A week for water: 1 Bourton on the Water

This week I am featuring water in each of my posts, and where possible, water in a natural state such as rivers or lakes.  You'll see why on Friday.


I thought with a name like Bourton on the Water, this village had t be the first featured place.  It's called a village but with 4,000 inhabitants, it's a large one.  I know several places of a similar size that consider themselves towns.

The river going through the village is the Windrush.  Each year, on August Bank Holiday, a football match is held in the river.  Not water polo or anything like that, it's six-a-side football and it's played in the river.  It isn't deep.  Spectators can expect to get wet, but thousands turn up to watch from the banks.

The other point of note, there is a model village in the village, built in the 1930s.   The model village contains a model of the model village, but I don't know if the model of the model village itself contains a model village.  It reminds me of the rhyme:

"Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum."

~Augustus de Morgan

Gloucester Cathedral, Lady Chapel

Postmarked London, dated 9 September 1951.

This is the first of the cards sent to me by Alison of Eleanor Blog.  It is of the Lady Chapel in Gloucester Cathedral, part of the cathedral show on the modern card I posted last year.

The message is interesting:

My holiday really finished - shall be on a train for home in 1 hour's time.  Put my uncle into his monastery last night after spending 4 days still showing him around. Have visited Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.  The Cathedral here in Gloucester is superb - you MUST see it.  Hope you had a good trip back - still very grateful for your care of my place.

I would endorse the recommendation of a visit to the cathedral.  It is really beautiful, especially the cloisters.

Unused, bought July 2008.
Gloucester Cathedral
The west walk of the cloister.

Bibury, England

Postmarked Bath, dated 14 october 1998

Arlington Row, Bibury
The 17th century cottages known as Arlington Row are now in the care of the National Trust.  They face on to Rack Isle, now a swampy bird sanctuary, but one the place where the weavers from the cottages dried their cloth.

The row, with steeply pitched roofs and honey coloured stone, was originally built in 1380 as a wool store and then later converted into weavers' cottages.  William Morris described the village as "the most beautiful in England".

Gloucester Cathedral

Never posted. Bought July 2008.

Gloucester Cathedral seen from the south-east.

First founded in 678-9, not much was known about the religious community there until the Norman conquest in 1066. It was then rebuilt to be the cathedral we know today. In 1216 Henry III was crowned there, the only monarch since William I not to have been crowned in Westminster Abbey. After Edward II was buried there in 1327, considerable remodelling work was carried out at the east end.

It has a number of interesting American connections, one of which is that the person who wrote the music for The Star Spangled Banner, is buried here.

It is not the largest cathedral by any means, but one I like very much. It is a really lovely and welcoming place.

Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire

Postmark dated 18 May 2005.
Sudeley Castle and Gardens
15th century North Front
Sudelely Castle, Gloucestershire.