From the grandiose to the simple

I don't normally visit places at the weekends. It is much quieter mid week and I like quieter ;) but I have decided I need to move my church list on and one I needed was open today and so I thought I'd make a day of it.

A search found the Hughenden Valley Store and Coffee shop and there I turned up for a nice coffee and a sausage egg and bacon sandwich :) 

My first port of call was Hughenden home of Benjamin Disraeli prime minister in the 19th century. I was early but I have driven past the church many times 

St Michael and All Angels is medieval but was apparently in a poor state of repairs and was very Victorianised. Disraeli is buried there any no I didn't take a photo (no idea why).

Apparently this is the only memorial erected by a reigning monarch to a subject.

Hughenden is a modest stately home and the gardens are relatively small there is a lot of parkland though. During WWII the house was requisitioned its role in WWII was not known until 2004 It was code named Hillside and it created maps for bombing Germany including the Dambusters Raid.

Now I was a bit early for my next visit but I decided it was likely to be a little quieter than the gardens at Hughenden so off I went and sat reading in the "grounds" very peaceful

894 Quaker Meeting House, Jordans

The Religious Society of Friends or Quakers weren't formed until the mid 17th Century. The founder was George Fox. Quakers believe that there is something of God in everybody and that each human being is of unique worth. This is why Quakers value all people equally and why they don't have bishops and clergy. They were regarded as dissenters in the 17th century. It wasn't until 1687 when James II issued his Declaration of Indulgence that Quaker and other non-conformist groups were allowed to worship lawfully for the first time. Jordans in Buckinghamshire was one of the first Quaker meeting houses being built in three months in the autumn of 1688. It is the burial place of William Penn (the chap who founded Pennsylvania, he was a friend of James I'm told). Penn didn't spend long at Jordans but his will requested that he was buried there as was his 2nd wife Hannah. The oak-beamed roof of the Meeting House was largely destroyed in the fire of 2005, the interior of the Meeting Room - the original wooden panelling, the brick floor and most of the leaded windows - survived intact. And the tranquil atmosphere of the place has, been restored. I can attest it is a peaceful place as I read my book in the burial grounds. I had a personal guided tour of the Meeting House which was informative.

Part of the meeting house was a cottage for the caretaker.

A successful day :)