NOTE-Many of these photos were taken some years ago with a lens that left a lot to be desired.
The village is something that goes with the idea of England. T
here are thousands in varying sizes scattered all over the rural countryside. There were more at one time but many have been absorbed into larger cities.
BLAISE HAMLET (below) is near Bristol and is a group of nine small cottages around a green.
The hamlet was designed by John Nash for the Quaker banker and philanthropist John Scandrett Harford who owned nearby Castle House. It was was built around 1811 for retired employees. The cottages are all unique and include brick chimneys and dormer windows with some having thatched roofs. They are examples of the picturesque, an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin. An oval path links the cottages and encircles the village green with its sundial.
Since 1943 the cottages have been owned by the National Trust. They are still occupied and not open to the public, but the ensemble may be viewed from the green.
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Below- Gold Hill at Shaftesbury in Dorset.
Above a village in the Cotswolds with the distinct local honey colored stone. Below -Weavers cottages in Bibury.
The ubiquitous red telephone boxes now sadly disappearing.
T te post office in Weobley
A very old post box and still in use..
Above-between villages there are often footpaths which run alongside streams or rivers.
Below- A sign at Christchurch Meadows in Oxford.
Above-The Royal Oak in Cerne Abbas, Dorset. The pub has nearly disappeared into the foliage.
Above–Ledbury is more a small town than a village but….
Above typical wood framing to be found on the Welsh-English border in Shropshire.
Above- Bibury in Gloucesterhire.
Above- A cottage in Devon. Below-Buckfastleigh in south Devon.
Below-Within the actual village of Bourton On The Water (behind the Inn) is a small scale village of the village.
Below-Within the scale model village (behind the model Inn) is a scale model village ……ad infinitum.
Below Castle Combe near Bath.
Above and below- The Chalice Well gardens in Glastonbury.
Above-Below scenes at Hidcote Manor.
Above -Topiary at Levens Hall in Cumberland.
Above-Four for tea at four.
Above- St Just in Roseland in Devon.
Above-The north coast of Devon is the dramatic setting for the fishing village of Clovelly
Above and below- Clovelly in Devon.
Below-A Yorkshire village.
Below– Knaresborough in Yorkshire
Below. Beaumish in Co Durham is not exactly a real village. It has been reconstructed from buildings that were slated to be demolished and were saved by being taken apart carefully and reconstructed.
NOTE-For more on villages etc see also….here.