The old pals act

[Steve1962]

......otherwise known as " Steve and Andy invade another unsuspecting town ! " ............. this time , it was Pershore , in Worcestershire .........

 

 

 

I called Andy this afternoon to see if he would be interested in a ride out to check out the Abbey and bridges at Pershore , and once he had checked his watch [ is it showing the right time now Andy ? ] ...and got himself back into the right time zone , we agreed to meet up at Broadway ......here are a few shots I took on the way there ...........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Broadway , we had a quick wander about .........

 

 

 

and then made our way to Pershore , riding through the town to the bridges on the far side

 

......... this has seen action [ fierce fighting ] in the Civil War .........

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some detail ..........

 

 

 

 

 

he bikes on the bridge ..............

 

 

 

Then onto the Abbey ..........beautiful .........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trusty steeds ............

 

 

The White Horse Hotel , circa 1904 .......... some of the folk in it were born before that date

 

 

 

 

 

Time to head home , so we thread our way back to the main road and split at the A44 .......... I stopped to take a few more shots on my way back .........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy ,

 

Thanks again for an entertaining afternoon out !!

 

Steve

[Francois_Dumas]

Wonderful pics as always Steve

[Steve1962]

Francois,

Thanks ......Andy has some which no doubt he will add to the mix ,

 

Steve

[L Rider]

Spectacular post!!! Thanks!!

[Boffin]

Well my broadband connection seems very flaky tonight, so let's hope this post gets up all right.

 

Earlier today I get a phone call from Steve asking if I want to meet up for a ride. I say 'Great' and we agree to meet at Broadway in the Cotswolds, about 1 ½ hours south for me. Looking at my watch I say, hmm, it's 20 past 1 - so 3 o'clock meet. No says Steve it is 2:30! my watch is wrong. So we arrange to meet at 4pm.

 

I arrive at Broadway and cruise up and down the main street before stopping outside a pub to wait for Steve. While waiting I take a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

This is a Fire Insurance Plaque. In the days before municipal fire brigades, private companies set up fire fighting services. You paid your insurance premium and were issued with a marker to put up by your doorway. Each company had its own badge and the policy number was stamped onto it. In the event of a fire, the brigade would check your policy number and if you had paid up to date, they tackled the fire. If not, they got out the bread and made toast.

 

 

Steve arrives:

 

 

We have a quick look round one of the quieter backwaters in Broadway:

 

 

Then onto Pershore Bridges.

There has been a crossing over the Avon here since the 11th or 12th century as the land on both sides was owned by Westminster Abbey. The earliest documentary evidence of a bridge was in 1290, when Sir Nicholas de Mutthon left 1 shilling in his will to effect repairs. By the early 15th century the old wooden bridge had fallen into disrepair and people used the ford and stepping stones. It is said that the Abbot of Pershore Abbey fell from these and drowned, leading to the building of a stone bridge in 1413.

On the 5 June 1644, during the English Civil War, King Charles and his troops were fleeing back to Worcester after the disastrous siege of Oxford. With the Parliamentarians hot on his heels, King Charles orders the bridge to be demolished. This was done with to much haste and when the central span collapsed it took with it 40 men, including the aptly names Major Bridge. These poor souls drowned in the Avon. So important was the bridge, that it was rebuilt the same year. The new section can be clearly seen to this day, due to the different shape of the arch and the different coloured stone used.

 

 

The River Avon:

 

 

Steve getting creative:

 

 

On then to Pershore Abbey.

Parked up - my new Caberg Justissimo dark metallic blue helmet is a perfect match for Biarritz Blue.

 

Founded in 618AD the abbey has seen some dramatic changes in its history. The cloisters are long gone - lost to the reformation. Some of the stonework found its way to repair the bridges shown earlier.

 

 

 

 

The enormous weight of stone is evident here:

 

 

 

 

 

The adjacent parish church and an ancient market cross.

 

 

The bikes wait outside a welcoming hotel, the White Horse.

We had a diet coke and a chat to some cheerful locals.

 

 

These painted window panes date back to the buildings origins in the late Victorian era.

 

 

And so we rode on for another dozen or so miles before going our separate ways home.

 

Thanks to Steve for another enjoyable ride. Thanks to you all for reading this,

 

Andy

[Francois_Dumas]

It worked ! Good stuff Andy !

[KCScott]

Thank you so much for your wonderful pictures and tales. I was in the UK this summer with my daughter, but unfortunatly stayed mostly in London with one day trip to Windsor and Eaton. Please keep them coming!

[CraigC]

Thanks for sharing, great pictures and commentary!