Bosham Village

I was woken at 4am by the new Appleby principal ringing me for a chat. He didn’t realise obviously that I was on the other side of the globe. Never mind!

Maggie, Aunty Betty and the twins picked us up at about 11am to take us to Bosham for lunch. Bosham, West Sussex, is very old with wonderful thatched cottages that Judy would have loved.

We had lunch at the Bosham Arts and Craft Centre. I bought a tin of biscuits and saw the biggest gobstoppers known to man- how anyone could fit one in their gob is beyond me. The boys got sherbert treats- I pinched one- it’s been a long time since I had had sherbert! I had a toasted sandwich and hot cinnamon buttered English tea cakes for lunch- another first. In the photo they look a little like marmite on toast but were like fruit toast smothered in cinnamon- tasty.

After lunch we had a wander down through the country lanes of Bosham. The shoreline is tidal with enormous white swans- the whole place just begged to have its photo taken from every angle.

I posted a couple of postcards in the hole in the wall letterbox and was amazed at the high stepping front gates- built to stop the high tide advancing onto people’s properties- I have no idea how they will cope if the sea level rises??
The thatched cottages down the lane to the church were lovely and again just waited to be photographed- note the concreted front gate.

The very old Holy Trinity Church has been a place of worship for 1600 years for Christians but longer for the Romans before that. The tower may have been a place of safe haven from Danish raiders in the past and there is a Saxon window high in the tower.
The churchyard is surrounded by very old headstones, many having lost their epitaphs over the ages. As you enter the church doors you can see small crosses etched into the door-frame by men returning from the Crusades. The door is said to be original from those times.
Bosham Church played a part in the Bayeux Tapestry made soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. This part shows King Herald entering Bosham Church.
The crypt dates from 673 so is incredibly old- older than New Zealand.
King Canute’s daughter was buried there in 1035 and she has a small memorial plaque inside the church.
As we walked back to the car I admired the stone fences and gates bordering the cottages- they were a work of art in themselves.

It was another brilliant day and the weather held up well for us with blue skies but it still turned cold so we headed back to Lynda’s for afternoon tea. I was sad to say farewell to Aunty Betty, Maggie and the boys- they were so hospitable and welcoming and it had been lovely to at last be able to meet them all.