A visit to Alternun Church

As we had a free afternoon, we thought we'd visit St Nonna's church in Alternun, about 10 miles away. Known by some as the 'cathedral of the moor', it is the second largest church on Bodmin Moor. The name, St Nonna, is derived from its founder, St Non, the mother of St David, the patron saint of Wales (of course). We have visited the reputed site of his birth, St Non's chapel, just outside of St David's in Pembrokeshire. Alternun itself is more properly called Alternon, 'altar of Non'.
St Nonna's Holy Well is to the north-east of the church and on the opposite side of the road. It was one of two Cornish "bowssening" wells, its waters allegedly having curative powers for lunatics. The unfortunate "victims" were paraded to the well - which is really a plunge bath - and ducked in it, while prayers were recited and canticles chanted, until they were "cured".

Of St. Nonna`s original building nothing now remains. The Normans built a church here  on its foundations, in the early 12th century, but only a few pieces of which can still to be found (for example, the font).  The present church dates from the early 15th century and its rough exterior is due to the fact that it was built partly of natural moorstone, which is unquarried stone basically picked up from the moor. The Celtic cross in the foreground, just by the church gate, dates from the 6th century.

The graveyard contains a fine collection of headstones and would be a great place to spend a few hours on a sunny afternoon. But, on a cold and windy day, a place to glance at and pass thorough.

But I did take time to admire this carved slate monument to Thomas Herring, who died in 1869.

The nave and its associated side aisles, which are unusually wide. In front of the altar at the far end is a Victorian rood-screen. There is an almost total absence of any stained glass so there's plenty of light.

The granite Norman font, decorated at each corner with carved heads.

Look closely and you can make out the remnants of the original  paint.

Perhaps the paint is a little more noticeable on this one? When I see heads like these, I always wonder about the models. Who were they? Were they related to the carver? Or were they self-portraits?

St Nonna's is reknowned for its carved pew ends. There are 79 of them and they are really impressive.

We know that they were carved by Thomas Daye because he tells us in this one. He carved them between 1510 and 1530, so that makes them almost 500 years old. If only they could talk, such tales they could tell.

The subjects Thomas Daye depicted were traditional Christian symbols, as well as everyday subjects, such as sheep on the moors, a jester, fiddler, sword dancers - and a Cornish bagpiper. This is the one of the jester, with some rather conspicuous dangly bits. Are they what we think they are? Probably. If not, what could they be?

The wood for the church, according to tradition, came from the mansion of the Trelawney family, near Treween, which was dismantled in the 15th century.

I've already mentioned that the interior of St Nonna's is almost devoid of stained glass. The only piece is in the east window and is said to represent St Nonna (though elsewhere an identical depiction from the same factory represents St John The Evangelist!). 

Is it 15th or 17th century? The jury is divided on the date of Alternun Old Bridge but that doesn't detract from the fact that it is a good example of the bridge builders' skills. Much too narrow for present day traffic.

 

It's been ages since we've walked on Dartmoor

It seems ages since we walked on Dartmoor and it was good to get out again with one of our Thursday walking groups. This was a relatively short (4.5 miles) circular route, starting and ending in the Bellever Forest car park, just outside of Postbridge. I think I read somewhere that is at the centre of the Dartmoor National Park area.

Bellever Forest is aptly named as it has, what must be, some of the tallest trees on Dartmoor. Generally what we see is somewhat wind-blown trees shaped by the prevailing wind but these are magnificently tall.

Despite the recent spell of snow, there was not a lot still lying around.

Wooden finger post with lichen.

 

A distant view to the south west towards Widecombe-in-the-Moor. No sign of Uncle Tom Cobley and his pals: it was probably too cold for them. At times, it was too cold for us, especially when we heading into the wind.

Looking up to Bellever Tor. Unfortunately we did not go to the top of it as our route went around the right-hand side. On top is a pillar trig point (TS1247) which has an interesting flush bracket and spider. We really must return to view this modern menhir.

