The Long Arm and Short Arm

Continuing our tour of the local public houses in Hertfordshire, I recently visited the village of Lemsford, which is just five miles from where I live.  The River Lea passes through the village on its way to London. I hope you can follow its course on this map. I tried to find the history of the Long Arm and Short Arm but failed to find any. Perhaps one of my bloggers knows about this, if so please send me a comment. After a nice meal in the pub I returned home on a cold winters day.

The Brocket Arms

In the village of Ayot St Lawrence is the public house of The Brocket Arms, a 14th century inn originally the monastic quarters for the Norman Church until the Reformation, 1529-1537 (see Wickipedia The English Reformation). It was a stopping off point for pilgrims on their way to St Albans Abbey which is about eight miles away. A very short bicycle ride of five miles for me on a mild and sunny day. Have a happy 2013.

Christmas greetings

To end the cycling year and manage to learn a little more of the internet, which is a challenge at  83 years of age, I leave you with a local wintry scene and a signpost of a local hostelry named after the author John Bunyan, famous as the author of Pilgrim's Progress. On the opposite side of  the road in this country lane are the remains of the cottage where he lived. For people who don't know much about the naming of public houses, and by my stats I am glad to say there are many who look at my blog from around the world, I will in the future show you some of the signs and names of some of them. The John Bunyan pub (short for public house) is very cosy, especially on a cold winter's night. Have a nice Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Harold.

Crinkle-Crankle Walls

Another feature of the heritage trail in the village of Wheathampstead, we arrive at the Crinkle-Crankle Walls. They date from the early 19th century. I will quote from the excellent brochure published in the village of the various places of interest: " There are several reasons why the walls were constructed in this way. The shape made it possible to make them higher while still being only two bricks (nine inches) thick, since the curving lines gave strength to the structure, allowing the walls to stand without buttresses and to expand without cracking in the sun. The alcoves were used for growing and ripening fruit, a process often helped by circulating warm air from a stove through vents in the brickwork. The Old Rectory itself conceals a 16th century timber framed building within its 19th century brick exterior." It's a day of high winds here today. When they moderate I will go for a bike ride in the pleasant autumn sun.

The Goose Girl of Gottingen

In the pleasant university town of Gottingen, Germany, in one of a number of pleasant cobbled squares, there is a statue of a Goose Girl, taken from a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The statue is very popular with university students who, when completing their studies, adorn the statue with flowers, etc. If you would like to read about the Goose Girl, click on to Wickepedia and type in Goose Girl for an interesting read.

Wheathampstead Heritage Trail

The village of Wheathampstead recently inaugurated a heritage trail around the village and attached a plaque on all the historic buildings. I will publish in the future a selection of the buildings and plaques with a history of the relevant buildings. I hope you find them of interest.

Hatfield Country Fair
During the summer months in England we have a series of country fairs. This photograph was taken in Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Hatfield House was at one time the country residence of Queen Elizabeth I (Queen Elizabeth the First). Hatfield House is just 20 miles from London and if you are in England it's worth a visit.  There is a train station direct from London stopping directly outside Hatfield House.
The horses are shire working horses, used historically on farms and to pull heavy farm carts.