StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: St Mary the Virgin

a shot from the air of Stamfordham Fayre, taken in 2016. has been annotated to show ... Bay Horse, Butter Cross, bikes were here in 2024, Church, CWGC area. not my image : fair use & public information

A low-lying cranesbill / Geranium plant growing wild by the gate into the churchyard at Stamfordham. The flowers were rather brighter pink than this rendering. As yet, I haven't identified the precise species, there are several possibilities.

A small tower rising from what I suspect is the vestry / north porch of St Mary the Virgin Church in Stamfordham. [It is either a tiny bell-tower, or a chimney ! - I think the latter]

A good example of weathering, this is the exposed west-facing side of a gravestone in the churchyard at St Mary the Virgin, Stamfordham.

Modern dedication / memorial stone for the church lighting, which is in the [south] porch. Note the stone above is sawn ashlar that has been lightly chiselled, probably during the alterations to accommodate the dedication stone.

The interior of Stamfordham's village church - St Mary the Virgin. Dates from the 13th Century, but was somewhat over-restored in 1848 during a project directed by Benjamin Ferrey.

Child and infant mortality is so very sad. At least modern vaccinations / nutrition / ante-natal & medical care can alleviate much of this. The daughter died in 1862 at five years of age. Another grave nearby was dedicated to a child "born asleep" ...

This is poignant - Zaleski died in 1943 at the age of 22, his mother now shares the grave with him, being buried here in 1986 at 95 years of age. www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/7504577/maciej-stefan-zaleski-slubicz

Teasel growing in a wildflower / wildlife area with the graveyard at St Mary the Virgin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsacus Teasel seeds are very important for small birds, like Goldfinches. The dried seed heads were traditionally used for raising the nap on woollen cloth. The notice is a request not to strim or otherwise cut the area. This zone is steeply sloped and curves around the west end of the church, and probably follows the line of the earlier enclosures. I suspect that the original church enclosure was more rounded, and the recent northern / western expansion has produced a squarer outline.

Headstone for Wing Cmdr Kieran O'Sullivan, RAF, who died in November 2018 from a brain tumour. funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/osullivan/4640301 braintumourresearch.org/blogs/news/kieran-o-sullivan#:~:text=He%20passed%20away%20in%20November,months%20after%20leaving%20the%20RAF .

According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there are 11 marked internments here, eight of which are from WW2. I paid my respects from this point and then walked among the headstones. I find that to be an humbling experience. The two somewhat pointed markers are for Polish nationals, killed in WW2. www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?CemeteryExact=true&Cemetery=STAMFORDHAM%20(ST.%20MARY)%20CHURCHYARD

Stamfordham's village church, St Mary the Virgin, viewed from the North - over part of the old graveyard. Note the slope to my right, I think that this break of slope probably marks part of the original boundary. The modern graveyard is further to the right [West], down the slope. {see the 2016 drone image}