Tag Archives: england

Where they sing hymns in North Mymms

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RECENTLY, WE WERE on our way to Hatfield in Hertfordshire when we made a short detour to see the church of St Mary in North Mymms. Which s not far from South Mimms. The church was open, and we entered. Among several items of interest in this edifice, which dates back to the early fourteenth century, we saw a large tomb next to the north wall.

The tomb, which is made from white Derbyshire alabaster – a sort of gypsum resembling marble – is rectangular, box-shaped. Its top or lid is decorated with a portrait of a lady in Elizabethan clothing with her hands held together as if she was praying. The image is in black and was created by inscribing the stone with the design and filling the grooves with black bitumen (see: https://www.northmymmshistory.uk/2018/08/historical-treasures-of-church-of-st.html#tomb). In its simplicity the image on this sixteenth century tomb looks remarkably modern.

The tomb is the final resting place of a member of the Barforde (aka Beresford) family, but it is not known which one. The family lived in North Mymms when two of their daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, died within three months of each other, in about 1584. The image might possibly represent one or both.

As for the name of the village in which the church is located, North Mymms, the etymology of ‘Mymms’ is not known. And like the tomb which might be that of Mary and/or Elizabeth, the spelling of the places’s name has also been uncertain. Over the centuries the village’s second name has been spelled both as ‘Mymms’ and ‘Mimms’. This uncertainty remained until 20 February 1939 when Hertfordshire County Council decided that the spelling be fixed as ‘Mymms’ (see  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Mymms).

Once again, we have found that by randomly visiting villages and other places in England, it is highly likely that we come across items of historical interest. The alabaster tomb, whose existence had been hitherto unknown to us, is a fine example.

Never mind the weather. Have food and drink outdoors

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DURING THE COVID19 pandemic, meeting indoors was neither allowed nor encouraged in the UK. Eventually, restaurants, cafés, and pubs began providing outdoor seating areas – something that was relatively rare before the pandemic.

The plants surround an outdoor seating area at the Mall Tavern

Long after the worst of the pandemic was over, people continued to drink and eat outdoors, even in bad weather. Many hospitality establishments offer facilities for customers to eat and drink ‘alfresco’.

For example, since the pandemic years, a local pub, The Mall Tavern, in Notting Hill Gate has been occupying a bit of the road and pavement outside it, and has been placing benches and tables there.

They are still in place and very popular with customers.

Where Scotland meets England and a curious gift shop

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THE MITFORD SISTERS were daughters of David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale. The A68 road that runs from Edinburgh in Scotland to Darlington in England cosses the border between the two countries at Carter Bar. This pass in the Cheviot Hills is a few feet higher than the source of the River Rede, which flows through Northumberland (England) in a valley named Redesdale. The Mitford sisters’ father and grandfather were the Barons Redesdale.

 

Pipers Gift Shop at Carter Bar

Carter Bar, the place where the A68  crosses the Anglo-Scottish border is named after a toll gate that used to stand on the frontier, but has been removed or demolished.  At 1371 feet above sea level, the views over both Scotland and England are spectacular.

 

On each side of the road, there are large rocks. Each one has “England”  inscribed on one side, and “Scotland “ on the other.  The stones were sculpted by Eddie Laub.

 

When we visited Carter Bar on 28 April 2026, we saw a car parked there. Its boot was open, and filled with souvenirs for passers-by to purchase. The car bore a banner that read “Pipers Gift Shop”. An elderly man sat forlornly in the driver’s seat, and did not appear to hear us when we addressed him.

 

Carter Bar is certainly worth visiting not only to enjoy the views but also because the road leading to and from it runs through wonderful scenery.

Art and architecture in the middle of Middlesbrough

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NEW YORK CITY has its MOMA, and Middlesbrough in northeast England’s has its MIMA, which stands for Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.  Standing proudly in the heart of the town, these building housing MIMA is a superb piece of modern architecture.

 

MIMA in the background and sculpture by Oldenburg and Van Bruggen

Completed in 2007, this adventurous edifice was designed by a Dutch firm: Erick van Egeraat Associated Architects. The building alone is a fine work of art, most fitting for housing artworks and events connected with them.

