Feb 3, 2020
Earls Colne, Parish Church of St Andrew, Essex A fascinating repository of parish records for the village of Earls Colne has been put together by a team at the University of Cambridge. The project that created the database ran from 1972 until 2002. The database...
Jan 16, 2020
Montacute House is a rare survival from the late Elizabethan moving into the early-Jacobean period. In this post I wish to examine an aspect of decoration in the great hall that tells of how local villagers would deal with a particular transgression of a neighbour....
Jan 6, 2020
On the first floor of the gatehouse at Berry Pomeroy Castle are the remains of a finely executed wall painting of the Adoration of the Magi. It dates from circa 1490 to 1500. (Kightly, Berry Pomeroy Castle, p. 7). The original castle, of which the gatehouse and...
Dec 31, 2019
The spectacular gatehouse of Layer Marney is embellished with astounding terracotta ornamentation. This is particularly impressive when taking the date of its build into consideration. It was built during the early part of Henry VIII’s reign (reign was 1509 to 1547)....
Dec 24, 2019
In the porch of the exit (west end) of Exeter Cathedral are statues representing the Nativity. It is difficult to photograph as the space is confined and there are 2 scenes, one on top of the other. The upper scene appears to be of Mary cradling Jesus, with the...