75 Miles and 2 Churches

Visiting 2 Historic country chuches in South Glos during a 75 mile endurance buidling cycle ride.
#ancientchurches #cycletour #severn

St. Micheal’s at Hill:
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101136564-church-of-st-michael-hill

St. Leonards at Tortworth:
http://www.churchcrawler.co.uk/phildraper/tortwrth.htm

Just gone 7 a.m. and I’m out on my bike doing a 75 Mile Road I’ll tell you a bit more about what I’m doing and why shortly I’ll be taking two short breaks on my way around both of them are historic Paris churches which I think’s really well worth visiting showing you

Some points of interest if you stick around to the end of the video I’ll tell you about some of my upcoming plans for the next few months it’s coming up the route basically is from my hometown and bath northwards and if you can imagine a balloon on a string a kind of deflated

Balloon so once we’ve reached the base the balloon up near iron Acton on the excirts of Bristol we’re going to be going at one side of the M5 with the 7 S3 on our left and the motorway on our right the first church will be there small Hamlet called Hill

And then we’ll turn southwards and we’ll be coming down on the opposite side of the M5 the M5 will still be on our right but we’ll be coming down safe back towards iron Acton and then retracing this string in effect back to Bath on that leg there’s a wonderful Church near Michael Wood

Called St Leonard’s at toror anyway that’s the ref out line of the road I’ll speak to you more when we get to Hill and our first church at St Michaels we’re now entering the very small Hamlet of Hill there’s the boundary sign and then what feels like over a

Mile after the boundary sign you come to the heart of the village it’s wooden bus shelter the old which is now Village Hall which many cyclist from around here will be familiar with in the hill micro Library converted old telephone box as this thought struck you it did me

Recently if it’s so flatland here why is it called Hill and it’s because the church is up on that little Rose there and when you go up there you’ll see it is quite a hill but you cannot see the church here that’s looking back the way

We’ve come here’s the sign and there’s a pathway that climbs up quite steeply actually and then you go around the bend and you won’t see the church until literally you’re almost on it still can’t see the church even though we’re almost there it levels out here the grounds this house there going

Up a drive there’s a cemetery here and then the final bit Up’s church is up near where that seat is just see the church now for the first time there’s the track we’ve just come up you’ll see that cement mixer going along the road we’ve just come in from

Then in the middle distance that’s one of the power stations up here either Barkley or oldbury see if I can zoom in it’s a bit quer Mass looking there it is and it’s not too get here you realize just what a hill this is and it’s suddenly occurred to me recently when I

Came here for the first time ever only about a month ago it’s probably why the village is called Hill because its central point of focus would have probably been the Mana house and the church and what a lovely Church it is it’s got a bit of a Krypton Factor gate as often they

Do there you go Oh wrong gate it’s a lovely Old cotwell Stone Church and it’s a classic layout really youve got the bell tower at the back the West the Cha’s Facing East we’re approaching from the sa so the entrance is through the sa porch and you approach

It down this pathway you you’re reminded of your mortality and your short life span by walking past Graves as you approach the church as usual take my cap off as a mark of respect just before you go in through the door there’s this plaque here and it says electric lighting was

Installed in this church in September 1952 as a memorial to King Geor 6 George the 6 that’s the Queen’s father he had recently passed away then in 1952 and it goes on to say the seven Ro time brackets in the Nave were designed made and presented by Mr GH Roberts the two

Are linked so let’s go and have a look pretty meaty door actually and you come straight in through one of these velvet back curtains to retain the Heat and here we are actually feels really cozy in here and actually quite warm considering that wind’s got a bit of a NP to it this

Morning so there’s the electric lights mounted on the seven RW iron brackets that referred to outside so on the North side there’s 1 2 3 and on the South Side four five 6 7 the back you’ve got the font by the bellara it’s always tempting to pull

Those RS but I w’t look at that that’s a gem very ston work here here it’s more plastered something jumps out of me immediately here that big box Pew up there it’s massive it’s enormous and it’s almost got like its own ceiling four post it’s it’s across between a box

Pew for post of bed the other thing that jumped out of me that ceiling or roof is almost the same height as the same plate on the pull pit I’ve mentioned it before quite a few times in the olden days pull pits would sometimes have same plates above

Them about a meter or so above it’s just to stop the sound dissipating into the ceiling so to project it and reflect it out sometimes there’s Stone sometimes I would they seem to correspond with the design of the pulpit it’s a stone Pulpit they tend to be

Stone sign plates and voice for with word as you walk up towards the Chanel quite often there’s a step but here there’s several and go through the arch onto the final step I imagine this is cuz it’s built on here side I can’t be sure so let’s just have a look through

