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  • Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Eighty-Nine

    Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Eighty-Nine

    The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the Coronavirus crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored…..

    Cramp Words

    Not quite as cheery as some previous definitions, this is defined as a term used in the criminal world meaning a “sentence of death passed on a criminal by a judge. He has just undergone the cramp word; sentence has just been passed on him”. There are a series of other terms related to this, such as “cramping day” which is when the execution took place and “cramp laws” meaning laws that could lead to the death sentence if broken. The terms were used from the early eighteenth century until it slowly faded out of use. Newgate Prison also became known as “Cramp Abbey” and this term was then used as a generic term for any prison.

    And, the fading out over time of the “cramp words” phrase.

  • Coltishall – Railway Tavern

    Coltishall – Railway Tavern

    Just to show how rarely I go to Coltishall, the last time I went by the Railway Tavern it looked something like this. It opened just before the First World War, originally known as the New Inn, before becoming known as the Railway Inn and later on the Railway Tavern.

    And this is what it looks like now, which is quite sad as I suspect that with the seemingly ever-increasing number of people coming to Coltishall for walking and canoeing that it would likely have been able to be viable once again. I admit it’s at the wrong end of the village for that, but start serving craft beer and it’ll soon attract the hoards…. It closed in 2012, although it remained empty for some time before it was permanently delicensed. It’s a former Morgans, Bullards and then Watley Mann owned pub, before going through a series of pubco owners.

    What is interesting is the heritage statement required, primarily relating to the lime kiln behind the building, when planning permission was approved, with the document referring to the planning inspector being “spectacularly wrong” in 1991. It’s an intriguing read….

  • Coltishall – Great Hautbois Holy Trinity Church

    Coltishall – Great Hautbois Holy Trinity Church

    This slightly quirky church is located on Great Hautbois Road, a short distance from the centre of Coltishall.

    The church dates from the late nineteenth century and is unexceptional, but is in keeping with its rural environment. The church is apparently usually closed, although it is inevitably at the moment given the health situation, but it does have inside the twelfth-century font that was from St. Theobalds, a nearby ruined church. The building was designed by Thomas Jeckyll and although there’s a churchyard there are no burials in it, other than for a very small number of cremated remains.

    The chimney and the bell tower add some charm to the church, which seems a little misproportioned to me. The church has in some of its windows the only transfer glass left in Norfolk, with the images laid onto the glass using the transfer method in the 1880s. Incidentally, I didn’t notice any of this glass, the listed building record helped me out there.

    We wondered why there was no sign at the entrance with the church name on, but then we saw this near to the church door, so it looks like a repair is being planned. There was a newspaper article in 2017 saying that the girl guides, who have a large base opposite, were looking to take over the building as the Church of England congregation had fallen to just four people. There aren’t any signs at the site that this takeover has happened, but I can’t see much religious future for the church with such a low congregation.

  • Deaf Cat

    Deaf Cat

    A perfectly sensible sign, but not one that I’ve seen before.

  • Walking Photos from Around Coltishall

    Walking Photos from Around Coltishall

    Just photos, but a pleasant evening in Coltishall and there were no shortage of people sitting by the river.

  • Don’t Quit from Hammerton Brewery

    Don’t Quit from Hammerton Brewery

    I can’t write about pubs at the moment since they’re a bit shut, so photos of beer at a BBQ will just have to do instead. And this is the rather lovely Don’t Quit from Hammerton Brewery, a vanilla pecan pie imperial stout which comes in at 9.1%.

    The beer had a rather lovely smooth taste, richness of pecan pie and an elegant sweetness with a flavour of chocolate running through it as well. Very drinkable, this was one of the options stocked at the Artichoke pub in Norwich and the can is also quite attractive.

  • Hardley – Hardley Mill

    Hardley – Hardley Mill

    Hardley Mill is located off of the Wherryman’s Way and was constructed in 1874 for Sir Thomas Proctor Beauchamp.

    The 1874 construction date is visible on the stone tablet, with Beauchamp residing at Langley Hall, which is now used by Langley School.

    The mill was used until 1950 and at that time the Internal Drainage Board abandoned the building and it might have easily become derelict and lost. The mill was saved by Peter Grix and other volunteers who in 1981 were able to save it from falling down, slowly restoring it and making it operational once more.

    The sign notes that this is one of the original doors from the top of the turbine well.

    The windmill looks quite graceful on the Norfolk Broads, with the cap being added back to the top in 2009 as the previous one had effectively fallen off. Although the ongoing health issue meant that it was closed when we walked by, the mill is often open for tours and there’s a visitor centre here as well which can provide snacks and drinks.

  • Wherryman’s Way Near Claxton

    Wherryman’s Way Near Claxton

    Just photos from the Wherryman’s Way, or routes just off it, from last week. This is the area near to Claxton and the other side of the river bank from Cantley. I’ll be doing the entirety of the Wherryman’s Way in a couple of weeks, so there might be quite a few posts about that coming up…..

  • Florence – Museo degli Innocenti (Coronation of the Virgin by Benedetto Buglioni)

    Florence – Museo degli Innocenti (Coronation of the Virgin by Benedetto Buglioni)

    This is a glazed terracotta altarpiece that was moved here in 1905 from the Bottigli Chapel at the manor of San Miniato al Montanino outside Figline. There’s an inscription at the base of the altarpiece which dates it to 1520 and it was commissioned by Madonna Francesca.

    This work celebrated its 500th anniversary this year, it’s survived remarkably well since it was created by Benedetto Buglioni, a Florence artist who lived from 1459 until 1521. The colouring gives it a vibrant feel and it depicts the Coronation of the Virgin with St. Dominic and St. Francis. These saints are the founders of two of the most important Catholic orders, the Dominicans and the Franciscans.

  • Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Eighty-Eight

    Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Eighty-Eight

    The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the Coronavirus crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored…..

    Conny Wabble

    This is defined as “eggs and brandy beat up together” and the dictionary adds that it has Irish origins. This is a beautifully crafted phrase, of which the origins seem to have been lost, but it is also spelled ‘conny wobble’. It’s primarily a breakfast drink, which I can’t say would appeal much to me if it arrived instead of coffee at some hotel breakfast.