Swilland and Crowfield - two unusual Church buildings

With a spare couple of hours on our hands, we decided to visit a couple of the many Suffolk churches that I find so intriguing. As many churches were open for private devotion and visitors, we took a chance on these two - unlucky! - both were closed. However, not to waste this opportunity I took some exterior shots and have added a little of their history, and will re-visit when able to explore the interiors.

First was Swilland`s Church of St Mary which was founded in 1678 and is recorded to have had a graveyard. In fact records for church burials are recorded back as far as 1679. 

The extraordinary appearance of this building is due entirely to its large tower with a lantern spire, this was designed by an Ipswich architect by the name of John Corder, and is was set on top of the surviving lower part of the Tudor brick W. tower.

It could probably be a folly or a dovecote as easily as a church belfry, Yet it is certainly remarkable, and it makes distinctive a little church that would hardly be so otherwise, except, perhaps, for its Norman south doorway inside the modern porch. On the day we visited , as I said, it was all locked and barred! 

A closer view of the unusual tower.

Then on to Crowfield church of All Saints, which is unusual, not because of its tower, (it hasn't got one) but because of its construction and the fact that it was probable a Chapel of Ease for Coddenham until the start of the 20th century. One other claim to fame is that it has the only timber-framed chancel in Suffolk.

The glorious east / chancel end of the church.

 Close up of one of the windows

In the churchyard, a seat looking toward the church and carved from a fallen tree - very imaginative. A return to these two churches is noted so I can explore the interior treasures. Unfortunately, it looks some months off in the current situation.

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A morning walk in Snape

Another bright sunny day (I am not complaining!) and a walk starting at the famous Maltings, and taking a circular route through Snape Warren RSPB site and back to the start. By the time we arrived back at the Maltings the place was `heaving` with people and cars, so no photos today actually at the Malting, although here are some I took previously, when not so busy! However, for today, here are my images.

Starting our walk along by the River Alde, this is the view looking over the reed beds toward the Maltings.

Puffball fungi

Parasol fungi. Not having a lens on my camera for most wildlife, I looked down instead!

Entering the area known as Snape Warren, we were lucky to see some heather still making a bit of a show, if a little past its best.

Lucky to catch this Hoverfly sitting on some Marsh Sow Thistle.

Another view of the heather, before wandering back to our start (with an impromptu pub lunch on the way.)

And lastly, the Snape village sign. 

Snape Village Sign was dedicated on 10th October, 1987 in memory of Ken Haslam, a Snape resident. The Cross which surmounts the sign is based on the Consecration Cross, which is partially revealed to the inside left of the South Door of Snape’s Saint John The Baptist's Church.

The Anglo-Saxon Ship, seen in the top-left quarter, refers to the Saxon burial grounds along the Aldeburgh road. These were the subject of a series of major ‘digs’ some years ago. 

The Monk commemorates a Benedictine Order in Snape, at the Priory of St. Mary. The remains of this Priory lie under the Chapel Fields.

The Bridge shown in the lower-left hand quarter was the old bridge, which was built in 1802 and demolished in 1960, and finally, the Curlew symbolises his inspiration, drawn from the stunning countryside around the River Alde, for Benjamin Britten`s music drama `Curlew Rivers`.

The Supports of the Sign represent the reeds growing by the Alde, which are so typical of the area.

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Another walk in Walberswick

Last month, 16th August to be exact, we went on a Scavenger Hunt to Walberswick with Gill Moon. Today we revisited the same place, on our own, but walked in the opposite direction to see more of this lovely area.  One of the first things encountered on entering the village is the village sign, which appears to have a story behind it.The story of the village sign as in BBC news: 

A village sign which was made for the Queen's Coronation in 1953 but stolen in the 1980s is back on display. Lea and Philip Newstead had bought the sign in London in the mid 1990s, without knowing it had been stolen from Walberswick in Suffolk.

