Little Finborough and Needham Market _ Parish Churches

A few hours to visit some local churches that have been shut recently due to Covid! It took me a few minutes to find this church, having driven past it once! However, I backtracked to where my map indicated, and parked on the main road. The church is not visible from this point but a walk down the driveway to Finborough Hall, and then turn off through the fields, soon brought me to this tree surrounded, quaint little church. 

The Victorians had a lot to do with the church we see now, but it still feels Medieval. Probable of 14C origins and has never had a tower. The west end (above) was rebuilt in 1856, replacing the lath and plaster with the banded pebble wall that we see today.

A view from the North side and the shed like structure on wheels which is an old Shepherds Hut. Supposedly of C19 origin.

 

The interior of St Mary`s with it`s tiny organ tucked away in the corner and its curious pulpit and reading desk at the front. All in all, a sense of peace and tranquillity, tucked away from todays rat race.

Something I had not come across before and that was "Chalking the Door". Either on Twelfth Night (5 January), the twelfth day of Christmastide and eve of the feast of the Epiphany, or on Epiphany Day (6 January) itself, many Christians (including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics, among others) write on their doors or lintels with chalk in a pattern such as "20 ✝ C ✝ M ✝ B ✝ 22", with the numbers in this example referring to the calendar year 2022 and the crosses to Christ. The letters C, M and B stand for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar)

Apparently, the Christian custom of chalking the door has a biblical precedent as the Israelites in the Old Testament marked their doors in order to be saved from death.

Medieval Wall Painting 

The fragment to the right of the door to the vestry is a surviving part of a medieval wall painting. This was rediscovered in 2005. An expert in medieval art surveyed it in 2008, although I find it difficult so see what they saw!

`The painting shows a figure with yellow hair and a yellow cloak over a red tunic. The left arm of the figure appears to be bare, with a strap or cuff around the wrist. The figure seems to 

be twisting to the left to manipulate some type of instrument, or to pull a rope or cable.

The picture was clearly larger originally, and more of it would have extended to the right, where a memorial plaque is now attached. The remains of a dark border on the painting suggest that it might have been one of a number of narrative scenes within a larger set of paintings.`

From here I traced my steps back to the main road and arrived at Needham Market where I wanted to visit the Parish church situated, unusually, in the middle of the town and hemmed in by other buildings.

A rather simple, almost dull looking Parish Church, but one with a surprise in store for the visitor. But first the outside and  again - no tower, although there is evidence that one may have existed in times past. Originally this building was a Chapel of ease for nearby Barking and only became a Parish Church in 1901. It was rebuilt in the 1480s; presumable from an existing chapel? Another oddity is that it is aligned SE to NW whereas churches are normally E to W. 

The porch and strange pinnacle are Victorian.

Then when you step inside you can immediately see what is arguable one of the best single hammer-beam roofs in England. Not being an expert I can only quote that its span of 30 feet is unusual in a single hammer-beam roof - it would be a double in most places. Just thinking about the carpentry skills required to build this really is breath-taking.

Prior to the C19 restoration, there was a plaster ceiling 16 feet below the roof. It must have come as something of a surprise to see this magnificent roof behind.

The carved angels, to the projecting ends of the hammer beams, were added in 1892 in memory of Major William Dods of Uvedale Hall. Well worth a visit to this rather quirky building if you are in the area.

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The woman who helped change the world - Princess Sophia Duleep Singh

Walking along the riverside in Ipswich, I am always on the lookout for art on the many buildings. At the end of 2021, I came across this image and promptly had to investigate as the name rang no bells with me! The following is a precis of this ladies life as found online. As you will see, she lived in Suffolk as a child, and although  a very privileged life for sure, she used that as a weapon in her fight for Women`s Rights.

