Medieval Church | Broomfield, Somerset

On my visit to Somerset, I was lucky enough to be accompanied by one of my history professors and a fellow history MA student. Knowing my speciality is medieval history, my professor made us stop at St. Mary with St. Leonard, a medieval church located in Broomfield, Somerset. 

The church was first built by the Romans. A small portion of the church still stands from the original Roman building. Major additions to the church were made in the 12th, 14th, and 15th century. Unfortunately, due to the uneasy years of the Commonwealth in the 17th century, the church began to crumble and fall. By 1870 however, the church had begun a restoration process, returning to its full glory.

I couldn't get over the tranquility I felt while wandering around the grounds.
Broomfield was the polar opposite of Bristol. There were no cars, no buses, and no kids running around screaming. I'm a city girl, and although I found rural Somerset to be relaxing, I was happy to come back to the hustle and bustle of Bristol.

My trip to Broomfield was the first of a few day trips I have planned out before Christmas. If you have any suggestions of places I just have to visit, let me know!

Happy Tuesday!
xoxo

Apple Heritage Day | Somerset

“What can your eye desire to see, your ear to hear, your mouth to take, your nose to smell, that is not to be had in an orchard, with abundance of variety?” 

(William Lawson, 1618, A New Orchard and Garden)

Common Ground, Orchards: A Guide to Local Conservation (Common Ground: London 1989)

This Saturday I sacrificed sleep to spend the day volunteering at the Quantock Apple Heritage Day in Somerset. Seeing as I hadn't been out of Bristol much since arriving, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to see the English countryside. 

Along with a fellow American in the history department, our job was to record local stories of orchards and  apples. These oral histories will be used by the university to discover lost orchards and preserve the few that survive today. Some people were more than willing to tell stories of orchards they grew up near, while others avoided the American girls carrying the iPads like the plague.

Over 600 people stopped by the first ever Quantock Apple Heritage Day, making it a pleasantly surprising success. I even managed to come back with a bottle of Somerset's finest Chaider (chai + apple cider = Chaider).

Enjoy the rest of National Apple Heritage weekend!
xoxo