Staverton Thicks - glorious oaks and holly

At the Butley end of Rendlesham Forest, is an area called Staverton Park, and it was to there that we travelled for a Photographic Workshop with Gill Moon.This woodland area has been claimed as an ancient ‘wildwood’, but it is thought to actually be an overgrown medieval deer park and all the ancient oaks are pollards (some over 400 years old). A park is recorded here in the 1260s, and may have been made from an existing wood – one is mentioned in Domesday Book. In 1528 Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France (sister of King Henry VIII) and her husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, hunted foxes here and ‘took their dinner under the oaks, with delightful entertainment and games’.

According to legend, it was amongst the young oaks of Staverton Park that St Edmund was murdered by the Danes, tied naked to one of the trees and made a target for their arrows. It was also here that the last sighting of a wolf was recorded in 1150. Later it was owned by the monks of nearby Butley Priory. 

So, starting with a view of the main path through, here are a few images from this morning.

Hollowed out

The archway

BOO! - made you jump!

Framed

Dancing around the oak tree

In a tangle

Last of the ferns

Rowan tree

Totem pole

Today, this area is a Special Area of Conservation. However, most people drive by this magical place without even knowing it is there.

Although Staverton Park is now in private ownership, the part called the Thicks has a footpath running through it. I have never seen so many ancient trees, be it oaks or the amazing holly. In fact the holly trees are reputedly the largest in the UK. It's well worth a visit.

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Autumn comes to Rendlesham

Autumn has made its presence felt with dull, damp days, and the sun setting earlier. However there are always pluses to balance, such as the beautiful colours that we usually get on the trees and woodlands. On top of that, this is the time for most fungi to make their appearance. Here is a small offering from my camera on a recent walk around part of Rendlesham Forest. I hope I have named the fungi correctly, but please don't hesitate to correct me if I am wrong!

On a warmer day, a great spot to sit'

The sun is lighting up the bracken which is rapidly changing colour.

Tangled trees

Now for a few fungi - this one being a Cauliflower Fungus (Sparassis crispa)

Puffball fungi

Redlead Roundhead (Leratiomyces ceres)

Parasol fungi (?)

And lastly - Hairy Curtain Crust fungi

No doubt a few more visits to the woodlands are on the cards for the next month, to record this beautiful season. The only unfortunate thing about autumn? - Winter follows! 

But not to worry, perhaps we can get some snow scenes!

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Shapes in trees - Flatford

On a rather dull, gray morning, a walk at Flatford and a coffee and cake seemed a good idea. Get us out of the house anyway, even though the weather looked threatening! Not a lot to photograph that we have not photographed before, but some tree shapes might make a picture, we thought. 

So, first picture was of Willy Lott's Cottage on a grey day

This one I guess has been broken for a while as its branches have curled upwards toward the sunlight.

This one has seemingly grown a lot since falling, as its branches have grown skyward.

The power of the wind.

`Framed`. This broken tree formed a frame for the river and cow on the opposite side.

`Come on in` Looks like a doorway to somewhere.

`The pathway in` - from the carpark. 

Not too much to shout about but an hour or two in the open strolling by the river - lovely.

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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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