 

During our visit on 21 April 2026, we saw several items on display, including many fascinating ceramic objects and some images relating to Middlesbrough past and present. Also, we refreshed ourselves with good coffee served in MIMA’s attractive café/restaurant. Outside the buildings, there is a large sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen called “Bottle of Notes”. Created in 1993, it the only work by these artists made in the UK. 

 

Even if there is no special exhibition being shown at MIMA, it is worth visiting the place to savour its architecture.

A disappointing place to visit

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WE HAD HEARD that Hartlepool has an art gallery with a good collection of modern British art. So, being in he northeast of England,  we made a detour to visit the town. However, when we arrived at the Victorian church that houses the gallery on 21 April 2026, none of this art was on display. One show had just ended, and another was due to start in early May.

Central Hartlepool

We wandered around the town centre, which was fairly cheerless. Well if we had not gone there, we would not have discovered that. 

A new book about discovering the delights of England will be available soon

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I AM AWAITING the arrival of a proof copy of my NEW BOOK about exploring lesser-known places in England to arrive from the printer.

After I have checked it for quality issues, it will soon be available for you to read.

SO, WATCH THIS SPACE!

A little introduction to the forthcoming book:

TRAVEL THROUGH ENGLAND FROM ABBEY WOOD TO ZENNOR, passing on the way places such as Abingdon Piggotts, Barcelona, Come-to-Good, Freshwater, Indian Queens, Little London, Long Melford, New York, Outgate, Queen Camel, Six Mile Bottom, and Veryan.

In this book, Adam Yamey describes a collection of mostly lesser-known places in England, many of which he visited during and after the period when covid19 pandemic restrictions made travelling abroad difficult. On the tour Adam will reveal aspects of life in England from before the Neolithic era to the reign of King Charles III. Adam’s profusely illustrated book contains historical as well as current information, along with personal observations. It will open your eyes to the delights and curiosities of England that can be discovered when you stray off the ‘beaten track’.

Drafting an introduction to a book about England – your comments, please!

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I am writing a book about visiting places in England. Here is a part of the introduction to the book. As it is only a draft, please feel free to comment on it, and also to let me know whether it would entice you to want to read further. What I have written is below this photograph.

This is what I have written:

There are plenty of remarkable places in England. For as the author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) wrote in his “A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain”:

“In travelling thro’ England, a luxuriance of objects presents itself to our view: Where-ever we come, and which way soever we look, we see something new, something significant, something well worth the travellers stay, and the writer’s care…”

What Defoe wrote so many years ago in the mid-1720s, is still true today. My book is about exploring a selection of places in England, especially many of them that are not on tourists’ usual itineraries. I have written about locations, which have intrigued me.  Although some of them will not be familiar to most readers, I hope they will be found to be interesting. I have visited most of them since the onset of the covid19 pandemic in early 2020.

For about 10 years prior to 2020, we did not own a car. When the covid19 lockdown regulations began to ease a little in the UK, and greater freedom of movement was permitted despite the high prevalence of the infectious disease, we felt the need to roam around – to ‘escape’ from our neighbourhood. However, we had become uneasy about using public transport. So, in May 2020, when car showrooms reopened, we acquired a car, and began making day trips into the countryside. At that time, staying in hotels etc was not allowed. After a few months, it became possible to stay in hotels, guest houses, and so on.

Before the onset of the pandemic, we had, like so many others, chosen to holiday out of England, believing places abroad to be more interesting than our own country. During the pandemic, we were compelled to travel within its confines. And having travelled extensively in England during the last 5 years, we have discovered that the country is as least as interesting as many lands across the sea on the mainland of Europe. This book gives an account of some of the places we have been to in England since May 2020, and a few that we had already seen before the pandemic.


A drop in the ocean

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Just as many associate Spain with sunshine, plenty of folk think of rain when they consider England. Yet, ironically, there is currently a shortage of water in the country. This is partly because there has been insufficient rainfall and also because for years, governments have neglected maintaining reservoirs and other water sources and water companies have been prioritising profit over provision of water to their customers.

So when it rained today after many weeks of dry weather, we breathed a sigh of relief. But this will be short-lived, because what fell today was literally a drop in the ocean.