Stow
in the Wold, Gloucestershire, Cotswolds
BRETFORTON:
UNDISCOVERED COTSWOLDS
by
Bruce Burnett
The
Cotswolds, those rolling, dry-stone-walled hills about two hours northwest
of London, are rightly regarded as quintessential England.
Ancient villages built from the local, soft, honey-colored limestone such
as Broadway, Chipping Campden and Stow-in-the-Wold are world famous. But
there is a price to pay for world fame. Sometimes that great photograph
of the antiquated inn can't be taken. There are just too many tour buses
in the way.
However, undiscovered Cotswold villages, with true local character, still
exist. Examples are: Stanton, Snowshill, Bisley and Bretforton in Worcestershire.
The last lies between the town of Evesham and the steep western edge of
the Cotswold Hills where much of the local, honey-colored stone is quarried.
The documented history of Bretforton dates back over 1,200 years to a
Saxon deed of 714 AD. The Saxons called the village Brotforton, meaning
"The ford with planks", possibly a reference to a ford with
a footbridge along side of it.
The two focal points of Bretforton are Saint Leonard's, the parish church,
and the pub, the Fleece Inn, which won the 2006 CAMRA (Campaign for Real
Ale) "Worcestershire Pub of the Year" award.
The church is the oldest building in Bretforton, the original stonework
dating from the 12th-century. The chancel was probably built between 1282
and 1295. The transept chapels were completed in the 14th-century, along
with the west wall, which was probably rebuilt to replace an earlier wall.
The north wall of the north aisle was rebuilt in the 15th-century along
with the tower, although the internal stone of the latter appears to be
earlier.
Interesting sculptures in the church include some that are clearly of
Celtic significance, but their relationship to the Christian church is
a mystery. Of uncertain date is the remarkable piece of sculpture representing
the legend of St. Margaret. She was swallowed by a dragon, but clung fast
to her staff bearing a cross, which split the dragon and the saint emerged
unharmed.
Outside the church the gargoyled waterspouts of the tower consist of three
shaped as demons, bat-like with their claws, wings and crumpled faces.
Inexplicably, the gargoyle on the SE corner is a lion.
The Fleece remained a farmhouse until 1848 when Henry Byrd, whose family
had occupied it for 400 years, sold the farmland and procured a license
to sell beer and cider. Until well into this century, both brews were
produced in the back kitchen.
Henry Byrd's great-granddaughter, Lola Taplin, ran the Fleece single-handedly
for the last 30 years of her life. She died in 1977 at the age of 83,
leaving the Fleece to the National Trust on the condition that it would
continue to be run as an unspoilt country pub. The interior remains very
much as it was during the 1800s.
There are three principal rooms at the Fleece, the Brewhouse, the Pewter
Room and Dugout. Artifacts in the Brewhouse include the wooden malt shovel
hanging by the fireplace and the harvest barrels on the main ceiling beam.
The latter were used to take cider to the workers in the fields during
harvest time. Also hanging from the beam are fine examples of early pub
measures in brass and copper.
During Queen Victoria's reign strict laws were passed regulating the quantities
of liquor served in licensed premises. This collection carries the Victorian
calibrations, stamped to verify accuracy.
The repeated chalking of the joints over hundreds of years to ward off
witches and evil spirits produced indentations in the flagstones of the
Brewhouse. All entries to the home had to be protected. Charms were hung
over doors and windows and each day circles were chalked on the hearth
to prevent entry via the chimney. Circles, which have no corners in which
evil spirits can hide, have always had mystical significance and are also
symbolic of the "all seeing eye."
The
Fleece Inn, Bretforton, Worcestershire, in the Cotswolds
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Opening
off the Brewhouse is the Dugout. Originally the farmhouse pantry,
it contains a coffin-like table with a hinged lid. Dough would be
placed inside the table, free from draughts, to rise before being
baked into bread. The Pewter Room houses an extensive hoard of pewter
that local legend claims was left by Oliver Cromwell in exchange for
gold and silver plate taken to pay the parliamentary armies. |
Originally
the Pewter Room was the farm kitchen and several large roasting spits
hang over the fireplace, together with the pan used to catch the fat dripping
from the meat. These spits would rest in the dog irons on either side
of the grate. The clockwork jacks which rotated the spits were stolen
when Lola Taplin died. The small boxes of various shapes were used to
store candles. In the back of the settle are two small compartments where
shoes could be kept warm and dry.
In the grounds of the Fleece stands a large round stone, a relic from
an early cider press. There are also several "straddle" stones.
These mushroom-shaped stones are common throughout the Cotswolds and were
used to support platforms on which grain was stored. The overhang of the
mushroom prevented rats and other vermin from reaching the food.
The Fleece is a full-service public house serving complete meals and snacks
with an extensive wine list and a good selection of local cider and real
ales. For more information about the Fleece, check the pub's website at
http://thefleeceinn.co.uk/home.html.
BRETFORTON:
UNDISCOVERED COTSWOLDS
was
first published in the Kelowna Capital News
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