The interesting texture of lichen on a hawthorn branch.

Every now and again, we came across some snow that had drifted. Not the easiest of surfaces to walk on: the alternative of tussocks of grass was probably worse.

It's not uncommon to see cut marks on granite blocks but these were of a type that I hadn't seen before. I could not make out any clues to their original function but function they must have had. Something must have slotted into them but what?

Twice in around three weeks: a Lapwing, with its characteristic head feathers. It's the first time I've seen them in these parts, although we see them often when we are on one or other of the Scottish isles.

A juvenile Lapwing, yet to develop its head feathers.

 

 

On this day in 1918, Corporal George Henry Jenkin died

George Henry Jenkin was the third son of James and Mary Jenkin to be killed in combat and the eldest of the four sons named on the Stoke Climsland War Memorial. He is erroneously listed as C Jenkin rather than G.H.

George was born in Downgate and was baptised in Downgate Chapel on 21st November 1889. At the age of 16, he was working underground as a tin miner but, at 24, he was living in Kelly Bray with a brother and sister and was a farm labourer. Both of their parents had died a few years earlier.

Although we do not know when George enlisted in the army, we do know that it was at Bodmin and he was drafted into the 1/5th Battalion. The Battalion was moved into active service in 1916 and remained in France until 1918.

At the time of George’s death, his unit was in the Somme region and engaged in the Battle of St Quentin, which took place between 21st and 23rd March, and which was part of the German Spring Offensive of 1918. The 21st March began with an extremely heavy German artillery bombardment of high-explosive and gas shells. The 1/5th DCLI were ordered to ‘man battle stations at 5.30 am’, moved into position and came under considerable enemy fire all day. In this action many men were lost, including George Jenkin. He was listed as ‘missing in action’ and his body was never recovered.

As well as being remembered in Stoke Climsland, He is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial Panel 45B), near Albert in Northern France. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21st March to 7th August 1918.

Mad Max, crisps and Oyster cards: just another week in Brexitland

Jeremy Corbyn has recently announced that he wants the UK to stay in ‘a’ customs union with the EU, which in some undefined manner is different from ‘the’ customs union. The difference, according to Jezza, is that the UK will not passively accept all the EU’s rules and will continue to make its own trade deals: scenarios which the EU has already said are not viable options. To me, it does sound suspiciously like another version of cake having and eating, but at least it’s got the Tories choking on it. So that’s a result worth having in itself.  But, let's not kid ourselves, it’s not that the Leader of the Opposition has suddenly been converted to a soft Brexit; he remains as much of a hard Brexiteer as he ever was. It’s just that he now sees the prospect of defeating the Conservatives in a vote on the issue in the Commons, thanks to a number of Conservative rebels. Labour’s position on Brexit has shifted slightly in the direction of common sense, but it remains as confused and incoherent as that of the Tories.
 

To be honest, it’s not that difficult for anyone to be less confused and more coherent on Brexit than the British Government. The calibre of the British government’s thinking on the tricky issues thrown up by Brexit can be illustrated by Boris Johnson’s latest pronouncement on the thorny problem of the Irish border. There’s an entirely predictable conflict inherent in the UK leaving the Customs Union and the Single Market and the UK’s treaty requirement with Eire to ensure that there is an invisible and infrastructure free border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The UK Foreign Secretary seems to have got confused between that crucial issue and the 1940's film Passport to Pimlico (well worth watching, by the way). It’s an easy mistake to make, especially if you are a Class A pillock.

