A prominent feature of Beddington Park, flint-clad St. Mary’s Church was built in the 14th century and extended and restored in 1867- 69.
It is Grade II listed, with significant amounts of building fabric from the 14th and 15th centuries in its construction. It also has relics from around 1200 and other interesting artefacts covering the centuries that followed including the font, and tombs for the Carew family.
Heavily decorated in Victorian times, the church has an organ screen designed by William Morris and an unusual altarpiece depicting the Last Judgement.
Annecy is by all accounts a beautiful city, often called the prettiest in France and one of the best cities to visit in France.
Right on the lake and very close to the Alps, Annecy is one of those places just small enough to be manageable, yet big enough to offer a huge variety of activities, accommodations and restaurants.
It is often called Little Venice for its maze of picturesque canals located in the Old Town area just off the lake. You can wander along the gorgeous little waterways for hours, browsing a variety of niche shops and stopping off for drinks, snacks and desserts at the atmospheric canal-side bars, cafés and pastry shops. (Rigollot, in the Old Town, won Best Pastry Chef of France one year!)
Having seen this as an almost ruin during 1986, to see it fully restored today in all it’s glory is amazing. . Le Chateau de Monbazillac (pronounced monbaziak) can be found due south of the market town Bergerac famous for the character of fiction Cyrano de Bergerac … he with the large nose.
Metz in the North of France, is filled with enchanting architecture, cozy streets and forts full of history.
Its train station is one of France’s most beautiful, both inside and out. The main cathedral, Saint Stephen, is an impressive work of art, especially beautiful at night when its stained glass windows create an amazing show.
The Centre Pompidou, known in Paris for its modern urban design, has an equally delightful branch in Metz.
The Palais de Justice, or courthouse, is one of the city center’s most imposing buildings; another is the castle-like structure along the river, which is in fact a Protestant church. For something offbeat, head to the museum dedicated to Paul Verlaine, a celebrated poet of the late 19th century who was born in this city.
Metz does like its festivals, especially those involving sculptures: in August, the Mirabelle Plum Festival features flower sculptures, and during the Christmas market, you can enjoy a beautiful festival of ice sculptures.
For interesting French architecture, to me their Bastide towns take some beating and one to the south of Bergerac is Eymet (pronounced A^may) where I have spent many an evening together with friends and a copious amounts of the local vin to add to the pleasure of their company …take a look at this photo and see what I mean👇
I know of Eymet from house hunting…I think the Bastide Towns are great to visit , not just for the Architecture either…
I loved reading about Beddington History and spent many a time Hunting down my ‘children’ as there were so many places they ventured in the close vicinity so got so see Carew Manor a lot,just for one…
I liked the way this Guy talked about it…very light hearted…the swimming pool was the attraction though for the youngster…mostly forbidden.
can ignore any comments of blogs attached…apart from the history of Carew, that is interesting…
It is now a Special School…
I lived a stones throw away by the River Wandle…
@DianneWoollie , l used to go to that school you talk about
Dianne. But it was called the "Orphanage " when l knew it ??
I was’nt a pupil or an orphan though ! We used to climb over
the wall to go swimming in the evenings in the pool located
just behind the orphanage !! Sometimes when there was a
heavy frost !
I guess l must have lived at the other end of the sewage farm
from you!!
Donkeyman!
The house was rebuilt in 1709 but the banqueting hall, with hammerbeam roof, survives from medieval times. In the grounds there’s an orangery with what are claimed to be the first orange trees planted in England, and an 18th century dovecote. A Tudor garden and grotto have recently been discovered though the location is a closely-guarded secret to prevent looting.
By 1850, Carew Manor was lost to the Carew family through bad debts. From 1866 – 1968, it housed the Royal Female Orphanage.
entury shown on local maps as Hakebrug, and named after a bridge on the River Wandle. The locality has a landscaped wooded park at Beddington Park – also known as Carew Manor; and a nature reserve and sewage treatment works in the centre and to the north of its area respectively. The population of Beddington according to the 2011 census is 21,044.
I lived in Guy Road, just one side of the River Wandle…1968-2000
@DianneWoollie , Well l never knew Beddington was so
salubrious Dianne ?
The orphanage must have been closed when l knew it ?
There certainly weren’t any females there then, unless we took
our own !
I have often fallen in the river wandle, and it sometimes flooded
Mill Green common just behind me mum’s house !!
Small world ain’t it ??
We lived in Beddington Corner and used to walk from there and
along Guy road to get to Pearly Way swimming pool at
week ends !! We thought Guy road was where the Toffs lived ??
Donkeyman!
Fairly recent view of Camden House. I also noted it said it was owned by the same person as Beddington Mills…I use to work there from approx 1973 to the late 90’s when the owners sold it.
*
It has now been converted into up market apartments…
You’ll find France’s oldest Gallo-Roman theater on Fourvière hill. Construction began under Augustus, around 15BC, but Emperor Hadrian (one of Rome’s ‘good’ emperors) expanded it during the 2nd century AD.
Today, in addition to the theater, you can glimpse some of Lugdunum’s former glory at the Gallo-Roman Museum.
Half an hour south of Lyon is the city of Vienne, a major hub under the Romans. The importance of the city can be seen in its Roman ruins, of which the Temple of Augustus and Livia is a major example.
The temple, built around 25-27 AD, is dedicated to Emperor Augustus and his wife. Augustus was one of those emperors Rome likes to cite: he transformed it from a republic into an empire and restored peace in a troubled time.
Livia was herself a powerhouse, with multinational business holdings and high-level political entrées. She was also the mother of Tiberius, whom we shall meet again shortly.
This and the Maison Carrée in Nîmes are the only two six-columned temples in France. During its lifetime, it has been used as a church, a courthouse, and a library although it has remained relatively intact, perhaps because it actually served some useful functions.
