Month: November 2016
Losing the Clarence
It isn’t often that Exeter makes the national news, which is a good thing. We’re a small city with mostly well behaved citizens, where bad things rarely happen. Last week though the unthinkable happened, a fire in the very heart of the city. At 5.20 in the morning, the Royal Clarence Hotel in Cathedral Yard caught fire, it’s believed that the fire began two doors down in the upper floors above a prestigious gallery, and the flying debris caused it to spread. More than 100 fire fighters worked to contain the blaze, and were still working three days later.
The Clarence was the first in the country to take call itself a hotel, a term copied from the French, prior to that there were only inns. The hotel was built in 1769, on the site of an earlier tavern and had a reputation for being haunted.
I’ve finally been to Cathedral yard to see the site for my self, here are some photos.
There were no injuries and for that we must be thankful. Quite a few shops around the hotel, including on the High street were slightly damaged and remain closed. Demolition work began this week, and owner has pledged a sensitive re-build, we have to hope.
I’ve posted both of these photos before, but first the hotel in the centre, with the cathedral green on the left and the buildings on the right date from 1500.
The hotel has always looked splendid at night. To the right 15th century St Martins,built on the site of a previous church from 1065, and Mol’s Coffee House, built in 1596 with it’s Dutch style gables.
Exeter suffered a great deal of damage during the blitz, including to the cathedral, but nearly all the buildings along the Yard survived, it’s desperately sad to see this part of our heritage destroyed.
When Victoria reigned . . .
This post box was set into the stone of Tintagel’s Old Post Office, now looked after by the National Trust, and it’s still emptied even now.
Jude, you’ll find the other one on the right hand side of the hill going down to Boscastle. I wasn’t able to pull in to take a photo, but it’s much nicer that this one so if you’re ever up that way . . .
Traces at St Materiana’s
A month ago, I spent a day in north Cornwall, a glorious sunny day in early October, one of those bonus days that has to be made the most of. We headed in to Boscastle, but so did everyone else and with nowhere to park we gave that up as a bad job and went instead to Tintagel. I was already rather poorly by then, and was shocked by how rough I felt after walking just two miles along the cliffs, but finding the gem that is St Materiana’s Church made it worthwhile.
Built between 1080 and 1150, St Materiana’s stands high above the sea on Glebe Cliff.
The church doesn’t look particularly interesting from the outside, a typically dull Saxon building, and a sign warning you to keep off the grass because of adders doesn’t help!
The area around Tintagel is believed to have been evangelised by a princess of Gwent, St Madryn, around 500 AD. It’s likely that Madryn and Materiana are one and the same. It is thought that the church is sited on ground that was previously a Celtic oratory, served by monks. Between the 5th and 7th centuries it was used extensively as a Christian burial ground.
Inside the church there is a pre-Reformation altar and a Tudor bishops seat.
What struck me as most unusual was the font, I’ve never seen one quite like it, have you?
Apparently it’s Norman, and it’s believed to have come from the chapel, St Julietta’s at Tintagel Castle, across the cliffs. Whatever it’s origins, the font and the church are ancient, a trace from the past, for Paula at Lost in Translation.
Missing, me?
We don’t always notice someone’s missing until they return do we? Well, I’m back after an unexpected two week hiatus, courtesy of our National Health Service. It was rather strange being an in-patient at the hospital where I work, I stayed close to my ward to avoid being seen, looking so dreadful. Of course that didn’t work and I was spotted several times. The care I received was faultless, I can’t thank the team enough, the Trust really do deserve the good Care Quality Commission reports it’s received.
I’ve been going a little stir crazy, with little energy to go out, and lacking concentration to read, never mind blogging. I’ve watched a little bit of TV and had lots of visitors, including my daughter and granddaughters to stay, the cutest distractions, so I’m in good spirits, even if I’m far from 100% yet.
Here’s a little glimpse of my recent world.
I’m going to start visiting you and catching up on what you’ve been up to in my absence soon, i feel I’ve missed so much!
Lucid Gypsy 