Cerne Abbas and Mapperton

Cerne Abbas is a pretty village in Dorset. It had an Abbey founded in 987 and at one point 14 pubs serving a village of 1500 people! 

The church of St Mary's was built in the 13th century by the Abbey but was largely rebuilt in the 15th and 16th century.

The painted wall texts date from 1679.

Medieval wall painting.

Medieval heraldic glass.

Stone rood screen.

The war memorial.

I like that they've added a Falklands war name.

The Abbey farm house. 

You can visit the abbey at some time but it is on private land. Below is the well of St Augustine.

Cerne is best known for the Giant a 55-metre (180 ft) naked figure carved into the chalk hillside

No one knows how old the giant is. It was first mentioned in 1694. Early antiquarians associated it, on little evidence, with a Saxon deity, while other scholars sought to identify it with a Romano-British figure of Hercules or some synthesis  of the two. Recent optically stimulated luminescence testing has suggested an origin between the years 700 CE and 1110 CE, possibly close to the 10th century date of the founding of nearby Cerne Abbey. There is a really good episode about this on the Gone Medieval Podcast.

So on to Mapperton for a relaxing day visiting the garden (I could have done the house but I believe it is guided tour) and I just wanted to relax. Its a nice garden (I visited last July).

Anyone know what this is?

Pretty.... any names appreciated.

A good day