Monday, May 04, 2009

Bellringing outing

Yesterday was a Bank holiday here in the UK and our Norwich Diocesan Association of Bellringers (the southern branch mind you) went on a coach outing to some weird and wonderful Churches in North Norfolk. Don't you just love the dagginess of a coach where you can see for miles over the hedges and sit up the back with your buddy for hours on end without the worry of driving.
The first of the five Churches we visited was at Beetley. Here's a picture of it's graveyardwith a beautiful flowering cherry. Lush, green and bloody freezing. It's been warm for a week and we're all unused to it being cold again.
I leapt in to ring here and found I was in over my head as they were 8 tiny bells and hard to hold up.
Next it was off to Walsingham where there was a procession going on. You don't get to see this kind of occurence very often, even in the back blocks of Norfolk.We had lunch in Walsingham and then moved on to Wighton, a tiny village near the sea approached by narrow hedge lined lanes. One winter night in 1965, the bell tower collapsed in a storm and you can see the tide mark where new stone replaces old.This pretty doorway was surrounded by wallflowers which smelled like Chanel no 5.There were lots of lambs all in amongst the grave stones. A great way of keeping the grass down in your local Church.
There was a rather lovely altar cloth here with frayed, padded gold work. I'm not quite sure what this fantasy flower is.
Great headstones, the skull and cross bones usually denotes death by plague.
Wells-next-the-sea was next. It had this beautiful plaque on the wall.

...and a comedy eagle.Next and last came Holkham church St Withburga's!!! In magnificent surroundings, here's Ricardo looking over the fence at Holkham Hall.
There's a famous tomb here where the relief shows the nine daughters and six sons of the woman within!

Got to publish this now, even though there's heaps more I could tell you. Work is calling.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting- Beetley was one of my former parishes, and indeed is a lovely place.I buried some rather wonderful people in that graveyard, and have always thought that it really is a spot to rest in peace.
I think the Eagle lecturn at Wells is of the same type as at Dereham, where saint Withburga lived and died. If so it was made in East Anglia in about 1480, and there are only six or seven in the entire world. It is made of Latten which is an early type of brass.
Great photos as usual Jo.
Lots of love,
The Rector.

JoeyJoJo said...

Dear Rector. Many thanks for your vast knowledge of such things. Big love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

suez said...

wow you are again a star what great photos. You have such a photographable life.. lots of love and kissesXXXx

Anonymous said...

Well on the other hand of course, I may be wrong and it is simply an early model for one of the Muppets or General de Gaulle.
Cheers,
The Rector.