Castle Rising, Norfolk, England, UK

L'église St Laurence à Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, l'une des rares églises anglo-saxon en Angleterre Photo Stock - Alamy

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More : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Laurence%27s_Church,_Bradford-on-Avon

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went with my mum to explore the marsh churches. photos from st thomas à becket, fairfield, and the saxon church in st mary’s in the marsh

The church of St Arild at Oldbury-on-the-Hill, dating back to the 13th century at least. Out in the wild, wintery fields, now cared for by the Historic Churches Trust, even inside it is damp and mossy, with old Georgian box pews and... no less than five layers of wall paintings on parts of the south wall.

St Arild was a local Saxon era saint - poor Arild was apparently beheaded by the tyrant Muncius for refusing to 'lye withe hym' and her relics were reputed to have miraculous powers.

An extra-ordinarily atmospheric place.

Venerable Bede's 7th century manuscript 'On the Reckoning of Time'

Viscri Village, Transylvania, România

The Anglo-Saxon chronicler Bede gave us this simple explanation for the name of the festival. "Eostremonath has a name which is now called Paschal month, and which was once named after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, and in her honour feasts were held in that month. Now they name the Paschal season by her name, calling the joy of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old rite." Nothing else is known about Eostre, although Jacob Grimm did speculate that the old German name Ostara was probably her cognate. He was trying to work backwards from traditions he saw in his time and it was only a theory, but it would be logical to assume a connection with Eostre in the lands the Anglo-Saxons originated from. Eggs and bunnies are not connected in any way to Eostre, these traditions come about much later on and within a Christian context. Eggs were prohibited during Lent so people would have had a glut of them to use at Easter, and I have no doubt lots of them were painted and blessed for the occasion. The Easter bunny was always a hare, never a rabbit, and hopped out of the mists of 17th century German Lutheran folklore. During the Medieval era it was also commonly believed that hares could impregnate themselves, leading to an association with Mary. So here's a medieval Easter bunny, a 14th century carving of a hare at, you guessed it, the Church of St Mary, at Elmley Castle in Worcestershire. Have a great Easter! ~ Hugh Williams On another note: "There is simply no evidence for this commonly repeated myth. It’s not factually true and is simply speculation by one monk in 725. There is no evidence that he was correct about this. There are no references or images of Eostre anywhere else or in anything else at all. He also documents Woden and Thor, but they are verified as deities that were worshiped, but not so with Eostre. In fact it appears to be far more probable that the name of the lunar month Eosturmonath is actually a reference to “the month of opening” for the rather obvious reason that it is springtime. When it comes to this goddess, we have no images, no carvings and no legends, just this single reference by Bede that appears to be speculation, and so that is why most folklorists will dismiss the assertion that Easter is named after the goddess Eostre as a myth. Ronald Hutton, expert in pre-Christian religion, argues that: "It is equally valid, however, to suggest that the Anglo-Saxon ‘Estor-monath’ simply meant ‘the month of opening’ or ‘the month of beginnings’, and that Bede mistakenly connected it with a goddess who either never existed at all, or was never associated with a particular season but merely, like Eos and Aurora, with the dawn itself.’3" Hard to find a better source than Prof Hutton." ~ Matt Lewis

and this link for further reading: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-pagan-goddess-behind-the-holiday-of-easter/?fbclid=IwAR2IhpTsPjt0pMkSyyR0w4COXVI3d3QCSzVA6bGzTH1sYWgDAsuctNIrpaw_aem_AbAxlLoqWL9_Hf4CqCBG3mcZ8C_jut9RiJ6rl_5cGae-d0HHJMpMQ0NmAQsYgZkITXjnee-AcUwFAHZAqf_6rtGF

Want to write a fic abt that post with the ye old ladies portable pee pot with Felix having to use Lizzy's during a church sermon

But then my ass is like "🧍‍♂️how much historical accuracy do i need to add to this piss fic"

Exterior wall decoration, Stoke-sub-Hamdon church (Somerset, England), c. 11th century CE.

This chuch is not too far from the school I went to from 1980-85. We would occasionally got to services here. Dragon folklore is quite thick on the ground in south Somerset and, although this creature is usually described as dragon, it is a wyvern. I've always liked how its tongue seems to be grabbing at the warrior's sword.

A view up Church Street from the junction with Coronation Street, back when you could drive up there.

The bend that led down Coronation Street, just visible in the 1987 view, was known to be quite dangerous due to cars frequently speeding around the corner.

I wish I had a nice monster-related quote or something to put here, but instead I’ll just recommend “for the departed”, “villainous thing” and “godspeed” all by shayfer james, ‘cause they’re a vibe for this AND great songs

this piece is also one for cringetober 2023! (some info here!)

the prompt: day 31 - halloween! honestly though, this was just an excuse to finally do at least something for the idea that’s been living in my head for a looooooong time…

All Hallows by the Tower

The church of All Hallows by the Tower was founded in Saxon times – 675 C.E. to be precise. In over 1300 years of history, it’s had associations with a fair few famous names as they passed through - dead or alive. Situated next to the Tower of London, the church became the temporary resting place for those executed by beheading, including Thomas More and Archbishop William Laud.

The church narrowly escape destruction in the Great Fire of 1666 when Admiral William Penn (father to founder of Pennsylvania William Penn) arranged for the use of the Navy’s gunpowder to demolish a row of nearby houses, creating a fire break. Diarist Samuel Pepys watch the flames consuming the rest of the City from the church’s tower. 

It was the incendiary bombs of WWII that later dealt significant damage to All Hallows, melting the lead roof so it ran in great streams, leaving only the tower and outer walls. The Vicar at the time, Phillip “Tubby” Clayton (famous for founding Talbot House in WWI), vowed immediately to rebuild the church, with the rededication occurring in 1957.

Many parts of the church survived the bombing, including an arch from the 7th Century, and a number of wooden carvings. Yet more history can be seen in the crypt museum, where a roman pavement sits alongside Anglo-Saxon crosses, the church plate (silvery valuables), and the church’s registers, one of which notes the marriage of John Quincy Adams (later the 6th President of the USA). Perhaps the most intriguing artefact is the crow’s nest of the Quest, the ship used by Sir Ernest Shackleton in his last Antarctic expedition. It was apparently acquired by “Tubby” Clayton, who toured it around as an attraction to raise money for the Talbot House hospices.

Churches of Cornwall: the earliest stone church in the village of St Newlyn East in Cornwall was probably erected towards the end of the twelfth century to replace an Anglo-Saxon wooden church:

If I had a nickel for every time a King of England was canonised, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

If I had a nickel for every time an Anglo-Saxon King named Edward got canonised I would have the same nickels, which I think is even weirder

One of Britain's oldest Saxon churches: St Peter on the Wall - AD 660

​📷simon knott