“Dawe’s Twineworks in West Coker, Somerset, is said to be the only surviving rural twineworks with its original Victorian twine-making machinery in place. The Coker Rope & Sail Trust exists to preserve and restore the works, and to record and celebrate the flax and hemp based industries (twine, rope and sailcloth) which were once dominant…
The gardens at Wayford Manor haven’t been open for the last couple of years. New owners have ‘had the builders in’ in a big way. But this year they were back on the case with the NGS last Sunday – a chance not to be missed even on a drizzly afternoon at the end of May.…
For those who don’t know it, Cogden Beach is a marvel. Last Sunday the skies were blue and the sun was warm – time for an early morning walk. Cogden Beach is a stretch of shingle owned by the National Trust towards the western end of Chesil Beach. It is a very special habitat for…
Barrington Court is just a hop over the border into Somerset. It’s a splendid Tudor manor house, now a National Trust property. And it’s empty – of furniture anyway. In its stripped back state it’s easier to appreciate the bones of the place, although all is not as it seems. By the early 20th century…
Around here the natural dyeing adventures continue. The hunt for red is on. A true red dye is hard to find, and therefore highly prized. Before imported or chemical dyes were available reds for Scottish tartans were obtained from white Crotal (a lichen that grows on rocks) or madder root. In northern Europe the best…