PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Thursday 27 September 2012

The Old Butcher's Shop & a Hotch Potch of Stiles

This enormous, split ash tree is around 150 years old.   The ash tree was known as the healing tree, and folk lore used to have it that if a naked child was passed through a split trunk of an ash tree, in a ritual, they would be healed of rickets or a broken limb.

In Anglo-Saxon times ash wood was used for making spears and shield handles.   More recent use is for furniture, walking sticks, sports equipment and aircraft wings on the De Havilland Mosquito which flew in WWII.
I like the way this mighty tree completely dwarfs everything around it, making Arnold, the fencing and the beehives look tiny.  Quite amazing to think of the things which have come and gone while this tree has been standing there.
The brick wall which you can see on the left side of the first photograph belong to these buildings.  They were once an important part of the village, for this was where the village butcher would ply his trade.   This was the preparation area - live animals came in, were dispatched and prepared for sale in the shop next door.

John, one of our wonderful village elders, who lives in the house across the way, gave me a tour of it one day.   When he and Hazel bought the place, way back in the '70's I believe it still had the hooks, hoists and pulley systems, as well as the copper for boiling, hams, etc.

I am vegetarian, but even so, because it was an important bit of village life and history, I still find it fascinating.

These buildings are gradually subsiding bricks are snapping, timbers slipping and I cannot imagine them standing for many more years, I felt it was important to record their existence, their history.
My feet led me on through the meadow and beyond the fish ponds, almost to Thistle Alley, where I encountered this collection of old posts and wire...a disused stile.  Nature is doing her best to reclaim it.



Nettles and elder, brambles and hawthorn are all doing their best to beautify it.

Can anything make barbed wire beautiful?








Here is another kind of a stile - a well-maintained, but infrequently used one,   in a quiet glade.



The wood has turned green because of all the rain we had been enduring.

Climb up over the stile and you are rewarded with a beautiful sight....
A  tranquil place, no traffic, just peace and beauty.


I am happy to be linking in with Jan n'Jer's Friday Fences.
Lots of links to interesting fences can be found on their blog.

54 comments:

  1. I think the village should make that building 'a project'. It wouldn't cost much to redo the roof, and give the rest a little attention. It would then be saved for another 100 years or so.

    Are stiles particular to the UK? I never see them here.

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    1. Hello Cro, Now that would take some organisation and cooperation! I'm not sure whether they are particular to here, but I know that there is a British Standard stile...not many get built to that standard around here though!

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  2. What a lovely walk. We have a few thistle allies round here too! Jx

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    1. Hello Jan, Luckily, thistle alley has been trimmed in the last week, but for a couple of months now I have had to tuck my 'wings' in as I force my way through thistles and nettles...ouch, ouch and ouch!

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  3. What a lovely post. The tree is amazing, I love the idea of it standing there overseeing life. The building is great, I wonder if it felt a little eerie? All those animals meeting their fate there? Finally, what a lovely walk, nature always finds a way :)

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    1. Hello View from the Table, I deliberately blocked all feelings about what had gone on in the building; I don't even walk down the meat aisle of supermarkets these days and I never breathe in, or look, when I pass butchers shops. My late mother was the opposite, to see a cow was to see a potential meal...but then she was brought up in different times.

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  4. That tree is awe-inspiring. You are surrounded by such beauty and history. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hello Susan, The tree never fails to get my attention. Often I admire the beauty of it or ponder about how much has happened in the world since it was planted...mostly I wonder how much longer it will stand and how far it would fall!

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  5. Little did I know from the first picture that this was going to lead to the breathless photo at the end (and I'm fascinated with the history of the "healing tree.") Maybe it took my breath away because I'm so "green" deprived. (Rain this weekend - Happy Dance!)

    Janet

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    1. Hello Janet, Meggie tells me it is raining at her place, so hopefully that means you are getting your longed-for rain, too. Fingers crossed that you get a useful amount...enough to bring back some green.

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  6. I agree with Cro - such a shame to let old buildings slip into rack and ruin. How brilliant to be able to have a tour round it. the view on the bottom picture is stunning

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    1. Hello Molly, Isn't that little stream a beautiful, peaceful place. Add the sound of trickling water and a couple of ducks - perfection.

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  7. That is so beautiful. It is like something in a dream.
    I love the old ash tree.

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    1. Hello Deb, I always think that quiet glade would be a wonderful place for the 'Sisters' to meet and have a picnic!

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  8. I love the giant ash tree! Our area of the US is having an infestation of emerald ash borers accidentally imported from another country. They burrow under the bark and kill the ash trees. Minneapolis has already cut down hundreds of trees. It's so sad! I enjoyed all the different styles of stiles. I think they must be an English thing because it seems like we always have gates instead. For stone fences or hedges, the stile makes a lot more sense.

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    1. Hello Ms Sparrow, That is a shame. A while back we lost our country lost almost all our elm trees to a disease. It is awful to see them go. Most of the stiles have a small dog gate, at least one near here doesn't...I have to scoop Toby up and lift him over, which is no mean feat and not good for my back! The trouble is he is no longer agile enough to scramble over as he would have done.

