St Mary's Ickworth

This medieval parish church previously served the small village of Ickworth which has now ceased to exist but gradually became the church associated with the Ickworth Estate and is the main burial place for the Hervey family who owned and lived on the estate until the end of the last century. Along with Ickworth House the church is now under the care of the National Trust.

The chancel of the church dates to the 13th century and there have been various additions and changes through the years such as the triple decker pulpit in around 1775. It is an interesting little church even if you do not have strong religious leanings.

                                           

A major loss

It is reported that the Major Oak, a tree in Sherwood Forest that could be around 1200 years old, has died. The main cause is given as long dry summers. Ground compaction from numerous visitors over the years has not helped. The tree is tp be left in place. Here it is 5 years ago when we saw it.

Bucket and Spade Run 2026

The annual car show in Ramsgate. It's three years since I last went to this so popped along in the morning to have a look. It was a little overcast with a couple of spots of rain from time to time which is possibly why the turnout seemed a little down on 2023 but it was never the less a good show and worth making the effort to go.

Nao Victoria

The Nao Victoria is a replica of the original Victoria which was built around 1518 and became the first ship ever to circumnavigate the world following an expedition that commenced in 1519 and concluded in 1522. The ship was a carrack which were 3 or 4 masted ocean going vessels. Following the expedition the Victoria was repaired and used as a merchant vessel before it was lost around 1570. This replica was built in 1992 and tours for educational purposes and I caught up with it in Ramsgate over the weekend.

Standing with Giants

I reported on the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo and the Little Ships here last year. Twelve months on and a new installation has been placed at Ramsgate Harbour to mark the 338,000 Allied Troops recued from the beaches between 27th May and 5th June 1940. Around the harbour are 338 troop silhouettes, each representing 1,000 soldiers returned to UK shores. Of these around 40,000 were landed in Ramsgate. The installation runs until 28th June although the larger silhouettes representing significant trades and affected people will remain at the harbour to become a permanent display.