Boris was able to manage the London congestion charge when he was Mayor of London and ensure free movement of goods and people between the boroughs of Camden and Westminster, so clearly the Irish border issue is all about dealing with traffic congestion. I always thought that the London Troubles was a reference to the difficulties of people on low wages or the average salary finding affordable accommodation, and not to mounting tensions along the Walthamstow-Newham demilitarised zone.  I lived near London for many years, but never noticed a sign on the North Circular Road saying You Are Now Entering Free Hammersmith, and there was a distinct absence of paramilitary groups who were hell bent on blowing up the Number 26 to Neasden in order to keep out non-compliant goods from Shepherd’s Bush. So either this was just poor observational skills on my part, or Boris Johnson was talking bollocks again. My money is on the latter.

It’s almost as though Boris Johnson is blithely indifferent to anything that doesn’t nourish his bloated sense of sense-importance and rampant careerism. Well, I say ‘almost’. I mean ‘exactly’. It’s exactly that. You’d think that a basic understanding of the distinction between an international frontier between two sovereign states and an administrative border between two London boroughs would be a prerequisite for becoming Foreign Secretary, but apparently not. Someone should point out to the Foreign Secretary that number plate recognition technology is a) the kind of hard infrastructure on the border that the UK has pledged not to introduce in Ireland, and b) can’t tell you what’s in the car boot or on the back of the lorry.

It might also be helpful to point out to the Foreign Secretary that the implementation of the London congestion zone took many years of planning and the delivery, installation, and operation of complex IT infrastructure and payment systems. Despite that, many people inadvertently fall foul of the rules. There are only 13 months to go until Brexit and the UK hasn’t even started to plan for the new Irish border Oyster Card. The only thing that prevents Boris Johnson being the most ludicrous and risible politician in the Conservative party is that it also includes Jacob Rees Mogg. That pair plus David Cameron make a compelling argument that Ofsted ought to put Eton into special measures.

Meanwhile Liam Fox, or to give him his proper title The Disgraced Former Defence Minister Dr Liam Fox, has been having a go at a former senior civil servant in his own department, Sir Martin Donnelly, who claimed, not unreasonably, that the UK leaving the EU and the Customs Union and Single Market was like swapping a three course meal for a packet of crisps. Liam is insistent that Brexit is crunchier and more filling than a mere packet of crisps. He has something more like Hula Hoops in mind, or possibly Monster Munch, and he’s determined that the UK can do a free trade deal with Doritos, or even hold out for a meal deal at Greggs. However the problem for Liam is that we don’t get the packet of crisps immediately, all Brexit is offering is a vague promise on the side of a bus of a packet of crisps at some undetermined time in the future. There’s no guarantee that we will actually be getting any crisps, and if we do the chances are that they will be genetically modified chlorine bathed crisps that taste like crap and which no one wants. The only thing that we can be sure of about Brexit crisps is that they’re incredibly cheesy.

From the British government in the past week or so we’ve had Mad Max Brexit, Oyster Card Brexit and Better than a Packet of Crisps Brexit. And still the Labour party can’t make a serious dent on these idiots in the opinion polls. The Government isn’t fit for purpose, the Opposition isn’t fit for purpose, the UK isn’t fit for purpose. At least the snow looks pretty.

The beast from the east?

The snow finally came to Higher Downgate. So far, not as much as expected and of rather disappointing quality. Beast from the East? More like Least from the East around here. Undaunted, off I went for our normal 'walk around the block' and it was a pleasure. It was so quiet and the light so subdued. Very enjoyable. Here's a flavour of the scenes.


The top track. Recently we've been sloshing amongst the thick mud on this stretch but today it was frozen solid and easy to walk on.

And let's not forget the farmers who don't have the luxury of having a 'snow day' off. The sky in the east looks full of snow.

Stoke Climsland church in the distance.

A dusting of snow makes even the tyres on a silage clamp interesting.

The 'up track'.

Who has left a light on?

Underneath all this snow and ice are three fish. Will they survive?

Icicles from the waterfall.

Yesterday these daffodils were upright and giving a fine display. A bit floppy now. Will they recover?

Our view from the back garden. It looks great under any and every condition.

And we can even see the church when the leaves are off the trees