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  9. A lovely tour, showcased between two great photos. I searched slowly to find dear old Arnold.

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    1. Hello Joanne, I thought it was a good way to show just how immense that ash tree is, no photographic trickery involved. Arnold is still keeping well and enjoys his treats whenever I call by.

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  10. Hello Elaine:
    It is rather sad to see such lovely old buildings quietly slipping away, their former use almost forgotten. As for the view from the style, perfect, so tranguil. A lovely spot to visit.

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    1. Hello Jane and Lance, I do enjoy looking at old buildings - great big grand ones right the way through to these small, crumbling structures. They have immense charm, with their higgledy piggledy tiles and wobbly roof lines...of course they tell a story too.

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    1. Hello Tina, Many thanks, I am glad you enjoyed seeing it.

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  12. What a lovely and interesting post! I love the stories behind old buildings and local history and lore. Wonderful photos of the beauty there and the fences and styles. Pamela in Canada

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    1. Hello Pamela, I am delighted you enjoyed seeing those old buildings, I am very fond of them as I see them most days. One of the things I most enjoy about blogging is how it makes us really examine the world we live in, and tease out interesting things to share.

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  13. great fence views. just lovely. glad to hear you are continuing your blogging. i enjoy it as well. big hugs. (:

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    1. Hello Beth, Thank you, you are very kind! When time was in short supply I thought about leaving, the trouble is that I enjoy it! I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

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  14. Beautiful, it's like it's straight out of a book. Picture perfect.
    The fences are great.

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    1. Hello Ramona, The last shot really is one of those unexpected places, it is surrounded by farmland and then suddenly there is that green and lush place. When I first stumbled upon it I had do do a double take!

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  15. Wonderful shots - a great record of the place. Sad to think it won't last forever (dreamer!).

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    1. Hello alwaysbackroads, I'm delighted you enjoyed my mini-tour. At we have it recorded in blog land.

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  16. that tree is amazing and i loved all the pictures and stories with them! i think i tell you every time i visit what a beautiful place you live in!

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    1. Hello Tanya, I am so pleased you enjoyed seeing them - the tree really is amazing. The world is a beautiful place.

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  17. I miss stiles and kissing gates. I always used to imagine who had stepped over the stile before me...a rogue poacher, a family on the way to church...a lady in rustling skirts assisted by her beau? Loved them.
    Jane x

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    1. Hello Jane, I love the idea of a lady and her beau. Let's go for the romantic version. Of course Harry would have it that a bear had been over the stile - but as I've seen a bear simply climb over your fencing we know that probably isn't so.

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  18. Such gorgeous sites and what an interesting walk . . . Great post . . .

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    1. Hello Lynne, Thank you, I do spend an awful lot of time walking!

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  19. Oh, I really, really enjoyed all the photos...I didn't have time to enlarge but want to come back to that later.

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    1. Hello Rose, I'm delighted that you enjoyed seeing them, little snippets of my world on the edge of Nowhere!

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  20. What wonderful stories each of your photos tells. Thanks for pointing out Arnold next to the tree. I had no idea how huge it actually was. The buildings look surprisingly the same as they did in the photo from the '70s, right down to the wavy roof. So glad they're still standing.

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    1. Hello Mitch, Doesn't the tree make handsome Arnold look tiny ... and he really isn't. I love the wibbly wobbly old roof line and those gorgeous tiles, they have a charm of their own, although I know it means the timbers are sagging, but then I suppose I would after about 150 years!

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  21. Nice pics...that last shot is awesome! Love that big old tree too!

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    1. Hello Jan n Jer, Thank you so much for hosting Fridays Fences. It is immense fun and makes me even more aware of my surroundings as I search for fences.

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  22. I want to crawl inside your pictures and get lost in the wonder of them! What great shots!

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    1. Hello Lailani, Come along one day, we'll take a walk so you can enjoy the peace and tranquility!

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  23. Wow,so beautiful! And wonderful that you preserved them with these photos.
    -Jaime

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    1. Hello Jaime, You are very kind. I'm really glad you enjoyed seeing them, it is important to record them.

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  24. What amazing photos! I love your banner, too. I wanted to let you know that the Traveling Susan apron is in Florida now! I hope you'll stop by and visit soon. I posted about it this morning. I am so honored to be a 'sister' now! Sweet Southern hugs, Diane

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    1. Hello Diane, Welcome, Sister! I am so excited to see where the Travelling Susan Apron will lead you - I'm sure you will have a great time and cook up lots of treats!

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  25. What a fascinating post and perfect for Friday Fences.

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    1. Hello LindyLou, I'm glad you enjoyed them!

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  26. Thanks for that lovely tour. Stiles here in New Zealand but I suppose they came with the British.

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    1. Hello Susan, I think you are probably right - I wonder whether they are the same style of stile!

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  27. long may folk keep these footpaths in use

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    1. Hello Gerald, I keep tramping along the pathways, hacking back the brambles, freedom to ramble!

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