D is on holiday this week and we wanted to have a trip out yesterday. But where to go? Initial thoughts were Little Moreton Hall or Witley Court but when I checked the websites I discovered Easter events were being held which meant they would probably be heaving with people so in the end we went to explore a rather picturesque village in South Warwickshire.
Welford on Avon is just over 4 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon located in a loop of the River Avon. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book but there was a settlement here long before that. It is now part of Warwickshire but up until 1931 it was in the county of Gloucestershire.
The village was very quiet (thankfully no hordes of tourists!) and we parked by a small village green opposite the Bell pub.
Welford is well known for its thatched, timber-framed cottages many dating back to the 17th century
The church of St Peter is the oldest building in the village and it was built on the site of an earlier 12th century church. It is believed that centuries ago the church tower was used as a landmark for travellers crossing the ford over the nearby River Avon.
Tenpenny Cottage which gets its name from the quarterly rent charged for tenants is one of the most photographed cottages in England.
Opposite is another lovely building called Owl Pen.
We followed a footpath to the banks of the River Avon.
Dandelions and daisies were flowering everywhere and it
was lovely to see a few cowslips on the grassland.
White Dead Nettle
This looked like a community orchard.
We arrived back at the church and I agreed with B and D that I would have a quick look round the interior while they carried on exploring the village and I would meet them in half an hour at The Bell for lunch.
Norman South Door
Annoyingly the church was well and truly locked!! I had done a bit of research beforehand which suggested it is usually open perhaps it was closed due to repairs that are being carried out?. I am not having much luck seeing inside churches at the moment (remember Adderbury!). What did I miss inside? I gather there is a 13th century font, fragments of 14th century glass in the chancel and a 15th century grave slab of a priest.
I should have got Timothy to pose next to this little teddy.
I decided to have a quick look round the churchyard
A lovely manor house over the road from the church.
Onto The Bell and lunch - the pub dates back to the 17th century and local legend suggests that William Shakespeare met Ben Jonson here for a drink and on the way home he was caught in a rain storm and contracted a dose of fatal pneumonia.
The lunch was very good - Fougasse bread with pesto, roasted red pepper and goat's cheese served with red onion marmalade and we shared a portion of chips.
After lunch we continued to explore the village.
This house was for sale - I checked the price when we got home and it is well above our budget!
The 20 metre tall may pole is one of the tallest in England.
Hawthorn is coming into flower.
The Shakespeare Inn dates to the late 18th century.
Chapel House and the Wesleyan Chapel established in 1801.
It was a really enjoyable day out and perhaps one day I will return to see inside the church.
*D Photos taken by D with the Canon SX50 HS bridge camera
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.
15 comments:
I think you chose wisely! Our local NT property ran their third annual Easter Egg Hunt, and in three years their numbers have tripled! You do visit some really lovely places. Thank you for sharing them.
Thank you for sharing your visit to Welford. It's been a long time since I was there and only drove through it quickly on the way to somewhere else. It's an interesting place since it was one of only two safe places to cross the River Avon, the second being Bidford. My parents grew up in Dorsington, only a few miles away. One of my father's weekly tasks as a 13 yr old farm labourer was to take the mangolds, barley, oats and other cattle feed in the pony and cart to be rolled by the miller. This went on for several years until his employer at Braggington Farm bought his own electric mill. There used to be several mills at Welford but the last one has closed and is now a restaurant, I believe. I'm so grateful we still have Charlecote Mill still providing our bread flour as one of the last commercial water mills in the country. If you haven't been there, do go and visit. It's a lovely spot and the flour is wonderful.
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. I noticed NT Baddesley and Packwood at the weekend were only allowing cars in with pre-booked parking tickets so can just imagine how busy they were! I think parking quite limited at Witley Court and they had an Easter quest on so as an hour from home didn't want to take the risk!
Sarah Head - Thanks so much. Interesting about it being one of only two safe crossing places. Bidford from memory is quite close! It is so interesting about your father and I think you are right about Welford Mill now being a restaurant.
I haven't been to Charlecote for ages so overdue a visit but I did once buy flour from there and it was superb :) I think Sarehole Mill Birmingham had started milling flour too but I am not 100% certain if they still do.
What a wonderful place to visit and I enjoyed seeing all your lovely photographs
It looks a pretty village with so many interesting buildings, the cottages and their names are lovely. Shame about the church being closed. Your lunch looks very tasty. I've seen lilac in a few places now it seems to be flowering early this year, I love it but it goes over so quickly, blink and you've missed it. It looks like you had a lovely day out away from the crowds:)
Such a picturesque place and it's always nice to avoid the crowds!
Margaret Birding for Pleasure - Thanks so much Margaret - glad you enjoyed.
Rosie - Thanks so much. It was a rather pretty village. You are right about lilac not lasting long. I must check to see if the one in the garden is flowering - OH tends to over prune stuff so many shrubs have few flowers :(
Pam Thanks so much. I tend not to go out on bank holidays as always so busy but the village was quiet although there was a huge queue from a roundabout to get into Stratford!
What a beautiful village - so many gorgeous cottages. Sorry that you missed out on the church again. It's very frustrating to find them locked.
Your lunch looked scrummy (that's made me hungry now!)
Is Great Witley the place that burned down in the early part of last century? Still have fountains and an Orangery? If so, been there once, in another life.
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. The church being locked when as far as I can see its normally open was a bit of pain! There is a phone app you can get that gives you key holder info but tbh if I am with others of the family they would not want to hang around for key holder to appear! and also not sure if ancient smart phone would support apps!
Pub lunch was one of tastiest I have had :)
Yes Great Witley is that place. The gardens and woodland walk there look good and there is a church which should be open!
This looks like a delightful village the buildings are charming. It is a shame about the church especially as you thought it would be open.
CherryPie - Thank you - it was a bit of a pain re: the church but such a lovely village it was worth visiting :)
What a wonderful day out, apart from the locked church. We found the same at Guestwick in Norfolk recently - I was longing to see the wildlife on the Millennium window! Ah, and that maypole... it takes me back to junior school, dancing round the maypole on May 1st and washing our faces in the dew under the cherry blossom... The houses look beutiful and what a variety of wildflowers. Timothy looks ready for his pub lunch!
Thank you so much - sorry to hear you had a similar experience at Guestwick. It is frustrating especially when you have checked and it seems normally open. I think you can get key holders numbers but as rest of family not into churches it wouldn't be easy waiting for them to turn up. There is also an app you can get for your phone with details of key holders and which churches are open but my phone is ancient and probably wouldn't support such an app!
It sounds as though you went to a super junior school with activities such as dancing round the maypole :)
Thank you, RR, for details of these apps... I am such a novice when it comes to mobiles, but am enjoying Instagram! As for our May 1st activities - yes, it was rather special and something I have always remembered... perhaps particularly the recitation of 'Loveliest of trees' about the cherry.
Caroline Gill - Thanks Caroline. I have inherited OH's old android phone which tbh I only use for emergencies! Haven't a clue how the thing works. I will find details of the app and leave a comment on your blog about it. A guy who is on twitter set it up. Some of the stuff is free but to get all the facilities you have to pay £15 a year or you can pay monthly from memory.
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