Tuesday 13 September 2016

Calling In On Clare

Clare,
the little town of Clare in Suffolk


lots of old buildings,
some half-timbered,


and some with decorative plaster-work
or "pargetting"


This extravagant example
is partly a museum,
partly a holiday let.


It has a scattering of small shops,
independent traders.


An interesting display
of old bottles.


A fine old church,
built during the town's boom period,
when wool ruled everything.


Nowadays the tourist rules,
though it's still a busy little town.


The Swan pub.
Set in the wall above the pub door
is a mighty oak beam
with a carved swan and other symbols
It's thought to be the oldest pub sign
in England.



And there are still some workaday establishments,
the kind that have largely disappeared elsewhere.


And a huge ancient man-made mound,
with the remains of a castle on top.


You can shop for antiques
if that's your thing,


or sit in the sun 
 and enjoy 
 a cuppa.


Take care.




23 comments:

  1. That looks wonderful, my kind of place, with the help of your excellent photographs. We have just returned from a few days in Suffolk (so you can expect to see the results sometime) and I was looking forward to seeing some pargetting but I think it is more common toward Essex and in Essex itself? Anyway, that's a fabulous example in Clare - and I like the look of the pub... (particularly having rediscovered Adnams of late).

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  2. Such a lovely little town. Gorgeous!

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  3. Oh yes indeed! I can see why the tourists love Clare! Could you get a more quintessential English town John. I would be in the antique shops in a flash, probably just enjoying the presence of really old things.. seeing as I'm now in my minimal stage ☺ I see that you also have a swan reference today, yours white and mi e black 😊

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  4. A beautiful little town there, and a wonderful place for a photo journey.

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  5. Those magnificent Suffolk churches were I think mostly built on the proceeds of wool - I love them. I like the look of that old pub too - do they have rooms too?

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  6. A nice little tour of Clare. Thanks. It's nice to see the little hardware store standing strong. Most of our independent hardware stores in the states have been pushed out of business by the large box stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart.

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  7. Excellent display of photos John! A nice little town with those attractive little shops that tourists love. It would be great to stroll through there for a day.

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  8. It looks like a great town to explore.

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  9. Looks like a very interesting place to visit. That pargetting is very interesting.

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  10. I enjoy seeing these little towns around where you live.

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  11. What a gorgeous little town. I love the Iron monger's shop it reminds me of the TV series "Open All Hours" with David Jason as Grenville. The house decorations are interesting too. We believe in the obligatory tea or coffee on outings too.

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  12. I love all those old houses, so lovely when you compare them to London's towers

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  13. Golly, I had a boyfriend who lived in Clare, went to visit his mother there once, many years ago. Gorgeous little place.

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  14. merci pour ces visites - architecture & histoire locale, Swan pub..., révision de la langue anglaise : dry cleaning - tailor repair - laundry service !

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  15. Hi John - looks a delightful small town to visit - loved your photos and showing us round. That church looks magnificent ... and you're right the ironmongers are disappearing ... cheers Hilary

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  16. Ah that tea sure looks good right now! It's a nice little village you've documented for us. I've never seen that fancy plaster work before.

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  17. It has just about everything, John. I love the variety.

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  18. Everything to do in this quaint village John - browsing in that antique shop would be a real treat.

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  19. I love this little town. It looks so wonderful with these lovely houses and beautiful church.
    And all your details are very nice (the blue bottles are lovely, I would take all of them..:)

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  20. Such a rustic and lovely old place! Thanks for taking us along on your visit.

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  21. If I could visit England it would be to poke about in small villages--never mind London and Buckingham Palace!

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  22. John, every post you write makes me want to come back and explore some more. So much to see in England, it would take every day of the rest of my life to see it all. Thank you for such evocative posts.

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