Headstone

A headstone in the parish church yard.

Monuments for cyclists

A memorial to cyclists who died in the Second World War.

St Laurence

The parish church.

Meriden

Meriden is a village in the West Midlands near to Solihull.

Jolly little orange house in Meriden

Information
County:	West Midlands
Metropolitan Borough:	Solihull
Population:	2719 (2011 census)

Located between Birmingham and Coventry, Meriden was identified as the centre of England in 1829 with a sandstone cross built to mark the exact point. More modern calculations have placed the centre in Leicestershire but Meriden still has it's monument which is supposed to denote the centre (though the monument has been moved anyway!)

The name Meriden is derived from the Old English for pleasant valley (Myrge Denu). Meriden has Saxon origins, being listed in the Domesday Book as Alspath and was the property of Lady Godiva. Alspath was a settlement atop a hill where the parish church is now, with the Meriden settlement at the foot of the hill. Over time the settlement at the foot of the hill overtook Alspath in importance due to the Chester road passing through it.

Meriden became a distribution point for the cattle driving trade in the 16th century. The village growing due to it's location on the Chester road. A number of inns were built to cater for the passing trade. The road bypassed the village in 1810 when Thomas Telford renovated the route.

At the top of the hill is the church of St Laurence. The oldest parts are Norman with additions in the following centuries.

Farmhouse in the old village centre atop the hill

Mystery field

Piles of rubble and some wide tracks, perhaps a sign of the cause of the rubble!

Milford railway station

My train departs.

Footbridge and level crossing

A choice of ways to cross the railway line.

Down the path

A footpath next to the railway line.

Milford

Milford is a village in the south west of Surrey near to Godalming.

A house near the station

Information
County:	Surrey
District:	Waverley
Population:	4156 (2011 census)

Milford remained a small hamlet during the medieval period but like many places across the country the arrival of transport links (in Milford's case the railway line between London and Portsmouth in the mid-19th century) helped Milford grow. The village was also on the A3 road (between London and Portsmouth) for many years until a bypass was built.

Milford was a hamlet of nearby Witley but Milford became a parish in it's own right in 1844. Milford railway station is on the Portsmouth Direct Line

Milford railway station

Stewartby railway station

On the Marston Vale Line.

Bricks no more

Remnants of the brick making industry which once dominated this area.

Level crossing

Rail crosses road at Stewartby.

Coat of arms

Heraldic flourish at Stewartby.

Stewartby

Stewartby is a model village in central Bedfordshire.

Stewartby

Information
County:	Bedfordshire
District:	Bedford
Population:	1190 (2011 census)

Stewartby was built for workers of the London Brick Company in the early 20th century, named after the Stewart family who were directors of the company at the time. Work began on the village in 1926, it being based around two farming settlements called Wootton Pillinge and Wootton Broadmead. The village was named Stewartby in 1935. At it's time the Stewartby brickworks was one of the largest in the world though it finally closed in 2008. The final chimneys were demolished in 2021.

Next to the village is a water park and some other leisure facilities. The village gained a sixth form college in 2013. The village has a station on the Marston Vale Line, this station was originally for Wootton Pillinge and opened in 1905.

Village hall

War memorial

In Lydney.

St Mary's Halt

A stop on the Dean Forest Railway, some of the preserved railway's wagons are stored here.

Severn

The (wide) river Severn at Lydney.

St Mary's church

The parish church of Lydney.

Lydney

Lydney is a town in the West of the county on the bank of the river Severn.

Under the house

Information
County:	Gloucestershire
District:	Forest of Dean
Population:	8,766

The name Lydney may be derived from the Old English Lydan Eg (Lludd's Island) though there are other possible origins. Settlement in the area dates back to the Iron Age, a fort was built in the area. Later on the Romans built a temple on the site. The Saxons built a settlement at Lydney, which by the time of the Domesday Book was known as Ledenei.

Located on the Severn, Lydney later gained docks to capitalise on the river trade. A railway bridge crossing the Severn was built near Lydney in 1870, the bridge was damaged beyond repair after being struck by oil tankers in 1960. Lydney railway station opened in 1851, one of a number of stations in the area. Another of these stations, Lydney Junction, is now the Southern terminus of the Dean Forest preserved railway.

The parish church dedicated to St Mary dates from the 13th century though most of the current church dates from the start of the 16th century.

On the way to the harbour

The Swan Inn

Pub in Islip.

Inside the church

Inside the church of St Nicholas in Islip.

Thatch

A bit of thatch in Islip.