Another glorious outing to another glorious location – this time a ‘Devon longhouse’ that dates back to 825AD.
It had previously served as a nunnery and a Celtish farm, before the building was remodelled in 1081. In 1086 it was one of the nine small-holdings mentioned in the “Domesday Book” and by then belonged to the Abbey of Buckfast.
~ Bella
It was a strange kinda day as I headed out into the moors in search of a very strange grave…
…and this is the grave of Kitty Jay, a young woman who was reportedly betrayed by her lover, and then took her own life – but why is that so strange..?
Superstition of the time meant that those who died from suicide were buried at the parish limits – and preferably at a crossroads – so their souls could not find a way back to potentially haunt those left behind.
Kitty was buried accordingly, but her body was later dug up by a Mr James Bryan who re-interred it and set up the stones which now mark the spot.
That’s still not so unusual – but what is… Kitty Jay’s grave, ever since she was laid to rest in this new location, has fresh flowers on the grave. No matter what time of year, whether summer or snowy winter – there are always fresh flowers.
Many people have owned-up over the years to placing fresh flowers – some are simply strangers who have heard the story… but local lore holds that when no one else comes with fresh flowers for Kitty, the faery folk and moorish pixies take over and make sure there are always lovely blooms to adorn her final resting place…
I must say, it was ever so beautiful there with such a feeling of happy peace…
~ Bella
Here in England – and probably other parts of Europe as well – there seems to be quite the battle of who is the oldest this or that…
We decided to go for a drive and find what is reported to be the oldest freehouse (pub that is not connected to a brewery) in the world – and what a gem it is! (and both Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh were once regulars – and just wait to hear what happened to Sir Walter in the inn!)
According to Google Maps, we should drive straight ahead from here… hmmmm……
As soon as we walked into this particular room, the feeling of it being ‘alive’ with history (ghosts, spirits, call it what you will) was palpable!
When Alec went to the bar, I noticed a woman arrive and sit by herself, so I asked her to join us – turned out we had sooooo much in common. Alec couldn’t get a word in.
~ Bella
On our adventure today, we found by delightful chance a lovely little 15th century pub called The Cleave where we had lunch – but even the drive there was beautiful…
~ Bella
The landscape of Dartmoor is truly magnificent – at any time of year…
…complete with magnificent Dartmoor Ponies – a native but endangered breed.
To put the size of the massive boulders into perspective, the gate post would have been about five feet high.
Dartmoor version of a traffic jam.
It was a beautiful day in South Devon and we headed out to find an old pub somewhere in the moors where they have had a fire CONTINUOUSLY burning since the 1700s!
I love the old ‘Table of Tolls’…
…a quick spin through the grounds of beautiful Bovey Castle…
…and of course, remember to visit the … ferrets..???
…and into glorious Dartmoor National Park… it was a bit overcast this particular day and so the photos don’t do it justice… but trust me – it’s stunning!
This is a Dartmoor Pony – a native but endangered breed.
…and finally to the pub… The Warren House Inn.
They have verified records of the fire’s continuous burn since 1845 when embers were transferred from the original old building across the road (that was about to be demolished) and into this hearth – but local legend suggests the fire had burned continuously since sometime in the 1700s.
In this photo (below) one can see part of the old foundation from the original building…
It was ever so peaceful, and ever so lovely…
~ Bella
Taking myself off for some R&R time, I had a lovely afternoon at Torquay’s ‘The Grand Hotel’. It is a beautiful building, with construction dating to 1881.
…Yum…
~ Bella
My dear friend, Alec, and I headed off to one of the (many) old pubs in the area. In this case, a smugglers’ pub dating to 1540!
To put that a little more into perspective, that’s the year King Henry VIII died!
…and this (below) is the sign for the pub literally next door!
~ Bella
The hotel in which I was staying for the first month here was the venue for a beautiful sight… A seniors’ group were having their Christmas party, including a visit from Santa Claus! – but this was weeks before Christmas..?
I was speaking with one of the ladies and she said this way, they can have their own Christmas celebration with their friends, leaving them available to focus on their own families afterward.
Merry Christmas, everyone…
~ Bella
After a rather ‘interesting’ arrival experience at Heathrow (let’s just say, I felt like I had arrived in an entirely different country, with a different language, and different culture – certainly not England… oh, well…), I then spent two nights at the the stunning Manor Elstree.
The Manor (formerly known as the Edgwarebury Hotel) stands on the site of an old Tudor house, which dates back to 1540.
Commander Sir Arthur Trevor Dawson, was the owner and first occupant of the “Edgwarebury House”. It was turned into a private country club in the early 1930’s… The building’s original features have been largely retained with several pieces throughout the hotel being of considerable age. The front door was originally part of the dungeons in Lewes Castle.
As one stands in the entrance hall attention is immediately drawn to the outstanding features of the fireplace with Italian carved columns supporting the ornate mantelpiece. It is understood that some of the wood was actually from ships involved in the battle of the Spanish Armada. The beams and cornerstones have been used to decorate the ceilings in reception.
The wooden panels in the Beaufort Room are believed to date back to the 1600’s. In the bar, there is a particularly fine set of old Gothic panels made from ships lockers. The fire place over mantel features some fine carving which frames a medieval Spanish painting produced on a leather “canvas”. [Source: themanorelstree.co.uk]
My rental car, George Jeep, was delivered to me, and George and I headed west for about five hours to my beloved ancestral homeland of South Devon (I can trace my ancestry back almost one thousand years in the area).
…not only that, but the entire area has been declared a UNESCO Geopark since 2007.
In addition to the glorious scenery etc, “many places in Torbay are Geopark attractions. Babbacombe Cliffs have upside down layering of slates and limestone formed during the Variscan Orogeny. Permian red breccia is also visible there. There are exposed marine cave systems between Berry Head and Sharkham Point. Between Black Head and Anstey’s Cove is Torbay’s largest outcrop of igneous rock.
Crystal Cove has a 25 metre wide zone of calcite. Kents Cavern and Brixham Cavern contained fossils of the now extinct woolly rhinoceros and cave lion. Dyers Quarry is rich in coral fossilised in its growing position, as well as Late Eifelian limestone. Hollicombe Head to Corbyn Head have features of alluvial fan conglomerate deposits and seasonal river sandstones, both Permian in origin.
Hopes Nose features gold and palladium mineral deposits left by hydrothermal fluids, and the area is also important for the study of Quaternary stratigraphy and sea level change. Long Quarry features evidence of the development, formation and growth of a stromatoporoid reef. Lummaton Quarry’s shell deposits led to the naming of the Devonian period. Saltern Cove is a regionally important unconformity and Site of Special Scientific Interest.[7]” [Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Riviera_Geopark]
Cheers! (ok, so I’m normally a red wine kinda girl, but I felt this called for a lager shandy)
Sunset on my first day back where my soul feels ‘home’.
After the challenges with the air quality in Serbia, it was a welcome relief, to put it mildly, to have such fresh, clean air!
~ Bella
