Roger le Poer, better known maybe as Roger of Salisbury, is a Norman who rose from being a priest in a small chapel near Caen to being Bishop of Salisbury, Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England in the reign of Henry I. This is (maybe) his effigy in Salisbury Cathedral.
The Uncertain Glory of an April Day
In 1794, in the prosperous town of Bradford on Avon, a navvy spat on his palms, picked up a spade and lifted the first sod in the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal. It opened in 1810 and connects the river Avon at Bath with the Thames at Reading. Thus goods could be transported… Continue reading The Uncertain Glory of an April Day
A Transatlantic Journey
Me, EU and a Drive in the Park
Belize Revisited
Restoration Romp
The Manager’s Name was Love, Part Two
The Manager’s Name was Love, Part One
No it wasn’t, the night manager’s name was Bellew; Christopher Bellew. While I was enthusing about The Night Manager series on TV I was bursting to tell and I can’t resist any longer. I was the night manager at the White Hart Hotel in Braintree, Essex, in July 1974 while I was on a summer… Continue reading The Manager’s Name was Love, Part One
How Big is Your Diocese?
The 12th century cathedral in Trondheim had an extensive diocese; by way of the Faroes and Iceland to Orkney and the Hebrides and round to the Isle of Man. Quite a reach, until I think about the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe whose patch covers all of Europe and the former Soviet Union countries. These… Continue reading How Big is Your Diocese?