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).
