucent blooms really are a joy in woodlands & especially in church yards where they often appear en masse.
The Shropshire church of St James in Shipton always has a magnificent display of thousands of snowdrops & yellow aconites. The solid stone church with its square tower is the perfect backdrop to the delicateness of the tiny snowdrops that are at about 15-25cm tall.
The church is 11th century and it is a grade 2 listed building so it is always an interesting visit.
HISTORY: Shipton church is first mentioned c1110, and was probably a small 2-celled church until the tower was added at some time in the medieval period, and which contained 3 bells by 1552. The chancel was described as a 'great ruin' in 1553 and was replaced and rebuilt at the expense of John Lutwyche of Shipton Hall in 1589, as recorded on a brass memorial plaque in the chancel. The new chancel was probably built on the ruins of the old, with openings in the same position. The south porch appears to have been part of the same works. The exterior walls were rendered by 1789. The C18 gallery and C17 pews were removed in 1905-6 when a major re-ordering took place, at which time the walls were stripped of plaster and the present pews were installed.
On a fresh day of just 2C, we made the trip to see them. Brighter skies after several grey days is perfect to set them off against.
The weathered headstones again providing the contrast that is needed to photograph them against.
The church contains a memorial to the four More children who did the perilous trip on the Mayflower to America. Their story is in a previous blog post - do read it.
The beloved British poet William Wordsworth's Daffodil poem - I wandered lonely as a cloud - is well known but he also paid tribute to the pretty snowdrop being the harbinger of Spring ...
How can you not be charmed by the purity of snowdrops on a frosty day?
The creamy white against the green foliage is a delight, a promise of new life emerging ...
It is always a delight to see masses of snowdrops, Spring & blue skies might be on the way,
Dee
