Short Trip to Herefordshire - Part 1: Hatfield

 

E is on holiday this week and she wanted to spend her birthday at the caravan so we spent 3 nights in Herefordshire - sadly yet another too short a break! It was good to return however even if just for 3 nights.

Timothy back on his shelf.

Not sure if I have shown you this before - I do love old British Rail County posters and this is a print of one for Herefordshire which I really like. I've since bought one featuring Weobley which I will  take a photo of next time now its up on the wall.

The Herefordshire Oak is now coming into leaf :)

But not the Ash - the Octopus Tree is still bare.

As an old country rhyme says

"Oak before Ash in for a splash

Ash before Oak in for a soak"  

Hopefully that may mean it will be drier later in the year rather than the constant rain we have had recently! Although I suspect there is probably not  a lot of truth in the saying!

The Constable Tree - still bare too.  Not sure which species this tree is but perhaps Ash too??

Last year's herb pot - pleased that parsley survived the winter.

The apple tree is starting to flower - in fact, orchards we passed were full of blossom too.

Honesty and Garlic Mustard in the border under the Hawthorn hedge and Red Campion.

One morning I spotted a pair of Red Legged Partridge on the lawn and gravel in front of next door's caravan.  This is a new species for me at the caravan site.  I assume like the Pheasants we see there they have managed to escape the attentions of gun shooters after game. Hopefully, they will remain on site and be safe!!

Red Kites were seen several times over the site.  The hedgerows are full of flowering Cowslips, Cow Parsley, Greater Stitchwort, Wild Garlic, Garlic Mustard and Bluebells. Hawthorn is coming into flower too.  I only detected bats one night on the bat detector during our stay. B has planted a selection of wild flower seeds in the border and re-potted some of the plants in pots.

Monday evening we went for a lovely meal at the Fountain Inn near Tenbury Wells to celebrate E's birthday.  (Photo from a previous visit).

One afternoon I visited a church at Birley - St Peter's - which has family connections which I will write about in the next post. It was good to be church crawling again. There are so many churches on my list to visit in Herefordshire.

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 or one of my son's I would appreciate an email first - thanks).

April Visit to Herefordshire - Part 3: - Burford House Garden Centre

 

On the Saturday B was happy gardening again so I suggested a visit to Burford House Gardens Centre to D.

Burford House

We didn't look round the gardens at Burford House as you now have to buy a yearly or daily pass which I do plan to do this year when B is with us.  I must admit I have really missed visiting these gardens. My great grandparents and paternal grandmother before she married lived at Burford and the former and their son are buried in Burford churchyard.  Rosie from Corners of My Mind very kindly did some family history research for me on a website and found out my great grandmother was laundress for Burford House and my great grandfather was a coachman and I suspect he also worked there.  So for me there is a real family connection to Burford. 

We used to visit the church around Easter time with my grandparents so that nana could put flowers on her family graves.  I would love to see the house/cottage(s) where they lived but details on the census seem a bit vague on the actual address.  Although I do know for a time they lived at Redgate Cottage or House which I haven't been able to track down although there is a Redgate Avenue but in Tenbury Wells rather than Burford. Much of Burford these days consists of new build houses and I do wonder if some of the older houses/cottages were demolished to provide land. I do remember a photo my father had of nana's parents taken outside their house but, although I brought many photos home when I cleared my parents house, you might know I can't find that particular picture!

The rather lovely dragon sculpture.

There were mallard ducklings on the pool at the front of the house - sorry rubbish photo!

Trees by the car park were full of blossom :)

We had a look round the shop at the garden centre then looked at the plants in the nursery area.   I could have spent a fortune but B had bought plants from home for the caravan garden and borders and we have seeds to plant there too.

D and I are thinking of doing a bigger herb pot - D has his eye on a half barrel container.  So we may return to buy some herbs or else go to the National Herb Centre.

I'd like to plant a pot at the caravan with succulents but these were really too big for my purpose. I'd like to put about four smaller ones in a pot.

Timothy feeling brave!!

We had lunch before we left - a toasted ciabatta with smoked applewood cheddar and chutney.

We came home the following day. Hopefully, we will be returning soon and one of these days I hope we can start stopping for a week. Three or four nights is not a long enough break.

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).

April Visit to Herefordshire - Part 2: St Leonard's Churchyard

 

As mentioned in the last post on Friday afternoon D and I travelled the short distance to the church of St Leonard's.  I do like visiting this churchyard as in Spring and Summer it is full of wild flowers.

The bank by the church was absolutely full of Lesser Celandine flowers.

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) is a member of the buttercup family and flowers between March and May.  It is one of the first wild flowers to appear in early Spring and is found in woodland, hedgerows and along stream banks.  The flowers close when it is cold or wet and re-open when the sun re-appears.

In the Language of flowers it represents "joys to come".  Local names include Star Flower, Bright Eye, Golden Stars, Golden Guineas, Pilewort and Golden Daisies.  

St Leonard's is the third oldest church in Herefordshire. The Nave is C11th and may even be pre-Conquest.  The church was extended to the West in the C14th when the chancel was probably built.

The churchyard was full of Primroses - one of my favourite flowers.

Primroses (Primula Vulgaris)  flower from March to May although the flowers can appear as early as December. They can be found on grassy banks, in woodland and hedgerows and in churchyards.

In the Middle Ages it was believed eating a primrose flower would give children the power to see fairies.  Primrose tea was made to ease the pain of gout, rheumatism and migraine. In the 17th and 18th centuries candied primrose flowers were often used to decorate cakes and desserts. An infusion of primrose flowers was believed to be good for insomnia - perhaps I should try some!

Primroses are an Ancient Woodland indicator plant and are insect pollinated.  They are the food plant of caterpillars of the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly. 

The 19th of April is Primrose Day.

The timber West Porch is partly C14th and the bell turret may be medieval although the weather boarding dates from 1903.

We wandered round the churchyard at the rear of the church seeing loads more Primroses, Lesser Celandines and Daisies.

This tree had a nesting box for owls and also a bat box.  It really is good to see a churchyard that does so much to encourage wildlife.

The blocked North doorway is early Norman and the lintel has three large stones. The Tympanum above consists of Opus reticulatum  ie square stones set diagonally.

Late C11th herringbone masonry.

It was good to visit the church again. I think the last time was when D and I went in the church to look at the Harvest Festival displays last autumn.  We've talked about visiting at sunset  with the bat detector to look for signs of bats.  It is only about a quarter of mile from the caravan site so easy to get to.

Timothy enjoying being back on his shelf.

*D

On the Saturday D and I popped to Burford House Gardens nurseries and I'll write about that in the next post.

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and the last photo was taken by D 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).

Reference: "Buildings of England Herefordshire" by A Brookes and N Pevsner, Yale University Press 2017.

"Britain's Wild Flowers" A Treasury of Traditions, Superstitions , Remedies and Literature by Rosamond Richardson.