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh is best known as a suffragette and campaigner for women's rights. Daughter of deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, she used her fame, position and tenacity in the fight for gender equality in the early 20th century. Sophia's campaigning attracted the attention of both the press and the government. Her tireless activities ranged from participating in landmark historical events such as 'Black Friday' to routinely selling copies of The Suffragette newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace. Sophia's philanthropy extended far beyond women's rights and she supported many groups, particularly Indians and Sikhs wherever she encountered them. Her life was truly dedicated to the fight for equality and the support of others.

EARLY LIFE

Sophia Jindan Alexandrovna Duleep Singh was born on 8 August 1876, the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh and Bamba Müller.

In 1854, the now deposed Maharaja, travelled to England, and was naturalised as a British Citizen. He lived on a pension of £25,000 a year which he was granted provided he 'remained obedient to the British Government'.

AN UNSTABLE CHILDHOOD

Sophia's early childhood was spent in Elveden Hall in Suffolk, which was purchased by her father in 1863. The Elveden estate provided the family with all the pastimes expected by the English aristocracy, particularly riding and shooting.

The house itself was rebuilt by her father with an Italianate exterior and palatial Mughal interior, full of rich textiles and furnishings. It must have been a truly wondrous place to be a child. Outside, exotic animals and birds roamed the gardens including golden pheasants, parrots, and peacocks.

This fantastical childhood was not to last. Sophia's parents' relationship broke down and Maharaja Duleep Singh spent the last six years of his life in Paris, campaigning to be returned to the throne of Lahore.

Worse still, in 1887 Sophia’s mother died, after which the children were in the care of Arthur Craigie Oliphant, chosen by Queen Victoria to be guardian.

The children first lived in the Oliphant family home in Folkestone, and then in their Brighton home. In Brighton Sophia received four years of education at a nearby girls' day school, after which she finished her education on a six-month tour with her sisters, staying in Holland, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Egypt.

Like her sisters Bamba and Catherine, Sophia inherited the sizeable fortune of £23,000 from her father. This was arguably a mere fraction of the wealth they could have expected from their patrimony.

In 1896 Queen Victoria gave Princess Sophia Faraday House, then part of the Hampton Court Estate, as a grace and favour residence. The Queen also granted her an allowance of £200 a year to maintain it.

While not the palatial surroundings her birth might have afforded her, Faraday House at least gave her the security of a home and a place to entertain.

TRAVEL TO INDIA

Sophia travelled twice to India with her sister Princess Bamba, in 1907 and 1924. The first time they visited family in Lahore and Amritsar, the second was a tour of Kashmir, Lahore, Amritsar and Murree.

The second visit was an emotional one, and nearly caused problems for the local authorities. In Lahore the crowds were excited to see the Princesses, resplendent in saris and traditional jewels, and shouted ‘The Princesses are here, the daughters of Maharajah Duleep Singh.’ Others shouted ‘We are with you, we will give you the world.’ In the end the police dispersed the crowd.

Sophia had both pride and sympathy for the Indian people, writing in one letter, 'I was delighted to see the house of my ancestors, but oh dear how primitive it all is.'

SOPHIA THE SUFFRAGETTE

Sophia was a long-time supporter of the Women's Suffrage movement and a leading campaigner in the fight for women's rights in Britain. She was an active member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), becoming a prominent member of the Richmond and Kingston-upon-Thames district branches.

Sophia was often seen selling The Suffragette newspaper at her pitch at Hampton Court Palace. Indeed, much of the information we have about Sophia's activities come from The Suffragette and Votes for Women newspapers.

BLACK FRIDAY

Princess Sophia was present on 'Black Friday', 18 November 1910. On this day, more than 300 suffragettes marched from Caxton Hall to Parliament Square and demanded to see the Prime Minister.

When the Prime Minister refused to see them and the protestors refused to disperse, the police responded with brutality. Over six hours, 200 women were physically and sexually assaulted. Two would later die from their injuries.

That day, Princess Sophia was in the vanguard with Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Emmeline Pankhurst herself. When violence erupted, the Princess rescued a suffragette from a police officer, who was treating her extremely roughly. She then pursued the officer until she discovered his identification number (V700), in order to make a formal complaint. She stated: "The policeman was unnecessarily and brutally rough and Princess Sophia hopes he will be suitably punished."

