Snowdrop Sunday at Temple Balsall

I first discovered the tranquil, timeless area of Temple Balsall a few years ago when I was visiting areas mentioned by Edith Holden in the "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady". It really is one of those places that you occasionally find that has a very special atmosphere. Time seems to have stood still in this Warwickshire haven and it feels far removed from the stresses and problems of the 21st century.



D and I went along last Sunday afternoon as they were holding a Snowdrop Sunday with teas in the Old Hall.

Temple Balsall is a thriving Christian community offering hospitality to all who visit. In 1674 the then owner of the land, Lady Katherine Leveson, set up a foundation to teach children and care for the elderly - this work continues today.

Temple Balsall was given to the Knights Templar by Roger de Mowbray around 1146 and it became the Preceptory (Headquarters) for local Knights of the Temple. It controlled the farming activities of other Templar sites in Warwickshire. In March 1312 the Pope abolished the Order of the Templars transferring their properties to the Knights of St John (The Hospitallers) who were another fighting crusading order who also nursed the sick. There are not many records of the Hospitallers at Temple Balsall although they may have built the church. The Knights Templar had worshipped in a chapel attached to the Old Hall.



Temple House

Some of the almshouses adjoining the Breadwalk.

The churchyard is "managed" with wildlife in mind and part of it is kept as a wildlife area. 130 species of wildflower have been recorded in the churchyard and 50 species in the nearby cemetery.

I picked up a Warwickshire Butterfly Conservation Report for 2012 in the church and 17 different butterfly species were seen in the churchyard during that particular year. Yellow rattle is widespread in the churchyard which will help stop coarser grasses flourishing and thus encourage more wildflowers. Various conservation measures have taken place over the years to improve the habitat. For example, Alder Buckthorn has been planted to provide food plants for the caterpillars of Brimstone butterflies. Nettle patches are allowed to flourish, Orange Tips lay eggs on Lady's Smock and Devil's Bit Scabious has been planted. Buddleia attracts many butterflies particularly Red Admiral and Peacock and Ringlets appreciate the areas of long grass left unmown until late summer.

Snowdrops, Primroses and Winter Aconites were all in flower.

Snowdrops have a variety of lovely country names - Snow Piercer, Purification Flower, Candlemas Bells and February Fairmaids. The Genus name Galanthus comes from the Greek meaning milky flower and up to 20 wild species have been discovered. Winter Aconite which is also one of the first flowers to appear in the New Year is often called "New Year's Gift".





D went off to look at various other areas - there is a bog garden, pool, walled garden, woodland walk and stream whilst I had a quick look round the Church of St Mary the Virgin. I didn't take too many photos on this visit as its quite dark in the church and I am never very happy about using the camera flash in churches. The church was built around 1320/1330 and was originally the Chapel of the religious Knights Hospitaller. They left in the 1470's and the church may have fallen into disrepair at this time but additionally 70 years later saw the dissolution of monasteries and other communities under Henry VIII and the whole property was transferred to the Crown. The church was restored by the generosity of Lady Anne Holborne in the second half of the 17th century and further restoration may have taken place when Lady Katherine Leveson set up the Foundation. A full restoration took place in the mid 19th century under the guidance of Sir George Gilbert Scott and St Mary's became a Parish Church in the 1860's.

Corbel heads on the exterior of the church.

Rose Window

The East Window dates to 1907.

The Pulpit dates from the 1840's restoration.

Moss on the churchyard wall

The Old Hall also called the Templar House dates from the 13th century. The original timber framed building was restored in the 19th century and the original walls were encased in red brick. It is one of a small number of medieval aisled halls that still remain. It was originally used as The Senior Court for the Templars in Warwickshire.



The graves with crosses in the foreground are of 19th century Dames who lived in the Hospital. They used to walk down to the Old Hall where the bailiff of the manor then lived to collect their bread allowance. The path they walked along became known as "The Breadwalk" and its still called the same name today.

I'd never been in the Old Hall before as its only open occasionally so D and I went to have tea and cakes and then had a look round the museum which contains various artefacts found locally.

These heraldic shields were really interesting and have been dated pre-1540.

D took the shield photos above and also the one below of a Blue Tit waiting its turn at some nearby bird feeders.

The bridge with its superb zoom also came in very hand for taking a photo of this Green Man half way up a wall of the church.

I knew there was a Green Man somewhere at the church but many thanks to the kind gentleman who took the time and trouble to show me the exact location.



I shall certainly return to Temple Balsall again later in the year in search of more wildflowers and butterflies. Hopefully, a visit in the Spring and a second one in the Summer.





References:

Temple Balsall 1150-1870 - a short history

Temple Balsall Snowdrop Sunday - Introducing Snowdrops Guide

The Knights of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem and their Connection with Temple Balsall by FR Fairbairn

The Church of St Mary the Virgin Temple Balsall - a visitor's guide

Temple Balsall Churchyard Butterfly Report 2012 by Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire

A Visit to Some of Herefordshire's "Black and White Villages" - Part 2: Dilwyn, Pembridge and Eardisland

First stop after leaving Weobley was the pretty, tiny village of Dilwyn.

