The past bears a heavy legacy in Latvia, one of three Baltic states, including Lithuania and Estonia, that were only granted independence from Russian rule in the closing decade of the 20th century. Little known in much detail to Western Europeans, Latvia, for a large part of the 20th century, languished behind the Iron Curtain…

This afternoon I captured a vision, not on my camera but in my mind. I was standing high on the Staffordshire Moorlands and the late afternoon winter sun was illuminating the hilly landscape before me, casting it in a golden haze. As I looked down into the valley, I could make out a church spire…

The rain lashed our faces as we made our way hastily towards the steps of the house, seeking shelter. Once through the door, we were taken down a flight of steep steps twisting their way below ground, underneath the house. The Undercroft Hidden away from sight and sound, a large vaulted undercroft lay waiting, its…

First Sight We waited with excitement for our car to crest the hill between us and Pershore. A moment later, our patience was rewarded with a magnificent view. The abbey church of Pershore stood confidently in the valley before us, the small Georgian town of Pershore wrapping itself around the abbey grounds. Red brick houses…

I felt rather overdressed as we struggled up the steep earth bank, the sun scouring the early morning mist from the hillside. As we placed our feet on the dark brown earth, we were merely brushing the surface of an ancient landscape more composed of myth than physical reality. The Wrong Hill Finally, after a…

I have wanted to go to Brewood (Staffordshire) for a while and I was thrilled to be finally entering the parish church of St Mary and St Chad at last. We stepped through the porch abandoning the warm summer weather for the gloom of the church interior. The range of memorials was impressive enough, the…

The main high street to St Alkmund’s church in Whitchurch, Shropshire, was steep and we were relieved to have finally reached the top. Excited and flushed from our brisk walk we placed warm hands on the cold iron handle of the church door and twisted. The scene which greeted us was filled with light cascading…

Some places are hidden not just from the modern world but from time itself which seems to pass by without causing any change or decay. Ingestre, near Stafford in Staffordshire, is one of those places. Yet, at the heart of Ingestre’s untold story is loss, grief and death. Lashed with Rain As we (me and…