Home Secretary Winston Churchill was blamed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner for encouraging the police in their violent response — an accusation he later denied. Over 100 protesters were arrested on Black Friday, but all were released the next day without charge on Churchill's orders. The Home Secretary refused an official enquiry.

NO VOTE, NO TAX!

Sophia is even better known as a member of the Women’s Tax Reform League (WTRL), which campaigned on the principle – 'No Vote, No tax!'.

In May 1911 Sophia was summoned to court and fined £3 for keeping a man-servant, five dogs and a carriage without a licence. In 1913 she was summoned again to answer for keeping dogs and a carriage without a licence.

The Princess protested that taxation without representation was tyranny: "When the women of England are enfranchised and the state acknowledges me as a citizen I shall, of course, pay my share willingly towards its upkeep."

Sophia was fined £12 10s. with costs. Her refusal to pay resulted in some of her jewels being confiscated and auctioned at Twickenham Town Hall, when both were purchased by Miss Gertrude Eaton, The Honourable Secretary of the WTRL.

Later that year, a further diamond ring was confiscated when Sophia likewise refused to pay a fine. When auctioned the ring was bought by Mrs Jopling Rowe, who presented it back to Princess Sophia to much applause.

SISTERS IN ARMS

Sophia's older sister Catherine was also an active member of the suffrage movement and a member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), which was founded in 1897.

Catherine frequently attended events promoting the Suffrage cause, and in November 1912 opened an event in Birmingham promoting 'Constitutional women's suffrage work’.

Catherine and Sophia continued to attend dinners and gatherings of the movement, even after women had won the right to vote.

WARTIME

During the First World War, the WSPU and WTRL temporarily ceased activity to support the war effort. Princess Sophia was part of the 10,000 strong Women's War Work Procession led by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1915.

During the war Sophia was particularly keen to emulate and help the thousands of Indians who were fighting for the Allied Powers. In 1916 Sophia raised money for the Red Cross selling Indian flags at Dewar House in Haymarket. She did this with other Indian women, as part of the 'Our Day' celebration of the anniversary of the British Red Cross.

In 1918, the YMCA War Emergency Committee, of which Sophia was Honourable Secretary, organised a flag day in London and later 'India Day' for the support of India's soldiers and Labour Corps. The latter event provided 50,000 huts for the comfort of Indian soldiers.

The Princess visited and even nursed troops at Brighton Pavilion and other hospitals for Indian soldiers. Many soldiers were amazed to see the Princess, and granddaughter of the famed Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in the flesh, and she gave out mementos of signed photographs and little ivory mirrors.

LATER LIFE

During the Second World War Sophia moved to Coalhatch House, Penn in Buckinghamshire with her sister Catherine. There she took in evacuees, siblings John, Michael and Shirley Sarbutt from West London.

The children remembered the stay fondly, recalling oriental ornaments, ample food and a parrot called Akbar. During air-raids they would squeeze into the air-raid shelter surrounded by the Princesses' dogs.

Princess Sophia died in her sleep on 22 August 1948. On her instructions, a full band played Wagner's 'Funeral March' at her cremation and her ashes were taken to India for burial.

LEGACY

Although not a fan of public speaking, and often anxious not to draw attention away from fellow suffragettes, Sophia's celebrity status was ultimately an important asset for the Suffragette movement.

In 1918 the Representation of the People Act gave some women over the age of 30 the right to vote in British parliamentary elections. However, this was not the end of the matter for Princess Sophia who continued to campaign for equality all her life.

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While we are in Folkestone ...

Although we were going to visit Folkestone this week anyway, it was brought forward, as a tyre was needed! However, we spent time exploring, so no time lost. Folkstone is the terminal for the Eurotunnel, the rail link to Calais in France. Just 35 minutes away it says. Needless to say, we kept away from that side of the town. Although these images were not all taken the same day, they blend together quite well, starting at the Hythe end and progressing along to Folkstone. Then a short hop to Dover.

