Another Grand Day Out

On Wednesday I met up with some friends from Yorkshire who were staying at Dumbleton Hall for a break with a group they regularly walk with.  On the day I met up with them we did a walk around the Lenches.  The weather was lovely as was the company, and apart from the instructions being a bit confusing at times, we had a very nice few hours with fantastic countryside to enjoy.

In Rous Lench we came across this large Victorian edifice housing a post box.  Another claim to fame is that during the Civil War Oliver Cromwell allegedly dined at Rous Lench Court in 1651 on the eve of the Battle of Evesham.  Also it would seem from historic websites that the majority of the women in the village were employed in glove stitching in the mid 19th century.  The local church was very interesting.  We entered through the South door which dates from the 12th century.

A very pretty stained glass window greets you on the left, which I thought might be a useful resource for some future artwork

There was a memorial to Edward Rous d 1611, his wife Mary d 1580 and their 3 daughters and 1 son, a bit dusty and neglected I am afraid and very poorly lit.

In the West isle there was a modern 'squint' hole which fascinated us all.  As a coincidence I had only recently come across one in Cirencester . A new stained glass window had been installed for the Millenium, which although very nice, did not really sit well with the rest of the interior of the church and from the exterior it looked distinctly out of place.

Just as we were about to leave I spotted this wonderful lock on what I assume was the priest's entrance to the church.

Finally, as I  had been making jokes throughout the walk with my fellow ramblers about the constant need for comfort breaks by the ladies, I have discovered that the 'Piddle Brook' actually does run through the nearby village of Radford!!