The church of St Mary the Virgin looked very interesting. However, despite his passion for history, D is not keen on visiting churches and as there wasn't much for him to do at Dilwyn, I decided not to look round the church. The church tower was built around 1200 and the small spire added later possibly in the 18th century.

Pembridge, the next port of call, was rather busy. In fact, the busiest of the villages we visited. The name of the village comes from the old English "Penn" meaning headland or enclosure and the old Englis "Brycg" for bridge or causeway. There has been a community here for a thousand years and the village was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Most of the houses in the village date from the 15th century and it was a busy market town during medieval times.

The church of St Mary, the Virgin with its detached 13th century Bell House.

D said he was quite happy to have a look round the village whilst I went inside the church. It was the usual whistle-stop tour. Whenever, the family are with me and I know time is limited I tend to buy a copy of the church guidebook (which I read later!!) and then whizz round trying to take photos of anything that looks interesting. The downside with this approach is that I often miss the most important feature(s) :(

The stone font is 13th century.

Stained Glass Windows

Medieval Wall Painting which was discovered under whitewash when the church was restored in 1908. The vines would originally have eventually lead to roses in the white circles. I actually managed to get D into the church later to see this plus a World War One exhibition.

Jacobean Pulpit

14th century tomb the effigies are believed to be father and son from the Gour Family (Lords of Marston from a nearby hamlet) and their wives.

There was a lovely display of recent tapestry depicting the local area.

And then a quick look round the Bell Tower which is considered the finest of Herefordshire's seven detached belfries. In style it resembles the stave churches of Norway and the bell houses of Sweden. The original structure is 13th century, the stone walls and outlying trusses were added in the 15th and 16th centuries with further alterations in the 17th century. The tower underwent a complete restoration in 1983/84.

One book I read describes the interior as resembling a dark forest of old timbers. To be honest I found the tower rather spooky and thought what an ideal location it would make for some of the events that occur in the Merrily books.

The market hall has been dendro-dated to 1503 - 1538. Shame about the cars again!! Notice the poppies - poppies were everywhere as we walked around the village.

The New Inn is early Tudor.

I thought Pembridge had quite an aura of mystery about it - no wonder Phil Rickman set his novels in this area.


Finally, we paid a brief visit to Eardisland which, after Weobley, was our second favourite village. It was very picturesque.

According to a guide book I picked up there is quite a bit of debate about the original of the place name. One suggestion is that Eardisland stand for "the land of the wolf's home" (I rather like that idea). Another idea is that the name derives from Earl's Lene from the old English "Earl" and "Lene" refers to a low lying district subject to floods and stream. More recently research agrees with the latter origin and the Earl is Morcar, Earl of the Northumbrians and son of Aefgar, Lord of the Mercians.

I haven't seen one of these for a long time!! Its a survivor from the 1920's and was restored in 2000.

This holiday cottage is in an idyllic location. I've done a bit of research since the visit and unfortunately I don't believe the holiday cottage is the one in the photo. I think its a tiny one behind - very pretty but it only has one bedroom and we need 3 in a holiday cottage.

Dovecotes were once a common sight - in 17th century England there were over 26,000 but today less than 200 remain.

Its not been possible to find out exactly when the Dovecote in Eardisland was built but it probably dates back to the late 17th or early 18th century. The dovecote was no longer in use by the early 19th century and gradually became derelict. It was renovated in 1999 and now contains a Community Shop on the ground floor with an interesting exhibition upstairs.

Eardisland Dovecote

The Manor House

Sadly there wasn't time to visit the church which is a real shame as when I later read my notes I discovered it contains a rather wonderful font carved in around 1150.


Whenever we go on holiday or out for the day we always like to bring home some local produce such as cheese, honey, jam or chutney. So we stopped off at Monkland Cheese Dairy which had a wonderful array of cheeses, pickles and jams and local cider. D was impressed with the clump of mistletoe growing in a tree in the car park!

Cheese buying has always been a bit difficult as it has to be vegetarian and things have been made even more complicated since the beginning of the badger slaughters last year. In fact, I refuse to buy any English dairy products unless I can be 100% sure they haven't come from farms where culls have occurred. This means I tend to buy Scottish milk and butter and Welsh Cheese. Scotland has become officially bTB free without killing any badgers in the process and, of course, Wales is pursuing a vaccinate not cull approach. Occasionally when I can get to the dairy shop I buy cheese from a local dairy in Earlswood where the milk used comes from Warwickshire milk on the farm where the cheese is made.

In the end I bought some Snowdonia cheddar which was really delicious and a pot of Herefordshire Black Butter which, despite its name, is actually a very tasty conserve made of cider, apples and spices which goes perfectly with the cheese.

Finally, - sorry this post is turning out as long as the last one!! we stopped off to take a photo of this rather curious looking beast. I think its probably a cow but please feel free to make any other (polite) suggestions!

Apologies for any typing errors - I've had to finish off in a rush (have been preparing the post for a day due to constant interruptions) as daughter wants to go on the computer.



Reference

Eardisland Dovecote booklet

Guidebook - a Walk Around the Church of St Mary, the Virgin, Pembridge