A window in time...

I couldn't mention the doors on the quaint stone Cotswolds cottages without calling attention to the windows too. The architecture and the old windows in most of the stores and cottages give a window shopper more to look at than just what's on the inside.

aptly named Vine Cottage in Bibury

In addition to the "waviness" that is commonly seen in antique glass, an even more notable feature in some of the windows here is what as known as "bulls eye" or crown glass. I'd have to do more research to find out which century it is from, but it is very common in store fronts here and can even be seen as a small decorative window in a front door.

beauty shop window

Because they are rare, I would imagine they would be quite expensive if purchased today.

antique store windows call me inside

several pieces of "bullseye" glass showcase a little bling

If you are interested in learning more, google "antique crown glass" or "bulls eye glass" or watch the following video.

http://www.krepcio.com/vitreosity/archives/001652.html

across the street from our apartment

 


As far as window treatments, it seems that lace is a popular choice and it provides a nice contrast of texture of the stone. I think you'll see in the photos below that sometimes the interest is inside, sometimes outside and sometimes in the actual windows themselves.

inside the Cotswold Bakery tea room

pure Cotswold charm

weather is pleasant so it's common to see windows open

flowers in a teapot greet me as i walk down the street

"bulls eye" in rounded store front

Do come in...

All of my exploring around the tiny village of Stow has been on foot. Even though virtually all the cottages are made of stone, many are distinct because of their front door. Some are painted, some stained, some newer and manufactured and others obviously very old and hand made.

Most of the houses (or cottages, as the English call them) have names and often times one will see a plaque above or next to the door. Generations of people live in the same cottage and I would suspect they retain their names from one owner to the next. An older man Ronnie likes to talk to lives down on the corner. He said that his house is called the Old Toll House because back during the days when the King could set tolls for using a road, his house was the one where the toll was collected. Since everything has history here, it's not surprising in the least.

If they only have a number for identification, they are probably one in an adjoining row. Stand alone cottages are more likely to have a name plate. However, some are on the side of the building as opposed to next to the front door. Notice the hardware and how its placement differs. Mail is still delivered on foot and dropped through the slot on the door.

Hope you enjoy seeing some of the front doors around the village...

love the name - Cotstone House

#36 - note old glass in windows

The Pound

interesting hardware

door knockers are common, as are mail slots

Whitsun cottage

Close Cottage

Albert's House

#14

Tudor House

The Lazy

Coniston House

Porch House, oldest inn in England

door knobs were often placed in center of door

6A

Stone walls and fences...

....snake across rolling hills and guard charming villages; they are part of what makes the Cotswolds area of south England so unique. The first stone wall built in this area dates back to 2000 BC! Most of the ones here now were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. It's really quite amazing that they're still in such great shape after so many years.

English ivy grows on everything here, sometimes covering entire walls

These walls, like the houses of this area, are made of local limestone and in large part have created the unique character of this area of England. But unlike the stone houses, no mortar or cement is used in their construction; rather they are "dry stacked" in such a way as to hold together for centuries. For the most part, they are in amazing shape and are only occasionally breached by a very large tree growing too close to it.

stacked stone wall borders the village graveyard

tiny purple flowers perch atop weathered stones

According to one article (see link below), there are 4,000 miles of dry stone walls in the Cotswolds. That's as long as the Great Wall of China! Originally their purpose was to divide property and contain sheep. Not every wall looks identical, as stones used often vary in thickness and color. Colors can vary from the characteristic gold (sometimes referred to as honey colored) to white or gray.

notice the width of wall, soil on top

moss also grows everywhere

Stone walls or fences can be seen throughout the countryside, serving as property boundaries or being used to contain sheep, horses or cows. As you might imagine, it's very difficult to capture good photos through a moving car or bus window. All photos posted here were take as I have meandered around the village on foot.

moss covered stone fence

Most of the walls are finished off by flat stones placed perpendicular along the top, though some will have a mortar top. Here is an interesting article on Cotswold dry stone walls for anyone interested in knowing more.

http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/userfiles/file/Publications/11_41_Walls_brochure_3.pdf

flowers planted in wall surrounding cottage

 

berries spill over vertical stones

Part of the charm is the wall or fence itself but many of them are made even prettier by flowers spilling over the edges. It's common to see moss or plants growing from the soil on top of the walls, either springing up naturally or intentionally planted there. And often times flowers or vines will drape or trail over from the opposite side of the wall.

