Rhynie Old Kirkyard, Aberdeenshire

 Rhynie Old Kirkyard, Aberdeenshire

Visited August 2020

Rhynie Old Kirkyard, in the little village of Rhynie near the foot of Tap O'Noth hillfort in Aberdeenshire, is a lovely, quiet place with an old feel to it. Accessed down a narrow road, there is a shelter in the carpark containing 4 Pictish stones. Two of these were found in the foundations of the old church when it was demolished,, and the field next to it contains the Craw Stane, still in situ, and is where the Pictish stone depicting 'Rhynie Man' was found.

Pictish stone in  car park of Rhynie cemetery

The cemetery was the kirkyard of the old St Luag's Church, which fell into disrepair in the late 18th century and was demolished in the 19th century and replaced by a new church in the village . There's no trace now of the old church, although I'm told if you look closely some old stones from it are built into the kirkyard wall. 

When you enter the kirkyard, you notice it's right on the edge of the village, with fields and woods on three sides. The gravestones in the area where you enter are from the 19th and 20th centuries (the kirkyard is still in use today) but head further back and things get older. Right at the back, against the west wall is the oldest in situ survivor a gothic looking memorial to local nobleman Alexander Gordon of Muirack, who died in October 1668. Strangely, it's located in the far corner from where the old church would have stood, possibly because he was a Catholic and the kirk was very much Presbyterian.

Beside Gordon's memorial is a Medieval stone sarcophagus, much older than this memorial and not part of it. It was found when the cemetery was cleared in the 19th century. At this time, many of the 18th century gravestones were moved to make way for new burials, and left against the west wall of the cemetery. They are much weathered and fairly illegible, although some memento mori including winged souls and skulls can still be seen. 

Alexander Gordon's memorial

Detail of Alexander Gordon's memorial

Medieval stone sarcophagus

18th century memorials along the back wall

Harty Church, Isle of Sheppey (Kent)

St Thomas the Apostle Church,  Harty, Isle of Sheppey

Visited July 2020

On my first day out of London as lockdown eased, we headed to the Isle of Sheppey, on the east coast of Kent. An area with a lot of history (it's said by some that the Isle of Harty, now fused to the Isle of Sheppey,was the site of 'Heorot', Hroþgar's hall and that it took its name from the main settlement there).

Harty has a lovely little church dedicated to St Thomas the Apostle, which dates back to the late 11th century, which was surprisingly open to visitors unlike most. There is some wonderful stained glass inside, and church is made more atmospheric by having no electricity or running water. Oh, and the homemade jam for sale just inside the door is amazing, do get a jar and pop your money in the donation box!

The churchyard appears to have been cleared relatively recently. It's very large given the size of the church and settlement, but with very few memorials. Around the back are some chest tombs, and a gravestone carved with memento mori and dating from 1748. Most of other stones are of the late 19th century, up to almost the present day.

It doesn't take long to visit here, but it's well worth the drive if you're on the island. You might even see some marsh harriers from the RSPB raptor viewpoint en route, we did!

The Bier House, Ospringe, Kent

The Bier House, Ospringe, Kent

Visited August 2020

Across the road from the Church of St Peter and St Paul, on the outskirts of village of Ospringe near Faversham in Kent is this bier house, one of only a handful in England.

The small flint bier house or mortuary house was probably built in mid-19th century, and was used to house coffins ahead of burial. It apparently stands on the site of a spring, which has long since dried up, although there was a stream and pond behind it in living memory, since ploughed out of existence. The window above the door is a re-used Medieval slit window. At the back is a contemporary toilet and urinal (delightful!) not accessible from the road. 

The building is locked, and used for storage by the church, but it's worth stopping for a look, and there's some parking across the road in front of the church which is also well worth a visit. Nearby, too, is the Stone Chapel, a Roman mausoleum (or possibly temple) of the 3rd Century which was later converted in the early Medieval period into a chapel, and extended later, until it fell out of use in the 16th century.

The Stone Chapel, Ospringe

Wells Cathedral, Somerset

Wells Cathedral

visited February 2020

Wells Cathedral, in the small town of Wells is a beautiful place to visit (although perhaps not on the rainy day in February when I visited!). It's got some glorious stained glass, the stunning West Front, a lovely chapter house, with very worn stairs to get to it, and splendid scissor arches. It is also, of course, the resting place of many of the great and the good of the area.

Sadly most of my photos don't seem to have come out of the many memorials around the building, but I was very excited to find a cadaver tomb, that of Bishop Thomas Beckington who died in the late 13th century. The other photo which came out is the memorial lined cloisters which, as with many cathedrals, are a peaceful place to spend a while.

Now the cathedrals are open again, do go and visit Wells, and take in the Bishop's Palace and Vicars' Close while you're in the city. 

Romney Marsh Churches, Kent

 Six Churches on Romney Marsh, Kent

Visited August 2020

Romney Marsh in Kent is a strange place, flat and, even in the middle of a very dry summer, wet. I guess the clue's in the name! There's a trail of 14 Medieval marsh churches which one can follow so on the hottest day of the year so far we set of in a car to go to 6 of them - the other 8 will have to wait. One, St Thomas Becket, Fairfield, had no graveyard (hardly surprising, as it's on a small mound in the marsh, and was only accessible via boat in winter until the 1960s!). Thanks to Covid-19, only one was open to the public, so what you get is views only of the churchyards. But what fine places they are!

All Saints, Burmarsh

This is the lowest church in the marsh, build 13ft below sea level. You have to cross a small bridge to get to it.

St Peter and St Paul, Newchurch

This church has a leaning tower, or at least the bottom two sections lean and are buttressed - it looks odd because the top section doesn't lean!

St Mary the Virgin, St Mary in the Marsh

This church is the burial place of author E. Nesbitt - the wooden marker in the churchyard is a replica, the original is inside. Near a priest's door there's a simple scratch sundial in the stone, which I love.

St Clement, Old Romney

This church is where the artist & filmmaker Derek Jarman is buried. It's near to his famous cottage at Dungeness, which is well worth a visit.

St Augustine, Brookland

This church is odd - the bell tower is not on top of the church as they usually are, but a shingled structure beside the main door! There are some lovely old graves in the churchyard too.

St Thomas Becket, Fairfield

This church has no surrounding churchyard, but I couldn't not show an image of it - it's the very picture of what a marsh church should be!