Thursday, 10 May 2012
All Saints: The Hainford 'Old Church'
As always with Norfolk churches, the peerless Norfolk Churches Site gives a good run-down of the history of this little spot (http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/hainford/hainfordold.htm). In a nutshell, though, this medieval ruin fell into disuse in the nineteenth century, with the building of a newer parish church closer to the centre of Hainford village. Although the tower is fenced off and overgrown, the graveyard is actually still in use - the newer graves mostly near the yard entrance and still tended to, with the older ones left to the wild. The tower makes for a striking ivy-covered image amidst the flatness of the surrounding fields.
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This is so gorgeous! I almost couldn't sleep at all last night, as this stuff has revived my long lost dream of being an archaeologist, or a wealthy traveler with tons of money to linger in places like this. When I visit the (few)) places I have access to around where I live, and believe me....there are very few...I find myself taken over with emotions and would give anything to find some amazing relic or artifact that would give me a feeling of connection. I know that has to come from some deeply rooted issue that probably needs to be resolved someday, but I just want to do this stuff...what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably easy for me to say, living in both a country and a county with such a rich and far-reaching history, but it's very easy not 'see' these kinds of things. They're just there, in the way, just part of a landscape we see every day. I have to sort of re-train my eye to see the utter beauty in some of these places: familiarity really can breed, if not contempt, then at least complacency. Do you live in the US..? For what it's worth, I'm often jealous of the North American aesthetic: parking lots and store fronts and everyday imagery that is no doubt utterly boring to most and yet nonetheless fascinating to me. I guess all I'm trying to say is, even if you don't have access to sites such as this... learning to see the strange everyday beauty already around you can be so invigorating, and rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI photographed this church in the 80's when I was posted at RAF Coltishall nearby. The graveyard was seriously grown over and bramble ridden, except for a a small group of meticulously looked after graves. I sumised that there may have been a family death with one survivor, because the graves were of all sizes from small size to human. I have lost the photographs and I thought I might go and have a look tomorrow, 11 Nov 15. I stumbled on to your blog whilst doing research. I am also going to a Mott and Bailey castle remains nearby.
ReplyDeleteI went. The site has been taken over by a farming company who have allowed use of the graveyard. I suppose because of the shortage of grave space people have begun using it again and there is a new grave area nearer to the road than before. The graves I remember are not tended any more. Strangely for me, a grave that was not being tended on my first visit has a track cut into the brambles, so people can get to the grave. It was for a trooper in the Horse Guards, who died in 1927 at the age of 21. It has made me more determined to be incinerated.
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