They donated it back to the village and were guests of honour on Saturday as the restored sign was unveiled. Mr Newstead said: "The sign was made for the Coronation and has come back for the Jubilee." The couple had paid about £180 for the sign, which has the locally-made HMS Basing as its centrepiece. They said they did not know Walberswick existed until they passed a sign to the village en route to a holiday in Norfolk. Mrs Newstead said: "It needed a lot of work when we had it - it was in our garden and nearly became a feature of our pond." The couple said they had received a "fantastic" welcome to Walberswick. The restored sign is now located opposite the village church.

Today, here it is in all its glory. The frame of the sign is made of steel and the design, by Clifford Russell, features a crown and a copper ship. The ship is based on HMS Basing (later HMS Guernsey), which supposedly was built in Walberswick for Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth army. Who knows? - but a good story.

Seen on the foreshore, well up from the beach but quite close to the river. I just liked the contrasting colours.

Old (Victorian possible) fishermens huts line the dunes. Once there were many more. The 31st January 1953 was a particularly dark day in Southwold and Walberswick`s history. An unusually high tide coincided with a deep depression of below 970 millibars and gale-force northerly winds. All of which combined to send a tremendous surge of water funnelling round from Scotland into the North Sea. The result was one of the worst floods in living memory along England’s entire East Coast. It was a national disaster, and 358 people died in all. I believe many of these huts disappeared at this time.

Artist in action. They do make a good picture, these huts.

Continuing our walk through the marshes, we came to Westwood Marshes Mill which was built in the late 18th century, possibly in 1798. It was worked by wind until 1940 and then damaged when used for target practice during WW2. The mill was repaired in the 1950s but in October 1960 it was burnt out in an arson attack. It remains standing in a derelict state.

Another view of the mill on Westwood marshes. It was at this point that we turned sharp right in front of the mill and headed for the woods, before reaching the road again. Then a walk back along the road to Walberswick.

One surprise, as we navigated the woods, was this WW2 Pillbox. It just demonstrated to us how much the forest had grown up in the intervening 75 years since the war. I am sure it would have been built with a clear view of the surrounding coastal area.

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Redundant church of St Mary, Washbrook

St Mary's church in Washbrook is a Norman country church just beyond the urban sprawl of Ipswich. St Mary's lies up a winding track, surrounded by trees and meadows in an idyllic setting. The core of the church is 12th century or even earlier, but it was heavily rebuilt in the 14th century, with the result that much of the interior fittings and furnishings date to that period. The church was subject to a more modern restoration by Edmund Lamb in 1866.
The building is constructed of flint rubble and brick, dressed with stone. The layout is very simple, with a traditional nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, north vestry and baptistry. St Mary's is no longer in use for regular worship and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.

The tower is decorated with stone and flint flushwork in the chequerboard pattern that you so often see in East Anglia. The tower is set upon a plinth, as are the nave and chancel, also decorated with flushwork panels. You can just see the base of the tower and its chequerboard pattern in this image.

The church has an avenue of yew trees, but despite some trimming it is difficult to get a good view of the church from many angles.

The south porch dates from the 19th century and is in timber on a brick and flint base.

There is a lovely 15th-century font, housed in the Victorian baptistry. The octagonal font is supported by pilaster shafts carved with figures of lions. Beneath the font bowl are more carvings, depicting angels holding shields, surrounded by foliage and flowers. Sorry about the poor quality of this image.

The magnificent east window.

On the north side of the nave is a memorial window to Queen Victoria, inserted after the Queen's death in 1901. Some say the glass royal arms are probably the best of the period in Suffolk

One of the great treasures of this humble country church, – the stone stalls in the choir. A visit is essential to appreciate the surprise of finding such a treasure in so small and obscure a building.

More of the great Victorian glass.

 

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Signs of Autumn`s approach

 I always think of fungi as one of the first signs of autumn, although this is not strictly true as some fungi grow happily in late summer, while the weather is still warm. Berries appearing are another good sign, and this year has been no exception. But of course ploughed fields and the appearance of some particular floral varieties, also herald the advent of the end of summer! All these images were taken locally and record the beginning of the autumn season.

