The Old Wall

Here is the old churchyard wall in the village where I work. Parts of the church are a thousand years old, with some distinct Saxon hints in the structure. Its been here a long, long time.

So: If they buried an average of ten people a year in the church yard, that means... well work it out yourselves. Its still going on, three or four have been added in the past year.

The result of all this excitement is that the churchyard is now a good three feet higher than the ground to the south, so the old flint wall was topped with this brick wall a century or more ago.

Even this measure proved inadequate, for I am certain they built it in a straight line originally. Today the wall is supported with a total of fourteen leaning brick buttresses.

I quite like it: Its a charming example of rural vernacular irregularity...