Bikes and... wait for it, wait for it, Churches!
- Thread starter legrandefromage
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MattiThundrrr
Kona Fan
There are big speakers wired in the corners, I question whether there's actually bells in there, but the song remains the same
MCsanandreas
Mountain Cycle Fan
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Ok, there is a church(chapel perhaps), bridge, singlespeed bicycle AND a canal in this pic!
Yesterday was a nice trundle round north and east suffolk, including a stop at St Andrews in walberswick (accessed via Southwold common bridge...it would be rude not to have a pint at the sole bay inn..home of adnams).
The ruins date from 1490 and were built using parts of a pre doomsday church that was relocated due to costal erosion ( so its not a new issue really)....
Sadly 50 years later, the catholic church was ransacked and by 1700 all that was left was the ruin and a smaller village chuch built inside it.
However, it still has some amazing flint flushwork, hinting at its former glory.
The ruins date from 1490 and were built using parts of a pre doomsday church that was relocated due to costal erosion ( so its not a new issue really)....
Sadly 50 years later, the catholic church was ransacked and by 1700 all that was left was the ruin and a smaller village chuch built inside it.
However, it still has some amazing flint flushwork, hinting at its former glory.
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GLB
Dirt Disciple
Back in olden days when my parents were alive and lived in Bungay I knew the east Suffolk area inside out. It was in my somewhat misspent middle age when I did rather more motorcycling than pedalling and kept a Royal Enfield up there to amuse myself when I visited. The lanes in that area were an absolute joy for a retro motorcycle - though I wish now I'd done more cycling. Happy times anyway.
I'm hoping this pic of the similar remains of Covehithe church from the 1990s is forgiveable.
sjcprojects
Orange 🍊 Fan
Here is a triplet of Isle of Wight churches, starting with what apparently might be the smallest church to have been built as a parish church in England – the Old Church of St. Lawrence, in St. Lawrence (12th century). It's no longer the parish church, as a larger one was built to replace it in the 19th century – presumably because this one is so small it wasn't worth trying to extend it, so they just built a new one, meaning that thankfully it has survived almost untouched. It's so small I would have to bend down to get through the door (which was sadly closed, not surprisingly). I was amused by the incredibly short lamppost.
Another fairly small one is the Church of St. John the Baptist, Niton (11th to 17th century, very much a patchwork of building periods). I like the combination of a rather stumpy little crenellated tower with an even smaller spire, which was added on later.
Finally, St Andrew's Church, Chale (14th century). Now we're back to a normal size, and suddenly my bike looks tiny. The church building itself is perhaps not that notable, but some of the history surrounding it is, as this part of the island was a particular hotspot for smuggling through the ages. Legend has it that some of the chest tombs (those above ground, and generally empty inside, the body being buried underneath the actual tomb) in the churchyard were used by smugglers to temporarily store their illicit goods when the heat of the authorities was on them. I imagine there's no definitive proof of that, but given the extensive history of smuggling it at least seems feasible to me. And perhaps the local vicar turned a blind eye if it was made worth his while...
Another fairly small one is the Church of St. John the Baptist, Niton (11th to 17th century, very much a patchwork of building periods). I like the combination of a rather stumpy little crenellated tower with an even smaller spire, which was added on later.
Finally, St Andrew's Church, Chale (14th century). Now we're back to a normal size, and suddenly my bike looks tiny. The church building itself is perhaps not that notable, but some of the history surrounding it is, as this part of the island was a particular hotspot for smuggling through the ages. Legend has it that some of the chest tombs (those above ground, and generally empty inside, the body being buried underneath the actual tomb) in the churchyard were used by smugglers to temporarily store their illicit goods when the heat of the authorities was on them. I imagine there's no definitive proof of that, but given the extensive history of smuggling it at least seems feasible to me. And perhaps the local vicar turned a blind eye if it was made worth his while...
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