Bodiam Castle, East Suusex

Last weekend we visited Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. Bodiam Castle was built in 1735 as a defence against the French during the Hundred Year War and also served as comfortable home. The exterior is pretty much intact and the castle sits in a beautiful moat. The interior features fireplaces, spiral staircases, a well, walls and window frames, even medeival toilets(!) enough of which survive to really get a feel of what it would have looked like...

 

 

The Ancient Town of Rye

Visit Rye

Kermaria-an-Isquit

I spent last week on the north coast of Brittany, where it is BEAUTIFUL!! Whilst we were making a little jaunt one day, I spotted something interesting in my guide book that was really close to where we were passing, so we decided to take a detour and go off road to find it. It was the village chapel of Kermaria, a tiny village which nestles amidst corn fields set back from the main road. The reason for our visit was this - the chapel's painted depictions of The Danse Macabre, or The Dance of Death, the last festive dance you dance before you die, brought about during fear of death during the black plague.

The chapel was built around the 1400s and in the 1800s when it came to be demolished, the paintings were uncovered - they had all been white-washed over some time before! And thankfully it was decided to let the chapel stand after all!

Turn End

Last Saturday, seeing as it was a topper, I decided to get out of London and into the countryside, so I took myself along to the little village of Haddenham in Buckinghamshire. Where there are...

This beautiful, picturesque little hamlet was one of the film locations of the late 90's ITV drama series, Midsomer Murders, which I have to say, was a favourite of mine (mainly for the lovely settings and village greens), when I was younger, although having watched it again since, it's really quite dreadful! Anyway, the main reason for coming here (honest!) was to visit the gardens of the Turn End houses.

The Turn End houses are a group of three, beautifully designed by architect Peter Aldington in the 1960s. Peter still lives in the main house with his family, but he will kindly open his home to the public occasionally by special arrangement. The gardens surrounding Turn End are open to the public on selected days during the year, by entrance of a small commission, under the National Garden Scheme, to raise funds for The Turn End Charity, securing the future of both the house and gardens for generations to come.
The walled gardens, which sit perfectly around the houses, are a wonderfully peaceful oasis between two lanes, with large borders of wild flowers, scented roses, separated garden spaces, a fountain and pool, a miniature box tree maze, a giant redwood! It was so relaxing to stroll around the gardens, which is full of birds, exploring all corners.

I decided this weekend was a particularly good time to visit as it was also the last for the Bucks Open Studio Weekend, an event which takes place all over the county of Bucks during the last two weeks of June each year when artists and craftsmen and women open the doors to their homes, studios and galleries to the public and so too did the Artist in residence at the Turn End studio, the Book Artist, Heather Hunter.

Heather's books are very inspiring, and I particularly like her folded page books made from old reference books of butterflies. Heather has also been experimenting with a large press in which she prints on to paper using lace and leaves.

Whilst I was there, I also ventured into the historic town of Aylesbury to visit an old 13th Century Inn and enjoyed some delicious ales. More on that to come...