Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The Practical and the Medieval


Yesterday I had a little adventure that combined practicality with sightseeing. We needed to buy Dentastix dog treats, because someone (me) forgot to pack them. We've been getting by on a bag of beef liver chips that Olga likes, but we ran out. So yesterday I set off on a municipal bus for the grocery store.

The bus stop is practically right outside our cottage, and I could buy a £5 all-day pass on board. So that's what I did, and rode a winding route for half-hour or so to Tesco, in a rather downtrodden brutalist shopping center near Eastbourne.

Inside, I felt like I'd stepped back into 1986 -- Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" was playing over the sound system. I grabbed what I needed and checked out, and then visited a couple of nearby charity shops. I was amused that I found a mug from Sea World in Orlando among the detritus there. Florida follows me everywhere.

I left the mug behind, but for £1 I bought a DVD of the first couple of seasons of "The Inbetweeners," a puerile comedy that I nonetheless like. I bought it mainly because I'd failed to get a bag in Tesco and needed something to carry my dog treats, peanut butter and blueberries. Then I went back and waited for the return bus and began some sightseeing.


I got off the bus in the village of Westham, where St. Mary's Church has sign out front that says, "Sharing Jesus' story since 1080." How many churches can say that?


Inside, among more traditional stained glass, I found an interesting window dedicated to the memory of Lt. Col. Charles William Owen and his wife Mary Elizabeth, who died back in the 1920s. Apparently Owen was a physician in the Indian Medical Service.


Perhaps his wife was a nurse? Is that her? I'm not sure.

Anyway, from there I walked through streets lined with rose-draped cottages and baskets of flowers to medieval Pevensey Castle.


Here's a panoramic shot from one of the castle's towers, showing the outer bailey at left, surrounded by the ruins of a Roman wall, and the inner courtyard at right, with the foundation of a chapel in the center. Apparently the castle used to be right on the coast, before the surrounding marshes were drained to make farmland. (I guess where we're staying was all underwater back then.) It was a Roman and then a Saxon fortress until the invasion of William the Conqueror, and afterwards played an important role in a long series of conflicts all the way up through World War II. (Its history is quite extensive; if you want more detail you can read about it here.)

I got an audio guide and spent about an hour wandering among the ruins, examining windowless dungeons and excavated Roman hairpins. Let me tell you, it may seem that our modern society is mired in unfairness -- and indeed it is in many ways -- but at least we're not lowering people into oubliettes to starve. Medieval life was brutal. Humanity really has made progress.
 

From there I visited St. Nicolas Church in Pevensey, which in its existing form dates from the 1200s, although there were apparently churches on the site before that.


According to the church's Wikipedia page, "The three Lancet window openings above the High Altar are perfect examples of their period c.1200." Both of these churches are still in use. I sat in St. Nicolas, enjoying the silence, for about half an hour before catching the bus back to our flat with my bag of groceries and my puerile DVD.

Dave, who had stayed behind with Olga, said she was quite stressed at my absence. But she was happy to get some Dentastix!

22 comments:

  1. That was a successful and enjoyable lone outing.
    I quite like the more friendly look of St Nicholas than other English churches I recently saw. It looks quite welcoming.

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  2. What a beautiful place you chose for a holiday... even the brutalist shopping center. I thought the Sea World mug was the medieval you mentioned in the title.

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  3. It is clear that Olga has some affection for Dave as the yawning train video proved but it is equally clear that you are the daddy! You witnessed a lot of history on your dog biscuit trip.

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  4. Just think of those last shots of the church...with the original colourful paintings covering everything ...

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  5. I love ruins and Pevensy is one of the best I've seen via internet blogs.

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  6. I remember going to different churches when I was at boarding school. Typically they were small parishes in Sussex and they quite exquisite. I am an atheist but enjoy the peace of buildings designed for contemplation.

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  7. While I am not fond of what goes on inside most churches, I love the architecture.

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  8. That was quite an expedition. It's okay if Florida follows you as long as Ron DeSantis doesn't.

    Love,
    Janie

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  9. The stained glass artwork is at once gorgeous and disturbing. The emotionless expressions of so many of the faces is so profound. Are they supposed to represent the fact that these people are dead?
    I agree with Bob about churches. And I do wonder what the story of Jesus sounded like in 1080.

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  10. You certainly are making the most of your holiday. I get annoyed by churches these days but these are nice to look at...

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  11. That was such a lovely adventure to get those Dentastix for Olga. As a previous commenter wrote... old church architecture is so beautiful, what goes on inside not so much.

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  12. Interesting expedition, roaming far from dentastix! Thanks for the history.

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  13. castles and churches. if that isn't European history in a nutshell I don't know what would be.

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  14. I could sit in the church for half an hour and think back to what people may have been in the church.

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  15. What a great little adventure. Those churches are amazing. It's hard to wrap my mind around how old they are. The castle ruins looks like a great place to explore.

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  16. I would love to have taken this expedition with you! Much of the past was brutal. I wish more people who complain today would read history and understand that. Sure, there's always progress to be made, but we've come a long way.

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  17. Fascinating and educational experiences and I include the trip to the grocery store! You are an appreciator of the small things as well as the bigger splashier sites, which makes your posts even more interesting to read.

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  18. I found it interesting in the window showing the head bandaging that all three of the figures display the same close-mouthed gaze. Perhaps the artist wasn't good at expressions?

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  19. Stained glass of modern figures always looks strange to my eye. There is a French church with a guy parachuting in during WWII, St. Mere Elgise was the village. It just looks odd.
    Your outing sounds like it was fun and educational.

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  20. You know, when we went to Gainesborough manor and walked in to the church next door, and the choir was practicing. Sitting there listening to the choir practicing, and their voices raising to the vaulted ceiling, it just was one of those perfect moments that I will always remember.

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  21. It looks like a fun (and productive) day. Those churches are both lovely and I really appreciate the stained glass windows, especially those of the war nurses. It looks like a fun day of exploration and an interesting one, too.

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  22. I just went back and read all of your holiday posts. I have been in Japan so I am way behind on my reading! I started with your most recent post and when I saw Olga, I went back to the beginning to see how you all got Olga there. And I found out that you took her on a train!! Wow, that is so cool. I love the yawning picture! It looks as if you had great weather.

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