Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jun 10, 2011
Tagged in:
Wiltshire ,
wall tomb ,
Victorian ,
Sir Thomas Wroughton ,
Secret ,
rood screen ,
Photographed ,
New Zealand ,
hospital ,
First World War ,
Compton Bassett ,
Codford ,
churches ,
Church of St. Swithin ,
Church of St. Mary ,
Australia ,
artistic ,
architectural ,
Anzacs
I have visited several churches recently and photographed some really interesting features in their interiors. When a church is unlocked you will often find some good architectural and artistic work that has survived many centuries and Victorian restorations. The font can often be the oldest surviving feature of the church and may be Saxon or Norman. There can also be wall paintings, remains of medieval stained glass, 17th century woodwork, royal coats of arms, carved medieval stone heads and much, much more. I’d like share a few of my pictures with you.
A very fine early 15th century rood screen in the Church of St. Swithin at Compton Bassett. Not at all what would expect to find in a small village church but it is believed to have been brought from Salisbury Cathedral, or possibly Winchester Cathedral, in the 18th century.
The Rood Screen, St. Swithun's Church, Compton Bassett
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jan 21, 2011
Tagged in:
Wylye valley ,
WSA 1336/98 ,
World War 1 ,
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre ,
Wiltshire ,
William McGonagall’s ,
weather ,
waterproofs ,
Warminster ,
verses ,
Tilshead ,
The Great flood ,
thaw ,
Terry Bracher ,
Tay Railway Bridge disaster ,
story ,
Stoke Winterbourne ,
stanzas ,
souls ,
snow storm ,
Shrewton ,
Sarum ,
Salisbury Plain ,
River Wylye ,
River Till ,
records ,
rebuild ,
Project group ,
poetic ,
poem ,
Orcheston ,
newspapers ,
Maddington ,
local ,
letter ,
investigating ,
indexes ,
homeless ,
historical record ,
Hanging Langford ,
Flood Cottages ,
flash flood ,
event ,
Elston House ,
Elston ,
drowning ,
doggerel ,
document ,
disasters ,
destitute ,
currents charity ,
county ,
compassion ,
communities ,
commemorating ,
collections ,
Codford ,
Blewdon’s House ,
author ,
Ann Doughty ,
1841 ,
1789
I just happened to be trawling through some indexes to our records when a subject caught my eye - the Great flood in the Wylye Valley 1841. Now I am just about to visit the Wylye World War 1 Project group, one of several trips to the south of our county this week, and have an eye on the weather since the heavy rain over the last few days. Investigating this story in more detail it appears that the flood took place 170 years ago, almost to the day! (Apparently there was a similar flood in 1789 around the same time of year - I am taking my waterproofs). What particularly drew me to the reference was a note concerning a piece of doggerel about the event.
I have always been curious about doggerel and other poetic forms as an historical record commemorating events (and people), especially disasters, such as William McGonagall’s poem on the Tay Railway Bridge disaster of 1879. But what I found was even more astonishing; forget the 8 verses by McGonagall, our document contains 51 verses, in part 1, and a further 25 in part 2, a grand total of 76 stanzas detailing an event that, according to contemporary local newspapers, lasted a mere 12 hours, though with such force and hugely disastrous consequences for the local communities. The document (WSA 1336/98) is a transcript of a letter by Ann Doughty of Hanging Langford to her mother some days after the flood with a doggerel rhyme by an unknown author.
