- St Michael’s, Somerton
We paid a visit to Somerton today, sadly it was to pay our last respects a dear friend who passed away on the same evening as his daughters funeral less than two weeks ago. The service was held at the 13th century church of St Michael’s and All Angels. Apart from its age, the church is built with both local Lias and Ham stone . It also contains one of the finest ornately carved vaulted roofs in the country. It is a pity the circumstances of our visit did not allow for a greater exploration of this obvious historical treasure of a building.
Somerton itself is a pleasant small rural town built on top of a hilltop. It was once the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex first mentioned in documentary records in the year 733. The name of the town was extended to the people in the area it controlled and this area eventually became known as Somersetshire or Somerset as it is known today.
- Butter Cross, Somerton
Apart from the church, other prominent surviving historical features in the town are the Market Hall and adjacent Butter Cross. This is a small covered market that has stood in the market square since at least 1390, well before the New World was discovered.
As the march of time has brought mighty nations into being in the New World, somehow time has kindly passed Somerton by to leave it to its relatively undisturbed peace. I do hope that the future passage of time allows this to continue.
03 Feb 2012
Following a so far relatively mild winter, February has arrived greeting us with our real first cold snap of the season with overnight temperatures falling to -10° F. This cold spell also brings to the landscape something of a quiet, almost haunting stillness with little stirring as far as the eye can see. Sometimes I find myself visualising when looking across this frozen vista of the more lush green appearance that will emerge in the spring, as if I was laying a painted transparency across an existing picture.
All Saints, Martock
Sadly it has also been the time to say goodbye to an old friend who recently passed away, made even sadder by another close friend in the same family passing away two weeks later. I attended a funeral service at All Saints Church, Martock, somewhere I had not entered before. All Saints is a large church in a small rural community dating back at least until the year 1227 and for such a large vaulted roof, the building was surprisingly warm and filled to capacity, as indeed I know the forthcoming funeral service of my other friend in this family will be. Such is the warmth and esteem this family is held in locally.
Following the service, I was looking at the interior architecture of the church which included a number of niches containing statues of saints in the upper walls. I noticed several of the niches were empty except for painted pictures depicting relevant saints which natural curiosity caused me to research later if there was a reason for this. It appears the church was used as a billet for the troops of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. Following the Battle of Bridgewater in 1645, parts of the church were damaged by troops and some of the statues of saints removed. I find it truly amazing that even minor aspects of history are still abundant around us for any that care to look and see.
- Market House, Martock
Martock itself is a large ancient village mentioned in the Domesday Book its name being derived from ‘mart’ the old English word for market and ‘ac’ meaning oak from a oak tree that grew where the present day Market House stands. The Market House is itself an impressive structure dating from 1753 and is built of local Ham stone on the same lines as many such ancient market buildings with arched walls providing a covered market area below elevated rooms above.
Most of Somerset is richly steeped in history including much myth which I find deeply embellishes the knowledge of our past in such fascinating ways. Visitors to this part of the country are always warmly welcome and there is always the renowned local Somerset cider to quench the thirst of weary travellers.
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Filed under: February 2012 | Tagged: All Saints Church, Battle of Bridgewater, Butter Cross, cider, cold snap, Domesday Book, English Civil War, frozen vista, history, interior architecture, market buildings, Martock, minor aspects, natural curiosity, Oliver Cromwell, ornate carving, overnight temperatures, Somerset, Somerton, statues of saints, vaulted roof, Wessex | 1 Comment »
Having worked and socialised for so many years within the London Borough of Newham, many will understand how it is possible to develop something of of ‘soft spot’ for an area, albeit quite some years since I moved from London.
Mick's Muses's 