Day 278 - We are in full lockdown. Who would have thought it at the start of 2020?. This time last year we spent Christmas Day in Dives sur Mer buying french croissants and eating french baguettes. This year we were surrounded by detritis of day to day living . All of our belongings in boxes and bags . We never saw . We have managed to sort out the delivery of a small amount of building materials before the builders merchants close for Christmas. Our new kitchen appliances have arrived and we are trying to tip toe around them .
My walk today Christmas Day took me out on the High Street. I pondered white PVC windows or brown . We have brown on the house now and thought keeping them the same colour was sensible however I dont like a brown door . And then there is the conservatory . A brown one would be more difficult to source . So many thoughts of having to change fascia boards were going back and forward as I walked the High Street . There were a few people about . Each shouted a greeting - Merry Christmas .
It was cold but not a white Christmas . I walked past the barbers shop. Closed for the duration . The village smithy . Now the only clue the house next door called Smithy House . I guess the Smithy closed in the 60s. wants or needs a blacksmith now .
The chapel was closed . The church too . Normally they would be open on Christmas morning for Holy Communion but not today . Covid has put paid to that. I stood outside the church and admired the lych gate decorated for Christmas . The Christmas tree and read all about the church . It seems our little village is very ancient and Lucius a king of Britain was converted to Christianity and said to have founded the monastery of Bangor as a seat of learning . The Romans arrived in 50AD . Nothing remains of the early settlement which was over a mile in length and walled . Two gates entered Bangor. The north gate the Porth Hogan and the south gate the Porth Clays.
It seems that when the Romans departed the Saxons arrived and coveted the rich meadows that the monks owned .
The warlike king of the English, Aethelfrith, raised a mighty Army and a battle ensued between Chester and – over 1200 Monks were killed and only about 50 managed to escape. The Monastery did not survive the massacre .
A rectory and the church was built in 1300AD and dedicated to St Dunawd who as an abbot of the ancient monastery . I stood for a while taking all this in . It was hard to imagine all this going on in such a sleepy village. The current church built of red sandstone is impressive and the 14th century chancel still remains .
My walk took me along the river and then home again . Tomorrow I shall head off in another direction . There is much to explore .
