The Leat: Drifting

For want of a better alternative, but mostly because it was just too beautiful outisde, we ventured up the hill past the Church this afternoon. Whilst there's no real path up to the Church, the way is well marked in ordinary times - trampled grass in effect rather than mud - but with the snow in measurable quantities, there's a distinct record of passing.

While we're walking passed, it's worth mentioning the Church and noting the unusual layout. Though Streetmap doesn't actually show it, the building follows the general flow of the fields in facing a south-west and north-east rather than the normal east, west direction. Why this should be remains, for the moment, an unknown, though word in the village has it that it faces towards the rising sun in mid-summer. This is certainly possible, but it should also be noted that early churches were set up to face the sun rise on the day of the dedicated Saint.

This possibility should, however, be balanced against the fact that, until relatively recently, the Church did not have any such dedication. This may mean that a saintly dedication was once there and was lost. It may also turn out that there never was such a dedication and that the Church faces the direction it had to given the circumstances of its construction.

If it does align to the setting or rising sun for any particular day, it may also give an indication that it was built on the site of a pre-existing stone alignment. This wouldn't be unusual at all, though it would have been expected that the alignment would have been altered to east-west at some point. More in due course.

We'd hoped to walk along the road towards the old railway line but found instead our way obstructed by four foot snow drifts. This was certainly reward enough for the walk up the hill.

Here's Clover giving you an impresson of scale ...