Tilbury Fort, Essex There has been a fort at Tilbury since Tudor times. It’s purpose was to defend the river Thames from hostile shipping. Famously it was the place where Elizabeth I addressed her troops as they prepared to fight any invaders who made it on shore from the Spanish Armada in 1588. Elizabeth had…
St John the Evangelist, Little Leighs, Essex The church of St John the Evangelist in Little Leighs dates back to the early twelfth century. The south door and the font, where most of the graffiti in the church is located, both date to the thirteenth century. Possibly the most noteworthy graffiti can be found on…
Of Shadows: One Hundred Objects from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic Simon Costin and Sara Hannat. Strange Attractor Press, London 2016 This sumptuous collection of wonderfully atmospheric photographs portraying just 100 of the many, many, curious objects housed in the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, North Devon is a…
Eltham Palace, London Eltham Palace in south east London has had a long history. It was given by the Bishop of Durham to Edward II in 1305 and used a royal residence from then until the 16th century. Out of favour as residence from then on it fell into disrepair until only the great hall and…
Hopital des Pelerin, Pons, France (2/2) Interior The interior of the pilgrims’ hospital consists of a wide open hall with two sets of columns down its length. There are a couple of side rooms at the far end and a door to an arcade and courtyard leading to what would have been the herb garden…
St Andrew’s, Willingale, Essex St Andrew’s church shares a churchyard with St Christopher’s church. St Andrew’s (full name St Andrew and All Saints) was the church for the parish of Willingale Spain as opposed to the parish of Willingale Doe which had St Christopher’s as its church. St Andrew’s was given to the Priory of…
St Peter and St Paul, Bardfield Saling, Essex The church of St Peter and St Paul in Bardfield Saling (also known as Little Saling) dates to the 14th century. It is notable as being one of only six churches in Essex to have a round tower. The organ is an 18th century chamber organ and…
All Saints, Ashdon, Essex (1/2) There are some churches, that, as soon as you enter them, you know you’re going to be spending a while photographing all the graffiti in them. All Saints church in Ashdon is one of those churches. The church dates back to the 14th century, with most of the interior belonging…
St Mary the Virgin, Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex St Mary the Virgin, Hatfield Broad Oak, was originally part of a Benedictine Priory founded in 1135. The priory was founded by the de Vere family, the Earls of Oxford. The effigy of the third Earl, Robert de Vere (died 1221), lies in the centre of the…
St Andrew, Bulmer, Essex The church of St Andrew in Bulmer dates to the 12th century. The north arcade in the nave is of 14th century origin. The font, with a fine green man on one face, dates to the 15th century. There are three figures featured in the graffiti in the church. A soldier,…
St Mary’s Stebbing Essex (1/2) The light and airy church of St Mary the Virgin in the little village of Stebbing in the Uttesford district of Essex is one of those that appears to be way bigger than the size of population it serves. It stands on a ridge of high ground towards the south…
March Miscellany Welcome to this month’s roundup of items of interest from the internet and twitter feeds. Pictures We have a little game of compare and contrast here – with two pipe smokers! One is from Gloucester Cathedral and the other is from St Mary’s church in Elsenham, Essex. Remember people, smoking is bad, no…
St Laurence, Ridgewell, Essex (1/2) The fine, light church of St Laurence has stood in the village of Ridgewell in Essex since the 14th century. The village is close to the WW2 airbase of RAF Ridgewell. The base was the home of No 90 Squadron of Bomber Command until 1943 when the USAAF Eighth Air…
St Mary’s, Great Dunmow, Essex Great Dunmow, in Essex, is famous for its Flitch Trials, where married couples can win a flitch (side) of bacon if they can satisfy a jury that they have not wished themselves unmarried for a period of twelve months and a day. Chaucer’s Wife of Bath laments that she never…
Hampton Court Palace, London (1/2) I went to Hampton Court Palace as a tourist, wanting to keep an eye out for graffiti but not having planned this visit as a graffiti-hunting trip. I was blown away by how much graffiti there is in the place from drawings and protective marks in the Tudor kitchens to…
St Martin, Little Waltham, Essex The church of St Martin at Little Waltham dates back to the Normans, but was rebuilt extensively in the 15th century. There is no graffiti visible anywhere in the church, but some if to be found on the north side of the tower arch. There, divided by a modern partition…
St Mary the Virgin, Lindsell, Essex This is a pretty, but odd-shaped church. It is wider than it is long with the tower in one corner. It is originally Norman with a simple round chancel arch with a large squint on the south side. A large column stands beside the font. The column and the…
Sutton House, Hackney, London Sutton House is a Tudor house in the middle of Hackney. It was built in 1535 by Sir Ralph Sadler, a privy councillor at the court of Henry VIII. It has been a family house, a school, a centre for WW2 fire wardens, the offices of a trades union and a…