Apr 10, 2025
Main photo: Winchester Cathedral Crypt, 1093 Medieval history is partly shaped by the ‘magnates’ of a realm. These confident people, often men, positioned themselves to achieve what still echoes today. Two of the Norman Bishops of Winchester played their role, not...
Jan 6, 2025
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...
Nov 7, 2023
From the 16th century the expression of neo-classicism is beloved by gentry. They wish to demonstrate their education and taste in elaborate ways. Tomb monuments are a fixed mechanism of doing this. Neo-classical taste is a trying to hark back to beyond the Gothic,...
Apr 30, 2023
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...
Feb 7, 2023
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...
Jul 10, 2022
I find myself increasingly noticing and enjoying the sound of church bells, whether it is the local bell ringers practicing, the time of day, or they are ringing out joyously for a wedding. The height of many church towers means that they can be heard across the...
