On Sunday 9th July, twenty-two eager walkers met up at The Bell Inn in Aldworth on an overcast morning. Mike, the leader, was keen to try the Five Giants ale but after talking to the publican he noted that he had 150 pints of another ale to go through before switching barrels. The overcast day was suggesting that sales may be slow! Mike provided us a rundown on the well, which is opposite the pub. With Aldworth being on the top of a ridge, water was at a premium and in 1867 a well of 373 feet was dug making it one of the deepest in the UK. Next move was down to the nearby 14th Century St Mary's church. The church has a number of attractions including the grave of the poet Laurence Binyon who wrote The Fallen: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old...
Lord Tennison's in-laws are buried at the Church as is Marianne Faithfull's mother, Eva Hermine von Sacher-Masoch. Marianne was Mick Jagger's girlfriend for four years and the song, “As tears go by”, is based on her.
Probably the main feature of St Mary’s are the "Aldworth Giants". They are unique in being all of one family and were made in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The family lived at the now defunct La Beche Castle in the parish and held many high offices at Court, particularly Lord Nicholas who became Seneschal of Gascony and Constable of the Tower of London. His father, Sir Philip, is the huge man in the north-east corner with a dwarf companion at his feet to show off his height. Hence the monuments' nickname. Elizabeth I visited this early tourist attraction with the Earl of Leicester, but unfortunately, the effigies were subsequently mutilated during the Civil War and buried in the church grounds, but were dug up in later centuries. Well worth a visit!
We then headed down Townsend Road towards The Ridgeway, which rewarded us with some wonderful views, now that the sun was fully out. After joining The Ridgeway, we passed the entrance to the Well Barn Estate, which I believe is owned by the former Pizza Express director, Hugh Osmond. The security cameras were pointed in our direction but that is only to keep a watch on those entering the property to use the footpaths that traverse the estate. I would recommend walking these footpaths as they cross some beautiful countryside.
After following The Ridgeway we joined Rectory Road, which follows The Ridgeway. We then turned south into a footpath/laneway that took us to Kiddington Cottage where a barbecue was in full swing; not quite Australian quality but it did smell great. We then followed the footpath across fields followed by a short walk along a track and then joined another footpath for our final stretch to Aldworth. The sun was warming and the pub was heaving, which meant a wait for our filled rolls and drinks, which we enjoyed on the numerous seating available for patrons. Only 70 pints had been consumed so Mike missed out on the Five Giants ale.
Thanks go to Mike for leading this walk, to Ian for writing it up, to Ian and Susie for the photos.
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