The George Inn, Norton St Philip: Wine, Wool & Worship

The George Inn, Norton St Philip: Wine, Wool & Worship

There is something evocative about the idea of a medieval inn. Perhaps it stems from Chaucer’s Canterbury tales conjuring up images of The Tabard inn in Southwark, London – with ‘mine host’, tasty pies and pilgrims telling stories whilst sat beside a warm fire,...
The Teasel in the English Woollen Cloth Industry

The Teasel in the English Woollen Cloth Industry

Tuckers Hall, Exeter – The Guild and Incorporation of Weavers, Fullers & Shearmen THE TEASEL IN CLOTH PRODUCTION Earlier this year I visited the 15th-century Tuckers Hall in Exeter (before Lockdown). It has been occupied by the Guilds and Incorporation of...
King John at Worcester – England Bites Back

King John at Worcester – England Bites Back

I believe it was the historian David Carpenter who suggested that the lion at the base of the tomb effigy of King John at Worcester Cathedral represents the people of England. The lion has grabbed King John’s sword and is biting and bending it. The lion is turning on...
King John & England – from Angevin Kingdom to Papal Fiefdom

King John & England – from Angevin Kingdom to Papal Fiefdom

I recently went to a performance of Shakespeare’s King John at the RSC in Stratford Upon Avon. It is not a play that is performed often, and I wasn’t sure what to expect as I hadn’t read up about the RSC’s performance beforehand. I was blown away by it. It was set in...
Life on the edge – the Cistercian Abbey of Dunkeswell, Devon

Life on the edge – the Cistercian Abbey of Dunkeswell, Devon

Figure 1: Ruins of the north wall of west range at Dunkeswell Abbey, East Devon. Church of 1842 behind. Nestling in a valley of the Blackdown Hills, on the banks of the River Madford, are the enigmatic remains of Dunkeswell Abbey. Only fragments are left of the abbey...