Journey to Pluntree, Notts

First Stop Loughborough.

The Signaler (2003), a sculptue by John Atkin, stands in the centre of the Rushes Retail Park.

A plaque notes ‘The overall form of the sculpture is of the figure and the materials used reflect the past industries of the region and the future. The sculpture is made from a combination of cor ten steel and stainless steel. The base is made from concrete in addition to stainless steel details. Cor ten steel has distinct weathering characteristics that allow the surface skin of the metal to weather to a particular colour.’


All Saints with Holy Trinity Church, Loughborough. The current church was first built in the fourteenth century, round about 1330 which was during the decorated gothic period. The height of the tower was increased and a clerestory was added in the perpendicular period, about 1450. http://www.aswht.org/history.htm





The base of the tower is dedicated to the memory of the Taylor family of bellfounders.









Bunny is a village between Loughborough and Nottingham. The most significant building in the village is Bunny Hall, probably built in the 1570s and occupied by the Parkyns family for three hundred years. Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741), known as the Wrestling Baronet. Unfortunatly this is now in private hands and we could not get close to it.

Sir Thomas Parkyns was responsible for several buildings, in particular the old school house and almhouses close to the church. They were designed and built in 1700.The almshouse was for four poor widows of Bunny and Bradmore.




Sir Thomas Parkyns’ coat of arms can be seen on the end elevation.















The church of St Mary’s has a 13th Century nave and aisles were built of loosely-coursed rubble, quite different from the hewn, squared stone of the later 14th Century chancel and tower. Inside there is an oak screen, also dated as 14th Century and the Vestry has a medieval aumbry - a cupboard where the sacred vessels were kept. The south porch, with its stone seats, was added in the 15th Century.



Bradmore is a small village just north of Bunny. Bradmore is famous for a fire in 1705 when a great part of the village was destroyed. The square tower of the Church was built in the thirteenth century and an octagonal spire added in the fourteenth century. Building was halted until the Black Death had abated. The church then suffered badly in the fire and remained unused for a considerable time. A small hall was erected next to the tower in 1881, where services are now held once a month.

















The long and undulating road from the A60 to Plumtree.

Dorking : Landmarks and Curiosities

Sunday afternoon and a chance to look around Dorking.

The statue of the Dorking cockerel on the Deepdene roundabout was created by sculptor Peter Parkinson of Leatherhead’s Fire & Iron Gallery and unleashed on the somewhat dubious townsfolk of Dorking in February 2007. (The Dorking Cockerel was introduced into England by the Romans. What distinguishes this species from others is the presence of a fifth claw at the back of the foot. it is the oldest surviving 5 toed variety.)



Thomas Cubitt, Master Builder (1788-1855). He was a Master Builder who died nearby at Denbies.



Ralph Vaughn Williams, composer (1872-1958) and a resident of Dorking from 1929 to 1953. The lark in his well known "The Lark Ascending" is known to have been heard in the Mole Valley to the north of the town.



Dorking Halls were designed by Percy W Meredith in 1931 and refurbished in 1997.



Between 1838 and 1869 a collection of large Italianate and Tudor style villas was built around a paddock in the grounds of Rose Hill house and the brick arch was built as an entranceway.



The pump at Pump corner was installed in 1790 to draw water from a well which had been the centre of the town in the middle ages. This is the end of the High Street; to the left is South street and to the right is East street. The sign above the pump still correctly points to Horsham, but thanks to the one way system you also need to head left to go to Guildford!



The 'Old King's Head' is a brick Jacobean building, standing at the west end of the High Street, on the north side. It used to be called the 'Chequers,' and received its later name in 1660. It is usually said to be the original of Dickens' 'Marquis of Granby,' but at the time when the Pickwick Papers were written it was not an inn at all. It is now occupied by a variety of small shops and offices including The Courtyard Cafe.



Dorking has the last remaining Pilgrim Father's house which stands in West Street. It belonged to William Mullins who sailed to New Foundland on 16 september 1620.It is now an antiques shop.



The spire of St Martins forms a landmark that can be seen from far and wide. The Foundation stone to the tower was laid in 1873 by Dr Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Winchester who unfortunately died two months later when he fell from a horse. The tower and spire were built as the Wilberforce Memorial. The top stone was put in place on 25 April 1877. The height to the top of the weathervane (a Dorking cockerel) is 210 feet.



St Martins Church, Dorking. There is a church in the Manor of Dorking mentioned in the Domesday Book but the present church, St Martins was built between 1866 and 1874, designed by the Surrey architect Henry Woodyer.



