Blockley
26 August 2013
On a
beautiful Bank Holiday Monday we decide to visit Blockley. Roger has played bowls there but we have
never looked round the village before.
We park in front of the bowling club, close to the village shop and the
However,
our first port of call is the annual Duck Race, and first we must walk through
the village, passing numerous picturesque cottages, immaculately presented.
At
the bottom of a lane off the High Street is Blockley Ford, the venue for the
duck race.
(From left to right) The crowds gather … Helen and Roger peer at
the start … here they come … they pick out the winners, not ours alas
There
was a good turnout for the races, which continued through the afternoon. Fittingly, I suppose, for rank outsiders our
ducks all brought up the rear in line astern.
The
church dates from Norman times and Norman features are preserved in the
chancel, but most of the building is of later periods, including the tower,
which at first glance looks Perpendicular but is in fact an 18th Century
tower built by a mason architect from nearby Chipping Campden.
The 18th Century
tower (above left) and Helen and Roger in the churchyard (above right)
The splendid East window (left)
After the excitement of the duck race, a peaceful
stroll back through the village and short tour of the church, we repaired to
village shop, which incorporates a small café, and had coffee and ice creams to
taste. The shop is run by the community
and has just won a large lottery grant for further development. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon out in
this beautiful and enterprising village.