St Peter's Church, Baylham

 

Not many small village churches have a transept or cross aisle and the south side at Baylham is quite big.

The transepts were added when the church was completely restored in 1870 although the tower dates back to the C14 and the font from the C15.

The East window is also from 1870

It's always interesting to find paintings of the church in a church, I couldn't see if there was a date on this one although it doesn't look as old as some.

The memorial on the north side of the sanctuary is for the Actons. This is what Simon Knott says on the Suffolk Churches Index

On the north side of the sanctuary is the late 17th Century Acton memorial. John and Elizabeth Acton face each other across a prayer desk, while behind them a skeleton bursts in waving a dart of death. There's something similar at St Nicholas, Kings Lynn. Beneath them are their children kneeling to mourn, three boys and two girls. The inscriptions for the main figures are odd. Elizabeth's records that she died at the age of 36 on the 27th of March, but omits to tell us which year. John's inscription has been left completely blank, but we know he died in 1695. The monument must have been erected before his death. In the great storm of October 1987 the chancel wall was destabilised, and this memorial needed to be reset. The local builder who carried out the work found that it came apart like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, and each piece had been pegged separately into the wall with wooden dowelling. It was put back in place using the same late 17th Century techniques.

The south transept has pews but the north has the organ and behind that a handy toilet has been added.

All the tiling dates from 1870 too. Once the church would have been heated by a boiler with water pipes providing a bit warmth coming up through the metal grill down the central aisle.

Just down the road from the church is the village school, it would have been part of the churches estate when built at much the same time as the church was restored but now long closed and turned into a house. 

I found this old photo of the school on line. It dates from 1910 and is taken just down the hill from my photo

The Charles Ross Apples

 I choose two of this variety to plant as it's an eater/cooker. My 3 trees are Minarette®

Minarette fruit trees are closely-pruned, single-stemmed columnar trees (vertical cordons) that grow only 2 to 3 feet wide and about 6 to 8 feet tall. They produce full-size fruit directly on short side spurs close to the main trunk, making them ideal for small gardens, patios, or tight spaces

They were planted (probably too close together) in the first Autumn I was here - 2021 - and have produced a few apples in most years since. They now have the fig tree to fight with too.............. the problem with once having 5 acres then 1 acre is failing to adjust to a small village garden! 

A couple had fallen off already so I picked the rest and peeled them, removed all the maggoty bits leaving me with just two bags of slices for the freezer.

Better than nothing.

The other  Minarette is Falstaff,  an eating apple tree and has lots on this year. I should have thinned them in June- but it kept being too hot to work outside. It's thinned itself - lots have fallen off but I'm hopeful for several to eat soon.

Saturday 22nd - Notes From the Week

 I started the week limping - thought I broken my little toe  on Sunday morning, stubbed it hard on the leg of the bed- somehow. What I should have done was to put ice on it straight away but I was heading out so didn't get ice on it until much later. Probably not broken but it didn't half hurt for a few days and is still a bit sore.

We had rain overnight Monday/Tuesday and Tuesday/Wednesday -and a shower on Thursday it added a bit to the water butt off the living room roof. Nothing added to the water butt off the greenhouse because I hadn't realised the pipe had become disconnected - Duh!

 There's also rain in the forecast now and again on some days until the end of the month which is hopeful for greening up the half dead stuff everywhere.

On Tuesday afternoon I went to ex-husbands funeral. Strange to think the last two times I went to a funeral in that church ex was at both. First it was for his Father - way back in 1984 and then later in the 1980s for a Scout Leader who we had both known.

At Tuesday's funeral  I was able to give Paul's  two sons some photos of their Dad when he was 16, one was him on his BSA Bantam motorbike, and tell them about when he did his Duke of Edinburgh Gold award camping and hiking challenge and had to arrange a rescue for one of the guys he was with who broke his leg and how we went to Buckingham Palace to receive the award and how he won an award for Top Apprentice at ICI in 1975. They didn't know any of that as he'd split from their Mum when they were still quite young. They didn't even know he'd been married before he was married to their Mum until quite recently, which I find very strange. My children have always known I was married for a short while before Colin, it wasn't a secret. 

Paul is now buried in the churchyard where his Mum and Dad are buried - and Col's Mum and Dad are also there. (Their funerals were in their Methodist Chapel which has no burial ground).

So.......... The Sussex's - Harry and Meghan are coming back to live here, so their children can go to school here and she can get back to acting on a TV programme here - they need the money obviously, as he's got a massive bill to pay for losing a lawsuit.

 Doesn't bother me what they do either way ........just have to hope we don't have endless news about what they are doing - although I expect we will. I heard that the Daily Mail had managed to fill 18 pages about them on Friday - Thank Goodness I don't have to read it!

You know Autumn is coming when there are new crime series on TV  ..........Professor T and Ludwig both started this week. Hopefully more than 3 in the  series which is all there were of Van Der Valk.   

Benidorm is Murder with John Hannah has a couple more episodes - it's quite 'light' but fun and sunny. Can't say the same about 'The Hairdresser Mysteries' - a daytime cosy crime thing ................dreadful.

I'm sure I've seen something else trailed but can't remember what it was.

Also on TV is the first of the last series of this summers Cricket Test Matches - it rained of course!

The Great British Sewing Bee has been much the same as usual - I wasn't sad to see Tim go, didn't like him much in our Suffolk Smallholders Society and he came over the same in the Sewing Bee - a bit too pleased with himself!

And the football season has started and Ipswich are of course back in the Premiership so they'll be featured on TV a few times which will be good to see for everyone who can't afford a ticket.

Have a Good Weekend, and remember not to take my blog too seriously. 

I'll be back Monday.