And now the star turn in Dorking on a Sunday afternoon, Dorking Ladies Football Team (aka Horley Town) sporting their delightful new strip. Follow their progress in the South East Counties Women’s Football League, Division One (West) – where after two games they are top! http://www.secwfl.org.uk/stats.html

Chipping Norton and Broadway

Another trip to the Midlands, this time via the A44 through Chipping Camden and Broadway in the Cotswolds. Chipping Norton is the highest town in Oxfordshire; the word 'Chipping' is derived from ceapen, an old English word meaning market. Alternatively the meaning comes from the medieval word Chepynge meaning long Market Square as will also be found at Chipping Campden and Chipping Sodbury.

The centre of Chipping Norton is a typical picturesque Cotswold town with many attractive buildings. The Town Hall stood out in the morning sunlight.




Behind the ‘new’ Town Hall is a pillar from the old Market Hall and Town Cross.




The Almshouses on Church Lane look as if they were taken from the pages of a romantic novel. They were given to the town in 1640 by Henry Cornish who was a prominent puritan in Chipping Norton in the 17th Century. They were to be used by eight poor widows.






The 15ty century Church of St Mary is very impressive. It is one of the largest of the magnificent Cotswold churches financed by the proceeds of the medieval wool trade. It is listed Grade I.





The church also has one of only three medieval hexagonal porches in the country.



In the graveyard there are several examples of doomed tombs.



A couple of signs also stood out; one sad......



.....and one that we could hardly believe – ‘Free Parking’!



We then moved on to Broadway and were disappointed. Broadway is the village that tourists head for and commercialism (tea rooms and antique shops) have taken over. There was even a ‘Christmas Shop.




The Church of St Michael & All Angels was also a disappointment. Whist St Mary's in Chipping Norton was warm and welcoming with many interesting features (and a very good two page guide), the Victorian makeover in 1840 has done nothing for this church.

A few sights along the A40

Another detour from the M40 on the way to see Mum and Dad. This time I left at Junction 2 as rain was threatened later in the journey.

First stop was Beaconsfield – this has been used as a stopping place to use the facilities before the new Beaconsfield Motorway services opened. Beaconsfield is a typical Home Counties town full of rich architecture down the main street, no doubt hiding some less than splendid estates in the background. St Mary and All Saints Church is quite large but appeared somewhat soulless to me.



The War Memorial was more unusual very elaborate with a permanent light in the top



One of the many drinking fountains provided by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Association in and around London.



After Beaconsfield and the nightmare that is High Wycombe comes West Wycombe, a small village on the A40 which must have been hell before the M40 opened. It is full of coaching houses – The George and Dragon being a typical example.



I parked in front of a wonderful timbered framed building called the Church Loft with original Clock dated 1688. It was a pilgrims rest house and lock up, and dates back to the 15th Century.



On the hill overlooking West Wycombe stands the church of St Lawrence and the Dashwood Mausoleum.

They look quite impressive as you approach the village. The church is 18th centuary and famous for its Golden Ball which (I have read) can seat up to eight people giving views over the surrounding countryside. The interior is suppose to be quite impressive but the church was locked when I was there.



The Dashwood Mausoleum.



The Dashwood Mausoleum was built in 1765. It is sited at the summit of West Wycombe Hill (which is also the site of an Iron Age Hill Fort). The mausoleum is hexagonal in plan and constructed of Portland stone and flint. It houses the urns containing the ashes of the Dashwood family. One member of the family was the infamous Sir Francis Dashwood, responsible for excavating the nearby West Wycombe caves for the debauched cavortings of the notorious "Hell Fire Club." a group of fellow aristocrats and men of influence.



The view from in front of the Mausoleum looking south east back along the A40 towards High Wycombe.



Further along the A40 is Stokenchurch which has a small church with foundations dating back to Anglo Saxon times.



.....and then the rains came so I headed back onto the M40!

St George's day 2010 in Horley

There was a good turnout for the St George's day celebration in Horley.



One of the highlights was the Puppetkru performing songs.




The compere for Puppetkru did an excelent job ad-libbing between songs whilst secretly wondering how the lunchtime kick off at Old Trafford was going (not the way he wanted!)

Uxbridge

I had to meet someone in Uxbridge this morning but arrived early so was able to have a brief look around.



The old Uxbridge Town Pump in front of St Margaret's Church.





The Art Deco Underground Station was designed by Charles Holden and opened in 1938.



The stained glass panels can be seen as you leave the station.



Acording to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxbridge_tube_station 'The stained glass panels at the booking hall end of the platforms reflect the area's heraldic associations. The crown and three seaxes on a red background are the arms of Middlesex County Council and the chained swan on a black and red background is associated with Buckinghamshire. The centre shield is possibly the arms of the local Basset family; a downward pointing red triangle on a gold background was borrowed from the Bassett arms for use on the arms of Uxbridge Urban District Council in 1948.'