D and I went to Packwood at lunchtime on Friday - hoping to see the house dressed for Christmas. Sadly, all the timed house tickets had been issued so we just had a brief wander along the lane.
We did carry on to Baddesley Clinton but the tickets for the house had all been issued there as well! I've made a mental note not to visit over the busy Christmas period again but to try and see the houses earlier in December! Baddesley Clinton I had visited but sadly I never got chance to go to Packwood earlier in the month.
Yesterday we visited the market town of Coleshill in North Warwickshire mainly to visit our favourite secondhand bookshop - "Books Revisited" but we did go a wander round the town.
The town located on a hill to the East of Birmingham is situated between the Rivers Cole and Blythe. It began life as a settlement in the Iron Ages as the Grimstock Hill Romano-British settlement. In the 1970's archaeologists found evidence of hut circles and also a Romano Celtic temple. During the Dark Ages the settlement moved a kilometre south to the top of a nearby hill where the current church is now located and a medieval town developed. Coleshill is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and it was granted a market charter by King John in 1207. Simon Digby was given the manor of Coleshill in 1496 by King Henry VII following the Battle of Bosworth and the execution of Simon de Montford.
In the 18th century the town became an important staging post for coach roads and at one time there were 20 inns in the town (there are still quite a few!).
I've shown you photos of Coleshill Parish Church (St Peter and St Paul) before but here are a few more exterior shots.
Stump of a Medieval Preaching Cross.
Can anyone else see a face in this tree?
Books Revisited
B loves this old-fashioned iron monger's shop.
Coleshill Town Hall
The elephant statue is new - the design is based on an idea by a local school girl as part of the CASPER (Coleshill Art Space Project Everyone Respects) project. A circus elephant died in Coleshill in 1910 and is buried in the town under what is now a Morrison's supermarket and car park.
Hot chocolate with gingerbread and cream in Costa.
Many of the shops still had a Christmas theme.
The Swan Hotel
The Old Market Hall
Coleshill Pillory and Whipping post which is unique in Warwickshire and is a listed monument. It was first erected near the market cross in 1708 and was last used in 1863 to punish two felons for drunkenness.
Christmas lights in the town and sunset.
*D photos taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera.
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.
8 comments:
What a shame you couldn't get the tickets for the houses though the photos show it's worth a wander around the towns regardless (annoying though!). It doesn't seem right they built a Morrisons on top of an elephant somehow :O
Pam - Thank you and yes tbh I was rather annoyed as it is a one and half hour return trip to Packwood! I don't know why you can't book in advance as with their Easter egg hunt. I definitely won't be returning this year on the off chance!! :(
I agree about the elephant! Although to be fair it was already buried under a car park. Not sure exactly where the grave is but it is an interesting story.
Such a shame you couldn't get to see inside Packwood but your wander around Coleshill looks very festive and fascinating too. The book shop looks wonderful. Poor elephant but at least he or she has been remembered and will always be part of the history of the town:)
Rosie - Thank you - it was a bit annoying about Packwood - to be honest I've never been so close to Christmas before and never realised how horrendously it was! The elephant tale is quite fascinating - a man in Books Revisited told us about it some years ago. The bookshop is good - we usually visit about once a month and it is where I donate books or rather those I can bear to part with!
AS the other 2 commenters said, shame you did not gain admission to the house and a pity you cannot book ahead but I enjoyed looking round the town through your photographs. Thanks you for visiting and commenting on my blog over the past year and I would like to wish you and your family and very happy and healthy 2019
Margaret Adamson - Thanks Margaret. I did send them a message on Twitter suggesting people should be allowed to book over the Christmas period as I wasn't the only one disappointed! Thank you for your comments and visits too and wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and peaceful 2019.
Thank you for taking the time to post your pictures which were, in the main, superb. I have to admit though, that the elephant scupture really shocked me. I was expecting to see it in its natural glory, not in the way it is, subservient to man, performing his unnatural tricks.
I think I have calmed down now.
I wish you and your family the very best of the best for the coming year and look forward to reading more of your posts.
Toffeeapple Thanks so much but I am so very sorry that the elephant statue upset you. I don't think the Christmas decorations (which I didn't like) helped the impression. I hate animals performing in circuses or anywhere so I can understand your feelings. I am assuming that the elephant was done in that pose as he was a circus elephant from the early 1900's when times were a little different. Someone else who stopped to look at the statue suggested the wheel was to signify Coleshill being an important stage coach stopping point so perhaps the idea was not so much to portray an animal performing but putting in features that were relevant to Coleshill??
Thanks so much for your good wishes for the New Year and I wish you a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2019.
Thanks again and please accept my apologies for any upset the photos caused.
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