And did those feet in ancient times

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Mick's Muses
Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor

There can be few Englishmen who do not know the hymn “Jerusalem” written by William Blake be they devout Christians or atheists. So popular and well known has the hymn become, it is almost like a second national anthem.

Stirring as the hymn is, sometimes the origin of the words are overlooked. One might easily initially believe from the title the hymn refers to the biblical Middle East but the words are actually entwined with the myth and legend of Somerset, England and in particular with Glastonbury. For centuries Glastonbury  has been steeped in myth. It has at times been linked to the legendary Island of Avalon of Arthurian myth and is a name the area still goes by today. There can be little doubt that in the past before the surrounding marshland of the Somerset Levels was drained, Glastonbury with its mighty abbey and distinctive towering tor would have seemed like a mystical island thrusting upwards from the surrounding watery landscape.

The Bible tells about the life of Jesus as a baby and a child and is then silent on what would have been his teen years only picking up the story again of his much later life. This apparent absence of detail of his teenage years has led to many unproven theories including the possibility he may have travelled abroad during this time. One such theory is that he may have travelled to England and in particular Glastonbury in Somerset. A story that developed during the Middle Ages was Joseph of Arimathea  who may have possible been an uncle or a councillor to Jesus, also during this time had connections with Glastonbury and that Jesus possibly accompanied him on his travels there. The myth developed further after the crucifixion to say that Joseph of Arimathea  travelled once again to Glastonbury carrying the Holy Grail which he buried on Glastonbury Tor. Although the is no real evidence to support such a theory there is a well at the foot of Glastonbury Tor which has been named the “Chalice Well”. The opening line of the hymn Jerusalem, “And did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon England’s mountains green.”, alludes to this legend.

Joseph of Arimathea  is also attributed in the legend of donating his tomb to Jesus’s body following the crucifixion and returning to England where he planted his staff in the ground at Glastonbury which miraculously took root and flowered into the tree known as the Holy Thorn. Off-shoots of a tree by that name certainly exist there and a sprig of the tree is sent to Buckingham Palace every Christmas to adorn the monarch’s dinner table.

Another phrase of the hymn Jerusalem refers to the “Dark Satanic Mills” and this is thought to refer to the author William Blake’s experiences of the early Industrial Revolution with it’s newly created dreadful working and housing conditions.

Are any of these stories true? There is no known evidence to support them but by the same token, there is also no known evidence to disprove them.

Whatever the truth, the unwritten tales of Jesus’s teenage years entwined with the Arthurian legend certainly attracts those in search of the spiritual and mystical plane to Glastonbury every year.

So the next time you either hear or sing the hymn Jerusalem, perhaps you will cast a thought at the unproven myth behind the words.

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Somerset Floods

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Mick's Muses

Somerset FloodsNormally a New Year starts with something of a bang, however continuous wet weather since before Christmas has turned that into something of a damp squib.

Like much of the country, Somerset has been badly effected by flooding particularly the area now as the Somerset Levels. The Levels as they are known locally are a 650 Km2  area of land with the Eastern edge running north/south between Yeovil, Glastonbury and Wells and nestled between the Blackmore Hills to the Mendip Hills.and then westwards to the sea. The area is mainly drained marshland that historically flooded each winter restricting use to the Summer. It is thought the the name Somerset may have been derived from the “Summer Lands” which was a good description of this area. It is one reason Glastonbury became known as the Isle of Avalon towering aloft it’s winter watery surroundings

Over the years the Levels were drained for farming and grazing by improvement to water courses and the construction of artificial drainage channels with probably the best known of these being the King Sedgemoor Drain. Although the Levels continued to be subjected to flooding, the maintenance of most drainage channels ensured that floods were short-lived. Last winter and the winter so far this year has seen something of a change. Local farmers claim that budget cuts has led to less dredging of the rivers and channels by the local drainage boards while the drainage boards in turn claim the amount of dredging locals claim is needed is neither required and is unnecessarily expensive.

It’s a debacle that has been going on for some time but no one can deny whoever is right or wrong, homes, farms and roads not only continue to be more severely flooded, cut-off and isolated than ever before. While some authorities are worrying over their budgets, no mention is made of the great cost of all this in terms of flooded homes and lost production to the insurance industry and to farmers let alone additional transport costs of wide detours to circumnavigate the flooded areas. It is hard to believe that we now live in the 21st century with all its modern technology and still not agree as to the cause or even more importantly, the solution to what is rapidly becoming an annual problem. A ridgeway road (A39) that runs between Glastonbury and Bridgewater currently gives the impression to drivers of driving along a causeway surrounded by views of flooded terrain on either side.

