Sunday afternoon was a lightning trip to Burford with the weekend guests. For the first time since moving here, three years ago, we entered the historic and elegant church. There simply wasn't enough time to see everything; it is full of detail, from the splendid tombs of the very rich, sometimes carved with graffitti by their 'lesser' brethren...the Levellers were holed up for days here, at the time of the Civil War, and the soldiers left their mark - not just by way of graffitti, but also, more dreadfully - three were executed against the wall of the church - and the shot holes can be seen to this day. We thought this might have been a rudimentary 'Nine Man's Morris' game, carved on a slab of a tomb in one of the inner chapels. Did one of the dead men enjoy a match with a friend before he was captured?
There are some quite lovely examples of memorial carving - this poor little chap, grieving for all eternity...
And these strange cherubs, almost Pagan with their foliage 'tails' - although I thought they resembled baby merfolk.
Should you find yourself in the Oxfordshire town of Burford, do take time out to enjoy this wonderful and peaceful sanctuary. And see if you can spot the small Celtic carving, nestling high above the more 'churchy' decorations.
