Visting Laurence and Lawrence and finding Mary too

 We've just come home from a few days in Somerset and Dorset, visiting some of the artists during this year's Open Studios event as well as managing to catch up with Jane of Marigold Jam for a lovely home brewed cup of tea! The weather was unkind and lots of rain necessitated many changes of plans. Planned visits to gardens for planting ideas were cancelled because of the torrential rain but out of every cloud comes a silver lining and by chance I realised we were close to the village of Moreton in Dorset, somewhere on my 'to visit' list for a while.

The church at Moreton is the burial place of Lawrence of Arabia, being a short distance from his home at Clouds Hill. It was on these local roads where he died in that famous motorcycle accident and  his grave is still visited by hundreds of people every year. The local Victorian village school has been turned into a fabulous tea room where his funeral bier is now laden with local handmade cakes and treats, something I did not realise until it was pointed out to me, so I was glad I had not succumbed to a chocolate brownie. I'm not sure it would have felt right!

I wanted to visit the church for another reason and another Laurence - Laurence Whistler , who was responsible for the beautiful engraved glass windows inside. Luckily for us, a lady who is both church warden and verger, was in the church to give a guided tour later in the morning, and, sensing our interest,  spent an hour with us explaining how the windows came about and pointing out so many things it was hard to take it all in.

 During a local bombing raid in the war a returning German pilot jettisoned his bombs and one happened to strike the church, destroying the windows and one side of it. Whistler was then commissioned to replace them all, something that took many years to do. Photos cannot do justice to their beauty or explain the significance of them all. I was entranced by them as well as other elements of the church such as the rare Minton floor tiles and Tudor oak furniture. I don't know if the fact that Lawrence's grave is there is why the church was restored after the war. I suppose it couldn't have been left as  it was.

 These days it receives visitors who come for the T E Lawrence connection, for the Whistler windows or  for the Minton flooring tiles which are also unique. I was fascinated with a memorial plaque in a small alcove blocked off to one side of the church and the warden explained that monumental masons  also come to visit this piece from all over the world because of its carving qualities. She took us into this small, usually closed, antechamber for a closer inspection and I took some head-on photos of it which were sadly blurry in the subdued light caused by the weather. It is hard to read it from the photo below but it dates from 1762 and commemorates the death of 36 year old Mary Frampton, wife of James. I have to admit that it brought a lump to my throat as I read it out :

'She was a rare Example of true Conjugal Affection, and of those amiable Qualities on which alone are founded the Charms of Domestic Happiness. The Advantages She enjoyed of a very ample Fortune, an engaging Manner and pleasing Form, were far surpassed by the inestimable Endowments of her Mind, by her Modesty and Gentleness of Manners, Cheerfulness and Sweetness of Temper, Goodness and unaffected Piety, with a most exemplary Patience and Resignation under the severe Trial of a lingering painful Illness: These Virtues endeared her to all Ranks of People and rendered her during an Union of Sixteen Years, the Comfort and Delight of her Husband Who truly sensible of her uncommon Merit and his own Unhappiness in the Loss of so excellent a Person Whom he most highly esteemed and dearly loved, Erected this MONUMENT as a Testimony of his Affection, Grief and Gratitude'

Although I'd wanted to see the windows I would have been happy if this was the sum of my visit as it was exquisitely rendered and so moving. If the church warden's party had not turned up when it did I think we would have spent even longer in the church but it is now on my 'go visit again' list as we walked away and never even looked at the grave of Lawrence of Arabia. After nearly having a cream tea off of his funeral bier it seemed quite disrespectful so we've earmarked it for a potential visit next Spring when we can also enjoy brighter light through those gorgeous windows.