Had a very beautiful walk to St.Benet’s Abbey on a warm sunny day. The Abbey, founded in 1020 was the only one not to be dissolved by Henry VIII..instead he made the then Abbot Rugge Bishop of Norwich and the current Bishop retains jurisdiction over it..even though it declined and eventually closed.
The Bishop makes an annual trip to the ruins by boat along the nearby River Bure.
This is a picture of the remains of the splendid 14th century gatehouse, which had a windmill built within it in the 18th century.. there is a marvellous water colour painted by Norwich School artist J.S.Cotman in the early 19th century.
Welcome back to Corfe Castle. Are you ready for another jolly dose of misery and murder? Lovely! You may remember last time when I waffled on about Edward the Martyr, the teenage Saxon king who met a bloody end at Corfe Castle in 978. That was just the beginning of the place’s troubles, of course, and many more ghosts have since emerged to keep Ed company. Let’s have a peek!
Come on. Be brave.
The next bleak chapter takes place a few centuries after Edward’s death, during the time of King John. John’s seventeen-year reign was… eventful, to say the least. He went to ruinous war with France and lost most overseas territories, practically bankrupting England in the process. He also pissed off his barons so much they devised the Magna Carta to curtail his kingly rights. After that, he provoked civil war by ignoring the famous document and continuing…
The New Forest is a National Park in Hampshire, southern England. It is home some of the most intact stretches of semi-natural woodland in Europe. Semi-natural woodland equals mushrooms.