Nigel's Photo Blog

This afternoon, I am reporting on Whichford Pottery in the English Cotswolds . Whichford is small village with a population of 336 persons.It is within range of such popular visitor sites as Shipston-on-Stour , Long Compton ,  Chipping Norton , Brailes , Banbury and Cherington . The strange juxtaposition of a cafe and restaurant seems to work well The cafe benefits from a good reputation in the local communities whilst the pottery products (mainly garden pots) are popular with garden owners for reasons set out in image no. 4 below. As illustrated by the images herein the facility is very colourful with ample products on display and the production area open to visitors.  Potter at work  Pottery products on display   Pottery products on display Commentary on pottery products  Work-in-progress  Colourful product presentation  Cafe with roof densely populated with solar panels. It is likely that the pottery kilns are major users of expensive electricity. ...

Tonight, I am posting a reprise of a day tour of the heart of the English Costwolds. Location is about eighty miles N.W. of London. Landscape view of Long Compton The following sites were accessed within a day from a 'hub' of Moreton-in-Marsh Many of the village churches date from around the 12th century AD and doubled as refuges and community centres.. At the time the only religion was Roman Catholic which was replaced by Protestantism and the Anglican Church after around AD 1540. First was a landscape view of Long Compton followed by a visit to a Bronze Age (1800-1500 BC) standing stone at Rollright. Bronze Age standing stone at Rollright. Deformed shape is due to persons in days past removing small pieces for memento purposes.  Stone circle at Rollright which is about 4500 years old. Then to the village of Long Compton and its lychgate and church. Long Compton Lychgate Long Compton Parish Church Next to the even smaller village of Barton on the Heath and its ch...

  Tour Group at Chipping Campden, Cotswolds. Tyday, I am providing an illustrated itinerary of a one-day tour of the ever popular Cotswolds and Shakespeare country in central England. First, depart lodgings in Oxford and drive north for one hour to  first destination of Bourton on the Water. This is a popular village built around the banks of the River Windrush. Here, there are many shops, a model village, motor car museum and other places of interest. Bourton on the Water, England Bourton on the Water, Cotswolds, England After an hour at Bourton on the Water  continue north to  Chipping Campden. This is another popular Cotswold village, which prospered from the medieval wool industry. Here there are shops, hotels, a fine church and houses with thatched roofs.   Chipping Campden Church. A wool church rebuilt in 15th century. Market Hall at Chipping Campden. Dates from 1627. Thatched House at Chipping Campden, Cotswolds After an hour at Chipping C...