Category Archives: History

St Albans… ‘render unto Caesar’

Posted on March 31, 2020 by

A few years ago, we set out early for a visit to St Albans. The beautiful sky soon clouded over, though, leaving us with a chill and persistent rain. We’d been meaning to visit the town for a long time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Churches, Don and Wen, History, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Close to home: Bierton and St Osyth’s Well

Posted on March 30, 2020 by

With the current ban on travel curtailing our adventures, it seems a good time to take a look at some of the many places we have visited over the years but have never written about or which have been mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in historic sites, History, Photography | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Fragments of history

Posted on February 29, 2020 by

Over the past month or so, we have been revisiting places in my local area in preparation for the April workshop we will be running here. There are so many wonderful sites that we would love to include, but time … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Books, Churches, England, Friendship, Heart of Albion, History, Life, Love and Laughter, medieval wall paintings, Photography, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

But ‘n’ Ben…

Posted on February 27, 2020 by

Gauche… Gangly… Currently scrofulous… Bark Jaw-Dark contemplated the pork pie he had recently fished from the depths of the jacket pocket of his un-pressed suit and placed it whole in his mouth. “Hey, Jordache!” “Jaw-Dark,” spluttered Bark through the pork … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Don and Wen, fiction, Friendship, History, Humour, Mythology, Photography, Spirituality, Stuart France and Sue Vincent, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Living Lore: Hiron’s Hole ~ Gary Stocker

Posted on February 23, 2020 by

On the present-day B4086 Wellesbourne Road is Littleham Bridge. One evening in November 1820 William Hirons (or Hixons), a yeoman farmer from nearby Alveston, was on his way home from Warwick. As he approached the bridge in question he was … Continue reading →

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Sweet Fanny Adams..? The horror behind the words…

Posted on February 17, 2020 by

I was unusually tired when I got back home from work on Sunday afternoon. With plenty of things I was ‘supposed to’ do, I couldn’t settle to anything for once and spent most of the day listening to music. My … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | 56 Comments

A Cistercian Abbey

Posted on January 18, 2020 by

I spent much of my childhood within walking distance of the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, a place where history and legends seem to meld into a story perfectly designed to capture the imagination of a child. The abbey sits amid … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Churches, History, Photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Carved hills

Posted on January 17, 2020 by

One of the most striking things you can see as you drive through the English countryside is the great white shape of a hill figure cut into the landscape. There are many to see, at least fifty known figures, ranging … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, earth, England, History, Photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Carved stone

Posted on January 16, 2020 by

In the churchyard at Bakewell stand a pair of stone cross shafts that, between them, set us off on an unexpected journey of discovery. Indeed, one of them has taken a starring role in our latest books, but that is … Continue reading →

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Avebury – songs in the stones

Posted on January 10, 2020 by

With the June workshop at the site not too far distant, I spent the evening pondering archaeo-acoustics and how the old ones might have used sound at Avebury… and whether, in its current state, you would be able to test … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, England, History, Photography, Sacred sites, travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 39 Comments