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| The Clocktower, Coggleshall |
We are in Essex, four hours from our Yorkshire homeland. To be more precise we are on Mersea Island which sits away from the Essex mainland at the point where the estuaries of two rivers - the Colne and the Blackwater merge with the sea.
On the way here, we stopped for lunch at "The White Hart" in Coggleshall. A delightful small town with an architecture that is distinctively different from what you might see in the north of England. How sad that in modern times, regional building differences are becoming blurred as new construction seems to follow a more standardised pattern.
Our apartment is called "Oakleaves" and it is really very nice. So clean, spacious and well-maintained with everything we might need for a five day stay. It's really the modern annexe of a family home but we have our own driveway, entrance and private patio area.
After unpacking, we went for a stroll down to the beach and along the coast for a mile or more. Though Mersea is an island it is linked to the mainland via an ancient causeway called The Strood. This can be flooded and impassable during particularly high tides. Anyway, here are a few pictures from this afternoon...
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| Shirley liked the needlework on the hassocks (kneeling cushions) in St Peter and St Paul's Church |
Fabulous! I hope those places never change...never, ever. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is a sense of timelessness on Mersea Lee but in the olden days hard working residents rarely left the island. It was their world.
DeleteShirley look particularly gorgeous YP. She could selling that there needlework in that pic. Hope you two youngsters have a wonderful time at the seaside.
ReplyDeleteYoungsters? Aw! Thanks Carol!
DeleteGlad you invited us to share your few days on Mersea Island; the clock tower is beautiful just and the last photo of the yacht is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteMs Soup
You are so kind Alphie. I hope to post some more pictures tonight but as I look outside now it is a little overcast. (Wednesday morning)
DeleteIt's a grand place. I like the last image. I enjoy muted tones.
ReplyDeleteMuted Tones are a great band. I loved their last album - "Macro Images and Fungi".
DeleteVery different pictures from what we usually get to see from your walks, but I like them! Shirley is a beautiful woman, she should appear more often on your blog!
ReplyDeleteLike your sister and your master, Shirley is a little shy and usually punishes me if she finds her image on my blog.
DeleteHow lovely to let us come along on your island holiday. I have recently been feeling the same about the world as a 'melting pot'. I love the regional differences too.
ReplyDeleteI guess the hassock talks about a particular windy event. Look at that tree!
Yes, well spotted Kate! That hassock records a particularly violent storm that hit southern England in 1987 and uprooted thousands of trees. RElated to it is a duff weather forecast by weatherman Michael Fish. He has never been allowed to forget it.
DeleteLook forward to seeing more of the area through your photos, it's a section of England we haven't seen though it looks very interesting. I'm with you about the regional differences in house styles. I love how they add their special character to a region.
ReplyDeleteWhen I spotted the couple at the beach hut (biggest picture) I naturally thought of you and Tony!
DeleteI know what a hassock is.
ReplyDeleteHaving a seaside getaway, are we?
The phallic images in your last two posts (clocktower, yacht mast, Stanedge pole) speak volumes.
Is yours blue like the clock tower?
DeleteDoes the clock tower have only one face, or can you see the time when coming from the other direction as well?
ReplyDeleteAll the little pastel play houses on the beach are interesting. Is this a common sight or peculiar to this area? Whatever they are for, they are mighty close together!
Interesting pics, as usual!
The strange little "play houses" are actually beach huts. Families own them and use them as bases for daytime trips to the coast. Somewhere to put your things and keep dry if it rains. Somewhere to make a cup of tea. The clock does indeed have two faces Hilly.
DeleteWow, your answer to Hilly answers a lot of my questions also, Mr. Pudding. So families own them? That is a wonderful inheritance for children and grandchildren that stay close to their elders.
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