I cannot help but notice in the extensive television news coverage of flooded areas of the country, new build housing seems to predominantly figure in the background. I would have thought that with all new housing schemes, flooding would be one of the more important aspects to be taken into account. I have no doubt there will be claims that potential flooding is taken into account in such schemes but the eyes do not belie what they see on television screens almost every evening.

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May 2012

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Mick's Muses

Traditionally the first of May is considered the first day of early summer. It is also considered the ‘”workers day” when many trade unions and other labour organisations around the world hold rallies and the like. Although a beautiful sunny day at the moment, my own particular world has drastically shrunken on a temporary basis due to lashing rain and howling winds lasting for two days. The consequence of this wet and windy display of natures tempest is the roads to my village are now under water from the adjacent River Yeo overflowing, thereby effectively cutting us off from civilisation. If I followed the same stance of a now famous and arrogant newspaper headline in the 1950’s which reported thick fog closed of cross channel ferries, leaving Europe cut off from Britain. I should have perhaps said the world is cut off from my village.

The local river overflowing is not however an unusual occurrence, it is something that frequently happens after prolonged rainfall causes the river to swell. The lane leading to my village is narrow with several sharp and blind bends. There is also a long dip in the lane on one of the bends where the flooding occurs. The local council once erected a depth gauge on the grass verge to assist motorists in judging the depth of the water, unfortunately the depth indicator is barely visible due to overgrown foliage and due to the bend in the lane, motorist needs to be in the deepest part of the flooded roadway before they can see it. It always reminds me of the cartoon of the sign saying danger quicksand that cannot be read until a person is already sinking in a quicksand pit.

A friend of mine long since gone told me when she was a small girl many years ago, her father who lived in a different unnamed village, would allegedly send one of her small brothers with a wooden box to a similar flooded roadway, who would then stand on the submerged box at the roadside waiting for an uninformed driver to come along. The driver on trying to decide the depth of the water would see a small boy in wellington boots with water lapping round his ankles. Having made a judgement it was safe to proceed the driver would soon find themself stranded at which time the boy would run home to inform his father of the stranded vehicle. His father would then tow the car out of the flood using his tractor for a five pound fee. I have no idea if this was a tall yarn or not but I did find it amusing at the time.

Since Roman times, local farmers relied on the river flooding as a method of fertilising their fields from deposited silt enriching their fields. Somerset is well known for the Somerset Levels, an area of land that flooded in the winter months leaving locations like Glastonbury magically arising from the waters. Hence the name “Isle” in the Isle of Avalon where Glastonbury stands. Somerset also takes its name from the lands governed from Somerton, the local ancient town which lays claim to be the one time capitol of Wessex. Somerton in turn takes it name from the Summer Lands which is how Somerset was once described.

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January 2011

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Mick's Muses

Holy Thorn Tree - Glastonbury Abbey

 Glastonbury – The Holy Thorn

It’s strange how a news making event can have sudden unforeseen effects elsewhere. In this particular case it was an act of vandalism where one of the Holy Thorn Trees of Glastonbury was hacked down one night in December.

The Glastonbury Thorn is associated with the legend of Joseph of Arimathea and the arrival of Christianity in Britain. The legend suggests that Joseph of Arimathea who is mentioned in all four gospels, visited Glastonbury with the Holy Grail. The legend continues that he thrust his staff into the ground at Wearyall Hill which subsequently grew into a thorn tree. The tree was cut down as a superstitious relic during the English Civil War but not before several cuttings were secretly propagated and hidden around Glastonbury. One of the cuttings eventually replaced the destroyed tree on Wearyall Hill with two others being located within Glastonbury Abbey and the Church of St John. By long tradition a flowering sprig is sent to the British Monarch every Christmas to adorn the table used for their Christmas dinner.

One of my hobbies is to publicly share photographs I have taken on Google Earth. I do this by publishing them on a website known as Panoramio.com which is now owned by Google and the photographs subsequently appear on Google Earth with some also appearing on Google Maps for the world to see. I should stress that none of my photographs lay claim to be great works of art, I simply recognise that people often like to see photographs of given locations of interest. If you use Google Earth, ensure the photos box in the Layers menu is checked to see the photographs.

