There and Back

At the heart of the village of Stowlangtoft is St George's church, a magnificent Perpendicular building erected around 1370. It is thought to stand on the site of a former Roman camp. The church was built in one concerted effort, and as a result, is a beautiful example of early Perpendicular Gothic without later embellishments. The major patron was the lord of the manor, Robert Dacy de Ashfield, who was buried in the chancel in 1401. Also buried in St George's is Peter Tillemans (d. 1734), one of the most influential painters of sporting scenes in English history. The church was restored in 1855 by William White. It retains the base of a 15th century painted screen, and 15th-century benches in the nave with carved poppyhead ends. There are more 15th-century benches in the chancel, with several nicely carved misericords, brought to Stowlangtoft from either Thetford Priory or Bury St Edmunds Abbey at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Marble `altar reredos` in the church has...

This particular year (2025) appears to have been a very fruitful one for all sorts of `fruits of nature` - I guess a damp spring and a long dry, warm summer have all contributed to this wondrous crop on all the hedgerows in the countryside. Here are just a few images taken on the countryside around where I live and walk. Rose Hips - common enough but prolific this year. Snowberry (Symphoricarpos Albus) - is considered an invasive plant in the UK because it can spread aggressively and outcompete native species. It was introduced by the Victorians for game bird cover and now forms dense thickets through its fast-growing root systems, suppressing the growth of surrounding plants. Blackberries - a fruit which most of us a familiar with but which were only introduced into America in the mid 19C A Pyracantha (Firethorn) hedge is a dense, evergreen, and thorny hedge that produces white flowers in late spring, followed by clusters of red, orange, or yellow berries in the fall, which attract ...