After starting our walk from Hythe, one of the first things to catch our attention were the beach huts.

I couldn't believe that there was no system in the display. I was right, as we came across a notice advertising `Creative Folkestone Artworks`. These beach huts were part of this display which covered all areas of Folkestone. If I had only known earlier!

Rana Begum - No. 1054 Arpeggio

Commissioned for Creative Folkestone Triennial 2021 in partnership with Folkestone & Hythe District Council

No. 1054 Arpeggio is the title of Rana Begum’s extraordinary colourful design that transforms around 120 beach huts on the seafront between Folkestone and Sandgate along Lower Saxon Way. The number refers to the sequence of the artist’s completed artworks, while an ‘arpeggio’ is a sequence of notes from a chord played in a rising or descending order.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s decision to refurbish its entire stock of beach huts presented Creative Folkestone Triennial with a challenging and idiosyncratic opportunity to commission an artist to make a major artistic statement. Rana Begum’s response to the invitation was both extremely ambitious and also generous, an astonishing blossoming of her studio practice (and its concern with geometry, colour and light) on a vast scale. Her superimposed, graduated colour scheme, and the insistent rhythm of her trademark chevron design, have turned a half-mile marching rank of beach huts into notes of colour on a keyboard, certainly one of the largest and most joyful artworks in the country.

Although No. 1054 Arpeggio is clearly an articulation of colour, it is in fact the play with light itself that is key to Rana’s work – the absorption and reflection of varied densities of light to produce an experience for the viewer that is both temporal and sensorial.She has a talent for the distillation of spatial and visual experience into ordered form, blurring the boundaries between sculpture, painting and architecture.

This I believe was part of the same work.

Pablo Bronstein - Beach Hut in the style of Nicholas Hawksmoor, 2014

Pablo Bronstein is one of the most exciting artists of his generation, combining interests in art and architecture with performance, installation and sculpture.

Bronstein has described his Beach Hut in the style of Nicholas Hawksmoor as a ‘monument to architecture’, paying homage to the quintessentially English architectural vocabulary of the 18th Century Baroque architect, Nicholas Hawksmoor. In the 18th Century the use of this heroic style was chosen deliberately for lighthouses along the south east coast because of the defensive nature of the line of ports and castles from Hastings to Dover. This architecture no longer exists in Folkestone, therefore Bronstein’s work will take the form of a lighthouse, filling a gap in the town’s history. Situated next to other brightly coloured beach huts on the waterfront, alongside the Council's mundane arrangements for park maintenance, Bronstein's sculpture's dramatic presence invokes a delightful and piquant sense of folly

Jason Wilsher-Mills - I Am Argonaut

In recent years Jason Wilsher-Mills has focused on using digital painting using technology such as iPad and Wacom tablets. The use of these technologies, in place of the more traditional artistic mediums, came about through the convenience and accessibility of tablets which allow him to produce large scale sculptures and augmented reality experiences, despite the physical challenges presented by his disability.

For Creative Folkestone Triennial 2021 the artist has drawn on his experience as a disabled artist to create a contemporary figurative sculpture (monumental in ambition but relatively intimate in size) – I Am Argonaut – to be placed ‘in conversation’ with the monumental statue of William Harvey, son of the Mayor of Folkestone, Royal Physician and discoverer of the circulation of the blood. This dialogue has a very particular and personal significance for Jason, since his disabilities have been caused by a disease of the blood in his childhood. For him it has been an opportunity to pay his respects to a great scientist whose studies paved the way for some of the great advances of modern medicine.

Major themes that consistently run throughout Jason’s work include his experience as a disabled person and the struggles he has endured through illness since childhood up until the present day, trying to translate his daily experiences and challenges to the audience. A major aspect of his work also focuses on the treatment and perception of disability and disabled people in society, as well as social history and the democratic process.

