Clear glass

Pure as summer sky,
White light decorates the glass,
Warming ancient stone.

Away up in Cambridge for a week.  Went for a wander round Saffron Walden in glorious sunny Sunday weather ... 

A treasure of a place... higgledy piggedly streets and many photogenic buildings (which were duly photographed).

The highlight was the Fry Gallery , a tiny but perfectly formed gallery displaying works by the Bardfield artists, notably Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious ... what a treat!

The church is also impressive, almost cathedral like in it's proportions, it dates from 1100's, although the spire was a later addition.  One of the things I love about churches in North Essex and Suffolk is the preponderance of clear glass windows.  Stained glass is beautiful, but the clear glass brings a special light into the interior and lightens the weight of the building.  It also means you can see more clearly the wonderful stone and woodwork within.  Somehow it seems more natural and spiritual....

I loved the way the light was flowing through this portico, seeming to lift the   building and make it part of the environment, rather than a dark fortress....

Extras:  Fry Gallery door from inside (lettering by Richard Bawden), part of the Old Sun Inn, where apparently Cromwell had his headquarters once.

I think its going to be a good week,