What would have been the property of probably quite a wealthy family a box Pew I was told that they quite often with the property that would be either owned or rented by families who could afford them the bigger probably corresponded to the wealthier people and the opposite and and they’d be passed down

To inheritance you know through the generation so there’d be the property of the family at some stage iect this is probably one and I expect it probably corresponds to the state out there but can you see there like seating all the way around so that means some of the

People probably had their back or at least their side to the person giv the sermon I discovered recently via CCT talk on Facebook that the actual contents of the sermon the sound was much more important than the visual and I sudden ah that explains sometimes why

Box pews are so high I think they couldn’t possibly see over the top of those they couldn’t it was for privacy it was more important than they that they heard the sermon than to actually see who was giving it and I think that also probably corresponds

With a lot of wall paintings a wall art that I think was quite often taken out or covered over painted over or plastered over round about time of the Reformation it was seen as a distraction heard stories that the sermons would be very long sometimes in an hour hour and a half

Possibly two hours because people lived tough lives in those days and you know they wanted value for money on the Sunday they wanted to come here and their hope inspiration and belief and i’ I’ve heard about stories of people you know children playing with toys in box pews

Or people doing crochet or knitting so you know again it probably would explain the Privacy that they wanted anyway upper step into the chancel get that immediate feel a different part of the building lovely wooden beans as opposed to just a white Plaster there in the different

Light my first thought when I came here oh that’s probably best it probably be locked but when I opened it I discovered otherwise got a separate chaplain here although the Chan of door would have been for the clergy the private entrance and you can see there’s store cupboards

Cabinets there so it may have doubled up as a Vue seats there as well you know where they would kept their records and got changed this is like a separate Chapel got a lovely feel to it and back out into the Chanel which feels very light compared to that chap do

There and then back down into the Nave fairly standard pews Al those some nice carvings on the edge of them I’ll try and film a couple lovely lovely Place St Michaels at Hill Cluster n Barkley to be more precise as I often do I look at the visitor’s

Book to see who was the last person who came here as a visitor and signed the visitor’s book and look it’s me from the 17th of February and before that it was New Year’s Day local by look of it Logan mode I’ve just put Andy C bad sunet I

Put that time Cy through many times at long last I’ve come to visit this lovely Church amazing box pure with four Bo to the ceiling I was taken by it then 17th in February 21st to March and you see bath again lovely to come back it is and it’s

Nice to share it with you this time I just love that story about the old and the new when electric lighting in 1950s would have been transformational I have thought now looking back up where you’ve come okay right back down to the road I need to be careful here because I’m not

On my hybrid bike with the wi the tires I need to be careful don’t go flying along here that’s the wor bit there we are back at the gate in one piece you may tell by the sand I’m on the short stretch of a38 I’m in a bus y

Just near slimbridge I’m going to go up here about half a mile turn right and then we’ll start making our Direction Change down there this bus shot is wonderful look at all these old pictures there look that wonderful car there the old garage there when I went to see my

Brother in Derry a few years back we drove over the Border he goes over the border to get petol and we went into one in the Republic Lally about a mile or so from where he lives and they came out and filled the car by hand and then he

Went in and paid I think he just handed over the the notes to the guy and he bought the change back just it bought back memories of that as a child there’s wonderful mural in the bus sh here and this a38 I’ve mentioned it before it’s an old Roman Road from

Bristol up towards Gloucester and that’s the cam we’re going to go across on the map it looks like Cambridge but it’s Cambridge that’s where the cam crosses this road you can see there’s a sharpness gluster Canal there which runs alongside the 7s Street which actually that’s quite cleever it’s kind of

Represented by the blue ceiling hav spotted that before and there’s the wild F and wetlands trust slimbridge site wonderful anyway I’m just stopping there to have some food some sandwiches oh look at that Morris fits Harding Alis dearle 1153 clearly it’s to do with love and marriage

Possibly and here’s some pictures of the wetlands Wildfire trust been there many times oh look at that lovely aerial shop probably from the Drone of the church there’s GL sh Canal which you can ride and walk along Cambridge green wonderful one of my favorite spectacles of nature actually seeing on

Take off and land that wonderful whoop sand as they go over I’ve just turned right eastwards off to S North a38 I’m cutting the corner off in this lab this is part of the old rout before they straightened out this was here last time look at this Illinois state plate Land of

Lincoln look a be in it CAC when I circled Across America I went from San Francisco in California to Miami in Southern Florida and I went all through the states and saw the differences and the plates and I have to say my favorite state was Texas it was