Mark Wallinger - Folk Stones, 2008

Mark Wallinger’s ‘Folk Stones’ at first appears like an almost banal numbering exercise, a “significant yet pointless act” as he puts it, recalling the labour of a modern-day Sisyphus. Yet the precise number of beach pebbles collected and laid out into a massive square reveals a profound underpinning: 19,240 individually numbered stones stand for the exact number of British soldiers killed on 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

The work is inspired by the millions of soldiers who left from Folkestone Harbour to fight on the battlefields of France and Flanders, and is located adjacent to other older war memorials. But, by using metonymy to create the idea of a crowd ‘numberless as the pebbles on a beach’, Wallinger has created a very different form of remembrance monument in which numbers replace names.

Folkestone was the main point of departure for hundreds of thousands of soldiers leaving for the battlefields of northern France during the First World War. The poet Wilfred Owen spent a night at the Metropole hotel before embarking for France, and later described its lush carpets as being as thick as the mud in the trenches. For countless other soldiers too, Folkestone must have provided some final home comforts, and its beaches and cliffs would have been the very last glimpse of England many would ever see.

This one certainly makes you think.

Before moving along the coast to Dover, another church with an interesting story in Hythe.

The church itself was open but the crypt which houses my interest had just been shut for winter. St Leonard’s Church has the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain. The collection consists of shelves in four arched bays that contain 1,000 skulls in total, and a single stack of bones and skulls measuring 7.5m in length, 1.8m in width and just over 1.8m in height. The stack of bones was reassembled on its brick base in 1910. To read more about research being conducted, Click Here. (Safe - it's an internal link!)

Dover Castle commands the Strait of Dover, the shortest sea crossing between England and continental Europe, a position of strategic importance throughout history.

Castle Hill was shaped into massive defences capped by medieval walls and towers and later, from the mid 18th century, by the earthworks of a garrisoned infantry and artillery fortress. Beneath the surface, cut into the chalk of the North Downs, are networks of tunnels to enable the garrison to move, plan and live in safety.

King Henry II began to build the present castle in the 1180s, and over the next 800 years its buildings, defences and tunnels were adapted to meet the changing demands of warfare, right into the era of nuclear weapons. Its use during C20 two great wars is as follows:

THE FIRST WORLD WAR - When Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, Dover Harbour became the home of the Royal Navy’s Dover Patrol to defend the Dover Strait, particularly against German submarines, and to protect communications for the Army in France and Flanders.

Dover had a garrison of around 16,000 troops, with the castle as headquarters, to defend a perimeter occupying the high ground around the town for up to 1.5 miles distant. Within the perimeter were many training camps for soldiers destined for the Western Front.

The harbour approaches were defended by coast defence guns, while the new threat from airships and airplanes was addressed by anti-aircraft guns, including two near St Mary in Castro. Entry to the harbour was regulated and the control building, the Fire Command Post (established in 1905) and Port War Signal Station (1914), survives in Dover Castle, with a commanding view over the Channel.

THE SECOND WORLD WAR - In 1939, Dover resumed its former role when war came again, with the castle as headquarters, but for the Army garrison defending the town, and for the re-established Royal Navy base. The empty underground casemates were re-commissioned as bomb-proof offices for the vice-admiral in charge of the naval base, and as headquarters for army units co-ordinating coast artillery and anti-aircraft defences and for the units defending the Dover fortress.

These commands expanded throughout the war, as Dover became the nearest town to enemy-occupied territory in June 1940. Vice-Admiral Ramsay’s naval headquarters played a central role in Operation Dynamo, with the evacuation of 338,226 British and Allied troops from Dunkirk.

Two new levels of tunnels were built (the old ones were now called Casemate level). The first, called Annexe, was completed early in 1942 as a small hospital. The second, called Dumpy, opened in 1943 as a Combined Operations Centre with provision for large-scale communication transmission. The latter played a significant role in Operation Neptune, the naval side of the plan for D-Day, and also in a successful deception operation known as Fortitude South, which convinced the Germans that the main invasion of Europe would be in the Calais area, not Normandy, and that it would be launched from the Dover area.

