September 2024. Swaffham Prior.
A treat for folk who love English oddities, stained glass, and wilting flowers.
The Red Lion had been “less busy than usual”,
but I may have been a bit unfair on berating Swaffham Prior’s 841 residents for their lukewarm support for their local pub,
as this is a QUIET village with a capital “Q”.
Almost quieter than when that village sign was the star of my 2020 Covid Cambs post. I think this plant was alive then.
The highlight, windmills and Devil’s Dyke apart, is the small mound housing two (2) churches.
Yes, the village sign showing almost as much wear and tear as SS Cyriac and Julia’s, the deserted (but more appealing) half of the church pair.
Something starkly beautiful about St Julia (or is it St Cyriac ?),
with its partial rendering of the 10 commandments. Modern churches are far too cuddly.
The living church, St Mary’s, is a simple affair,
but the stained glass is world class, from the 11th century bi-plane,
to the modern “Blessed Are The Dead” inscribed by a 20th century Jerry Garcia fan (top).
They had one of those contactless donation readers; I left a fiver. UK stained glass is the cask of the church world.
retiredmartin 