St. Bega’s on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake…
Once again, we found our way, to spending some time at another favourite venue in Keswick… St. Bega’s on the north-east shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. This ancient church was originally built in the 10th or 11th centuary AD… as well as its age, I was there to once again photograph the exceptional vistas to be had in the area around the church…
The church…
We parked up off the road, and made our way down the single track to the church… there is another route from the ‘Mirehouse‘ Estate, but despite having to pay, for the entrance into Mirehouse, the walk down the track from the road, (the way the congregation arrive) is much more appealing… It give some great vistas, which are totally different at differing times of the year, especially when taking infrared images…
The gated entrance, always closed to keep the sheep out…
As well as taking images… we like to simply sit and take in the atmosphere… I was also combing this visit with a little Liverpool History. In a row of family graves and headstones adjacent to the rear boundary wall of the church/cemetery, lies the ‘Slater’ family. The Slater’s, were a farming family in the area, and research puts them in the early 1800’s travelling and ‘dying’ in far flung parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand and America. However, the inscription I was after for this visit, was John Slater, who died at Liverpool and was buried in St. James’s Cemetery (now the Anglican Cathedral) and died on 13th January 1837, at the age of 16… and now the research begins…lol.
As a bonus… we sat on one of the slate benches in the cemetery, to watch the ‘bird-life’ around the church… of course they were all gathering insects to feed their young, and for some time we sat opposite the entrance door, for a sgort while, watching the parents of a family of swallows flitting in and out feeding their young… I went into the church porch… and sat quietly to watch at a closer vantage point and discreetly take a few photos…
The Swallow Brood…
A Pied Wagtail, with a beak full of flies…
We then went into the church itself… it always amazes me… that this church in such an isolated position, even in its heyday, would attract a congregation to maintain it for a millennium, however, now it is a shared church, in that the congregation and services are split between the church of St. Johns, further up the North-east shore of Bassenthwaite lake… on a better note we were talking to a younger couple (younger than us lol) who had married in St. Bega’s and who visit every wedding anniversary… NICE !!!
A panorama of the internal aspects
After another sit in the graveyard, we decided to visit a few sites around the lake, as I wanted to visualise the places, so I could work out the shadow cast, for when the sun, would give the best light for me to return and get the most out of the available light and time… after visiting. we headed into Keswick, to call at Booth’s Supermarket to pick up some wine and nibbles, as we had decided to have our evening meal in our suite back at the hotel…. meats.. cheeses, dips etc… whats not to like…
Ann in my cap… I think she looks good and needs her own…lol