Just a transition state really from west to east Court of the journey is massive it’s huge but I picked myself up a souvenir it was an old disused Texas State Place I bought that home on the plane still got that it’s in my bedroom on the wall the other thing I remember about

Texas was so many people spoke to me there because a lot of them had served in the US Air Force and they had been stationed in suffk and West Germany and as soon as they heard me speak English they just wanted to talk and you know share their experiences so many people

Came to talk to me in Texas just got such fun memories of that just up from that this slay B be turned off this mining Road here we’re going to be on quiet roads now I’m now in the town of Cam just climbing out of the cam Valley

Actually and when I took that Minor Road I went past Cam and durby station then you turn left at A T Junction and after a couple of hundred yards if you turn right soon after a Shell filling station you can cut through a Housing State it’s

A bit bumpy a bit like a Runway and then you turn right up this road then when you get opposite nap Farm Nursery you just follow this sign up here no three Road except cycles and it would take us out to like a plateau traffic free and there’s some fantastic views looking

Back down on SN and then we’ll emerge right at the foot of what I call stinum Avenue locals will know what I’m talking about but believe me I’ll film there his worldw is filming it’s beautiful anytime year it’s always nice there this is called peeve LS or peev Ls I’m not sure

How you pronounced set you can see it’s all Now new housing it’s a much nicer way to climb out the valley having lots of traffic behind you and a lot of it is like this and then we turn right here we’re nearing the summit not a car in sight the Quarry

Stinch come out that’s right there an Old Quarry I believe obviously just need to be a little bit careful people could be walking up here final bit up to the summit where that house is just beyond the tree then there’ll be some great views overlooking the S so I’ve just

Come up this way to the right looking back at the cck sword of scotman and this is looking back over the hills in the distance of the Forest of Dean and the Slither of water to 7 S3 see if I can zoom in a little bit you

Cannot see it from here but you can just hear the Roar of traffic of the M5 so we’ have come up somewhere between that slither of the river 7 and this Ridge line the other side of the motorway that’s it looking up real big Hills The Forest of

Dean and this is what I call stinch Avenue coming into the Village of stinch there’s wonderful trees lining this road look has wonderful duffs as well oh look at the trees when I came up here last they still look very lacking in life wintry they just look like

They’re about to burst out now don’t they In Bloom no matter what time the air you come up here this Avenue is always a a pleasure to ride so we are on this B Road briefly and then we’re on this ledge then as it carries on climbing that way

To the left we’re going to drop off it steeply down towards Michael Wood you got to be careful this is a blind Bend and also once you’re on the road it’s very very bumpy got to be so careful down here you don’t go the handle bars by hitting a PO

Hole there we up traffic free look at these lovely yellow flowers in The Verge I love coming along here I came along here under Jack and Grace in in January and there’s wonderful displays of snow drops crocus when I was here back in February about five or six

Weeks ago now there was daffodils I just wonderful first Sun of spring talking about spring look at that field of rape just as a train goes by we’re now running down alongside the M5 you cannot see it but it’s just the overpowering sound I’m not sure if he’s

Coming up on the M fan and see all these trees we’re just about to cut right through that that’s Michael Wood it’s a huge Woodland and there’s some Motorway services in there that drivers may be familiar with Mel Wood services what also cuts through here is a little stream it’s actually called The

Little River aen we’re going to drop down into that Valley cut across it and then climb out but as we go over it there’s something I want to show you we’re now right deep in the heart of Michael Wood you can still just hear the Roar of the motorway so you got this

Tarmac this major roadway running from exter up to Birmingham in complete contrast almost paradoxical there’s a lovely little stream running through these Woods I don’t know if the microphone picked it up but you can hear really hear the Clutter of a woodpecker and unfortunately I saw a

Dead wood pecker bit of road kill back there which is a shame this is our turning off to the left where we crossed the little Haven this wonderful bit of paradise look at this double-edged sword Paradise actually I’ll explain why just going to stop here this looks nice and tranquil

Now but we had rain pretty much nonstop between September and late February I’m in there a few days obviously and you can see the damage it’s done look it’s come along eroded that bit of Bank there and this house here has lost a little bit of their

Driveway that’ll be a while before it’s repaired probably a big structural job and going to have to go through many months of insurance go look there’s a a road barrer just been knocked down 90° so Paradise with a double- EDG sword beautiful gosh I can see pits of brick work in the

Stream there can you imagine the force of that water to wash that away that’s the way we’ve just come down from North nible that’s heading out of these Woods it’ll cross over the motorway on a bridge and you can actually look down on micel wood surfaces which are just the