Parasol Fungi

In a row - and on our lawn!

One of my favourite autumn things - the teasel, although not strictly speaking confined to autumn. The teasel is probably best-known for its brown, prickly stems and conical seed heads, which persist long after the plants themselves have died back for the winter. Between July and August, when teasels are in flower, the spiky flower heads are mostly green with rings of purple flowers. Found in damp grassland and field edges, or on disturbed ground, such as roadside verges and waste grounds, they are visited by bees when in flower, and birds when seeding. These ones were on the edge of a local conservation area.

A lot of my autumn images are taken on my morning walks, this being the type of footpath I love to follow.

Rose Hips used for all sorts of purposes as they contain large quantities of vitamin C. People make Jelly from them, sometimes adding Crab Apples, and you can also make wine from them. Another use, with multiple health claims, is for Rosehip tea.

Sloes, fruit of the Blackthorn. Another hedgerow fruit with many uses.

Then, of course, everyone's favourite, the blackberry. This year there have been large quantities of blackberries and we have picked a few ourselves - to have with apple. Lovely!

Not an autumn plant really, but this Yellow Toadflax has been in great profusion this year in roadsides many places I have walked. Even now, in mid-september, it adorns the verges making a beautiful display beside the brown, ploughed fields.

Then, of course, a real sign that summer is giving way to autumn - a ploughed field.

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Coastal erosion at Walton on the Naze

One of the areas where coastal erosion is remarkable clear is at Walton-on-the Naze, one of our favourite spots. The cliffs here are a geologists` dream, as so much can be learnt from the multiple layers that are exposed, and which change over the seasons, year on year.

Some information found on the web:

The town of Walton-on-the-Naze lies on the north-east coast of Essex, about 10 kilometres south of the port of Harwich. The town itself has a population of around 6,000 people although this increases with visitors during the summer. The word Naze comes from the old English word ‘naes’ which means nose.

The Naze itself is a promontory found to the north of the town. Part of it is made up of a hill about 23 metres high which ends in cliffs which rise directly from the beach. Further north the land gets gradually lower 300 metres until it drops to the level of the beach. The Naze separates the North Sea on its eastern edge from the Walton Channel on its west. In the north, the land ends in salt marsh.

At the highest point of the Naze stands the Naze Tower. Trinity House built the 26 metre high octagonal Naze Tower in 1720 as a navigational mark to aid shipping. Originally there was a beacon on the top and it was an early form of lighthouse. Open to the public, the tower is a Grade II* listed building of unique architectural and historic interest and is the only one of its kind in existence. This listing places it in the top 5% of heritage buildings and the top twenty listed lighthouses in the country.

The Naze Tower 86ft high brick built navigation tower built for Trinity House in 1720. It was designed to serve with Walton Hall as a guide to vessels approaching the Goldmer Gap and also with a light in Suffolk to lead vessels safely in and out of the Suffolk/Essex border rivers. It is now the only tower of its type to survive and is a prominent landmark. The tower is now an art gallery. The tea room and museum and access can be gained to roof viewing platform with panoramic views of Essex coast. Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, this is all shut, for 2020 at least. When it was built in 1720 it was ¼ mile inland but today it stands only 50 metres from the cliff edge, such is the scale of the erosion.

A couple of images where you can see the segments that have crumbled to the sand below.

Another indication of the speed of this erosion. The WW2 military pillboxes were on the top of the cliffs during the war. Having fallen off the cliffs, see how far the cliff has eroded behind them! All in about 70 years. I hate to think how it will be in another 70!

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Wasp Spiders in Landseer Park, Ipswich

In 2019 we found and photographed a wasp spider at RSPB Minsmere. What a fascinating looking spider! So, this year, we thought we would try and find another one and obtain some more photographs. Having recently been alerted to a sighting in Landseer Park in Ipswich, this seemed an obvious starting point, especially as there was a good chance of some butterflies in Piper`s Vale, almost opposite.

