Roman Rust

On yesterday's walk I came across a rather plain rusty iron, six bar gate that reminded me of Roman armour.  It is now thought that on a long campaign the legionaries would let their armour rust a little and then rub it with some oil.  This would have created a solid rust and iron patina that would protect the iron underneath from further corrosion.  The shiny 'lorica segmantata' [the armoured segmented tunic] seen on films, such as Gladiator, would only have been seen where the legionary had the time to clean and polish the armour.

The Village Lock Up

Prior to the 1839 County Police Act, sometimes known as the Rural Police Act, most villages of any size had a 'lock up', where law breakers could be detained prior to a court appearance.  The Act allowed for the appointment of a professional police constable, rather than the part time Parish constable, to be employed 'for the preservation of the peace and protection of the inhabitants'.  It also stipulated that a police house had to be constructed, along with appropriate cell accommodation.  The Old Police House is up on the Cirencester road in Arlington and looks as if it was built around the time of the Act.  However, the photo above is of the lock up.  It must have been a grim place to have spent anytime at all, never mind a cold winter's night.  The only window is a very small one to the rear which is heavily barred and the door is hugely thick and riveted.  It looks a little unloved at the moment, but it would be fascinating to find out who has languished within and why they were there!

The rear, and only, window.  Along with modern fag ends.

A great old oak door.  Imagine that slamming behind you!

Brown Trout

The cold clear weather has brought the brown trout out.  For a few weeks they have been lying low in the deeper waters, but now with the brighter, drier weather they are basking in the shallows.  Life must be good for a brown trout in the Coln as some of them seem to reach excellent sizes.  The one in the photograph above must be around the 3lb mark and it was fixed to the spot for ages in the fast flowing water, which must take considerable effort.  Perhaps it is waiting for food, in the form of insects, to float down or to settle on the surface, or maybe they find it relaxing just to swim slowly against the current.  I'll nip out at lunch time and see if it is still there.

Sloes and Berries

It occurred to me yesterday that the hedgerows may be at their best at this time of year.  In spring they are bursting with life and movement, but at this time of year they have a much calmer beauty.  The above is a snap of woodbine berries amongst some sloes, which really caught my eye.

Feeding the Ducks

Bibury could be called the wedding capital of the Cotswolds.  A sort of Las Vegas in limestone.  There can be up to ten weddings in a weekend here so we become very used to wedding parties parading through the village.  It certainly cheers me up seeing so many well dressed people enjoying themselves.  The couple in the photograph above were married this morning and had a photo call on the medieval clapper bridge which leads to Arlington Row.  The were asked by their photographer to feed the ducks.  He supplied several loaves of bread until he had enough shots and I think even the greediest of ducks was quite full.

I've just sold a bookmark and four Bibury coasters to a couple of Rome.  When they said where they were from Rome I thanked them for building some of the roads around here.  It just slipped out.  They were amused and I think secretly pleased!

A Mysterious Stone...

This big chunk of limestone is laid into the verge by the road that goes through the hamlet of Ready Token, which is about 2 miles from Bibury.  The road is the old Roman road of Akeman Street which linked the Fosse Way with Watling Street.  No one knows why the stone is there, but some people say that it was ploughed up and then removed to the verge so it would no longer interfere with cultivation.  I think that it looks too 'worked' for this to have been the case.  It is not a milestone as the ones on this section of the road are remarkably complete and this is not one of them.  Perhaps it was part of the old Roman road's construction?  In any case it's a big old thing and I'm sure it will be there fore many years to come.  

Game Holes

I've always been intrigued by the little game holes in Cotswold stone walls.  There are many in the stone walls around the village and their primary purpose was to allow grey partridge to travel from field to field.  Being a ground bird the partridge tend to walk in flocks, or coveys, as they feed and are well camouflaged in the grass, stubble or crop.  If they were forced to jump over the walls they would become easy prey.  The hole in the wall therefore allowed them safe passage from field to field. 

The grey partridge was once very abundant, but numbers declined to critical levels post WWII due to the use of pesticides, herbicides and the removal of hedgerows.  However, they are making a small comeback and some farmers are now encouraging them to thrive once more.