Sunday, 10 February 2008

Snowdrops galore



I had to work yesterday morning, it was such a lovely day though that I decided to stop by this place to visit. Several people were enjoying the glorious sunshine and 'The Snowdrop' weekend.

The most notable piece of information I have found about St Mary's, Burford, is that it is the resting place of Elizabeth Plantagenet. She was the third child of John of Gaunt the 1st Duke of Lancaster and was born in Burford in 1363. She had three husbands:- John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke; John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter; John Cornwall, 1st Baron Fanhope and Milbroke. She had 5 children with John Holland and 2 children with John Cornwall. There is a monument to her at the Church which I couldn't get a photo of this time, she was buried there in 1426.
Burford itself is a tiny parish of 1108 souls according to the 2001 census. It is the southern most place in Shropshire, and furthest from Shrewsbury the county town. This Church is next to my favourite Garden Centre - Burford Gardens, which deserves a post all of its own soon. Luckily for me it is only about 3 minutes from my place of work so nice to go there during my lunch break occasionally.
Every year the friends of the Church have 'Snowdrop' weekends where they welcome visitors to see the carpets of flowers, and offer refreshments in the Church to fund raise. These photos give an indication of the prettiness and peacefulness of the place, but what is missing is the sound of the birds. They are certain it is Spring and were singing as if their lives depended on it. I only hope they are not too far down the nesting/producing phase as there is still plenty of time for Winter to bite back and remind us it has not finished with us yet.

It was one thing to go and see the snowdrops, many different varieties, but it was quite another to see primroses, daffodils, periwinkle and tree blossom out - not to mention these shy and gently lovelies flowering away to their hearts content under an ancient yew.

I took HPC with me too!
I hope you are having a peaceful weekend.
Posted by at 10:22

14 comments:

  1. I knew somewhere in England spring would be arriving ! A few minutes ago, we just had a ten minute snow squall ! But it has, thankfully, just subsided.

    Knowing you have blankets of snowdrops and lovely birdsong makes me remember spring will come eventually !

    What a charming story of Elizabeth Plantaganet's life and the information about this part of Shropshire. It has provided a much needed getaway on this February winter's afternoon ! Thanks so much. Janice
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  2. Beautiful pictures! We are buried under a few feet of snow here and the current temperature is -17 F. Not sure what that is Celsius - but it is cold!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog...
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  3. So glad that you are back and glad that everyone is on the mend. I have missed your Shropshire travels.
    The snowdrops are lovely and I can substitute my birdsong for the audio. We presently have lots of robins all about.
    Laura from Amongst The Oaks
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  4. Oh the pictures are so beautiful! And they look so much like spring! I'm afraid we are enduring freezing temps here in the Midwest (10 degrees F) and the expectation of a snowfall tomorrow. I don't think we'll be seeing scenes like yours for quite some time.

    I have on my list to read Alison Weirs book about John of Gaunt (maybe it's his mistress).
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  5. I love the snowdrops. Every year I think I should/will/whoops missed the chance again. Perhaps this year.......
    And thanks for the history lesson! I love hearing these kind of facts. It means when I read about a place again I have a little idea about it already!
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  6. Awwww, just fantastic! If only you knew -- I'm THERE with HPC! Thanks for the beautiful pictures and for taking HPC along -- he looks just perfect among the flowers. We need those beautiful spring pictures to remind us not to give up yet -- we're under a snow advisory tonight LOL. You're a doll!
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  7. What a beautiful place, a few people I know have been to snowdrop spots this weekend.
    Lucy x
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  8. I adore snowdrops, I retunded from my week away to the garden being full of the bulbs all popping their sunny little heads out...
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  9. HPC must have had a wonderful time!
    It was such a lovely weekend wasn't it, perfect for Snowdrops but Violets surely they must be early. Looks as though we will be having snow dropping here before the end of the day.
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  10. HPC must have had a wonderful time!
    It was such a lovely weekend wasn't it, perfect for Snowdrops but Violets surely they must be early. Looks as though we will be having snow dropping here before the end of the day.
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  11. Lovely snowdrops!
    Carolyn
    http://willowhouse.typepad.com
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  12. Goodness, this does make me totally want to be in England. So beautiful! The blankets of snowdrops, and those lovely little violets...sigh.England is so gorgeous.
    xo Lidy
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  13. Burford is truly in a beautiful part of England, I love that area. I wish I had huge clumps of snowdrops like that in my garden. I have plenty of violets though, but strangely don't flower that much?
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  14. Those snowdrops are beautiful! What lovely photos and fascinating history!
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