Thursday 12 August 2010

Romney Marsh


The Romney Marsh is now largely drained and farmed but was famous for its smugglers. You may recall the Dr Syn stories by Russell Thorndike. The above picture is of St Clement's Church. It is close to the better known St Mary's in the Marsh, but St Clements has been less updated.

I believe the tree on the right is a Yew. Yews are the longest-lived organisms in the British Isles. They are the witching trees, the sacred trees of life and death. You find them in Churchyards often. The place may have been sacred long before Christianity.

The interior is shown in the pic below.


David and Jo Drake on the sea wall of Dymchurch beach. Dymchurch is a classic seaside town for working class Londoners on the South Coast. Dr Syn was rector of Dymchurch in the novels. Note the traditional seaside donkey rides. The flag of a red cross on a white background is the Flag of St George, the national flag of England (as opposed to the United Kingdom).


6 comments:

  1. Romney is one of my favorite places to holiday. The whole area has a 'foreign' feel about it, like its not part of the UK at all. Dungeness is particuarly strange in a beautiful yet barren kind of way.

    The area also has lots of history both the ancient (such as the church above) and more modern (ie WWI Sound Mirrors & WWII Defenses)

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  2. Thanks for sharing these pictures. I don't believe that donkey rides are traditional at US beaches, but I suppose it might be fun.

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  3. Very interesting, I would love to travel to the UK someday. Greetings from Florida to you and the Drakes.

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  4. Dear Lee
    That whole coast is wierd - not like the rest of southern England. Dungerness is eerie, with the nuclear power station and shingle.

    You don't eat Dungerness crab in England.
    J

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  5. Dear Geek
    Donkey rides are fun, well, possibly not for the donkey.
    John

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  6. Dear Anon
    Travel to the UK is easy. You don't even need a visa.
    John

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