colorful blooms on cottage wall

fuchsia draping over wall outside hotel

Pretty much every cottage is surrounded by a stone fence and most have flowers growing in the yard, in pots, along the fence line or all of the above. From the bedroom on the second floor of our apartment, we have a view of the neighbors back yards to admire roses, dahlias, marigolds and other plants blooming along the stone fences, along with their laundry flapping in the breeze.

street scene in the village of Styellow

yellow flowers make themselves at home on both sides of the fence

Cirencester - pt 3

I'm not sure what it says about me, but I've been photographing cemeteries for several years now. I come across them in different cities, states and countries and they are all different and interesting in different ways. I even did a portfolio challenge a few years ago titled "The Here and the Hear After." Graveyards or cemeteries (as we in more modern times prefer to call them) always leave me with more questions than answers.

cemetery on abbey grounds, Cirencester

Questions like who is buried here? What was that person like? Who loved them, and who did they love? What caused their death? Do they still have family that remember them? Does anyone ever come to visit this grave? Where are they now? As I said, more questions than answers but still interesting to contemplate.

Parish Church, Cirencester

In my opinion, older cemeteries are especially interesting, at least from a photographic point of view. So during our visit to Cirencester yesterday, before we even made it inside the church, I was already on the abbey grounds, photographing in the rain under my umbrella! The rain and overcast skies (I felt) sort of added to the overall gloomy feel of the place.

Thomas, age 18, died 1846

some stones have no writing left on them at all

The graves are not as well kept as one might imagine. No flowers adorn the grave sites, probably because many generations of descendants have long been buried themselves.  We only saw a single new grave in the very back. The only adornment on the gravestones was the moss and lichen that grow on pretty much every stone over here.

in the shade of very old tree

a panoramic view - late in day when rain had stopped

a sign said "we will remember"

moss and ivy growing on old stones

a visit from a black crow

love the carving on this one

Cycling in the Cotwsolds (Ronnie)

Lazy blogger that I am, I'm stealing Ronnie's FB post from today...

I didn’t really want to ride my bike today with my new friend Graham (see photo). He had left a note under the door last night saying the plan was to ride 50 miles with a group today. First, that distance is not really interesting to me—maybe 30 miles, or possibly 40, but not 50. Second, riding the ups and downs of the hills in the Cotswold is repetitious grinding up a hill and then flying down it. I just didn’t want to do 50 miles of up and down today. Lastly, the roads are terribly narrow and the vehicles go very fast. I just didn’t want to battle the cars, or fear of getting hit by a car or truck. 

no bike lanes, barely room for cars to pass!

However, not wanting to chicken out, I made up my mind that I’d ride with the group for about 10 miles then turn around and come back by back tracking (so I wouldn’t get lost). I met Graham out front and we took off thru the main traffic light at Stow, and dropped off the hill to the little town of Broadwell where we waited for the other guys to arrive. After a few minutes they all gathered (see picture) and we introduced ourselves. They were a chatty bunch, joking and generally having fun Then we rode east out of the village. We traveled the back roads thru Churchill, down to Chadington, the Wynchwood Forest, Ramaden, near Witney. It was great fun talking to various men at different points on the ride. I may have been the slowest in the group, but they were always kind to hang back with me. See photo of one point on the ride where we had just crossed a main road.








One highlight of the trip was passing by the home of the Prime Minister, David Cameron, in Oxfordshire. We whizzed right past the house, which was rather amazing that we could get so close. After 20+ miles we came to the Hilltop Garden Centre, which offered great coffee, tea, cakes, and breakfast. I had the Five Piece meal with egg, beans, sausage, bacon and mushrooms (see photo). That and a cup of hot chocolate were all I needed to energize me for the ride back to Stow. After the stop we split into two groups, the faster group going on out further, and the slower group heading back toward Stow. I followed the slower group.

typical English breakfast (minus tomatoes)

 

Ronnie with new biking buds

our neighbor Graham, age 69 (50-60 miles per week)

We took a rather straight road back from Ramaden to Leafield and on to Shipton under Wynchwood, Kingham, and the B4450 thru Bledington to Maughersbury and into Stow. All the while the views of the Cotswold farms and villages are stunning. The weather was superb and my only disappointment is that Jan cannot go with me on bike rides such as todays. She likes the countryside, but cannot see it up close for long stretches at a time without a bike. I hope to learn to drive here and rent a car and take her on a slow drive thru the hills.