Tuesday, 1 July 2025

Return to Wootton Wawen

Wootton Wawen in Warwickshire is one of my favourite places and i returned there at the weekend. The church in the village, St Peter & St Paul is Saxon and the oldest church in the county. It has never been open when i have been visiting the village... until now! It was great to finally see inside it. I also had a walk along the Stratford Canal until the heat wore me out! You can see my Wootton Wawen photos here and the canal ones here.




Monday, 30 June 2025

Bedfordshire Places (1) : Marston Moretaine

Marston Moretaine (or Moreteyne) is a village in central Bedfordshire.

The village has Saxon origins, Marston Moretaine being listed in a Saxon charter in 969 as Mercstuninga. In the Domesday Book, the village was listed as Merestone. The name is derived from the Old English for settlement by a marsh. The manor was held by the Moretaine family for a time. The official name of the parish was changed to Marston Moreteyne in 2018 though Moretaine is still used in many places such as road signs.

The village is located next to the Millennium Country Park in the Marston Vale in central Bedfordshire. The village is located in a redevelopment area so might be expected to expand in future years. The village is served by Millbrook railway station on the Marston Vale Line.

St Mary the Virgin's parish church dates from 1340 though most of the surviving church was rebuilt in the mid 14th century. The church unusually has a detached tower from the next of the church, the tower being about 20m from the north wall of the chancel.




Friday, 27 June 2025

Church update : St Mary the Virgin, Tutbury

The rather nice church of St Mary the Virgin in Tutbury, in Staffordshire is next to the ruins of the castle. On my second visit i was able to go inside as well as see the church resplendent in some fine Winter sunshine.



Thursday, 26 June 2025

Monday, 23 June 2025

Modern Collins (15) : Fatal Fortune

Fatal fortune by Marian Babson is a fast moving if somewhat implausible adventure across central Europe. The plucky heroine has arrived from the US to rescue her young nephew who is in danger from a brutal gang. With the help of a reporter, they manage to keep one step ahead of the gang of ruffians. Meanwhile, the family patriarch approaches death...

The book has a number of surprises and keeps you gripped, more or less, though can be a bit silly at times.