More ghosts - Walberswick

The Suffolk village of Walberswick has a long history as a busy port and centre for maritime trade. As early as the 13th century the harbour at the mouth of the River Blyth was a thriving centre for trade in bacon, timber, cheese, and corn. and with good access to offshore fishing banks the port was a thriving centre for the fishing trade as well.

For many years Walberswick languished in the shadow of Dunwich, 3 miles to the south, but coastal erosion and silting meant that the port at Dunwich lost its importance by the late 13th century, and as Dunwich faded into obscurity Walberswick began to flourish.

The villagers grew wealthy on the trade passing through the port, and built an imposing church, dedicated to St Andrew, to rival the nearby churches at Southwold and Blythburgh.

Unfortunately, silting of the harbour and the effects of erosion along the coast meant that the heady days of Walberswick's trade were numbered. By the late 17th century the villagers could no longer maintain their large church. They were forced to pull it down, sell the lead and three of their four bells to raise enough money to erect a small church that fit inside the old medieval south aisle. You can still explore the ruins of the medieval church, well inland of the port on the road to Blythburgh.

First thing to note (as I like village signs) is the sign with the ship on it. A reminder of the past history which made it wealthy.

This is the 17th century church of St Andrew

...... sitting among the ruins of the older, grander Church.

The inside of St Andrews, simpler than, I suspect, the older one was. Courtesy of the puritan 17th century's suspicion of maintaining church buildings in their former glory

On the beach, near the harbour entrance, the waves roll in still, as they have since time immemorial.

The beach lined with sand dunes ...

...and the odd hat!!

Keith ‘Wally’ Webb helped fund this bridge to the beach to enable sea defence work to take place. As a tribute to his many local works, his name was inscribed on it.

‘Wally’ Webb, was also co-Founder (with his brother) of the crabbing competition which ran each year from 1981 to 2010, raising tens of thousands for charities including the old Blythburgh Hospital and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ Treehouse Appeal - Seen on a plaque near the beach.

It seems a shame that nearly 50% of the home in the village are now holiday lets, but that seems a trend for many seaside town on this coast. However, it is a beautiful place to visit, and has attracted many well known names such as Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionist, as it did Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

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The "Retable" at Thornham Parva

`What on earth is that`? I hear you say - and me too when I heard the name for the first time. A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate structure. 

The church at Thornham Parva, which had a rare quality retable, was not too distant, so I decided to visit when in the locality. Its retable is a 15 feet (4.6 m) long and is thought to have been created in the 1330s for a Dominican Priory. It is the largest surviving altarpiece from the English Middle Ages. 

This retable survived the iconoclastic reformers of the 16th Century, who destroyed much of England's medieval culture, by being removed from its church. It was discovered in 1927 in a wood pile in a loft at Thornham Hall, belonging to a Suffolk landowner, Lord Henniker. He donated it to St Mary's Church, Thornham Parva, where his brother was parson. 

First impression of the church - it is tiny, and it is thatched - tower and all.

The sign near the church

The entrance is through this small Norman doorway on the North side of the church. None of the grand entrance stuff here! 

As you enter and look left, this is the view that greets you - it`s so small!.

This is the main reason I chose to visit here - the retable.The retable is only part of a much larger altarpiece that probably once stood in the Priory at Thetford in Norfolk. The rest of the piece can be found in the Musee de Cluny in Paris. It was rescued and hidden after the Anglican Reformation destroyed the priory, along with so many of England’s treasures. Perhaps it was taken by recusant Catholics to use in their devotions. More likely, it was simply rescued because it is beautiful. From left to right, the figures are St Dominic (Thetford was a Dominican Priory); St Catherine; St John the Baptist; St Paul; a rood group of the Blessed Virgin, Christ and St John; St Peter; St Edmund; St Margaret; St Peter Martyr (another Dominican). 

The retable dates from the height of the Decorated period, in the decades before the Black Death, so in the period about 1280-1380. 

When you enter the church, this 18 c balcony is above your head, apparently there are no others in Suffolk. 

As if the retable were not enough, the walls of St Mary are lined with some of Suffolk’s most fascinating wall-paintings. They rank with those at Wissington, and date broadly from the early years of the 14th century, and are in two ranges; on the south wall is the story of the early years of Christ. On the north wall is the martyrdom of St Edmund. This is amazingly rare; fragments survive not far off at Troston, but there is only one other sequence of the martyrdom surviving in the whole of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get any good images so will perhaps try another day. 

In the churchyard I found the grave to Sir Basil Spence who was famous for, among other things, the new Coventry Cathedral, the commission which made him the best known modern architect in the country for the remainder of his lifetime. Was not sure of his link to this small church, until I discovered that he lived up the road at Yaxley. 

A village appears non existent now, this church being one of the last vestiges of a once thriving area. I believe that in 2005 there were only 50 people in the village and the census now includes its population with the next door village. In a way, a bit sad. 

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Bramfield church with its detached tower

On wander in north Suffolk, we had intended to visit the thatched church at Bramfield.

