On the Thursday we decided to go into Brighstone which is a picturesque little village and then stop off at the Wight Mouse Inn for a meal on the way back.
The rain started as we arrived in the car park! Thankfully, after about 20/30 minutes it stopped.
A mosaic in the village.
D and I had a quick look round the small museum which was interesting.
Village Hall
B, D and E set off in search of the Brighstone Dragon Tree while I had a look round the church. On reflection I now wish I had gone to see the tree as I have been inside the church before.
St Mary's church dates from 1190 and belonged to the Bishop of Winchester's manor at Swainstone. It continued in his patronage until 1926 when it was transferred to the new Bishop of Portsmouth.
War Memorial
The church is a Grade 1 Listed Building. The nave is part of the original church. Pillars and arches on the north side are C15th. A fire in the 1860's resulted in some rebuilding. The tower was built in the C14th/C15th and the spire was added in the C17th. The West Door - sorry no photo - is C13th. As usual I was in a rush as I didn't think the family would be gone long.
Gravestone for Lieutenant George A Cairns VC who was awarded the Victoria Cross (posthumously) on 19th May, 1949.
Lovely lichen covered gravestones in the churchyard.
Church Interior - apologies again for some of the photos as yet again the light in the church was poor :(
The stained glass is Victorian.
The octagonal font is probably C15th
Jacobean pulpit
Altar in the chancel
Kneelers
East Window
The lady who had been sat on this bench when I went round the churchyard earlier recommended I visit the Olive Garden.
Lovely to see another "Living Churchyard"
The Olive Garden
The "Tree of Life" mosaic was a community art project held in the church during the winter of 2021. Around 40 people participated cutting the pieces from sheets of glass and attaching them to a recycled table top. It was made to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and was dedicated at the same time as the Olive Garden by the Reverend J Maw on 12th June 2022.
The inspiration for the mosaic is taken from the Bible - Relevation Chapter 2 Verse 2:
"On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit.... the leaves are for the healing of nations".
The Olive Garden contains plants mentioned in the Bible such as three olive trees, "roses of Sharon" and herbs.
I couldn't find the graves of the Salter children as it was hard to read inscriptions on the weathered graves.
Also buried in the churchyard although I didn't find his grave is William Fox, palaentologist. He was curate here in the C19th and discovered several dinosaur species locally.
Samuel Wilberforce, son of the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce, was rector at the church in 1830. He later became Bishop of Oxford and then of Winchester.
Cemetery
Plants in Walls
Photos by D of the Dragon Tree - when I saw these I so wished I had gone to see it!
Sorry wrong way round - here it is rotated but it is quite hard to read.
The Dragon Tree is an oak and one huge limb forms a bridge of the Buddle Brook which runs below. The brook once powered Brighstone Mill which closed in the 1960's.
It is believed the oak took its shape when it was blown down in a storm and somehow the fallen tree managed to take root.
Local legend says that the tree was once a dragon which terrorised local people. A knight, recently returned from the crusades, fought the dragon and when he struck the fatal blow the dragon turned to wood, formed roots and became a tree.
On the way back to the cottage we stopped of at The Wight Mouse Inn, Chale, for a meal.
I tried to do a bit of packing in the evening as we had to be out of the cottage by 10.00 am! But it wasn't easy as you can't pack toiletries and the fridge food bag until the day in question.
The final post from the holiday will be about a walk round Yarmouth and a visit to Yarmouth Castle.
Reference:
Church leaflet and information boards in the churchyard
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS 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)
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