First Herefordshire Visit 2023 - Part 1: Pudleston and St Peter's and the Herefordshire Oak

 

We finally made it back to Herefordshire last weekend.  The rain seemed to have stopped for a few days - it was cold but sunny and dry and I much prefer that weather to wet and mild!

Sunday was spent unpacking, making up beds and doing a click and collect at Morrisons in Leominster but Monday morning D and I went for a walk around Pudleston which is just a few miles from Hatfield.

The first picture of the year of the Herefordshire Oak.

Timothy back on his shelf and wearing his warmest jumper!

I parked in the Village Hall car park in Pudleston and we walked along the lanes to the church of St Peter.

A lovely natural Blackthorn Arch across the lane.

The pigs are still there or at least one of them - as usual it came grunting along to say "hello".

Red Dead Nettle in the churchyard attracting a lot of bees.

St Peter's, Pudleston.

Apart from the West Tower and parts of the chancel the church was rebuilt by Woodyer in the 19th century.  The tower was built c1200 and has a spire rising from a truncated pyramidal roof.

Primroses in the churchyard.

I left D sitting on a bench and popped into the church very briefly to get photos of items I had missed last time especially in the chancel area. The fittings and furnishings are by Woodyer.

Encaustic tiles 1856/57 in the chancel.

 

Stone reredos

East Window

If you want to see more photos of the church interior please see here St Peter's Pudleston

There are a couple of lovely ancient/veteran trees in the field next to the churchyard and while in this area we heard a woodpecker drumming.

The doorway in the West Tower is Norman.

There were a few bees in the churchyard but no butterflies.

We continued our walk and took the lane towards Bockleton.

Lesser Celandine, Dandelions and White Dead Nettle were flowering everywhere.

 

The Old Rectory in its own park built 1765 for the Rev John Wood (junior).

You see mistletoe growing on trees everywhere in Herefordshire.

And finally back at the car.

I did go a wander round the churchyard of St Leonard's Hatfield in the afternoon but I'll save that for another post.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FX330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

Reference: 

Churches of Herefordshire and Their Treasures by John Leonard, Logaston Press (2000)

Pevesner Buildings of England Herefordshire by A Brookes and N Pevsner Yale University Press