However, on arriving, the first thing which grabbed our attention wasn`t the church. It was a  crinkle crankle wall, also known as a crinkum crankum, serpentine, ribbon or wavy wall, is an unusual type of garden wall. The crinkle crankle wall economizes on bricks, despite its sinuous configuration, because it can be made just one brick thin, also known as a crinkum crankum, serpentine, ribbon or wavy wall. It is an unusual type of garden wall. The crinkle crankle wall economizes on bricks, despite its sinuous configuration, because it can be made just one brick thin.

The crinkle crankle wall

Opposite is the glorious thatched church of St.Andrew with its attractive lytchgate. St.Andrew's, together with St.Peter's at nearby Thorington, are both round tower churches of which there are less than fifty throughout Suffolk. The round tower at Bramfield is over thirteen metres high with a wall thickness of over a metre and houses five bells, three of which date from 1440. However, Bramfield St.Andrew is unique in Suffolk in that here the round tower is completely detached from the body of the church. Remarkably, it is thought that the tower has always stood alone as there is no evidence to the contrary.

Note the lovely thatched roof. 

Another view, this time from the rear.

One of the first features which catches the attention, is the Rood Screen. The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jube) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron. The rood screen would originally have been surmounted by a rood loft carrying the Great Rood, a sculptural representation of the Crucifixion. At Wells Cathedral the medieval arrangement was restored in the 20th century, with the medieval strainer arch supporting a rood, placed in front of the pulpitum and organ. Rood screens can be found in churches in many parts of Europe. However, in Catholic countries they were generally removed during the Counter-reformation, when the retention of any visual barrier between the laity and the high altar was widely seen as inconsistent with the decrees of the Council of Trent. Accordingly, rood screens now survive in much greater numbers in Anglican and Lutheran churches; with the greatest number of survivals complete with screen and rood figures in Scandinavia.

A close up of the detail, and below are two images from the paintings at the base.

The series of panel paintings originally comprised the Evangelists and four other saints, of which five remain. From left to right, they are: Saints Mark and Matthew, (both repainted). And BELOW, Saints Luke, John and Mary Magdalene. The Magdalen with her jar of ointment is richly dressed in a pale rose robe like a Flemish grand dame, and the paintings may well have come from the same hand as those at Yaxley and Sotherton. 

The beautiful, but poignant,  memorial to Mrs Arthur Coke who died in childbirth in 1627

The Lychgate - Lych is derived from the Old English 'lich', meaning corpse. They were meeting places and shelters for the party bringing a corpse for burial, and for the priest to receive the corpse. Although some had been built earlier, the 1549 Prayer Book required the priest to meet the corpse at the churchyard entrance. This encouraged the provision of lych-gates to shelter the corpse and the funeral party for that purpose. 

Medieval lych-gates were made of timber and most have long since disappeared. 

However, many new lych-gates were erected in Victorian times, sometimes as memorials to prominent local people or as war memorials.

Not sure of the age of this one. 

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Waxwings in Ipswich

"Surprise arrival of rare ‘cartoon birds’ on random Suffolk street causes a stir" so read the headline in a local newspaper this January! 

"But these rare waxwings are causing something of a stir after flying all the way from Scandinavia and randomly picking an Ipswich street to nest for winter.

The 20 or so of the brightly coloured birds are currently camped out on telegraph poles, television aerials and in trees in Defoe Road - picking Suffolk, perhaps surprisingly, for its warmer winter climate.

They have brought with them a flock of their own - in the form of nature lovers with binoculars and cameras, who have travelled from far and wide to capture a glimpse of the rare birds famous for their plump shape and prominent crest.

In scenes watchers have described as something out of a cartoon, the creatures fly down from their perches to eat berries from trees, comically tossing the fruit up in the air before taking a bite."

Waxwings are starling-sized, stout-bodied, short-legged birds with an upstanding, pointed crest. They have black throats, black wings with white, yellow and waxy red markings and yellow-tipped tails.Just one species breeds in Europe and visits the UK erratically in winter during 'irruption years'. Irruptions occur when population increases and shortages of food, particularly rowan berries, in its normal European range trigger large movements of birds to the south and west.

What could we do but join the flock with our cameras, and many layers of warm clothing in the chill morning.?

We had not been waiting very long when down they came! I must confess we were a little surprised to see them that quickly.

The perched on tv aerials, in the trees and then onto the electric poles and wires.

From never having seen one in my life to 15 on an aerial just above me - magic. There were several more near these ones, but the lens only allowed me to see this bunch. All in all a great morning and one to remember for a long time.

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Hoar frost in Layham

On a cold clear morning, fog appeared as if by magic, and just as we were having breakfast. I returned later from a morning walk, and the trees certainly seemed to be turning white, but not to to any  great degree - until we looked closer as the sun started to poke through the mist.

Suddenly, it seemed, the world had turned white! So, armed with cameras we headed out to have a closer look at this beautiful world that had descended.

The view of the trees in front of our bungalow with a brilliant blue sky as a backdrop to this magical Hoar Frost

Hoar frost forms when the water vapour in the air comes into contact with solid surfaces that are already below freezing point. Ice crystals form immediately, and the ice continues to grow as more water vapour is frozen. On a still night, it can grow well on tree branches, where the surface temperature is unlikely to rise above zero for many hours.

