I have a bit of a thing about balusters and balustrades. The ones we are familiar with today came about in the Renaissance and were eagerly adopted by the builders of country houses and other monumental buildings in England. They are part of the ‘neo-classical...
To describe the architecture of a cathedral is a significant task and perhaps ends up as dry facts. At Winchester the magnificent nave, choir, chancel or sanctuary are a wonder to behold and experiencing the space is an aim in itself. What I thought perhaps to bring...
November can be a good time to visit places to avoid tourists whilst venues are still open. I recently visited Winchester for a 2-night stay. It is a compact city with everything conveniently within in walking distance from the city centre. It was a pleasure to walk...
On a recent visit to Wells Cathedral, I noticed the tomb effigy of Giso of Lorraine in the north aisle. He had been Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1061 to 1088. His church would have been the Anglo-Saxon cathedral which stood before the current Gothic one. In 909, the...
Walking around Bruton, particularly down by the riverside, one can get the feeling of medieval Somerset. The single-span bridge would have seen trains of packhorses and mules, laden with woolsacks, woollen cloth, and silken cloth making their way through Bruton and...
Baptism is a key, and usually the initial, sacrament in the life of a Christian. Early Christians performed the rite with immersion in water. In the medieval Christian church, the process of infusion was practiced – the pouring of water on the head of the new...
