Originally published on Photoblog by Gethin Thomas SEPTEMBER. 17, 2021
After a slight hiatus of other events and duties I am back to complete the third and final Slapton Post. This one is the last part of the walk and it took in a few random shots of things that caught my eye.
Once back past the church and the pub there is an extra, small lane to venture downhill before doubling back to the car on the outskirts of the village.
These convex mirrors below, are quite useful when the road is narrow and there are blind bends to negotiate.
This is the main road below, going back the way I came, somehow looking narrower and more lethal in this direction.
Way up above, the largest fig tree I have ever seen in Britain, fully laden with fruit.
Below is a sight I had not seen before, a ripe red apple like fruit. Keen eyed gardeners or people from warmer climes may recognise it but again a rare sight in Britain. My best guess came from the fact that the leaves looked familiar and I turned out to my surprise to be right. Leave your guesses in the comments.
More exotic looking flowers below indicating what a special climate this village has.
Mount Pleasant, below, is a common name for homes in Britain, but thinking about it on this occasion it struck me as a somewhat understated and modest name for your perfect home. Pleasant, strikes me as a very British word, that is almost too shy to claim something greater or more profound.
The world is full of places, towns, areas and buildings called Mount Pleasant.
I found this great description of an area of Stoke-on-Trent called Mount Pleasant.
Mount Pleasant! The very name evokes Englishness with a tinge of Norman chivalry sufficient to enchant the imagination back to baronial times, castle-keeps and sheriffs, pastoral landscapes, parish lore, and village peace. The name resonates familiarly with other places with semi-fictional names conceived and contrived from the dreams of romantics; names like Adelstrop and Grantchester, Much-Something’s and Little-Nothings; Highers of land and Lowers of meadows; Long Acres and Ancient Rows. Living in such places must be a joy, a bit of medieval paradise forever England tucked away at the end of your own English country garden.
A better description I don't think I could find, and why do we put lions on guard at our gates or at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square?
The Barbary lion is a national animal of England. In the Middle Ages, the lions kept in the menagerie at the Tower of London were Barbary lions. English medieval warrior rulers with a reputation for bravery attracted the nickname "the Lion": the most famous example is Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart. Lions are frequently depicted in English heraldry, either as a device on shields themselves, or as supporters. They also appear in sculpture, and sites of national importance. The lion is used as a symbol of English sporting teams, such as the England national cricket team. Wikipedia.
This shot below is one of my favourites, not just because of the subject but also the timing, finding the rubbish bins on the sunny side of the space with the gas cylinders in the shade, for a property called "Sunny Side".
Orchard Cottage, Grade 2 listed house, once divided into 3 cottages. Circa early C17 or earlier, altered in C19. Stone rubble and possibly cob, plastered at front and partly slate hung at rear. Thatched roof, hipped at left hand end.
Cob - Cob, also known as cobb, is a building material that comprises subsoil, straw (or another fibrous organic material), water, and occasionally lime. There is evidence of cob being used for building construction purposes in prehistoric times in various parts of the world and it was used for centuries in the south-west of England. Cob building has experienced something of a revival in recent years as a form of sustainable construction.
Grade 2 listed Vale Cottages. Pair of cottages, probably originally one house. Probably Cl7. Plastered stone rubble and cob. Thatched roof with gabled ends and eyebrow eaves, large stone rubble gable end stacks with slate weathering and slate cowls.
I could only speculate about this house name below as I have not been able to find any reason for it. I did wonder if given the date of it's restoration, in the middle of the Great War it might memorialise someone who never returned, but that is complete conjecture on my part.
Conjecture - an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
So this is the end of my Slapton photo walk of August 2021, I will no doubt return, maybe to emptier streets in the winter, when there are few leaves on the trees, wood smoke in the air and nothing looking remotely tropical.