The size of the frost that forms is dependent on how much water vapour is available to ‘feed’ the ice crystals as they grow. Hoar frost has a very distinctive appearance as it forms hair-like or feathery structures as it grows. 

The Layham Playing Field, looking toward the Conservation area. All these images were taken within 200 meters of our bungalow.

Ice on the Brett and the mist dispersing in the background.

 A mist view toward our bungalow

It is difficult to appreciate, but this white wonderland completely disappeared within the hour!

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One frosty morning - Flatford

Flatford Mill is a beautiful site at most times of the year, but the appearance of a good frost said `off to Flatford and a walk by the river`. What we were not expecting was the whole area covered in a Hoar frost. Beautiful!

This image is of Bridge Cottage from the start of the Deham riverside walk. 

So onto the different types of frost (nothing is simple is it?)

Ground frost - A ground frost refers to the formation of ice on the ground, objects or trees, whose surface have a temperature below the freezing point of water. During situations when the ground cools quicker than the air, a ground frost can occur without an air frost. A grass frost, an un-official type of ground frost, can occur when other surfaces - such as concrete or road surfaces - don't experience a frost, due to their better ability at holding onto any warmth. It is possible for a grass frost to occur in late spring or even early summer when the risk of more wide-spread frosts has disappeared and is something that gardeners in particular need to be aware of. 

Air frost - An air frost occurs when the air temperature falls to or below the freezing point of water. An air frost is usually defined as the air temperature being below freezing point of water at a height of at least one metre above the ground. 

Hoar frost - Hoar frost is composed of tiny ice crystals and is formed by the same process as dew, but when the temperature of the surface is below freezing point. The 'feathery' variety of hoar frost forms when the surface temperature reaches freezing point before dew begins to form on it. A 'white' frost, composed of more globular ice, occurs when the dew forms first, then subsequently freezes. The presence of fog tends to prevent the formation of hoar frost as it reduces the potential for radiational cooling of surfaces. 

So now you know!

A close up of how the frost builds up into beautiful shapes.

Then the grass on the river bank completely smothered in frost.

And another close up.

There was activity, especially on the water, despite the biting cold. Like these canoeists - complete with the radio playing. Fancy spoiling the peace of this glorious morning!

Then of course a pair of graceful swans.

Followed by a touch of standup paddleboarding

The sun breaking through the trees.

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Kiss and Tell - Christchurch Mansion

Rodin's The Kiss is on display at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, alongside work by John Constable and Suffolk sculptor Ellen Mary Rope. Museum curator Emma Roodhouse said it was "a dream come true" to have such an iconic sculpture on show. The 1882 sculpture, on loan from the Tate, depicts the adulterous lovers Paolo and Francesca, who were mentioned in Dante's Inferno. What an opportunity to see this great work of art - and all for free!

The Kiss (c.1884) 

Christchurch Mansion where The Kiss is currently displayed. 

François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 1840 – 17 November 1917), known as Auguste Rodin, was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past. He was schooled traditionally, took a craftsman-like approach to his work, and desired academic recognition, although he was never accepted into Paris's foremost school of art. 

Rodin possessed a unique ability to model a complex, turbulent, deeply pocketed surface in clay. Many of his most notable sculptures were criticized during his lifetime. They clashed with predominant figurative sculpture traditions, in which works were decorative, formulaic, or highly thematic. Rodin's most original work departed from traditional themes of mythology and allegory, modeled the human body with realism, and celebrated individual character and physicality. Rodin was sensitive to the controversy surrounding his work, but refused to change his style. Successive works brought increasing favor from the government and the artistic community. 

From the unexpected realism of his first major figure – inspired by his 1875 trip to Italy – to the unconventional memorials whose commissions he later sought, Rodin's reputation grew, and he became the preeminent French sculptor of his time. By 1900, he was a world-renowned artist. Wealthy private clients sought Rodin's work after his World's Fair exhibit, and he kept company with a variety of high-profile intellectuals and artists. He married his lifelong companion, Rose Beuret, in the last year of both their lives. His sculptures suffered a decline in popularity after his death in 1917, but within a few decades, his legacy solidified. Rodin remains one of the few sculptors widely known outside the visual arts community. 

The Kiss (c.1884) 

Critics gave this sculpture the title The Kiss, but Rodin originally called it Paolo and Francesca, after the story in Dante's Divine Comedy about a young noblewoman who falls in love with her husband's brother. In the story, the couple is killed by the jealous husband, but Rodin focuses instead on their loving embrace. This erotic sculpture was made during the early years of Rodin's relationship with Camille Claudel. It was probably intended to figure in The Gates of Hell. It is not known why these figures were not ultimately included; they do not exhibit the same despair as other figures in the composition, and so Rodin may have concluded that they were ill-suited. Rodin believed in making his work as widely available as possible, and he produced numerous versions of his most popular works, ensuring his fame with future generations. Over 300 bronze copies of The Kiss had been produced by Rodin's death in 1917 

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