Writings can be inspired by our historical surroundings
Being a writer with a very fervent mind means for me a constant battle to decipher which of my three on-going novels I should finish first.
Is it just me or are there other writers out there who encounter similar challenges?
I guess that is what makes writing so absolutely thrilling and absorbing.
A break with the wife meant a day out in Exeter where we lunched in the restaurant of a large department store called The House of Fraser.
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One of the nice things about Exeter is that many of the ancient and medieval piles, some which are in ruins, still remain like icons set between the modern buildings of today.
The restaurant is situated on the top floor of the famous departmental store, and our table was adjacent to a large window overlooking some of the ruins and in particular the ancient 15th Century Church of St Martin which, although now redundant, is wonderfully looked after by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
Having such a wonderful view of those old buildings with the wonderful Exeter Cathedral in the background I imagined easily how it would have looked in the Tudor times; with the hustle and bustle of the gentry and peasants alike doing their business, and horses and carts tramping along the narrow lanes.
And of course the stimulation to write about the scene revved up once more when I was truly inspired to transfer my observations and thoughts into print.
Fortunately the ancient church was open to visitors and just as soon as we entered we both felt the absolute peace and hush. Stirring my mind again; the host of spirits partaking in daily prayer in that uncertain god fearing times.
I felt I could walk into the past as we made way down the aisle towards the alter.
The interior contains 17th and 18th century monuments, reredos and altar rails, some of which were brought from the nearby St Paul's, which was demolished in 1936. The south window contains a few fragments of medieval glass. At the west end is a panelled gallery with the painted arms of Bishop Trelawny (1688-1707) and the City of Exeter, both flanking the royal coat of arms.
If you are an historian, writer, or both, Britain has so much to offer and I don't think I would like to live anywhere else than this part of South Devon which in itself has a bundle of history to explore and discover.
My family, who emigrated to Australia seven years ago, live in a land which holds a great future for them and my grandchildren, but for us one thing it lacks is a real sense of history. Okay learning about the Aborigines is a real learning curve but it can't compare with all those old castles and piles we have in abundance here. When we visited our family in Adelaide they took us to see an old building which turned out to be a year younger than I! That says it all.
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