Old Priory ruins and pubs

-


 It is difficult to explore almost anywhere in England without coming across the ruins of a former priory, monastery or abbey. They grace parks and gardens all over the country. The Havell Hundred is no exception to these ubiquitous features of the English landscape. The monastic ruins above are typically and usefully near a pub.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Death Behind the Headlines

-
Image
  It's February 1986 and freelance photojournalist Margery Moore lives in the shadow of the mysterious and legendary Glebe Mound, by the ruins of the old priory in Great Havell. A stroppy detective from Scotland Yard is enlisted by the mayor to assist the local police to probe two sudden deaths. Are the two people victims of the supernatural, ancient "curse of the mound"?   Are the stories behind the local newspaper's headlines able to offer a satisfactory explanation? Do the two coroner's inquests throw light on everything? Or does DI Barker's cynical attitude towards the provinces ultimately solve the case?  Death Behind the Headlines, by Jean Critchley, published by Austin Macauley       ISBN No:  9781528999694
Read more

The mysterious Glebe Mound, Great Havell

-
Image
 This sand and gravel ridge was left behind at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. It was part of the local ecclesiastical holdings, historically used to graze sheep. Angry reactions to the executions of the monks of the nearby priory initiated legends of evil. When the thin pathetic remains of the six witches of Havell-on-the-Marsh swung on gallows in the summer breezes, a myth, that the mound was intrinsically malevolent began and persisted into the 20th century. Although these fables angered historians, they were unable dispel them.     
Read more

Does this Gleaner front page feature our first Queen?

-
Image
I thought this week would be a good week to feature a front page of the Gleaner. Although this front page and extraordinary story came to my notice in September, I thought the unexpected death of our Queen Elizabeth ll would eclipse interest in it. However, as the British Museum is currently showcasing Egyptian Hieroglyphs and it is a hundred years since archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the "wonderful things" in Tutenkhamun's tomb, I thought this story might be of interest. Egypt's Queen was an ancestor of Tutenkhamun. It's all speculation and more than a bit theoretical, but, as Gleaner photojournalist Margery Moore would say, "nothing is ever straight forward in the Havell Hundreds." https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6146758282015377&set=a.103517133006219
Read more