Other side of these trees then we’re heading up to torworth this is the Little River a re cross up there ladies and gentlemen I can’t think of a better Blue Bell display in this part of the country there may be but I don’t know of them may early June this is world was

Coming up here it’s just blankets carpets and blue up through there and after that you get all like the wild garlic in there just that whiteness and the smell of the overing smell I can see the leaf of it there here we are couple miles further on

We’ve climbed out the valley and we’re passing through the top worth state land climbing up there you can hear the Roar of the motorway over that hill in the distance but it’s heading that way and we’re sort of heading that way so we’ll be leaving it shortly you can tell this

Is an old estate look I don’t know if you can see that building there that yellowy orange one it’s painted now but the roof is like turret shape there’s a corresponding one the other side but this is St Leonard’s church I’ve ridden by her so many times

So it’s probably locked might go and have a look one day R the church yard came in here recently and it was open hoping it’s going to be open today it’s got a very country State feel to it you get a feel for that after a while when you go to

Churches that’s where we’re going plenty of interest in there when we get to the gate I’ll leave my bike outside and I’ll tell you a little bit about the purpose of this road today really really why I’ve chosen this distance the reason for this longer roide today is I’ve been building up the

Mileage over the winter doing some o act in I’ve done two 100 kilometer events both fantastic the OD act club Bristol Jack and Grace which actually rode this way and in February Fletcher Flapjack from chenam excellent event can’t recommend both of them highly enough I’ve entered another one that I’ve

Ridden many times before in May from oron I think that’s Bristol CTC and I’ve entered another 100 km event in June just before I go off on my summer holiday so that would be ideal preparation for what I want to do it’s from the middle of Bristol and it’s

Heading over to the north Sunset Coast Cleves and yat and that sort of area the reason for today then I’m trying to build up my endurance and burn off a bit of winter fat it gets harder each year the old you get once the clocks go forward I’m going to start doing some

Overnight trips I mentioned it at the end of last video I want to ride and visit all the Wilshire Church’s conservation trust properties on New Year’s Day I did part one I rode over in ranges very limited access there it’s mod land it’s a firing range I went to

St J’s Church there that’s part one part two I rode from Westbury down Salsbury got a train home that was exploring the churches in the South Western quadrant my last video was exploring the churches in the Southeastern quadrant and then sometime in the next few weeks I’m going to get a train to

Puy and explore the two Northern quadrants I worked out the route it’s basically in a t- shape I’ll start off in puy go north retrace a little bit and then I will stay in Hill Martin Church overnight it’s a champing church so I’ll have the hold of the church myself for

The night I’ll book it on day two I’ll be good the top of the tea going to Lee delir and then turning around going all the way back along to north of Swindon English they used to be a youth hostel I believe not years ago

Clos in ’90s that’ll be the final of the 21 churches then zoomed down to Swindon probably hopping weather spoons just to avoid rush hour and have a few drinks and meal then get an even train home to Bath also got my sights on exploring the river Wy going to it very s

In Maiden Bradley in Wilshire it’s kind of in a boomerang shape it goes round bows round and it joins the river aen in between Wilton and Salsbury and what I’m going to do there’s a corridor either side of that River I’m going to go and visit all the churches either side of

That 28 miles 30 churches that’ll be overnighter Vivan or camping whether I can get in all the churches I doubt it very much but I know at least some of them I can so that’s what’s coming up in the next next few weeks firstly can’t

Wait to go in there I will leave my sunglasses and hat out there that wonderful Bell Tower it’s almost like a wedding guy in tears Sanctuary handle oh yes it is open and you come into the bell tower it feels like a porch but it’s actually not it’s the Bell Tower

It’s got a very Community feel to it look all the utility stuff there but notice boards wheelchair ramp don’t think that’s open no that probably access up in the bell tower because it was so teared I wonder if there could possibly be classrooms up there oldfashioned classrooms I just don’t know let’s go

Inside as usual I’ll leave something here that gives you an idea of what it cost to keep a wellmaintained building like this open every year squeaky door now this I’ve never seen a font like that they often have a cover on them they’re locked because obviously they’re lead lines so you know

There’s the chance of Heritage crime but that’s almost got a a py chain that lift up I’ve never seen one like that before so we straight into the main H heading forwards called those candles heard a great quote the other day about candles candle makers by a very acknowledged ecologist so

Acknowledged I can’t remember his name and he said something along the lines of even the finest candle makers of the day could have never imagined electricity and it was a metaphor about peer review he wasn’t very complimentary about it actually his point being scientific desies are quite often on the

Fringes they’re by Outsiders so how can people possibly agree about something that hasn’t been discovered yet anyway we walk forward oh yes I remember that stone steps and stone base up to a very Grand cared wooden pull pit brass handrails and rope the Chanel the lovely tiling softens the light