The day started a bit dull as we started our walk around Piper`s Way but we were not to be disappointed as we found a patch of blackberry brambles which seemed to be the `patch` of some Holly Blue butterflies.

Two images of this gorgeous Holly Blue

The holly blue is a small blue butterfly that emerges in early spring, from March to May, and then again at the end of the summer between July and September. This is the blue butterfly most likely to be found in gardens, as well as woodlands, parks and churchyards. It tends to fly high around bushes and trees, whereas other grassland blue butterflies fly low to the ground. The foodplants of the caterpillars are mainly Holly (for the spring generation) and Ivy (for the summer generation), although a wide range of other plants are used including spindle, bramble and gorse. This one was flying over a large blackberry bush area.

Comma - Polygonia c-album

The Comma is a fascinating butterfly. The scalloped edges and cryptic colouring of the wings conceal hibernating adults amongst dead leaves, while the larvae, flecked with brown and white markings, bear close resemblance to bird droppings.

The species has a flexible life cycle, which allows it to capitalize on favourable weather conditions. However, the most remarkable feature of the Comma has been its severe decline in the twentieth century and subsequent comeback. It is now widespread in southern Britain and its range is expanding northwards. This one appeared to be in good condition, I thought, as it settled close to us.

Common garden spider

Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi 

Then to the Wasp spider. We entered Landseer park from the car park, and started searching on the right hand side of the pathway. So not many meters from the gate. Within 15 minutes, Rosey had found three separate webs with Wasp spiders! I think you could say we were pleased!

The underside showing the spinnerets

One of the main thing that distinguishes spiders from the rest of the animal kingdom is their ability to spin silk, an extremely strong fiber. A few insects produce similar material (silkworms, for example), but nothing comes close to the spinning capabilities of spiders. Most species build their entire lives around this unique ability.

Scientists don't know exactly how spiders form silk, but they do have a basic idea of the spinning process. Spiders have special glands that secrete silk proteins (made up of chains of amino acids), which are dissolved in a water-based solution. The spider pushes the liquid solution through long ducts, leading to microscopic spigots on the spider's spinnerets. Spiders typically have two or three spinneret pairs, located at the rear of the abdomen.

Wasp spiders are a very distinctive looking species. They have black and yellow stripes across their bodies, looking like no other species of spider found in the UK. Their colour and pattern mimics the colouration of a wasp, which is where the Wasp spider gets its name from. Their appearance is actually a defence mechanism, as by disguising themselves as wasps, predators leave well alone believing them to be a wasp and not a spider. Clever! Their bright appearance may seem dangerous, but don’t be fooled as these mesmerising little creatures are actually harmless! And in fact are related to the Common garden spider.

To match their unique look, Wasp spiders also have a unique web. They are orb-shaped, like a Common garden spider, but they have a single zig-zag pattern of silk through the centre rather than all over. Their webs aren’t always like this. When Wasp spiders are young, their web is a circular zigzagging design. When the spider grows older, it makes both the circular and straight zigzag pattern through its web, until it eventually only makes the straight zigzag pattern. 

The zigzag design is created to reflect UV light and attract pollinating insects like flies, bees and moths! - so it is now thought. 

As is the case with many spider species, the females rule the roost!-Or web in this case! Female Wasp spiders are much larger than males, measuring in at an impressive 14-17mm, whilst males only reach up to between 4 and 6mm. When it comes to mating, males play a daring and dangerous game. Males will wait at the edge of a web until the female has moulted into a mature form then will dive in to make their move. Females actually eat males whilst they are mating, so doing it at this precise moment is key to the hopeful survival of males as the female’s jaws are still soft. However, luck isn’t on their side much and the females still eat the males alive, soft jaws or not! 

Wasp spiders are mainly found in grasslands but can also be present in coastal areas, farmland, heathland, woodland, towns and gardens. 

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