Kent
My son Mark and his family
live in Kent, about five hours driving from Macclesfield. In the
fine weather it seemed a good idea to go a more pleasing route
than on the motorway all the way. To cross the Pennines and approach
the M25 in the closest segment to Kent I picked up the route we
devised taking Mark to and from University.
A little over two hours
from home, Empingham and
The White Horse was reached at just the right time, according
to my belly. Just off the shores of Rutland Water, the largest
man-made stretch of water in the UK, what else would I drink there
but Ruddles. Alright, I know it really comes from Suffolk but
it sounds right. Doesn't it? Anyway it was good. As was the baked
ham with Wensleydale and peppercorn sauce.
Halfway between Oakham and
Stamford the traditional buildings in Empingham use exclusively
the local creamy limestone, as do the most recent houses. Red
brick intrudes only on buildings erected before concern for the
built environment became accepted.
These cottages certainly
pre-date that awakening by a few hundred years.
The Home Farm House is possibly
of 19th Century construction and carries this coat of arms ...
... which I take to be of
the Earl
of Ancaster.
This row of cottages, dominated
by the unusual tower/spire combination of the parish church, includes
'The Old Bakery' and were probably also estate buildings.
St Peter's Church dates
in part from the 13th Century ...
...
... and has Romanesque and
Gothic entrances.
The well-tended grass in
the graveyard still allows the primrose to flourish there.
Arriving in Kent, the architecture
changes, as does the countryside but flowers are bursting out-
the same everywhere.
The Cherrytree Tearooms
are well named for this time of year.
Villages have village greens
with pubs and shops (some) clustered around ...
... and there needs to be
the pond on the green ...
... and maybe even a Millennium
Commemorative Beacon.
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