Piquant Photos: Oct 2012: Where the Bard is buried #4

We exited from Nash’s house and then went off to pay our respects at his grave. Ma had started flagging by now, it had been a long day

So that’s where we have to get to. Lovely steeple

We notice a war memorial on the right and popped into pay our respects

Commemorating both the world wars, there is a wall and a crucifix on an octagonal base which has the names of the brave soldiers who have died written on it.

It pisses me off, to see the deaths of these soldiers. So many died, and for what?

For their bones to moulder in some forgotten cemetery out in the world and moss growing over the memorials here.

We are heading to Holy Trinity Church

We enter the churchyard.

a grave stone for Henry Harding, former Vicar..

Ancient tombs, there has been a church here since 713AD, the current building dates back to 1210 AD. HOLY MOLY! We couldn't spend too much time as the girls wanted to go see Ann Hathaway’s Cottage, I wanted to potter around the graves..

Its a fairly standard church, nothing extraordinary from an architecture perspective..

But look at the stone, it has started flaking off, a clear sign of high antiquity. 800 odd years old..the lamp and the other detailing is starting to decay..and boy were the stones talking, just touch it and you can feel the millions of people who are buried here, who cried here, who laughed at their christening, and and and.

The vestibule has some gravestones embedded in the walls.

Hmmm, the font has become a flower decoration pillar.

Looking up the church

Its an airy church, quite surprising, usually these old churches were all closed up and rarely had such a wonderful bank of windows which flooded the church with light.

Baba is haring up the aisle, holding Ma’s bag :)

Beautiful stained glass windows as well.

The light and shadow shows the shape of the window…

This church has seen so many soldiers pass through its aisles, here is one of the plaque’s commemorating one unit.

Another soldier who died in 1900. On a totally pointless war, not one of British high points where we frankly invented the scorched earth policy and concentration camps. Here’s a letter about this action at Hammond’s Kraal.

Extracts from letter from Trooper E. A. Belletto, T.I.C.: -
"Pretoria. September 3.
"We have just joined Lieutenant Per- kins and BOino of our own fellows, making M in all, and are going to join Captain Lewis to-morrow or next dav. so are hav-
ing a day's spell, which we needed. Have _ been on the march ever since ye landed
in the country. We are supposed to go to Warmbad, -on the Petersburg line.After .ire came into Kroonstadt we were entrained for Pretoria, which place wereached after two days' train. Now, again, 'to the march, whieh we resumed. After two dara in camp we joined Ian Hamilton'i .column, and struck out for Waterva], where the Boers kept such a lot of pri- soners (the British). I could give a fair description of the prison, but it will keep for some future time. From there we made for Hainsworth Kraal, bnt before we reached that place lorne of the Queensland- er«, who were in the advance guard, were fired on by a few Boers, and it resulted in one Queenslander being shot, and two wounded. Stopped there that tight. In the morning went south-east again, and 'made for the Delagoa line. The second ' day out from Hammond's Kraal we were
surprised in the morning. Just as every- thing was leaving camp the Boers pre-sented us with a few shellB, the first kill- ing a heap of mules and blowing a nig- ger's hoad off, and the others wounding a few. We wore lu the advafice guard, and expoctod a warm time of it. Tho Boer guns wero soon silenced when the British guns got to work on them. When they ceased firing wo again staited on the march, but did not go above three miles. Had all tho horses out of guns, and mules out of wnggonB to water, w;hc>. the Boers staited shelling again. Then, to see how mon can gel gillis into action I It was marvellous. It didn't seem a min- ute bcfoie a dozen guns woio roaring from our side, Bonding lyddite, shrapnel, and pom-poms. The fun had pioperly started Ilion. Tho roar of the cannon wan deafening. Wo nil dismounted, pur horses tnl.cn to shelter, and we- marched out and took shelter in tho grass, lying down in three long lines, every man in
open order-that is, about threo yards apart. We wero not long before we werosalutod with a sholl, dropping just behind us, tearing up the ground m tons. Luckily no one was hit. I felt a hit of a funny sensation pnss over me when it landed, but never took any notice after, although . wo didn't know what minute on« would
drop where we were. We lay in the gras« io Tong, with the shells screaming over us, that some of the fellows fell asleep. You would hardly credit it, but it is a positive faot, for the Colontl came np and MW
thuin, and said those men' ara all right; Ihey me made of the right »tun*. We never gol a shot that day witli the rifle, but the guns kept going for a long while, till the .iopr guns snddenly ceased, and they domed for thoir lives. That was our first
»hell-fire."
fix I rai Is from letter received by Mr. L. Corrigan, of Colobrook, from TrooperCmiieton Storey, of tho Imperial Austra- lian Begimont:

For what? why did Richard die in this eminently forgettable place? Google Maps couldnt even find the location. That’s how stupid war is.

Reminds me of all the Biggles books, brave pilot indeed.

The pulpit

With candles on the left

More memorial plaques

Book of rememberance

A little altar

the pulpit is carved out of some kind of green stone, never seen this stone before, I wonder what it can be? The softly gleaming statues inside the niches are extraordinarily beautiful.

Another man who died in vain, in Labuan, an island in East Malaysia.

Some beautifully decorated tombs..in the left aisle

tiny doorway going up to the bell tower, Alice in wonderland

Shakespeare was baptised, he got married here and he got buried here. He was hatched, matched and dispatched in other words.

The altar and windows are beautiful, truly exquisite.

The three sides are full of beautiful tombs, carvings and other grave ornaments.

And pride of place, in a row in front, Shakespeare and his family…Thomas Nash, John Hall, Susannah…

Looking back at the main church

photo 294-IMG_0988_zps89615bb2.jpg

the woodwork is really nice, on the roof, on the pews, on the misericords, you name it.

Baba checking out the register of the birth and burial of the bard and then taking a load off his feet.

this was an exquisite plaque, beautiful work, seriously beautiful.

then we came back down the church and in the corner is a place where you can dress up in contemporary clothing. And my little princess got on the case..