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...
Oct 27, 2021
A feature that occurs on many churches in Somerset is the Hunky Punk. The grotesque carvings are particularly numerous in the county and the term comes from Somerset dialect. The term derives from 2 old English words – ‘hunkers’, which is squatting on haunches, and...
Jan 12, 2021
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,...
Nov 30, 2020
With churches closed this year, I have been taking the time to look at their exteriors (when allowed out!). One church that has fascinating carvings that take the viewer back to the early 16th century is St Andrew’s at Cullompton in Mid Devon. On the south side...
Nov 8, 2020
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...