The Romans built an octagonal tower-like lighthouse (pharos) on Castle Hill. This lighthouse supported fire beacons to act as navigation lights for ships approaching the narrow river mouth, enabling them to find a quayside outside the fort. I think that this is one of only two left from that period.

The pharos was later reused for the church of St Mary in Castro as a chapel and bell tower, and can still be seen in the above image.

The church of St Mary in Castro (meaning inside the castle) dates to around AD 1000. Its exceptional size hints that it might have had a royal patron – Godwin, Earl of Wessex (r.1020–53), father of King Harold (r.1066), is one possibility. A cemetery discovered during archaeological excavations in 1962 indicated that a community lived nearby.

These were the main places we visited, although a round of Crazy Golf and some shopping mustn't be forgotten. All in in all - a great week!

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Elham in the depths of Kent

A few days during the school half term to charge the batteries before the darkness of winter descended. Although we had been to Kent before, the village of Elham was a new area and allowed us to show Hayley and Izobelle some of the places we had visited before. The village of Elham was a picturesque and a very quiet place, and the house we had for the week was very well equipped, having plenty of room and a beautiful garden. Shame it wasn`t summer time! The only minor problem was getting to anywhere else was rather slow, as all surrounding roads were so small and potholes everywhere! 

The village sign.

Our holiday house with the view from part way down the garden.

Looking toward the bottom of the garden.

View of St Mary`s Church from the bedroom window.

The village itself was full of historic buildings. After the Conquest, William I granted the Elham estates to his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and, following Odo’s disgrace, to William d' Aubigny. Later John, Earl of Eu, a relative of the Conqueror, established himself in Elham by building a palace near to St. Mary's Church.

South view of the current 800 year old, Grade 1 listed building. The porch has just undergone additions of new doors, toilet facilities with baby changing, new access aids and also fitted new central heating. All paid for by donation! Brilliant! Obviously an important hub for this pretty village.

The rectangular piers of both north and south arcades with their pointed arches and boldly carved stops are of late C12 date. Between them hang some C18 text boards. The character of the church is given in the main by late C19 and early C20 work. Typical of many of our churches.

Nearby, in the main street, sits `The Abbot's Fireside`- originally built as an inn called the Smithie’s Arms in 1451. The pub still retains features from the 15th and 16th centuries - including a huge medieval fireplace. It was sold in 1671 and some time after was converted into four cottages. This remained the case until the tavern was re-opened in 1939 and at some point before 1965, the inn’s name was changed to the Abbot’s Fireside.

It has its share of legend. One being that King Charles II hid from the Roundheads in a “priest hole” within the main fireplace, and another being that the Duke of Wellington is reported to have been based here before the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Who knows? but it adds to the atmosphere.

Timber framed Old Bakery. It consisted of a house and shop dated around C18 or earlier, with C18 alterations. This is in the Square, Elham and illustrates some of the beautiful buildings in Elham.

One of the lanes running past the church. Obviously someone with a sense of humour!

And finally, it's Halloween soon!

A great place to stay and to explore. As for those narrow, potholed roads I mentioned - it's off to Folkestone and Hythe tomorrow to get a tyre replaced. Just what we needed!

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MOMENTS - Modern art in Bury St Edmunds

An exhibition of modern art taking place in Bury St Edmunds at Moyes Hall, (with a mention of artists such as Banksy and Tracey Emin) caught my eye and, thinking it would be a good morning out, we determined to visit.  It was well worth the visit. However, the artists who really caught my eye were the `Connor Brothers`- who are not in fact related at all!

Art has always asked us tough questions about where truth ends and where artifice begins — and indeed, whether there can or should be a boundary at all. However, in an era of obsessive social media use, competing cultural narratives, ‘fake news’ and post-truth, it is a matter that may have never been more pressing for our world.

