Sunday, 8 September 2024

Gongoozling in Rugby

I went to Rugby yesterday, one of the few Warwickshire stations i have yet to re-visit in my ongoing effort to update my available imagery for my forthcoming book on Warwickshire railway stations. The weather was not that great though, being rather murky and humid and with some light rain. Though i never seem to go to Rugby when it is good weather!

I also did a walk along the Oxford Canal in Rugby, covering some new ground (or towpath to be exact) that i have not been along before, including two neat aqueducts. You can see my canal photos here.






Friday, 6 September 2024

Churches (233) : St Chad, Stafford

The parish church of St Chad in Stafford dates from the 12th century and is the oldest building in Stafford though has been much changed. The nave had four bay arcades and was cruciform with a crossing tower which was built in the 14th century. The transepts were removed in the 17th century during major work on the church, the original arcades were also bricked up.

However, the church was in a poor state, the nave partially collapsed in the 18th century. In the 1740s the church was restored with a new west front though this was replaced by the current west front a century later during other restoration work. The bricked up arcades were opened up and a new north transept built, a south transept was added in the 1950s.



Tuesday, 3 September 2024

Tackley thrice

I have been to Tackley before, on Saturday it was my third visit to this small Oxfordshire village. However, until now i have not ventured as far as the parish church so did so finally on this trip, and very nice it is too along with the rest of the village. You can see my photos here.



Monday, 2 September 2024

Modern Collins (10) : A Wave of Fatalities

A Wave of Fatalities by Michael Delving is one of those frequent Modern Collins entries from the 1970s and 1980s which portrayed a professional in a field getting involved in a serious crime and becoming an amateur detective to help solve it.

Our hero in this case is an American antique dealer and his wife, visiting the UK looking for interesting antiques to buy. He comes across a very interesting medieval box of Jewish origin but, before he can close the deal, the owner is murdered and the box goes missing.

Although also a suspect in the case, our man helps the police investigate the case (although not officially). The theme of being an outsider and how others react to you is to the fore throughout this interesting story full of suspect and interesting characters.