Wessex Chronicle (Blog)

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Wessex Attractions: Heddon Valley

Exmoor’s Heddon Valley was a favourite landscape of the Romantic Poets, and is now under the care of the National Trust. From its coastal paths, one can see across to South Wales on a clear day, and it contains several valuable butterfly habitats. The River Heddon itself is well populated with native brown trout, and the Trust manages an inn, the Hunter’s Inn, where food is served.

The satnav postcode is EX31 4PY, and the valley is on Regional Cycle Route 51. Sadly, it is not well-served by public transport, and the nearest bus stop is two miles away, near Parracombe.

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Wessex Attractions: The Rollright Stones

According to local folklore, an army serving under an unnamed king was marching across the border between Wessex and Mercia when they were accosted by a witch named Mother Shipton, who said to them “Seven long strides thou shalt take, and if Long Compton thou canst see, King of England thou shalt be!”. The king marched forward, but the ground rose in front of him, blocking his view. “As Long Compton thou canst not see, King of England thou shalt not be! Rise up stick and stand still stone, For King of England thou shalt be none; Thou and thy men hoar stones shall be, And I myself an elder tree!”, cackled other Shipton. And so the Rollright Stones (and an elder tree) were created. Incidentally, the real Mother Shipton was Ursula Southell (c1488-1561), a seeress from Knaresborough, Yorkshire. She seems to have been brought into the tale due to the similarity of her married name to that of the nearby town of Shipton-under-Wychwood.

Today the stones are maintained by English Heritage and the Rollright Trust. They are accessible via laybys on an unnamed road north of Chipping Norton. Stagecoach bus number 50 from Stratford Upon Avon to Chipping Norton stops in nearby Long Compton, from which you can reach the stones on foot, provided the ground doesn’t rise up in front of you. The postcode is OX7 5QB and the what3words is ///circus.highs.helpless

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Wessex On Screen: The Land Girls

The Land Girls is a 1998 movie directed by David Leland, starring Catherine McCormack, Rachel Weisz and Anna Friel as three women from different backgrounds sent to work on a farm in Dorset during World War II as part of the Women’s Land Army initiative. Fans of the film include Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Stephen Sommers, who cast Weisz in The Mummy after seeing it.

The Women’s Land Army was first founded in 1917, to replace farm workers who had been sent to fight in World War I. It was disbanded in 1919, but revived in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II, being disbanded again in 1950. In October 2012, King Charles, then Prince of Wales. unveiled a memorial sculpture to the WLA in Moray, Scotland.

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Essential Wessex: The Mary Rose

The Mary Rose was a man-o-war in Henry VIII’s navy, built in Portsmouth in 1510 and launched the following year. Henry was preparing for war against France, and the building of the Mary Rose and her sister ship, the Peter Pomegranate, arguably laid the foundations for the birth of the Royal Navy as we know it.

The Admiral of the Fleet, Edward Howard, chose the Mary Rose, rather than the larger Regent as his flagship. This gave him the element of surprise at the Battle of St Mathieu in 1512. The French were not expecting the English to arrive for several more days, and the Mary Rose was able to catch them unawares, crippling their flagship the Grande Louise.

The ship saw many more years of distinguished service before being sunk off the Isle of Wight in 1545. The exact reasons for her loss were unknown, but it is thought that bad weather hastened her demise.

The story does not end there, however. The wreck of the Mary Rose was raised in 1982, and today sits in a dedicated museum located in Portsmouth’s historic dockyard. Find out more at their website.

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Wessex Attractions: MAKE Southwest

MAKE Southwest, formerly the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, was founded in 1955 by Edward Baly, to promote regional crafts. They started out creating small exhibitions in various venues across South Devon, but now have over 250 members and a permanent home, Riverside Mill in Bovey Tracey, purchased in 1986.

Riverside Mill contains a retail gallery and three exhibition galleries, hosting over 20 exhibitions a year between them. Members include printmakers, silversmiths, sculptors and many more categories.

The satnav postcode for RIverside Mill is TQ13 9AF, and the what3words is figs.roost.rabble. Bus number 178 from Newton Abbot to Okehampton stops nearby, and the nearest railway station is Newton Abbot. The gallery is open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, and admission is free. There are two pay and display car parks located within a minute’s walk. If you cannot make it there in person, their website hosts virtual exhibitions. Click the link for details.