Subtly into this sort of place of higher worship imagine that’s the vestan there where the clergy would have got Chained and kept their records steps up the AL those Ward seats I was mentioning once before but I love this in here I thought it a kind of burial

Chamber its purpose now is a Chapel of Peace and reflection the Chapel of Peace this area was created for quiet prayer in the 1980s and this is what I wanted to show you the stain glass above the tombs is pre-reformation that’s lucky to have survived probably 1472 and contains the portrait and the

Voices of king Edward IV though he does not seem to have had a direct connection with the church and that’s what they’re referring to up there I’ll try and zoom in because unfortunately the camera’s going into direct light theth Century state glass and the same

Hair you can see the oh is that coming out I’ll try and get some photographs I probably can control the light more with that wonderful place is so quiet here having heard the Roar of that motay and the wi the last few hours all the plaes and tablets on the wall

Memorials and then there’s this tomb of this gentleman here the Fig and it says the throck Morton tombs probably by Garrett Johnson who sculpted Shakespeare’s bust at Stratford briefly the throck Morton lived at torworth court a moted manor house and it goes on to say the Thro Morton

Were related to best of Corton Court worker who married s water rally local tradition has it that he did his courting here it may be true since they named their first son born out of wedlock Dory D was where we crossed through Michael Wood came up over that bridge

A connection to Shakespeare and S water rally amazing what you see and discover out on the day road love this place as always whenever I sign a visitor’s book I’m just intrigued to know who was here last and from where I’ve put my entry in 21st Mars and DC exploring lovely churches by

Bicycle B but look who was here before me that person there granddaughter of Sir Thomas throck Morton and Lady Elizabeth throck anyway back at this wonderful Church all the lights are automated so sensors go off on I leave have a Wonder around the churchard and I’ll show you

Around back outside looking up at the tower and straight away that cold winds blasting on my face through my ears and you can hear that Roar of traffic over y under just come over to see this bit of official stuff there plan it says about the church side please remember that

This is not a municipal Cemetery but a quiet Haven where all are invited Loland Britain has lost some 90% of unimproved grassland in our lifetime so we keep some areas to provide a refuge for a greater variety of wildlife the people’s reference there’s a top there through every short of water oh

Look all these lovely flowers so it’s come churchard come Wildlife Haven the church I’m going to be champing at is Hill Martin up near K of often thought I’ll probably never go there why would I go so close to home what would be the purpose of going in

There so it’s tied in perfectly with this this trip I want to do exploring all the works of CCT churches so as long as it all works out it should be a great little trip I’m going to wait until after Easter because it’s going to be half

Term next week so I always try and avoid school holidays for that sort of thing and also the clocks will be going forward next weekend as well so the evening is going to get louter oh this is beautiful around here I didn’t come down this far last

Time because it was actually raining I died in the church really more for shter that looks like the ruins or the remains of part of the church or some kind of building see the arches in the pillar this be Facing East so that be the Chan of window

There right let’s make our way down of course I wonder if that’s like the vest Tre that would correspond with it wouldn’t it there’s like almost like a mini tower there oh look all the abundance of flow Stone seat over there going and see what this

Says it’s a loving Shrine is snit in memory of Julia ktis duche born 1828 di nce 1895 buried at torworth February the 14th Valentine’s Day 1895 there’s this wonderful shter here p perseverance I guess that means wonderful carvings gargo wonderful carvings I’m a bit in all stone masons

Had my house repointed a few years back I live in an old Victorian house bath stone faced so you canot just put a bit strap pointed in that you’ve got to use proper line morar plaster and the renovations were done in stone and their craftsmanship was absolutely amazing and they’re both really really

Nice guys as well I’m intrigued to know what that is behind actually not going to go in there cuz well for one thing it doesn’t look safe and secondly it’s private but yeah that looks quite Grand doesn’t it that looks like it would have been grand at one time

Anyway time the head up hope my bike’s still there that’s Stone cross out in the churchard I’m repeating what I heard on a CCT talk a few months back the lady was saying quite often if you find a stone cross out in a churchard it could

Have also been a place where they did outside worship I gu in nice weather but as I was saying about the pews being relatively modern so are gravestones and so it would have been a communal place also for people to come and pay their respects to loved ones who

Had passed on so whenever I see those I think about that very very old back out at the gate sh they look after these all old estate properties I’d imagine now going to ride up the gravel track turn left back on that Minor Road and it’s about 25 miles back to my home

In bath had a fantastic day out I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along as always look out for each other everybody and I’ll see you soon bye for now