A Feast of Zigzags

This is not the deep valley, cosy country lane Cotswolds beloved of tourists, but is in a location almost 1000 feet above sea level and situated on an escarpment.

But it is well worth the climb and exploration to find the Norman church of St.John at Elkstone.

Simon Jenkins travelled the length and breath of England for his book 'England's Thousand Best Churches', and included it in his Gloucestershire section. 

The Architectural Historian, Pevsner, described it as one of the most interesting and best preserved Norman churches in an area rich by any standards in the Romanesque. It retains its splendid Norman doorway and two sets of glorious Norman arches, and a corbel table of grotesques contemporary with the early church.

A stained glass window showing St. John in the south wall of the chancel which was made for the church in 1959 by W T Carter Shapland.

Built in 1130, the original Norman church had a crossing tower that was lost in the c13th. The south door is protected by a later porch which has afforded protection to the Norman tympanum now 888 years old.

The tympanum rests on a shouldered arch, supported by pillars with carved grotesque head capitals 

Entry into the church is via centuries of well worn stone steps,

but on arrival the eye is immediately captured by two sets of exquisite romanesque Norman arches - the first set lead from the nave into the chancel and the second set lead on into the sanctuary. Decorated in deep cut zigzags, also known as chevrons, they are a glory to behold. The outer hood mould is pelleted, terminating at each end with a dragon's head.  

Beyond the arches is the sanctuary with a small intricately carved stone Norman window which has a vividly coloured glass window done in 1929. It is the work of Cotswold stained glass designer, Henry Payne, a celebrated artist/designer, and done in the style of Burne-Jones. 

From the outside this delightful little east window has a carved pelleted inner order (sometimes referred to as beads or ball flowers) and an outer order of crenelation or battlement carving.

In the nave there is a Jacobean pulpit with one of the carved dragons descending immediately behind the preacher's head. 
There is an unusual church feature in the sanctuary that is shared by only one other church in this country.

This door holds the secret, so let's turn the lock

carefully climb the spiral stone steps,

and reach the Columbarium (dovecot - pigeonair).

Some of the mythical beasts and grotesque heads running around the corbel table.

Of all the grotesque heads and mythical beasts, this one is my personal favourite. I think that it must have been carved by a Norman with a sense of humour and vivid imagination.

For Catherine

As we travelled along narrow blossom filled country lanes, through quaint Cotswold villages, passed fields carpeted in the hues of blue and yellow from the Linseed and Rapeseed (Canola) crops, suddenly we spotted a sign.

It pointed to Winchcombe Pottery, a place that I wanted to visit, as sometime ago I had mentioned to my blog friend Catherine that I would. Catherine lives in the United States, and although she has never visited the pottery, she is in fact familiar with it, and wrote about it on her own blog. 
Hope that you enjoy Catherine💛

There was a pottery on this site from 1800 which then produced a range of farmhouse wares for the surrounding area, but after the end of WWl it fell into decline. 
In 1926 Michael Cardew, who trained under the distinquished British potter, Bernard Leach, rented the pottery buildings and set about restarting it up again.

It is one of the longest running craft potteries in the country, and makes some of the finest and most practical domestic pottery wares. The pottery still follows the 'Arts and Crafts' ideal of being both beautiful and useful.

Their terracotta pots grace many homes and gardens throughout these isles from modest cottages to grand stately homes.

It was coffee time when we arrived, and all of the potters had left their wheels and were sitting around in the garden having a drink and chatting. It is a very relaxed, friendly place for a visit - entrance is free, you can wander around the workshops and see the potters at work. 

There is a shop selling their pots along with jewellery, glassware, and paintings made by other local craftspeople, together with a cafe where you can buy homemade refreshments.




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Update
My computer is working very well with thanks to my eldest son, and my granddaughter's boyfriend, but my blogger problems continue when creating new posts. There was nothing basically wrong with the computer, it was all down to my blog. However, I have discovered that I can only write new posts as long as I sign out of blogger and then sign back in again. It is a nuisance, but it is the only way that I have found which enables me to continue with the blog. 
I returned home late last night after a long journey - my head is full of the many exciting things seen, but, I am unable to process them, as my mind has not yet caught up with my body. 
The national flower of the country visited.

Sezincote

Thank you for all your useful comments and advice regarding my computer problems. With help from my computer man and blogging friend Jim, who mentioned that he sometimes uses a different browser for blogger, I remain hopeful that the solution may have been found, and that I can continue to be present here.

A journey along blossoming Cotswold country lanes brought us to Sezincote house and gardens. The house is an extraordinary mixture of both Mughal and classical architecture, together with gardens reminding us of our recent trip to Kashmir. All of this makes it quite unlike any other house and garden to be found in Britain, and it is in fact considered to be the finest example of its kind in the West.

Sezincote was designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell in a Neo-Mughal style and built in 1805. Curiously Cockerell had never visited India, and his only encounters with Indian architecture was through the medium of old engravings and drawings.
The poet John Betjeman used to visit whilst a student at Oxford, and captured Sezincote's charm in Summoned by Bells:
"Down the drive,
Under the early yellow leaves of oaks....
the bridge, the waterfall, the Temple Pool
and there they burst on us, the onion domes."

When the Prince Regent visited Sezincote in 1807, he was so impressed with the Neo-Mughal architecture seen, that he immediately changed his existing plans for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton to that of a similar design. 

The Orangery 

The Water Garden, the Indian Bridge, the Temple 
and the Pools are generally attributed to Daniell. However, the original gardens and landscape are thought to have been heavily influenced by Humphrey Repton who, while not producing one of his famous 'before' and 'after' Red Books for Sezincote, did produce a sketch of his ideas for the garden which still exists, and he mentions working at Sezincote in several of his writings.
Temple to Surya
The Indian Bridge


topped with bronze Brahmin Bull statuary along the parapet

Under the bridge are stepping stones and a seat where you can rest awhile. A small waterfall tumbles down into the Snake Pool, and a pathway leads you down to a gurgling stream and the pretty water gardens beyond.