Posted on August 11th, 2009 by Peter in
Winchester is located in southeast England in the county of Hampshire. As with most cities and areas in the country, there are many historical elements that contribute to the contemporary atmosphere and social orientation. Historically, Winchester has been something of a cathedral town, and the architecture is incredible and testifies its incredible history. Many of the Winchester hotels are situated in historic buildings and this contributes to their guests sense of the city’s time transcendence and past.
The Winchester Cathedral is one of its central landmarks and major attractions for tourists. This incredible building complex is the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe. Incredibly, it was built in 1079 and has stood strong through many wars and social transitions. It houses the remains of some of England’s most significant figures including that of many of the Anglo Saxon Monarchs and a number of Bishops of Winchester. One of the more mainstream persons whose remains rest here are that of writer Jane Austen. In addition, the cathedral has served as a major pilgrimage destination and was the home of the shrine to Saint Swithun. There is an historical pilgrims way that begins in Winchester and ends in Canterbury.
The sacred designation of this site dates back prior to the cathedral’s official construction beginnings. It was officially founded in the middle of the 7th century, though this actual site was adjacent to it current location. This early version was known as the Old Minister and in 971 it was included as part of a monastic settlement. The Old Minister was demolished with the construction of this Norman complex. William II is one of the early monarchs to be buried in the cathedral’s mortuary, along with his brother Richard, the Duke of Bernay. Tourists are amazed with its size and grandeur and flock to this historic wonder every year.
Posted on August 11th, 2009 by Peter in
During a recent trip from Exmouth to Brixham , I noticed several shelduck flying close to the estuary and I felt privileged to have seen their probable nesting site when I was taking a tour of the picturesque valley of Haccombe. Before I checked into one of the Brixham Hotels , I made a stop at Haccombe because I watched an entertaining talk about wildlife in the West Country by Andrew Cooper .
As the touring group and I gathered by the Cooper farmhouse, he and his wife told us that they made the decision about 10 years ago to farm for wildlife, because they had so much love and concern of England’s natural heritage, and what has been lost due to intensive farming. They wanted to conserve and restore as much as they possibly could. They received help and support from the Countryside Stewardship.
The farm, which was a former coaching Inn, brought back memories of an earlier time. The sights and sounds made me actually believe I was back in an age where nature had an integral part in how we humans survived. A fox crept in and out of the woodlands edge, I saw swallows swoop down all around us to pick up straw and then go dip the straws in mud so they could make a nest. Bird songs filled the fresh air, woodpeckers yapped, and pheasants called, rabbits hopped in the meadows. I was standing in pristine nature, seemingly untouched by man. We strolled through ancient bluebell woods and I saw a roe deer scamper away from us. We learned how to estimate the age of a hedgerow. You count the number of different trees and shrubs along a 30 meter stretch and then multiply the total by a hundred. So, the hedges we walked by were approximately 600 years old!
Later over a cup of coffee at my hotel in Brixaham, I looked over a copy of a very old map, which I purchased at Haccombe, the original was on a skin of the hamlet of ‘Hackcombe’. I reflected on how Mr. Cooper and his wife became guardians of such a wonder place, but this uplifted my spirit, knowing there are people in this world who care about mother earth and all her creatures. A comforting thought.