Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk, 1

Long Melford was to be our first 5-star parish church. Well, we'd seen some before, e.g., the Abbey Church in Tewksbury, but that was before acquiring the Simon Jenkins bible of British churches. The church was just a short walk from the Long Melford Hall carpark, across the town Green. Long Melford is not that long. (See helpful map below). The church was impressively large, said to be the richest of such churches, had a few curiosities, the burials of the wealthy wool merchants who financed it, as well as some nice very late Medieval glass. Alas, we are new to this, and it did not spark greatest joy among us. Nonetheless, I will give it two long posts. (We're in King's Lynn presently, I am way behind in blogging, with many pix to select and edit, and the connection to the internet here is strong).

Not that long; for those scoring at home, we walked from #3 to #2

The church is that long, including the Lady Hall appendage, which looks more like
a holy out-house

Fred and Wilma composition, as Vicki says

Below the crenelation, a line of funny faces

Still processing this one

Flaunt it, baby!

So large and famous it has a gift shoppe larger than some cathedrals

Nave view

Many more late Medieval windows to come

Elevation

Children's area

And back by it, this: the original illustrator for Alice in
Wonderland drew inspiration for the Duchess from this
window

The church's many features and curiosities are amply explained...

Sir Thomas Clopton, original Sugar Daddy

Really ties things together

Much, if not most, of the glass features local worthies, not saints, martyrs,
bishops, nor Biblical figures; seems to have come from a mold...

Ditto

St. Edmund

Big glass

Nicely carved pews, but note the brass missing from the
aisle; we assumed this had been stolen (there's been an
epidemic of thievery from these churches of late...mostly
the lead roofing material) but no, these brasses were melted
down by the diocese in the 19th century

Altar window

Adoration, antedating the church

Mind your feet

William Clopton, father of Sugar Daddy; see below; oldest ongoing rent in UK

Yeah, well, if it were 2 or 3 red roses, it might not be...

Long Melford Hall

We drove on, bypassing Short and Medium Melford, arriving before lunch at Long Melford, to see the Hall there and also the 5-star Long Melford parish church. The Hall was an Elizabethan treat, and a greater treat for us was its association with Beatrix Potter, whom we know as a writer and illustrator of classic children's books, but also as one of the earliest and most important supporters of the National Trust. She was a shrewd businesswoman, had some means, and a vision, and married the very sharp lawyer who assisted her.

Long Melford Hall

Drawing room

Charter, granted by Queen Mary, Henry VIII's daughter

Auction of Long Melford at Christie's (yes, that Christie's),
1785; not all the great houses stay in the same family for
centuries

Beatrix Potter was a family friend/relative who visited often and drew inspiration
from Long Melford

When Long Melford became a military site in WWII, the family stayed with
Potter in her home in the Lake District; great lady

Famous picture of herself sleeping in the four poster bed; note position of the
tail, thought thus to amuse the children

The four poster bed

More Potteriana

A gate house, which in much later years was used as a party house

More Potter

The usual National Trust garden shop (not pictured: all the other usual National Trust
stuff, shoppes, services, etc.)

Another pleasant visit, and, as I said, not without the usual pleasant surprise or
connection

Coggeshall And The Paycocke House, 2

Continuing our visit to the Paycocke House in Coggeshall, Essex...

More of Eileen Power's travels and studies; she did "commit matrimony" later
on

No matter how small, every National Trust house we have visited (since 2009)
has had a reception and membership office, a gift shop, a gardening shop, a
plant shop, a tea shop, a garden, a lawn, chairs, and croquet; some have more,
but the Paycocke House had at least all these

Garden shop

Garden, lawn chairs, and croquet set

The white extension is actually older than the House, dating from the early
1400s; it was the original butchery

Now mostly interpretive exhibits about the Medieval wool industry

And one very interesting painting

Pretty little town, Coggeshall

The "talking bench," on main street is a hoot; press the
button and it gives you a 360 degree narration of the town
center; the other button, more about Essex county

Add caption

Coggeshall parish church, one of the approximately 15,990 British parish
churches we will not be visiting this month