Tag: Curiosity
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A Runway Runs Through It
Sir John could never have imaged 600 years ago what would be at the bottom of his formal garden. No more than we can imagine what will be at the bottom of our gardens in another 600 years.
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Almshouses: a social history
Almshouses are a fascinating curiosity left over from an age when the poor and destitute would typically fall through the gaps as universal care as we know it, did not exist. You will find almshouses in the centre of busy towns, on high streets, beside churches or tucked away in the corner of a field, […]
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An Appreciation of Aylesbury
At first drive-through, this busy Buckinghamshire town is not a pretty sight. Aylesbury is a town that has kept its historic heart well and truly hidden, marooned on a little island cut off by busy roads full of traffic rushing through on their way elsewhere. Perhaps you are familiar with Aylesbury because of its association with […]
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Reclaiming our Castles
Nooks, brick tiles and a fireplace survive, their purpose clear, but place in amongst the lumps of stone unclear. Earthworks and a moat surround the site including an extensive embankment upon which the West Midlands railway service thunders, this place a microcosm of English history;
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The Grande Dame of Ewelme
Every village needs a chalk stream flowing through it, a manor house, old rectory, almshouses, red-brick school and well-stocked village shop. And a Grande Dame.
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Lacey Green Windmill
The 300-year old Lacey Green Windmill stands on the escarpment of the Chiltern Hills, near Princes Risborough, and is possibly the most famous for being England’s oldest smock mill.
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Making Memories
It is thanks to those at the bottom of the pile, who should be given just as much airtime as those at the top, for it is the former upon whom the latter builds power and status, but that doesn’t make their contribution any less.
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The Sweetest Stretch of the River
The river is busy with geese, swans, ducks and all manner of little birds, darting about in the foliage, the riverside path shady with overhanging trees, leaves drifting into the soft river mud.