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Wendy Bryan
When you go on an “Erith Tour” you have to be prepared for three things:-
(a) a longish coach ride – no point staying near home;
(b) covering a lot of ground – must see all the sights while we are there; and
(c) last, but by no means least, be prepared for a real treat
We were based on Sudbury, the home of Gainsborough where we saw some of his portraits and sketches; home also of Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of England, and also sometime Chancellor of Salisbury. He was killed by the mob on Tower Hill at the time of the Peasants’ Revolt and his head resides in the vestry of Sudbury’s mother church, which dates from 798. Chancellors beware – but then the peasants aren’t quite so revolting these days!
In the next two days we visited the picture post-card village of Lavenham with its restored coloured plaster and lathe buildings, fine mediaeval Guildhall, splendid church, restored in 1485. Next morning we set out for Pakenham Mill, a restored water mill, and enjoyed watching the volunteers grinding wheat into flour: and so to Bury St Edmunds, with its 12th century Cathedral and 20th century tower. The history of the Cathedral was fascinating, not least because of the link with Salisbury and the Magna Carta. On 20th November 1214 the barons swore, at the Abbey’s high altar, to compel King John to seal the Charter of Liberty. The day finished with Evensong taken by the Dean, and sung by the probationers.
Well, by Wednesday morning (hot and sunny) it felt as though we had already been on holiday for a week! We headed down the Dedham Vale for the coast to visit Aldeburgh and Snape – Benjamin Britten country. We stopped at the long shingle beach to see the new sculpture by Maggi Hambling – a large scallop shell – with the inscription “I hear those voices that never shall be drowned” cut into the edge of the shell. In the light and airy Aldeburgh church the beautiful stained glass window by John Piper depicts Britten’s Curlew River, The Burning Fiery Furnace, and The Prodigal Son. There is also a link with Salisbury here in that the local magnate’s daughter married Fawcett, whose statue stands in our Market Square. She was the sister of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson of nursing fame. On to Snape, famous for its Festival at The Maltings, in an idyllic position on the river with beautiful views.
We set out for home via Sutton Hoo with its burial mounds and Saxon Ship, and Long Melford, visiting the church for tea and Evensong, a moving service taken by the Rector, Ian Friars, who had been ordained from Salisbury Theological College in 1985. The hymns, readings and music had been chosen with much thought.
On Thursday we were looking forward to visiting Ely Cathedral and after coffee in the Almonry, we entered the tranquillity of the Norman Cathedral with its Victorian painted ceiling and stained glass. Originally a Benedictine monastery, it was founded by Etheldreda in 673 who, after two political marriages which left her very wealthy, became a nun. It was destroyed by the Danes in 870 and finally rebuilt by the Normans. The oldest parts still standing date from around 1090, and famous people involved at that time were Simeon of Winchester and Nicolas of Ely who was believed to have worked with Elias de Derham. The Lady Chapel, the largest of its kind in England, was completed in 1349, and although originally separate from the Cathedral, is now joined by a state-of-the-art modern processional way made of green oak. The Cathedral tower which fell down in 1322 (in part due to the
construction of the Lady Chapel altering the level of the water table) was replaced by the magnificent Octagon, a major engineering feat involving 200 tons of wood, glass and lead.
The four hours spent in Ely flew by and then we were on our way to Wicken Fen for a leisurely look at wildlife, Newmarket, the home of the Sport of Kings and Clare, a village with pretty painted houses and good examples of pargetting. Next day we visited Flatford Mill and Constable country, and a final stop at Beth Chatto’s beautiful garden – quite inspirational – before we headed for Salisbury.
Thanks were expressed to Lance, the coach driver, for his patience and expert driving, and to Jane Erith and Shirley Reeves, for organising an enjoyable tour with such precision and thoughtfulness. It was a full itinerary, very carefully planned with enough time to enjoy each location and take in the different atmospheres of each one. I was told to be prepared for a real treat. I was in no way disappointed.
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