Several times on my pilgrimages I have come across gardens affiliated to the Quiet Garden Movement, notably at St John’s Church at Ulverston in Cumbria and also at the small parish church in Holcombe near Dawlish in Devon. Both these places were an absolute delight to discover, with their restful planting schemes and somewhere peaceful… [Continue Reading]
A new monasticism?
Walking on my pilgrimages, I have seen many examples of monasticism in one form or another. Perhaps most obviously, my walks have taken me to the picturesque ruins of great medieval religious houses such as at Furness Abbey in Cumbria in the north of England or the historic Abbaye de Beauport on the coast of… [Continue Reading]
A tree ne’er to be priced, a tree whose fruit is immortality…
So wrote Henry Vaughan (1621-1695) of the yew tree in his collection of poems known as Silex Scintillans. Vaughan, born and buried at Llansantffraid-on-Usk near Brecon in mid-Wales, would have known of the venerable yew trees found in the churchyards of his home area, such as at Llanfeugan and at Defynnog. Further afield, he may… [Continue Reading]