Devizes tour Part II

A few more of the historic buildings to be seen in Devizes. I apologise in advance for the length of this blog, but I did not want to stretch to a third post!

House of the 18th century surgeon Joseph Needham, who lived and worked in Devizes. A grand and ornate facade- he must have made some money!

Landsdowne House is now a highly prestigious Grade II* listed office building in the centre of Devizes. The frontage was rebuilt in about 1809.

*As stated in the last post, Grade II listing of a property means, in effect, that owners are not allowed, under planning regulations, to make any alterations to either the structure or the interior fittings, save only for safety renovations and damage repairs.

The Brittox is the main pedestrianised shopping area of Devizes. The Brittox itself runs from left to right in this photo,  with Little Brittox ahead.

Fountain in the market square, dedicated to Thomas Sotheron Estcourt - a former town MP and holder of high government office- see below.

The iconic red public telephone kiosk, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom. There are still a few working boxes around, despite the fact the most people now carry a mobile phone! Behind it is another icon, the British red pillar (mail) box. In 1853 the first pillar box in the United Kingdom was installed at Botchergate, Carlisle in the north of England.

St Andrews Church is a Methodist church in Devizes ...

See above.

A pedestrian passage with the church of St Johns and St Marys at the end...

The churches of Devizes St. John and St. Mary have an inextricably linked history, as they have always had a single rector, despite the fact that the two churches have separate incomes and separate parish officers.

In 1906, the rector at that time, J. G. Watson, tried to separate the parishes, but he wasn't successful!

It is probable that  St John's and St Mary's were built as a pair by Bishop Roger between 1120 and 1135, to serve the populations in the different parts of the town.

As above - another view!

St Johns Court, the building on the right on the passage above, is a former medieval hall.

A very old "half-timbered" building right opposite the church. 

Devizes castle - private property and difficult to get photos of!

The first castle on this site was built in 1080 by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury. but was burnt down in 1113! It was rebuilt in stone by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, by 1120. He occupied it during the reigns of King Henry I and later King Stephen. Roger's allegiance to Stephen proved to be a mistake and the castle was taken and retaken in subsequent fighting! It remained Crown property and was used as a prison by Henry II and Henry III. It went on to become the property of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII.

The building is now divided into two dwellings in private ownership and is not open to the public. Must be draughty in the winter!

The Market Cross was designed by Benjamin Wyatt and was given by Lord Sidmouth. It is well worth a close examination for there is a plaque that bears a chilling account of the sudden end of Ruth Pierce of Potterne in 1753. On being accused of theft, Ruth protested her innocence and called on God to strike her dead if she were telling a lie. It seems the Almighty took her at her word and the stolen money was found in her dead hand.

The famous statue of Ceres, the Roman Goddess of the harvest, adorns the Corn Exchange and keeps vigil over the Market Place. Opened in 1857, the Corn Exchange was originally a covered market where cereals were traded.

The Bear hotel, an original 16th century Coaching Inn boasting beams of plenty and an abundance of original features

The Old Town Hall is a Grade II* listed building. Formerly the Cheese Hall, this building was used as a Town Hall during the building of the present Town Hall and is now occupied by a bank.

Devizes Town Hall is a Thomas Baldwin designed building constructed between 1806 and 1808.

The Shambles - a walk-through covered market.

Inside the Shambles on a quiet day.

A leafy walkway I found where I managed to get the photos of the castle.

The Devizes War Memorial.


See also photodiarydps

and my bird blog

Haute Vienne - briefly back in France before returning to warmer climes!

On one sunny day last month, we decided to go for a drive - we do not seem to have had many of those days in the recent weeks!!  We hope that you enjoy this virtual trip as much as we did doing the real thing.

Firstly we drove through the small town of Mezieres sur Issoire, 20 or so miles north of Limoges, in the canton of  Haute-Vienne. We had passed through it by chance a few years ago, following a car navigation route which was avoiding toll roads, and we promised ourselves a return trip!! It is known throughout France for its sheep fairs...

There are loads of concrete sheep throughout the town to remind one of the important role these animals play in the local farming  community.

We then drove on to nearby Mortemart which is labelled as (another!) one of those "most beautiful villages in France". Mortemart is the name of a celebrated French family, whose distinguished military and political history goes back 1000 years and is famous for the beauty of its ladies. One such was a favourite of the Sun King, Louis XIV! We stopped for a look around.

 Above is the covered market in the village centre, erected in the 17th century and restored in 2013. The timber structure is oak, but the boarding supporting the tiles is chestnut, these being the timbers traditionally used for the job. Same in our house! Weekly and monthly fairs were established in 1681 with approval from the Duke of Mortemart and these fairs continue today.

The post office, with not the easiest of accesses for the less agile!

Le chateau des Ducs - the front elevation, with windows of the 15th century. The chateau was built in the 10th century, was dismantled on the orders of Cardinal Richelieu, sold as government property after the Revolution in 1789, but bought back by the family 100 years ago and restored to its present state. It's not open to visitors, but the commentary outside states that inside, there is a granite "spiral" staircase in the 5-sided tower.

The rear view of the chateau, with this grassy slope leading down to a small lake, which is all that remains of a moat which encircled the chateau!

Eglise Saint Hilaire is the ancient chapel of the Augustine convent and became the parish church in the 18th century. The bell tower was added at this time and the church contains a number of treasured features....

The altar inside

These beautiful carved oak choir stalls are from the 15th century. The carvings are all different and represent animals, vegetables and local personages (the order I have put them in is from the original French!).

The recently restored gilded lutrin was made in the 17th century and is topped by the eagle of Saint Jean the Evangelist.

We then drove on to the neighbouring village of Montrol-Sénard.  A portion of the buildings in the village have been turned, by the local council, into an agricultural heritage museum, in a bid not only to preserve the way of life, but to attract visitors! Between April and October, the present villagers seem to get on with life in a working museum and tourist venue!

The old school house

Inside, the desks and benches have the appearance of the 1920's or 1930's, but we missed the guided tour which no doubt would have provided more information! You can see that rudimentary central heating was supplied!

The lavoir. Building work was obviously going on at the time and this would account for the colour of the water!

Old farm equipment laid out everywhere and several of the village buildings were opened up as part of the museum effect.

The old forge, almost as if the farrier has just departed for lunch!!

Grandma's (herb) garden with a good selection of culinary and medicinal plants.

Historic photos and information displayed in yet another building. The enormous detail was a bit overwhelming, but it was satisfying to see that a detailed record of an old way of life had been preserved!

The village church -dedicated to Saint-Julien-de-Brioude with stonework from the 12th century. Most of the building budget in those days was spent on the front! Saint Julien was a Christian soldier in the 14th century, beheaded by his enemies in another part of France but martyred and his head buried in Vienne . He was a popular saint, with about 800 churches in the country dedicated to him!

A view of the altar. Note the exquisitely crafted timber slat vaulted ceiling and the very simple but beautifully restored stone walls!

The ancient carved stone font bearing someone's coat of arms!

To conclude our tour, one of the stained glass windows - impressive!

Also see my daily diary HERE

and My Life Before Charente (updated  25 September 2016) I will get back to this eventually!