By chance, one of my photographs is of the Holy Thorn in Glastonbury Abbey and is one of only two submitted to Google Earth at that location. Although a statistics counter on the Panoramio website shows a slow but steady trickle of views for this photograph, a sudden sharp spike of views shows for the two days following the vandalism of this tree. To me this tends to indicate how the internet is used globally by people seeking additional information on news making events.

I do not yet know the fate of the cut down Holy Thorn tree but I do hope it will re-grow. I do however find it sad that an act of vandalism by either a mindless thug or someone with a warped grudge can destroy centuries of history in an instant.

 

 19/01/2011

Dorchester Market, Dorset

Not in Somerset this time but in our adjoining county of Dorset where we have many friends. Occasionally we like to go to the weekly market in Dorchester the County Town of Dorset. Dorchester is a small pleasant town with plenty of Roman artefacts around the place and was the home of Thomas Hardy once he became established as a prominent author. The market is a bustling place held on the site of the old cattle market. Some of the cattle stalls are used as mini-shops on market days and the cattle auction ring is used as a farmers market. A large modern wooden building houses an equally large flea market which I find a fascinating place to potter about in looking at curiosities. One of the reasons my wife and I go there is to bulk buy various bird feeds for our garden.

Once we have finished in the market, we frequently take a drive to Weymouth a short distance to the south to buy fresh fish, crabs, oysters and scallops from a fresh  fish shop located on the quayside of Weymouth Harbour. Our drive took us along the line of the old Roman Road past Maiden Castle, a huge hill fort the Romans once occupied and over the hill range with a hairpin bend down towards Weymouth. Running parallel to the main road is a new relief road being built to help ease traffic congestion. Weymouth is the designated location for sailing sports in the forthcoming 2012 Olympics.

I anticipate that the Olympics with attract a huge amount of additional traffic to Weymouth and this has raised an as yet unanswered question in my mind for some time. Anyone who knows Weymouth and its busy shopping centre will understand how difficult parking is even in the middle of winter. In the summer months the parking problem is greatly exacerbated with holiday makers staying in this popular holiday town. I cannot but help wonder where all the additional parking for traffic generated by the Olympics is going to go. I have asked this question of a number of friends who live local to the area and all give the same reply, they simply do not know. I did a quick internet search on this subject before writing this article but found there was a dearth of information o the subject.

Weymouth Harbour, Dorset

There seems to be a lot of reliance on public transport but proposed Olympic viewing locations are a reasonable distance from the railway station. I suppose some provision for parking has been made somewhere but as yet I have not found it. I certainly will not be going to watch the sailing events not because I would not like to but concern over parking plus high ticket prices are powerful deterrents. It makes me wonder why as a UK resident whose taxes have already helped finance the building of Olympic locations, that I should have to pay to stand in the same locations I stood today for free.

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Somerset Arrival

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Mick's Muses

 

What a wonderful county Somerset is. I moved here with my family over 20 years ago after living all my life in the Big Smoke otherwise known as London for 45 years. The 17th century diarist Samuel Pepys once wrote “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”, however I am not so certain he would have come to the same conclusion if he lived there today. In Samuel Pepys day, London still comprised the two small cities of Westminster and London with fields in-between and with a population of only about 250,000. Today London and its suburbs measure about 40 miles across East to West with a population of  just over 7.5 million and matching horrendous traffic.

The outer London suburban street we lived in was originally highly sought after by house buyers. It was a street where most people knew each other with a friendly atmosphere pervading the local environment. I suppose like many places, with  the passing of the years, people either died or moved on, car parking and consequential ensuing traffic problems grew. These coupled together with an increasing population all led to the gradual deterioration and erosion of harmonious relations. It was almost possible to feel growing tensions as neighbours with more than one car per household vied for increasingly limited parking. Eventually neighbourly knowledge and friendship became limited to adjoining households or less. It was not long before the Local Authority stepped in with managed traffic schemes coupled with the usual promises of “free parking” outside your own house, only to be rapidly replaced by ever-increasing priced parking permits. The local authorities always overlook that parking outside ones home was always free anyway before their intervention.

