Snowdrops at St Mary's Temple Balsall

On Monday family chauffeuring meant I had about 90 minutes to spend in the Knowle area so I decided to drive the short distance to Temple Balsall and see if there were any snowdrops in the churchyard.

The original name for Temple Balsall was Belesale or Balisale taken from the name of the Anglo-Saxon landowner Bele or Bali and the old English word healh meaning a corner of land which led to the name Bele's healh which eventually became Belesale/Balisale.

In later centuries the Manor of Balsall was given by a Norman Knight, Roger de Mowbray, to the Knights Templar Order and by 1185 there was a manor with 67 tenants on 640 acres of arable land. Temple Balsall as it became known was the Preceptory or Headquarters of other Templar owned land in Warwickshire. By the early 14th century the King of France brought charges against the Order and templars were arrested in France and England including 5 from Temple Balsall. The order was suppressed and in March 1312 the Pope abolished the Order of the Knights Templar and transferred their properties to the Knights of St John (the Hospitallers) - a branch of this was the forerunner of the modern St John's Ambulance Brigade. Few records remain of the Hospitallers time at Temple Balsall but it is possible they built the church of St Mary.

By 1470 the Hospitallers had left the area and Katharine Parr (the 6th and last wife of Henry VIII) was given the manor of Temple Balsall by the king in 1543. Later Queen Elizabeth I gave the manor to her favourite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Eventually the manor passed to Lady Anne Holbourn and her sister Lady Katherine Leveson of Trentham Hall, Staffs. The latter bought her sister's share in the estate. In her will she left instructions for an almshouse to be built at Temple Balsall and instructions to the minister to teach 20 of the poorest young boys in the parish. She died in 1674 and the first almswomen were admitted in 1679. The work continues to this day with the church, the Lady Katharine Leveson Church of England primary school and Lady Katharine Leveson Housing and Care.



I find it a very beautiful area with a special atmosphere - it is a place where time seems to have stood still and it is always peaceful and tranquil.


I made my way along the Bread Walk which runs between the almshouses and Temple Balsall House until I reached

St Mary's Church

A few photos of the corbel table, grotesques and gargoyles on the church.

There is a lovely Green Man carving on the church. The Green Man always seems to play hide and seek with me and I couldn't find him on Monday so this a photo taken by D some years ago when we did spot him.

*D



The Templar or Old Hall

This is the most significant item to remain from the time of the Knights Templars. It formed their Preceptory (the senior court for Templars in Warwickshire). The original timber-framed building was built in the 13th century and it was restored by St Gilbert Scott in the 19th century. It still contains tumble aisle pillars supporting the original roof timbers. It is usually open on Sunday afternoons in the summer for tea and cakes.


St Mary's Church

Snowdrops were carpeting many areas of the churchyard - such a welcome harbinger of Spring.

Snowdrops (Galanthus species) are a symbol of hope and purity dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Alternative country names include Snow Piercer, Mary's Tapers, Snow Bells, Purification Flower, Fair Maids of February, Christ's Flower, Candlemas Bell and White Purification.

A legend tells that after the Fall of Man an angel visited Eve in the Garden of Eden to comfort her as she wept over the bare soil. It was snowing and the angel caught a snowflake and told it come to life. As soon as it touched the ground it flowered and later a circle of Snowdrops appeared where the angel had stood to bring hope to Eve.

Snowdrops may have been introduced into Britain in the late 15th century by Italian monks and the flowers are often found in the grounds of churches, monasteries and convents where they were grown for Candlemas Day.

In folklore it is believed to be unlucky to bring just one flower into the house. If you insist on bringing them indoors a bunch is safer and if you want to be married within the year you should never pick one until after Valentine's Day!




Under this old tree I found my first

winter aconites of the year and

a few Primroses were already beginning to flower. Winter Aconites are one of the first flowers to appear in the New Year and are often known as "New Year's 'gift'".

Part of the churchyard is a wildlife area and around 130 species of wild plants have been recorded.

If you go the end of the churchyard there is a lovely secret garden but to be honest it was a trifle muddy and I wasn't wearing my wellies so I didn't go that far on Monday.

I would have gone inside the church which has so much of interest but I had noticed that people in sombre clothing and a vicar were starting to arrive so I assumed a service possibly a funeral would soon be taking place so I decided it was time to leave.



Another view of the Templar Hall where I found

Hellebores in flower.

Timothy was very cold but eventually agreed to come out of my pocket to pose for a photo.

I didn't have time on Monday but D and I often continue along the Bread Walk past a stream and then either walk through a cemetery or take the path through woodland and continue round the corner where there is a small Warwickshire Wildlife Reserve.


I returned to Knowle where I saw this statue in the churchyard by the War Memorial.

