Herefordshire April Visit - Part 2: St Leonard's, Hatfield

 

On the Thursday there was a complete change in the weather - it was cold and windy.  I decided to drive up the lane to St Leonard's to look for primroses in the churchyard.

(If you've read my posts on this church before please miss out the part below on the history of the church).

St Leonard's is the third oldest church in Herefordshire. The nave is C11th and may even be pre-Conquest in origin.  The church is constructed partly of tufa and was extended to the west in the C14th when the chancel was probably rebuilt.  There were restorations of the chancel in 1878 and the nave in 1903.  The bell turret may be medieval and the weatherboarding was added in 1903.

I was delighted to find the primroses were flowering and also lesser celandine.

Quoins on the corner of the church wall.

The open porch is probably C14th.

View from the rear churchyard.

Herb Robert

I did go inside the church briefly - not too many photos as I have done so many posts on this church.

East Window by Mayer and Co 1878

Looking down the nave towards the West Gallery.

Memorial to Johannes Colles Amiger who lived at Hatfield Court.

I love this blocked north doorway with three lintels and a tympanum of Opus reticulatum (square stones set diagonally).

I am glad I made the effort to visit because it is such a peaceful and relaxing place.

As I got back into the car after my visit the rain started!  

We didn't go anywhere on the Friday (I so miss D when he doesn't come to the caravan as he motivates me to go out).  I did manage to do some cleaning of the interior of the caravan as I never had time to do much before we left last November.

We came home on the Saturday lunchtime - hopefully it won't be too long before we return and D is hoping to come with us next time so, all being well, I will have more days out :)

All photos taken by me 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).

May Visit to Herefordshire - Part 2: Fencote Station and St Leonard's, Hatfield.

 

On the Wednesday morning we did the usual click and collect at Morrisons Leominster. To be honest I would rather do it on the day we arrive and get it out of the way but B likes to relax on the first afternoon. We stopped off at B and Q and I came away with a perennial wall flower (Bowles's Mauve) for the border at the caravan and a pepper plant to bring home for D.

In the afternoon B wanted to garden so I took myself to nearby Fencote to look for the restored railway station on the disused railway line which I seem to be totally obsessed with!

Fencote station was a stop on the Worcester Bromyard and Leominster railway. Great Western Railway rescued the railway from bankruptcy in 1888 and the line was completed in 1897.

Due to lack of use the line was closed to regular passenger services from September 1949.

In 1980 Fencote Station was purchased by a former railway employee who restored it to use as a private residence. The station and signal box etc are all fenced off so you can't access the site but you can view it from the bridge that goes over the track. The signal box has also been restored and sections of the track re-installed.

As you can see it looks beautifully restored. I understand that in the past there were occasional open days so you could look round but the station has been recently sold I've been told - thankfully to more railway enthusiasts!  So I just hope there may be more open days in the future.

This is the view from the other side of the bridge.

I did wander down to the station fence and gate but as you can see it is marked private!

The hedgerows are full of Cow Parsley.

There is another restored station on the same line at Rowden Mill, near Bredenbury, which is not far away but that has been converted into holiday accommodation so I doubt that could be accessed either.

On the way back I stopped off at St Leonard's in Hatfield.

I must try and time a visit so I can go the Flower Festival later this month.

I had a lovely chat with a lady in the church who was decorating it for a VE Day service.

East Window

The copse with the trees now in leaf taken at the "Golden Hour".

On the Thursday we popped into Tenbury Wells and then a visit to Burford House Gardens but I'll write about that in the next post. 

All photos taken by me 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 appreciate an email first - thanks.)