What a brutal day! 30c+ and humid. Tempered by a breeze, however the humidity making it very uncomfortable. Go easy on the Brits, it's very uncomfortable.

We had another late start, and we're more into a Slowtrav routine now. No driving for four hours (that's coming again tomorrow). We decided to just visit three places nearby and with no more that 45min driving … total.

We didn't leave until 11:30 and made straight to Aldbury. Pretty much narrow country lanes the whole way with only some lined with hedges. I'll boldly make the statement that the Chiltern Hills consists of rolling hills with large fields and the ridges where there are ribbon villages in among trees and forests that roads tunnel through. Dappled light filtering through the canopy heightens the green. It is an amazingly green country.

We only seem to come across oncoming traffic when passing through a village and are constantly pulling to the side to allow oncoming traffic through, and acknowledging each other as they give way in return.

It's Sunday, so we aren't surprised to see a cricket green all set up for a days play. What I hadn't appreciated is that more often than not, the village green can be outside the village in a clearing, surrounded by forest and yet manicured with a well maintained clubhouse . Cars are parked anywhere there is a spare space, even in the triangle created by the intersection of roads. Many roads split at the last moment before the intersection.

Ches discovered Aldbury, but cannot remember how. (Ches here….I remembered just as I was going to sleep last night that I found Aldbury in our RAC Guide to Great Britain book…an oldie but a goodie!) We only decided to stay in this area a couple of weeks before we left Sydney. We were originally going to be staying in Colchester because Drew visits the University there to assess their music programme every year. He was going to join us for Friday night and the weekend before he did his work and we'd travel on to the far west of Herefordshire and the "Black and White Trail".

The weekend ended up clashing with open days/weekend at Southampton University for post graduate students, and Drew as Director of Programmes, had to remain there till Monday. We then started looking at accommodation near Aldbury. Good decision.

Aldbury is blessed with a large number of 16th and 17th-century timber-framed buildings, and a population of just 200. There would be more people, however they film episodes of Midsomer Murders here.(!!)

The promotional material says, it's "one of the most picturesque villages in Hertfordshire, with timber-framed cottages and an historic inn clustered around the village duck pond where an old set of stocks still stand.", and that's exactly what we find.

We drove around the duck pond and couldn't find anywhere to park, so dived into a side lane and we were fine. If someone else has parked on the footpath out front of a cottage, it must be OK. Well, we don't block the front door.

We mainly walked the length of Stocks Road. We're used to houses named "Hill View" …. because they do, so "Stocks Road" is fine because it starts at the stocks and meanders out into the countryside. Lined on both sides by all the timber framed buildings. The village has been declared a Conservation Area in recognition of its special character and heritage value. The fields surrounding the village are essentially unaltered since the late medieval period, enhancing the heritage value and ambience of the village and its setting. The dovecote built in 1753, is the last building. It was designed to house 964 nesting pigeons, but probably doesn't have any tenants today. I noticed that it was built by the major landowners, the Duncombes, and that their farm was called "Stocks Farm". Looks like they had no more imagination than the person who called his home "Hill View".

We took our time walking the streets and sat under a tree beside the stocks and in front of the duck pond. It is presently so low on water that no duck seemed to be interested. We enjoyed an ice-cream and the peace and quiet after all the weekend lycra clad cyclists and ramblers had departed. Ramblers with backpacks are everywhere here in England. In groups clutching their maps, they descend from the fields and loll around under the trees chattering like a flock of sparrows. Here at Aldbury, the population increased by 25% for a brief period. They need another episode of Midsomer Murders.

In my postings at "Back to the Bay" a site about Watsons Bay social history, I've a reputation for going down rabbit holes. I've done it again here at Aldbury. I can't resist Alms Houses. I'll even do it again later in the day when we visit Tring.

Right, there is an Alms house on Stocks Road. It's in dire need of a new thatched roof, however as it's still provided for social housing, I guess it won't get one for a while. When it is no longer "wind and water tight". That's an expression I learned when I found my 6th great grandfather refused to pay the rent on his home in Elgin, Scotland.

Where did this rabbit hole lead me? To the Craufurd family of course. The almshouses, were donated by the Craufurd family to Aldbury village in 1892. Soon after the almshouses were instituted the matter of tax liability was raised. Essentially, the suggestion was for a trust to be set up otherwise death duties could be payable on the death of the tenants. Any such trust would stipulate that neither the trustees nor other persons would have any financial interest or benefit.

The buildings were managed by the Craufurd family until the 1960s when a Charitable Trust was set up for the benefit of the inhabitants of Aldbury.

As usual, I'll post much more about the history of the village and the Alms House at the end of this blog.

After our ice-cream we drove up Stocks Road to see the dovecote and then on for another five minutes to the Pitstone Windmill. Now a National Trust property and only open on Sundays and public holidays. It's like some of the exhibits at the Maritime Museum in Sydney in that it requires a team of at least 5 or 6 volunteers for a very small installation. It blew down in the late 1890s. The suggestion is that the miller had gone to the pub and while there, the wind changed direction. To operate, the windmill always had to be rotated to face the wind. It has a pointy front, like the bow of a ship to allow the wind to "slip" around it. It also had a long pole attached to a wheel on the rear side so the miller could roll the mill in any direction.

It's located in the middle of a wheat field and when built, this was the main "drovers way". It was a cross road between a roman road going north and the ancient east-west road.

The guides were great. So like the guides at the maritime museum. One took us in to the ground floor which is bricked in. Originally, it was open to the air and that explains why the main timbers are so weathered. Among other things, he explained how the miller would attach the sack of grain to a chain and the windmill would provide the energy to winch it up the two floors. At each floor, the chain passes through a hole of a trapdoor which would open to let it through and then drop back into place. No backbreaking hauling of sacks up a ladder.

