Ottery St. Mary

We decided to break our journey from Lyme Regis to Holne at Ottery St. Mary, home to both a fine church and a fine off-license.

Crossed the much meandering Axe somewhere near Colyton, where we noticed an egret. A proper O-level physical geography sort of place.

Rather nearer Ottery, we got stuck behind a large trailer full of what looked like chopped maize, presumably destined to feed cows. A tractor and trailer which headed right into the rather cramped and narrow town and out the other side. One of a number of such tractors and trailers in and about Ottery that day. Perhaps locals get to know times and days to avoid. To judge by the number of big old buildings, clearly once a rich town; rich from what, one wonders. And, according to Wikipedia, a town which was once owned by Rouen Cathedral, an ownership dating to before the conquest.

Seasons

First stop after we parked (the occasion of some flapdoodle) was probably the tea shop in Silver Street for a spot of refreshment. Unusually, crumpets were available, with an optional cheese or Marmite topping, with the former being taken by the next table. I opted for crumpets with neither cheese nor Marmite. Tea served in proper tea cups from a proper tea pot which made a nice change. And the chap who served us, who turned out to be the proprietor, declined to take a tip, claiming owner's privilege and telling us that if he had had paid staff it would have been different. They would have been entitled.

On into the large church, said to be modelled on Exeter Cathedral. A place with collegiate status and a warden in the two hundreds years up to the dissolution. One assumes some subtle variation on an abbey. Plus you get a strong Coleridge connection, the family that produced the famous poet.

South flank

Smart new kitchen area

Elaborate altar, presumably Victorian

A lady Coleridge

Unusual stone canopy

I think there were a couple of these tombs, which must have been from some centuries before Lady Coleridge. Don't recall ever seeing anything like them before, or at least, not anywhere else.

New hangings, plus a sort of sanctuary lamp

Choir, crossing and nave

Unusual pair of tombs

Fine trees in garden over the wall

Odd corner of the church yard, with corrugated

New toilet block

For some reason we did not get to have a proper look at the famous astronomical clock. Something to be corrected on our next visit.

A place which had clearly had a huge amount of money spent on it over the years, but which did not feel very sacred at all. Probably not helped by being hugely too big for present needs.

Chablis

Out to inspect the fine off-license, Christopher Piper Wines, not in the same place as I remembered and not looking in the least as I remembered, but it very probably was the same place. And it did have a very good selection of white wine. I fell for a bottle of Chablis, a 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, from Pinson, a name I thought I remembered from Hedonism of Davies Street, but their website denies any such thing. But see references 5 and 6 instead.

We got around to drinking the wine last night and very good it was too. Confirmation of my theory that if you want Chablis, better not to go bottom of the range, generally not to my taste. Which rules the stuff out from the sort of public houses and restaurants that we tend to use. So it made a nice change.

Odd aeroplane?

From the car park, we spotted a strange looking aeroplane with a long thin fuselage, long thin wings and two propellers, presumably going in to land at Exeter Airport. I feel sure that I have seen such an aeroplane before, in much the same place and my recollection is that Google had no trouble finding out what it was. But the best he can do today is a Bombardier DH4, which I am not quite sure about.

'P' with panoramic intended

Time was by now getting on, so we picnic'd somewhere to the west of Ottery, not on the 'P' with panoramic marked above, as intended.

After a wet run down the A38, arrived at Holne to find that the Church House Inn had now reopened, by people with Teignmouth, Starcross and Wigan connections, the first two of which BH could relate to. As it turned out, we did not get to visit, our custom having fallen, on this occasion, on the Forest Inn. See reference 4.

Dined that evening off pasties from Lyme, supplemented by some boiled vegetables. As it turned out, one of the few occasions when we even came close to cooking a proper meal. Not like holidays of yore, when I would be out sourcing interesting meats from local butchers and knocking up complicated stews. Plus red lentils from Ontario, naturally.

Reference 1: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/search?q=Osnaburgh+Street. The last notice, very sketchy, of a visit, getting on for ten years ago now.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.com/2015/10/inflation.html. The last notice of the church and off-license.

Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/10/piano-31.html. The piano.

Reference 4: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/10/in-praise-of-forest-inn.html.

Reference 5: https://www.christopherpiperwines.co.uk/. The shop.

Reference 6: http://www.domaine-pinson.com/en/. The vigneron. Seemingly better at wine than at websites, although I may have caught this last at a bad time. From the town of Chablis, no less; maybe 100km east of Orléans.