A Visit to Berkswell and Churchyard to see Snowdrops

 

D had heard that the tea room in Berkswell had recently re-opened under new management so on Sunday we drove over to Berkswell for lunch there.

The tearoom is called the Nook and it was lovely.  D had a very tasty baguette filled with goat's cheese, pear slices, chutney and rocket which looked delicious and I had cake which was good too!!

Afterwards we wandered up to the churchyard of St John the Baptist to look for snowdrops.

This cottage used to house a museum sadly it is now closed.

Bercul's Well (from which Berkswell takes its name).  There is some evidence of a pre-Conquest shrine at the village and this well near the church may have been used in connection with religion as an immersion site for early baptisms.  The well is in a stone walled basin and is 4.9 metres square and was  restored in 1851.

The Gothic War Memorial by Sir Charles Nicholson erected in 1921.

St John the Baptist is one of my favourite churches and churchyards and regular readers I am sure will remember previous posts I have written on the village and church.

The chancel, crypt and parts of the nave are Norman built in the C12th. Pevsner describes the church " as the most interesting Norman Parish Church in the county".  The church is built of red sandstone and has an interesting corbel table.

The Preaching Cross has a base of steps which predates the church and may even be Saxon.  The cross at the top was changed in 1850.

The two storey timber framed porch with an external staircase dates back to 1500.

It is always good to see a sign saying the church is open :) I didn't venture inside this time but if you wish to see  the interior please see an earlier post - link here. St John the Baptist Berkswell  Just scroll down a bit past the exterior photos!

C12th oak door to the church with handmade nails!

The wall of the tower has some graffiti - many from the C20th but some are older.

There are bird boxes in the churchyard including this owl nesting box. D heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming somewhere nearby.

The whole churchyard had carpets of snowdrops - so fitting as it was Candlemas Day.

Cyclamen were in flower and there were buds on daffodils and a few Lesser Celandine in flower.

This is Well House which was once the Rectory.  Maud Watson who is buried in the churchyard lived here with her father, the vicar.  She was the first Wimbledon Single Ladies' Champion.

The village stocks on the green which only have 5 holes.  Local legends suggest that this is because  they were built for recurring offenders, one of whom only had one leg.

All photos taken by me (except for the fungi photo which D took) with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

RSPB Garden Birdwatch and Snowdrops

 

We took part on Sunday in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - we did initially try to do it on Saturday but it was very sunny and as the garden faces south it was too bright to see much of the garden so the first attempt was abandoned after a few minutes.

We saw 15 species which is more than we have seen in recent years. Usually the birds disappear during the hour you do the survey but this year there were loads around.

We saw the following :

Great Tit x 3

Blackbird x 4

Goldfinch x 7

House Sparrow x 2

Dunnock x 2

Blue Tit x 3

Coal Tit x 1

Robin x 1

Wood Pigeon x 4

Redpoll x 4

Collared Dove x 1

Carrion Crow x 1

Magpie x 1

Long Tailed Tit x 4

Goldcrest x 1

No signed of the Ring Necked Parakeets though!

Redpoll were the real highlight - we usually see them in the silver birch trees in the garden but on Sunday they actually came to the feeders. Goldcrest was the second sighting this year - it forages in climbers on the patio arch and in the Christmas Tree we have in a pot.

I look forward to reading what other bloggers have seen this year.

Thankfully, after a week on penicillin and, touch wood, cellulitis has disappeared for now so yesterday we popped to Coleshill to visit "Books Revisited" - a second hand charity bookshop that D and I both love.

I always park by the church so we walked back via the churchyard.

I love this Silk Tassel Bush.

St Peter and St Paul - Coleshill Parish Church

There were lots of crocus buds in the churchyard but I couldn't see any snowdrops so we stopped off at Castle Bromwich churchyard where I know they will flower in January.

It is always a treat to see the first snowdrops of the year and I hope I can visit more local churchyards next month and find more.

I bought myself a lovely bunch of rainbow tulips to brighten the hall.

In other news D passed his driving test first time last Saturday.  I really am proud of him because these days with all the traffic on the roads it is not the easiest thing to pass.

All photos were taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera (D took the last snowdrop photo).  (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or one of my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).