The other night, when I was trying to decide to write about, a couple of things were rolling around my mind. I started to write a post about a new book, published in the UK, called Wales' 1000 Best Churches, Castles and Houses, but I couldn't find much information about it.
That book got me thinking about another book by the same author, Sir Simon Jenkins, author, columnist and President of the National Trust in the UK. 
He wrote a book called England's 1000 Best Churches, which set out to find the best churches in England, listed by county, 
and England's 1000 Best Houses a celebration of English life and heritage.
I didn't have a copy of the churches book, but it was on the list of books that I am looking for. Then I stopped by Daedalus Books and happened to check out the travel section and found it! This is a corbel from my favourite church, the tiny Kilpeck church on the Welsh Borders, dating from 1140 a.d.
He wrote a book called England's 1000 Best Churches, which set out to find the best churches in England, listed by county, and England's 1000 Best Houses a celebration of English life and heritage.I didn't have a copy of the churches book, but it was on the list of books that I am looking for. Then I stopped by Daedalus Books and happened to check out the travel section and found it! This is a corbel from my favourite church, the tiny Kilpeck church on the Welsh Borders, dating from 1140 a.d.
I am looking forward to going through the 1000 Best Churches and seeing which ones I've visited. Can you tell that I like to make lists and check things off?
Have you ever read, No Voice from the Hall, or its sequel, Echoing Voices by John Harris?
ReplyDeleteMr Harris is an architechural historian, and the books are about snooping in the old country houses, devesated by the war, before many of them were demolished. Sounds like something up your alley.
Last summer we were staying in a house in France and I came across one of those books that tells you about the top 1000 places you have to visit before you die (or some such). I started out - methodically making a list - and then I got bored. I am only organized/obsessive to a point!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I am looking forward to, when the kids leave home, is being able to actually use my National Trust membership without having to hear lots of moaning and whining!
Amazing timing of this post...I was just thinking how much my husband would enjoy doing a church tour of England (he gets so tired of just visiting London), and I was wondering how I would determine which churches to visit. 11 years ago, we did a 3 week tour of England with my husband's grandparents, and visited many of the well known churches and cathedrals - Salisbury Cathedral, York Minster leap to my mind first.
ReplyDeleteI am a stately home buff, and we visited many stately homes on the trip too.
I have that Best Houses Book. I bought it last year for Roxi who needed a reference for Chillingham Castle. It's a beautiful book, one for dreaming and perhaps inspiring a road trip or two.
ReplyDeleteHis books look wonderful, they're now on my wish list. They remind me of one of my favorites: Great Houses of Scotland by Hugh Montgomery-Massingbe. While not quite as enclyclopedic, it only includes 26 homes, it's a great Sunday afternoon on the couch book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for passing along this author. Hope you know about Sir Roy Strong. He writes about gardens, church buildings, art and more.
ReplyDeleteGarden & Be Well, Tara Dillard
Tara... I don't know about Sir Roy. I will have to investigate!
ReplyDelete