There and Back

Buckland Abbey is a Grade I listed 700-year-old house in Buckland Monachorum, near Yelvertn, Devon, noted for its connection with Sir Richard Grenville the Younger and Sir Francis Drake. It is owned by the National Trust. It was founded as a Cistercian abbey in 1278 ] by Amicia, Countess of Devon and was a daughter house of Quarr Abbey, on the Isle of Wight. It was one of the last Cistercian houses founded in England and also the most westerly. The remains of the church are about 37.6 metres (123 ft) long. The width across the transepts is 28 metres (92 ft). The nave and presbytery is 10.1 metres (33 ft) wide. The Exeter diocese episcopal registers show the abbey managed five granges at Buckland plus the home farm at the abbey. A market and fair at Buckland and Cullompton were granted in 1318. In 1337 King Edward III granted the monks a licence to crenellate - that is to build battlements on the walls. In the 15th century the monks built a Tithe Barn which is 180 feet (55 m) long and ...

We had been looking forward to visiting Plymouth and found ourselves blessed with lovely weather today. We left the car at a Park & Ride and got off at The Barbican, which is the name given to the western and northern sides of Sutton Harbour, the original harbour of Plymouth in Devon, England. Boats in Sutton Harbour The Mayflower Steps is a commemoratve area in honour of Pilgrim Fathers who set sail for the New World in 1620. I think this spot is symbolic rather than the actual spot. The Leviathan or Barbican Prawn The Barbican Prawn standing 33ft tall and unveiled in 1996. Official name The Leviathon El Galeon. 17th Century Spanish Galleon Replica The huge ship which sailed into Plymouth in September and moored at Barbican Landing Stage. The full-size replica of a 17th century Spanish galleon was original due to visit the city in August, but it was postponed due to the bad weather. Since September 13, visitors have been exploring the 'living museum', which was scheduled t...

Unfortunately, this was a wet holiday, although we had a reasonable day or two, the weather was mainly dull and damp.  Our accommodation was in a small village called Cudlipptown, just above Peter Tavey and not many miles from Tavistock. We stayed in a converted barn on a rare breeds farm in the `back of beyond` called Broadmoor Farm. Access to the farm was up a very narrow track of at least three quarters of a mile from the main road, which itself was mostly single track! From near the top, the view was magnificent - when not raining, albeit a bit misty. However, we did have some time on the moor and had a few images to record it! The nearest access to the moor was from just above Tavistock and so we drove onto the moor and stopped at one of the first parking spots to take in the view of Coxtor. The sky did help the view although it was still threatening to rain. Another similar view of Coxtor with a few locals in the picture. Just along the road was the village of Merrivale whi...

Being in Colchester one day, I decided to have a wander in Castle Park, a lovely place to wander most of the time. Here I have a few images of one stretch of the garden which I thought particularly lovely. Approaching the Castle, I was greeted by this display with a tribute to the recent Coronation of Charles.  Then to three images of the part of the garden that took my attention. Lovely splash of colour!    Index of posts  

Having been told about the wall paintings in Copford Church, I did a little research on the internet, and this is a quote from one site:    " What is it that makes it so special? It is interesting architecturally and has a pretty woodland setting, on the edge of our small village, beside the cricket pitch. However, the remarkable Norman wall paintings are the real attraction, described by Simon Jenkins as `amongst the best in England`. Only five minutes off the A12 just south of Colchester, they are certainly worth a detour if you are visiting East Anglia." Having never been to Copford before, I had to get out my map and plot my journey - only to find that Copford is only just south of Colchester so didn't require much plotting! On arrival a coffee morning was in progress and before long was included by the lovely bunch of people there. Plus, one of the ladies gave me a detailed tour of the church, before making my coffee and cutting me a large slice of cake!  So, back ...