15 Sep 2010 – Another Piece of Paradise

Hemingford Abbots:  located in Huntingdonshire, now part of Cambridgeshire. It is a village near Hemingford Grey south-west of St Ives. There has been a settlement on the present site since at least Roman times. In Anglo-Saxon times the neighbouring villages of Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots were a single estate. In the 9th century they split and in 974 the manor fell under the ownership of Ramsey Abbey, where it remained until the dissolution in 1539.

In 1250 the village was listed as having 96 holdings, but numbers fell following the Black Death. The population grew from 306 in 1801 to 564 in 1841, but dropped as many moved to towns and cities. It grew rapidly after the Second World War, reaching a peak of 628 in 1961. Its 2001 population was 584. Today there are 244 dwellings in the village and nearly 600 people. There are very tempting foot and cycle paths. The thatched roofs are absolutely beautiful and my favourite of all favourites is the boat house by the river… my dream summer-house 🙂

St Ives: formerly known as Slepe, in the old county of Huntingdonshire, this ancient riverside market town St Ives is now named after the Persian Bishop, St. Ivo. St. Ives, now within the county of  Cambridgeshire stands on the River Great Ouse and is world-famous for the Chapel on the Bridge

Kimbolten: a large village in Cambridgeshire. It is app 24m/39km west of Cambridge. The centrepiece of the village is Kimbolton Castle which forms the main building of Kimbolton School (now an independent day and boarding school), but its predecessor on the same site was once home and prison to Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. Katherine died at Kimbolton Castle in 1536 and was transported from there to Peterborough Cathedral to be buried.

The bells of St Andrew’s Church rang to welcome us. Somehow, church bells have been ringing during our visits the past few days! Thanks to Christine and KV for their kind & generous hospitality & company, for driving & sharing their piece of paradise. Enjoy your retirement… Christine with her beautiful quilling cards and KV with his music. KV is my first non-family visitor in 1965, first week in boarding school/Dublin and at long last I had the chance to remind him and to let him know how touched I was for his visit then.

He who sings scares away his woes – Cervantes