England: Durdle Door, Dorset.

The photo is of Durdle Door in Dorset, England. It is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth. More photos here.

England: Lulworth Cove, Dorset

Today's photo is of Lulworth Cove, Dorset, England on a slightly misty morning. The cove is on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

The Quarter Jack Looking Down From The Tower Of Wimborne Church

Quarter Jack at Wimborne Minster Church, Dorset

Last weekend we travelled to Wimborne in Dorset for a friends' Golden Anniversary dinner party and stayed at the 200 year old King's Head Hotel.

Showing where the Quarter Jack is positioned

We wandered around the small town of Wimborne and visited the church where we spotted the Quarter Jack, photos above, high up in the church tower. The fellow is part of an old clock thought to date back to the early 1300s.

The working's of the clock have been updated, well sort of, as this was way back in the mid 1700s. Originally the soldier figure was of a monk but this was changed in Napoleonic times to that of a Grenadier Guard.

There are no hands on the actual clock, it's an astrological design, with the sun in the middle of the face showing the time. As for the Quarter Jack he pops out and rings the bells every quarter of an hour.

Wimborne Church

The photos below are of the King's Head Hotel in Wimborne where we stayed. Our room was where the light is switched on, to the left of the picture, on the second floor.

The hotel had an archway entrance at the side which led to a small car park. I imagine that stagecoaches, with their horses, would have once entered though here.

We had an enjoyable time and the party was full of positivity and appreciation. Unfortunately, however, I didn't spot any ghosts or things that go bump in the night despite the history of Wimborne.

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Memories Rekindled And Batteries Recharged In Dorset

Bournemouth Dorset

We had a few days away staying with friends in Dorset. This kindled some memories as we lived in the area before moving to Cornwall.

The weather was somewhat changeable but we seemed to dodge the showers and visited several places we knew. The photo above is Bournemouth, showing some of the beach and the pier. From there we walked to the Russell-Cotes art galley and museum.

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

There were many magnificent paintings on show including Anno Domini by Edwin Long. When the picture was first exhibited in London, in 1883, it caused a sensation. People queued around the block to see the gigantic painting which shows the Holy Family arriving in Egypt. It is also known as The Flight To Egypt.

Anno Domini or The Flight To Egypt

The Sea Maidens by Evelyn De Morgan was part of a special exhibition: The Morgans and the Sea.

The story behind the painting is that The Little Sea Maid is distraught when the Prince declares he does not love her,

Her five older sisters, shown in the picture, sell their abundant hair to the Sea Witch in exchange for a knife. The Little Sea Maid can then kill her unrequited love, the Prince, and return to mermaid form. Instead the Sea Maid drowns herself rather than kill the man she loves.

In the painting the sisters' cold eyes and inexpressive faces allude to their lack of an immortal soul. So there you go!

The Sea Maidens

We also went into Poole where we had a trip on a boat from the harbour - the second largest natural harbour in the world - to the small town of Wareham.

Poole Quay Dorset

In the harbour we passed Brownsea Island which is where the Boy Scout movement was first started by Baden-Powell.

Poole Harbour passing Brownsea Island

Leaving the harbour the boat sailed up the River Frome ...

River Frome

... to Wareham and the sun came out!

Wareham Dorset

And then it was back to Poole.

Pool Quay - Old Customs House

Another day we walked along the River Stour at Wimborne.

River Stour

A lovely few days - batteries recharged!

Photos: © Mike Perry - Click on any photo to make bigger

Other Posts Featuring Dorset:
The Dancing Ghosts On The Jurassic Coast
River Piddle Makes The Trade Unions Smile
TE Lawrence And The Law Of Oppulence

The Most Fearsome Predator Ever Seen In The Sea

Two days ago I wrote about Durdle Door, The Jurassic Coast and fossils in general. By coincidence I came across the BBC video below which tells of a pliosaur fossil found in the cliffs in the area I was talking about in my blog post.

The pliosaur skull that was found was enormous, being 7feet 10inches (2.4metres) long. As for it's body length this was an amazing 52feet (16 metres) long. Palaeontologist Richard Forrest said, "I had heard rumours that something big was turning up. But seeing this thing in the flesh, so to speak, is just jaw dropping. It is simply enormous."

This must be the most fearsome predator ever found in the sea on Earth. Can you imagine swimming happily and then coming across this pliosaur, those sharks would seem to be nothing in comparison. Anyway, here's the video. It's only 1.5 minutes long.



Photo: Ghedoghedo

The Dancing Ghosts On The Jurassic Coast

Durdle Door
We had a bit of a trip along the coast from where we live in Cornwall to Dorset. It was a bit hazy but we ended up walking along the coastal path past Durdle Door - that's the natural arch in the photo above. On a sunny day this is a lovely walk over the cliffs. It is also part of what is known as the Jurassic Coast, which is a World Heritage Site.

The Jurassic Coast is so called because of the amazing fossils, millions of years old, which have been found by the cliffs and on the beach. It's an amateur fossil hunters paradise.

The two photos below show the coast line going west from Durdle Door.

Durdle Door also has its very own ghost or ghosts but, even though it was hazy, we didn't manage to see or hear them. Many have though.

The first sighting was by a sailor moored just off the coast. He heard screams coming from the shore and saw phantom women dancing on the beach.

It is believed the screams are those of maid-servants who escaped from nearby Lulworth Castle when it was burnt to the ground in 1929. They headed for what they thought would be safety at Durdle Door, but were swept out to sea by the tides and they all perished.

Restoration started on the castle in the early 1970s.



In an easterly direction, along the coastal path is Lulworth Cove, as in the photo below. Unfortunately, because of the unclear weather, the photos don't show the area off to its best. But if you are in the area it's a great place to walk and take a small hammer with you for fossil hunting - you never know what you may find.