Tuesday 8 April 2014

Iken






Farrier's Barn is in Iken. The church  is St Botolph's - worth a visit any time but especially on a rainy Monday. MWNN took advantage of a brief respite from the rain to drive down to the church.







As we approached the church, I thought that it would be locked, but MWNN pointed out the number of 'honesty boxes' beside local produce that we had seen on our travels around the area. Indeed, the Anchorage (beside the church) had garden pottery and home-made preserves for sale, with an honesty box inside the lttle shed.

The church was open. It's an ancient building and doesn't appear to have any electric lighting. MWNN speculated that attending Sunday service  would be a cold experience. There were just two small, portable (gas?) heaters were in the church.

The original building, a monastery founded by Botolphe in 654, was built on an island in the Alde Estuary. The Alde has silted up since then and the church now stands at the end of a private road.






Behind the Church, the field was full of sheep with their new-born lambs. I found myself humming Bach's 'Sheep may safely graze' as I watched the lambs gamboling across the grass. It's a truly peaceful spot.