Where was I? Vol 3

[driverrob]

Wiccan of Darkness said:

Ooh, If that's where I think it is, it's a church, St Michaels. Dartmoor somewhere. When a church was built over an old pagan site, it was always consecrated to St Michael, therefore any church that's called 'St Michaels' will be on a site previously used for pagan worship. Often incorporated previous standing stones, icons or carvings in the new structure.

No idea about the arms. Shrubbery suggests northern mediterranean. Spain or south of France. I'll say Spain.

Dartmoor St Michael's it is, on top of Brentor.

I'm sure the arms statue is just North of Marseilles.

[ianrb]

Amateurish said:

Penshaw Monument?

[Bonefish Blues]

ianrb said:

Penshaw Monument?

Nice to have company at the back of the pack

[Wiccan of Darkness]

driverrob said:

Dartmoor St Michael's it is, on top of Brentor.

It was a right PITA to get to, that I do remember. Nice interior, too.

Bonefish Blues said:

silentbrown said:

Wiccan of Darkness said:

When a church was built over an old pagan site, it was always consecrated to St Michael, therefore any church that's called 'St Michaels' will be on a site previously used for pagan worship. Often incorporated previous standing stones, icons or carvings in the new structure.

You'll probably know about the five churches dedicated to St Michael 'containing' a dragon sleeping under Radnor Forest? https://cymraes.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/the-casco...

Radnor Forest is also the setting for "A Crown of Lights" by the excellent Phil Rickman.

Is that always the case re St Michaels?

Pretty much, yes. I've yet to visit a St Michaels church that isn't. When you know what to look for, but also how an area feels, its got to the point where I can look at a church and say 'That will be a St Michaels". The dead giveaway is if there's a ring of yew trees. When one yew tree gets old, the limbs dig themselves in to the soil and create a ring of new trees. Yew trees were frequently at ancient pagan sites, and a ring of yew trees, or even a single yew that's way older than the church, is by far the best indicator. They are also older churches, so more likely to have a tower and not a spire, and being on the northern side of a crossroads, or the north side of an east/west road.

If you see the following

• The church is on the north side of some crossroads
• The church has a tower
• There's a ring of yew trees in the church yard
• The settlement is mentioned in the domesday book
• The church is slightly outside the settlement and not central

Then it's a St Michaels.

I'm sure there's some that don't follow the pattern, but I've yet to find any. Off to visit a couple in Warwickshire this weekend. It'll be a nice drive over

[Saleen836]

Been a while so just to get it started again..
Shouldn't take too long though...

[jmorgan]

Bournmouth ish, bit further west of?

[Allanv]

Reminds me of Exmouth.

[Bonefish Blues]

I was going to plump for somewhere a lot further North - Caledonian, in fact.

[Saleen836]

Allanv said:

Reminds me of Exmouth.

It is indeed Exmouth, over to you

[Allanv]

Lucky guess as I only ever saw it from the pavement.

Try this old one.

Edited by Allanv on Tuesday 28th November 15:34

[driverrob]

Looe

[Allanv]

driverrob said:

Looe

You have been crabbing there admit it

Yes it is Looe so over to you.

[driverrob]

Allanv said:

driverrob said:

Looe

You have been crabbing there admit it

Yes it is Looe so over to you.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been there.
This shouldn't last long (if you've been there)

[Saleen836]

South coast, jurassic part of it?

[Fluffsri]

Either Lulworth cove or Kimmeridge?

[driverrob]

No to all so far. But it's not a hundred miles from me.

[The Don of Croy]

Pembrokeshire?

[jmorgan]

I know there are some amazing rock formations on the S Wales coast.

[driverrob]

Same rocks (probably) but wrong side of the Brizzle channel.

[jmorgan]

Portishead, Aust.... probably not. South? Minehead.