From the Chronicle of St Albans Abbey 1405
Having heard of the Bures Dragon, I decided to have a walk around Bures which, it turns out, is split between two counties - Suffolk and Essex. The River Stour divides the village and there is even a third part called 'Bures Mount'.
There is a local legend, first recorded in 1405, that tells of a dragon terrorising villagers. There were reports of sheep and even a shepherd being eaten until locals tried to shoot it with arrows and it fled, never to return.
As with most legends, there is potentially a starting point based in truth. Apparently, Richard the Lionheart was given a crocodile by Saladin as a gift. Richard brought the crocodile back to the Tower of London but it escaped and turned up in the north Essex marshes!
The dragon you can just see in the photo is on private land but can be viewed from behind St Stephen's Chapel. We didn't find the chapel but took photos along the route we took. The dragon on the hill was created to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
We walked past St. Mary's Church which dates in part to the 13th century. See photos below and click on the link to discover more about The Waldegrave Memorial (Waldegrave was a powerful nobleman who entertained Queen Elizabeth I and helped raise troops for the Spanish Armada) and the wooden effigy of a knight.
The church even boasts to be the resting place of John Constable's aunt - he grew up in this area and painted many of his works here.
The church also gives Bures its name - at least this part as technically it is 'Bures St Mary's'.
I noticed there were various references to 'pilgrims' such as the local garage being named 'Pilgrims Garage' so when I got home, I did a bit of research and found a pilgrim's route called the St. Edmund Way. The route takes you from Manningtree to Brandon via Bury St. Edmunds and is 79 miles.
The route takes you past Bures and St. Mary's Church where King Edmund (England's original patron saint) may have been crowned.
I also discovered a link to The Mayflower - the ship that transported the Pilgrims to America when their religion was being suppressed by the Government and Church and they wanted a life where they could practice their religion freely. A Bures villager named Herbert Pelham decided to emigrate and offered passage to any villagers wanting to accompany him. In 1630 Pelham and three families embarked for Massachusetts.
A key part of any ramble (unless you have brought your own picnic of course) is a refreshment stop. We found a delightful tea room opposite St. Mary's Church. We were made to feel very welcome and served by the loveliest staff.
The tea room is only closed on Mondays and is dog friendly and has wi-fi. I can recommend the cream tea!
It had been well over ten years since I had seen an old friend and numerous events coinciding meant that we were able to meet up and compare notes about Headship as well as much more interesting things.
We decided Coventry - sitting roughly halfway between us - would be the venue.
I suppose it was ironic to meet in Coventry after all this time as it's a place synonymous with NOT speaking to people! The phrase 'sent to Coventry' emerged during the English Civil War when Royalists were sent to Coventry as a punishment and prisoners were shunned by the Parliamentarians.
I managed to take a few photos even though we were deep in conversation throughout.
We had arranged to meet at the Cathedral, not realising there are actually three! Fortunately, they are all in the same square which makes for a beautiful and really interesting setting. You could spend half a day just in this small section of the city. The one pictured is the Ruins built between the 14th and 15th centuries and destroyed in the blitz in 1940.
The Reconciliation Sculpture within the Ruins is one of 5 such statues around the world. It depicts two exhausted figures kneeling and embracing.
It was made by Josefina de Vasconcellos who was inspired by a story of a woman who walked across Europe to find her husband after WW2.
Here, you can see the incredible angel window of the new cathedral from the Ruins.
It was at this point, my friend appeared at the bottom of the steps so I didn't take any more photos of the new cathedral!
This is the oldest pub in Coventry, built in 1583 and established as a public house in 1661, during the year of King Charles II coronation.
It's just one example of lots of Tudor buildings in the city, including The Council House and the original cathedral (even before the Ruins) which was destroyed by Henry VIII in the dissolution of the monasteries.
Between coffee and lunch, we had a wander around the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. This was a nice little find - and free! Although, for certain exhibitions, there is a fee.
There is an exhibition about Lady Godiva. I'm sure everyone knows she is famous for riding a horse naked through the city, allegedly to get her husband to free people of the heavy taxes he had imposed.
But did you know that she was an Anglo-Saxon and the story of her naked protest did not surface until around 100 years later and 'naked' at the time may have only meant 'without her usual finery' as opposed to completely starkers? She is depicted everywhere in the city.
My favourite sculpture in the museum is in the picture above 'Old Ladies on a Park Bench'. The bronze sculpture is by Jack Greaves. It was the first sculpture bought by the museum and apparently this was because it is in keeping with the gallery's original policy of collecting views of British life and landscape. I liked that the work "conveys respect for the endurance and wisdom of older members of our community".
A weekend away in St. Leonard's-on-Sea and a walk into Hastings Old Town.
St. Leonard's-on-Sea is a costal town in the borough of Hastings, East Sussex. It is named after the first church built there in the 12th century and dedicated to St. Leonard, the patron saint of prisoners and captives.
It's Victorian grandeur is typical of British seaside towns.
We have now stayed at the same luxury hideaway exactly ten years apart (No 5 The Lawn) to celebrate a couple of 'big' birthdays, meaning we have only stayed in December when it is quiet and cold. We've also stayed in Brighton a few times and they share architectural style, are both hilly but St. Leonard's is much quieter!
St. Leonard's is full of antique shops, art galleries and independent cafes. I'll outline some of the things we saw on our sunny December walk along the seafront but for more information about what you might do across the Hastings area, click on the link above.
Wrapping up and walking to the seafront, we crossed to the promenade and saw that there were already swimmers getting out of the sea, dog walkers, a park run in full swing and fishermen with tents. There was even a large dog having a hair cut on the beach!
One of the first things I wanted to photograph was the padlock sculpture that I'd remembered from our first trip (see below). This public art installation was unveiled in 2012 and is made from local reclaimed timbers. Stainless steel mooring shackles were hung around the timber for people to hang padlocks to, symbolising love or a reminder of a visit. The sculpture was noticeably rustier this time around - like us 10 years on I suppose!
The pier was opened in 1872 on one of Britain's first ever bank holidays. It soon became one of the busiest on the south coast flourishing during the Victorian seaside tourist boom. We were the only people on it on this occasion but there are a couple of places to grab a coffee even in winter.
As already mentioned, there are lots of antique shops and galleries, both along side streets and the Grand Parade. If you are looking for high street shops, there are the usual names in Hastings Town Centre.
This is a museum with a difference - and not for the faint-hearted! The museum is filled with artefacts, models and true tales of the strangest crimes both famous and really obscure, including The Krays and various high profile robberies. There is a 'lab' where you can try your hand at being a detective and even take a copy of your fingerprints home as a souvenir!
As you walk along the seafront and past the town centre, Hastings Castle looks over you high on the cliff above. This is Britain's first Norman castle built by William the Conqueror in 1067. You can visit the castle ruins (but not in the winter months) and there are various events for children and families throughout the rest of the year.
St. Leonard's and Hastings as seen from Hastings Pier. Hastings Castle atop the cliff.
One of the buildings on the pier.
A bright blue December sky.