In Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire

It's been a while since we have posted a blog entry. Have you noticed? When we left our digs in Mevagissey, we visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Heligan Manor was built in 1200, but the gardens were not developed until 1766 and continued their development and maintenance until 1914 , interrupted by the First World War, when all the gardeners left. The gardens became overgrown and were not rediscovered until 1990. An interesting few hours spent there. The vegetable garden was fabulous and obviously well tended. There were also some unusual artworks created using plants.

From there we headed to Port Isaac of Doc Martin fame, only to discover that they were filming the next day. Fran was rather starstruck and introduced herself to "Bert" , "Al" and of course, "Doc Martin". She was joined in her quest for photos by several other "paparazzi". The cast are obviously used to groupies and were very gracious, posing for photos. Port Isaac is a very picturesque fishing village. The tides are amazing. The difference between high and low tides is substantial (about 12 feet) and the guide books warn against parking on the beach next to these boats!!

 

From there we travelled to Chepstow in Wales, over the mighty Severn River for a two night stay to further explore family roots.

Found a couple of houses still standing where Fran's forebears lived. One was a customs officer and it was interesting to see that a smugglers hole in the cliff, accessible only at high tide was directly across the river from where the Customs House would have been sited if still in existence.

Then on to Nantmawr, near Oswestry , Shropshire to visit and indeed meet Fran's cousin John and his wife, Mary. Had a great stay with them, but too short. A really interesting part of England near the border with Wales and close to Snowdonia National Park. The next day loaded up with a substantial picnic lunch packed by Mary, we set off again towards the Midlands, destination - Cottesmore. There we met with several other relatives from the Dixon family whom we'd never met, descendants from four brothers born in the 1800s, one of them Fran's grandfather.

We continued east to Norfolk, staying in the small village of Gayton, this time on the trail of Adrian's family. Alas, our luck in the graveyards dried up here as the headstones were mostly illegible, the stone being too soft. We took a trip up the coast to Hunstanton located on "the Wash".

Coast at Hunstanton

 

We had been warned not to expect much by our hosts, but nothing could prepare us for the family entertainment parlour on the "pier". It was an awful melange of flashing lights, cloned soft toys and jangly music. A combination of side show alley and poker machines. The coast was interesting, but the water not very appealing.

Castle Rising

We also visited Castle Rising, an ancient keep built in 1140 and still owned by the same family who originally built it. Today we left for Cambridgeshire visiting the towns of Weston Colville and West Wratting, where Adrian's family worked in the fields before migrating to Australia. We have made contact with a local historian who may hopefully yield some useful information.

 

 

 

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