It is into such a world that The Connor Brothers have stepped — and are already enjoying staggering commercial success and cultural currency. But in the case of this once-mysterious duo, it is now a little easier to separate fact from fiction — or at least, that may seem so on first inspection.

They just bonded in their art work and have become an international success story, making people smile while empowering them to pursue humanitarian projects. The brothers created their original pieces as a project to reshape their lives. When you see their work you have to smile, its one step away from Banksy’s two-dimensional style using vintage images with a new twist.

Here are photographs of three of their images (this was allowed by the organisers!), but first a `Banksy`.

Hula Hoop Girl

Removed from a salon in Nottingham and offered temporarily to Moyes`s Hall for the `Moments` exhibition a week later by its new owner, Brandler Galleries. The owner of the salon had wanted the work removed as it appeared to be leading to criminality such as theft and vandalism, not only to the salon but the `Hula Hoop Girl` herself. Unfortunately, not an unusual occurrence for these street art works. 

Now for three images from The Connor Brothers which made me smile, and made me think - hope they do for you as well.

There were several other prints by these artists, but I just picked these three to photograph, as they were all hung together. Some of the artists `humanitarian` ones were very thought provoking. To give a little background to the artist, I have quoted the following:

`Mike Snelle and James Golding—who make art under the moniker “the Connor Brothers”—juxtapose pin-up style portraits of women with blocks of solid colour and deadpan snippets of text. The British artists’ chic, slick paintings and works on paper explore artifice and sensational storytelling, themes that they initially folded into their fictional artist personas: The Connor Brothers at first maintained that they were twin brothers who had escaped from a California extremist Christian cult known as 'The Family.' At sixteen the twins escaped to Brooklyn where they began creating artworks in order to make sense of the world they had been deprived of. However, in October 2014 these characters were revealed as a myth and art dealers Mike Snelle and James Golding exposed themselves as The Connor Brothers.` 

A great exhibition which I am pleased I visited.

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What has Bawdsey to offer?

In answer to the question posed in the title, my initial reply was "not a lot". After two recent visits, I can now answer "Quite a lot"!

Sitting on the opposite shore of the Deben to Felixstowe Ferry, it is a beautiful river estuary with mooring for large number of small boats. Then it has Bawdsey Manor where Bawdsey Radar Transmitter Block was the first operational radar station in the world, and the exhibition it has, is housed in the original 1937 building. The exhibition tells the story of the "Invention that Changed the World". It reveals how scientists, engineers and technicians came together at Bawdsey in the 1930s in total secrecy to prove that radio waves could locate aircraft, ships and other targets. Bawdsey became the world's first operational radar station in 1937 and played a pivotal role in the Battle of Britain in 1940.

The Manor itself is now a School Adventure Centre.

Just shows how wrong you can be! My visits during the past week were as part of a group photographing the area with a view to looking really closely at Bawdsey and these are some of my images from this couple of days.

On the second visit, we were hoping for a sunset across the river, but not to be. So, as the light mellowed, a couple of shots of moored boats.

The shingle beach in the area is littered with World War remains. Constructions of various sorts are strewn around in various stages of decay.

Gun tower making an interesting image.

To add a bit more drama, one of the above images turned into a monochrome image.

Patterns in the crumbled buildings.

Patterns in nature

The geology of the cliff area is described in Wikipedia as `providing the largest exposure of the Early Pleistocene Red Crag Formation, and it is rich in fossils of marine molluscs. It is described by Natural England as having great potential for the study of non-glacial Pleistocene environments.`

Furthermore, `it is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, also a Geological Conservation Review site, and is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.` Well worth a visit.

Then, we came across this structure perched on the cliffs and asked `How did that get there?` It turns out that Amazon have been filming `The Power`, and this building is the Convent, supposedly in North Carolina! It plays a major part in the book (by Naomi Alderman) so will probably in the film. Then it will be demolished!

I managed to scramble onto some highish rocks to get this image. Security was not pleased with people photographing from the top of the cliff!

Shame about the lack of a sunset across the Deben, but well worth photographing the other parts of the area.

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