england’s southern coast

The southern coast of England is absolutely beautiful. Even thought this was a cold and blustery day, it didn’t stop the white limestone cliffs in the distance from illuminating with a glow from the sun. This photo was taken at a beach in Bournemouth.

I didn’t think that they still constructed thatch-roofed houses because of fire issues. However, they do and they are in abundance in the southern (warmer) areas of England. The roofs must be replaced every 5-6 years but are done with elaborate detail as you can see.

Christchurch Priory is the focal point in the city of Christchurch. It is a majestic building that rises out of the English countryside with prominence. The front of the Priory can be seen from the River Avon inlet and all of the surrounding areas. It is a striking contrast to the bright blue skies. The view from rear of the Priory looking toward the front (which you can see in the background).

We spent hours walking around this area. The first castle of William the Conqueror was on this site. The grounds are quite extensive and there is a lot of detail to see - especially on the building itself.

It is quite a large Priory. The back end of the Priory had these huge windows that I loved. They were probably about 10 feet high. Our visit to Christchurch came on the heels of my reading of some books about medieval construction so I was enthralled with the architecture.

This monument was erected in 1994 to commemorate the 900 years that the church has been in use.