I always recall of experiments I once read on social harmony. Scientists found rats living in a colony under controlled conditions are quite sociable creatures. However the scientists gradually increased the number of rats within the colony without increasing its physical size. The scientists found that as with many human conurbation’s, as population size grows within the same environmental area, social harmony rapidly breaks down. Sometimes I find it possible to get a clearer perspective of potential problems by standing outside of the problem and viewing it as an onlooker. It was not difficult to see that the already lost sociable harmonious environment I originally knew, could only continue to deteriorate with the passage of time.

It was clear to my wife and I that it was time to leave the London I had known since my birth. The West Country, renown for its myths and legends, is an area we know well and where we have many friends. Rural Somerset being an area that particularly appealed to us. One of the problems in moving home is not only selling your own house but also finding one that suits your own particular requirements. We did not want to live in an estate type property but rather an individualistic property in both character and style. It was hard to be specific what we were looking for, we just knew we would know the property when we saw it. Estate agents can only advise buyers of the properties they have on their books at the time. We also knew that if we chose a property we were not completely happy with it is much more difficult to move yet again. In the end my wife and I spent 18 months house hunting travelling between London and Somerset before we found our ideal home. It was a long task but well worth it.

Work wise, I had already worked out the feasibility of commuting to London on a daily basis and found it more than possible and practicable. Although work colleagues kept advising it could not be done, I knew it could and surprised them all by eventually doing so. One of the problems of living in London is that minds become rapidly attuned to traffic conditions and consequent travel difficulties. On occasions, it can take several hours to drive only a few miles and consequently the mind seems to incorrectly accept that travelling any sizeable distance will be at the same slow pace. Very often it is people’s own minds that stop them moving from London rather than any practicable obstacles. It may seem strange but I found many of my work colleagues spent longer behind the wheel driving to and fro every day than I did catching a train direct into Central London.

I still recall the day we first arrived at our new home. We had booked two weeks holiday to give us time to settle in and as we opened our front door for the first time, we were welcomed by a plethora of greetings cards on the mat from neighbours throughout the village and who as yet we did not know. The village itself is only slightly larger than a hamlet with about 50 properties and the local geography dictates it cannot grow larger. With a population of just over 0.5 million for the entire county of Somerset, overcrowding is never and issue.

My wife was also fortunate in finding new employment as she is a highly qualified operating theatre scrub nurse with many years of experience in all types of surgery. A few weeks before we moved she saw an advert in the Nursing Times for a theatre nurse in a local district hospital. A scrub nurse is the person who ensures that patients do not go home with the hospital cutlery still inside them as well as being the person responsible for handing the correct medical instruments to the surgeon. She applied for the position and was accepted for an interview which took place on the day after we arrived. There were many applicants for the position but fortunately my wife’s knowledge and experience must have shone out like a beacon. That afternoon we received our first call on our newly installed telephone. It was the hospital administrators advising her that she had won the position hands down and also enquiring how soon she could start. The hospital really was desperate for a qualified and experienced theatre nurse.

Traffic in Somerset is normally light and road connections good. The speed limit on most roads is 60 mph with a few 70 mph making for easy travel within Somerset and the surrounding counties. In practice this means that within a 10 minute drive, we can travel anywhere within a 20 mile radius or a 40 mile radius within 20 minutes. The Jurassic Coast, North Somerset coast, Exmoor and The Quantocks, Glastonbury all are within easy reach. Both Glastonbury Tor and Cadbury Castle can be viewed from our home. Cadbury Castle is one of the legendary locations for King Arthur and Camelot. Although no such location has ever been established in fact, with a River Cam flowing nearby and with nearby villages with exotic names like Queen Camel and West Camel, Camel-ot does not seem to be a too far-fetched possibility.

In practice it means we are able to travel to more supermarkets, cinemas, theatres, beauty spots, interesting locations or any other facility we require than we could in London and in a fraction of the time. There is no frustration either caused through bottlenecks or traffic jams.

If I were looking for an analogy to compare countryside living, I would suggest trying to recall one of those few perfect days we all have in our lives. The sort where one goes for a countryside picnic, the seaside or whatever. The only blight on the day is that we have to come home. To us, everyday is now like one of those perfect days with the exception that we do not have to journey home again.

On the social side, we now have many more good friends than we are likely to have made if we remained in London plus all the numerous countryside activities that go on throughout the year. The old saying that one of the loneliest locations in England is Piccadilly Circus certainly appears to ring true. I wonder what Samuel Pepys would say about London if he were alive today.

As I said at the beginning, What a wonderful county Somerset is.

 

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