I met up with D and before coming home we had a tomato, mozarella and pesto toasted sandwich and a hot chocolate in the tearoom at the Artisan Bakery - sorry no photo I had left my camera in the car boot!!





*D - archive photo of Green Man taken by my son some years ago

Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera




Reference: Temple Balsall website for history of Temple Balsall

Discovering the Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker (Shire Publications)

Britain's Wild Flowers (A Treasury of Traditions, Superstitions, Remedies and Literature) by Rosamond Richardson (National Trust)

Knowle - Parish Church, Churchyard and Town

A few weeks ago I was family chauffeuring and had a couple of hours to spare in the town of Knowle near Solihull. It has taken me a while to get round to writing the post partly because I was hoping to re-visit the church to see the items I had missed and partly because I have finally got my act together and started the dreaded task of getting my mum's house ready to be sold which is proving as time consuming as I feared.

The name Knowle comes from the Saxon word "Cnolle" which means a small hill. For fans of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady Edith Holden sometimes walked or cycled through this village and at one time lived nearby in Dorridge. The whole area has undergone so much housing development I very much doubt she would recognise the vast majority of the town.


The Guild House next to the church was built in 1413 as the headquarters of the Guild of St Anne founded by Walter Cook. The medieval Guild was an important charitable, religious and social organisation.

There are plenty of pubs in Knowle.

The Parish Church of Knowle

Centuries ago people from Knowle had to walk to the church in Hampton-in-Arden which was three miles away. A wealthy citizen of Knowle, Walter Cook, obtained permission from Pope Boniface IX, in 1396 to build a small chapel on land owned by his father. The chapel was completed and consecrated by 24th February, 1403.Since that time the church has been extended and altered. The biggest threat to the church was The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in the sixteenth century and also the suppression of Guilds and Colleges under Edward VI. The Kings Commissioners decided that the chapel could remain due to the distance to the nearest church which involved crossing the River Blythe which was dangerous during the winter.

When I have checked in the past this church has never appeared to be open to the public except for services or special open days so I spent ages looking at the exterior of the church and the churchyard.

There are many interesting grotesque, gargoyles and pinnacles.

The grass was very "manicured" but there were plenty of trees and shrubs around for birds.

My exploration of the churchyard finished I wandered round to the main entrance to the church only to find it was open!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently it is now open most days and, although a funeral was due to be held in an hour, I was kindly told I could look round for half an hour. (I really should have checked beforehand to see whether it was open! and I was also kicking myself for spending so much time looking round the churchyard)


The pointed arches of the nave show that it was originally built in the 14th or 15th century.

The font is octagonal with quatrefoils as decoration - a popular carving of the 14th and 15th centuries when the font was made.

The colours of the stained glass window in the baptistry area were beautiful. The window shows Jesus surrounded by children and it was installed in memory of the late Canon Thomas Downing who was Vicar of Knowle 1901 to 1932.

Isn't this peacock beautiful?

The Soldiers' Chapel was originally a chantry chapel and then a family pew but it is now a memorial for men and women of Knowle who have died in wars.

This window is dedicated to three men from Knowle who lost their lives on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in the First World War.

The East Window shows the Crucifixion and Ascension and dates from the 1870s. The stained glass in the church is all relatively modern and is 19th century.

Sedilia

Pulpit

I really should have looked at the original medieval rood screen more closely as when I got home and finally read the guide book I discovered it contained many carvings.

One of two medieval dug-out chests in the church. They were once used for keeping parish documents and had 3 locks - the priest had keys to one and two church wardens keys for the other two so that the chest could only be opened when all three were present.

After leaving the church I had a little wander round the High Street

I bought some rather nice bread from this artisan baker.

Chester House is now Knowle Library. It was originally two houses built in 1400 and 1500 which were later combined to make one dwelling used either as a farmhouse or inn.

More purchases were made at the sweet shop.

By now the rain which had threatened during my whole walk materialised so I returned to the car.


So what did I miss in the church?

Carvings on the Rood Screen (as already mentioned)
Scratch marks or graffiti on arches in the nave
Roof beams made from oak sourced from the local Forest of Arden (the roof dates back to medieval times) and there are traces of red paint and metal stars
Carved misericords
Carvings on the pulpit of roses, leaves, acorns, rosehips, grapes, blackberries, hazelnuts, catkins and sycamore seeds.
A Bronze Tablet as you enter the church to the church's founder Walter Cook also in front of the rood screen is a round grey stone half buried under the carpet which may be the tomb of Cook.


I will try and return as I pass through Knowle on my way to Baddesley Clinton which I keep meaning to try and visit before I miss the annual dahlia display.


All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330

Reference : Guide book to the Parish Church of Knowle and an Information sheet