First floor is where the milled flour comes down a shute to be bagged. Top floor is where the two grinders are. Two sets of two stones; again the local hard base stone and the French grinding stone.

It is thought to have been first built around 1627 as this date is carved on part of the framework. This is the earliest date to be found on any windmill in the British Isles. Windmills would have needed frequent repairs, so the mill may predate 1627. It was dendrochronologically dated in 2004 by Dr. Martin Bridge of the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory when the oldest pieces in the buck were found to be from trees felled in winter 1595/96 and spring 1597. Because the tree would have had to be 200 years old to grow to the size required, it would have been a sapling around 1400.

The 'new' crown was made from a tree that felled in spring 1670, while the quarter bars of the trestle were from trees felled between 1824 and 1826, so like most mills, it is a mix of old timbers variously recycled or hanging on from their original use. Something no one has ever told me before is that because oak is so hard, it would be worked into shape when cut down and then left for two years to season before being used.

For nearly three hundred years grain grown in the two adjoining villages was ground at the mill into flour. In 1874 the mill was bought by Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow who owned the nearby Ashridge Estate. His wife complained about all the bits and pieces in her flour. Not only the husks I guess but insects and bits and pieces of other plants, so he issued instructions to the miller to sieve the flour to make it I guess "white" rather than "Wholemeal". The windmill is therefore known as a gentleman's mill.

Ashcroft subsequently left it to a local farmer, who ran a successful milling business from the mill.

In 1902, the mill was damaged beyond economic repair during an enormous gale. Around 1922, the derelict ruined mill was bought from the Ashridge Estate by a farmer whose land was close to the mill. In 1937, he donated it to the National Trust. However, it was not until 1963 that a band of volunteers began to carry out renovations at their own expense. The mill appeared in an episode of The Champions entitled The Invisible Man, which was filmed in 1967. In 1970, after an interlude of 68 years, the mill once again ground corn, but ceased again in in the late 1990s.

By this time, around 1:30, it was in the low 30s, the wind was blowing and we were in the middle of a golden wheat field surrounded by vivid green forests on the top of all hills. Just magic. We had brough homemade "sangers", so went in search of a nearby water mill thinking it would be a tranquil place for lunch. It was closed. Here we faced another problem we occasionally experience. How do you do a U turn in country lanes when there is no visibility of more than 50 meters in either direction? How do you do it in a Citroen C4 which has such a poor turning circle that it required four goes? The answer? With nerves of steel.

You will need to search for this URL because this site doesn't allow hyperlinks. tringlocalhistorymuseum

Maybe we can find somewhere in Tring. We do. Opposite the carpark is Memorial Park with a duckpond and ancient trees. And it's at the beginning of the town "heritage trail". It also ends here.

Sustained, and it's now 2:30, we followed the trail. Tring (Herts) which is recorded as Treinge in 1201 Trehangre in 1265 and Threinge in 1278. The place-name may derive from Old English trēow 'tree' + hangra 'wooded slope'.

Most of what we want to see is along a 200 meters section of High St and 200 meters of Ackerman St. It's Sunday afternoon, the pubs and cafes are doing a lively trade and the traffic along High St is constant. Both streets are barely wide enough for cars to pass each other; easy for pedestrians to cross quickly. We do, I do constantly in search of photo opportunities. A Short History of Tring

Tring is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles North West of London. It has a population of around 12,000 residents. It is an ancient town - there is evidence of Prehistoric settlement with Iron Age Barrows and defensive embankments adjacent to the Ridgeway Path and also later with Saxon burials. The town straddles the Roman road called Akeman Street.

The Manor of Tring, described in the Domesday survey, was to be the dominant influence on the town for centuries. It was held by the Crown and a succession of religious houses, including the Abbey of Faversham which secured the all-important market charter in 1315. The manor was granted in 1679 to Henry Guy, Groom to the Bedchamber and Clerk of the Treasury to Charles II. Soon afterwards Colonel Guy built himself a mansion designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The mansion itself is now home to the celebrated Tring Park School for the performing arts.

In the late 19th century the Manor became the home of a branch of the Rothschild family whose influence on the town was considerable - the banker and statesman Nathaniel, later the first Baron Rothschild, set about a radical transformation of Tring, rebuilding the farms and building new cottages to replace decaying properties in the town.

That's the thing that stands out about this small town; it has a performing arts school and a substantial Natural History Museum, out front of which are two kangaroos woven from local cane. The Dharawal people of Sydney used to weave models of kangaroos as part of the initiation ceremonies in what is now the Botanic Gardens.

Ackerman St was originally a roman road and at the top of it is? AN ALMS HOUSE. Absolutely stunning and still being used for social housing.

Colin Wilson has quite a few websites devoted to almshouses and local history. Here's his description: "If you have traditional small cottages in mind it's a bit of a surprise when you first see this building. From the outside these almshouses are among the grandest in the county, even if they are called cottages. To the layman they appear to be quite Tudor-looking.

Emma Rothschild (1844 - 1935) started her life in Frankfurt and was highly educated and cultured. Deeply religious (the family was of Jewish descent), she was described as strait-laced. She lived to the grand age of 91. In about 1872 she married her cousin Nathaniel (1840 - 1915). One of the richest men in the British Empire, he had connections with the highest echelons of society. He was the first non-Christian to sit in the House of Lords. The union produced three sons. The eldest, Walter, was the one who set up the Tring Natural History Museum and was known for his eccentricities such as using zebras to pull carriages.

By tradition the women of the Rothschild banking family were not involved in the business. That did not stop Emma from being very active, helping to run the estate and engaging in multiple charitable activities. Among these were the almshouses for estate workers and local people. At its peak the Tring Estate employed over 300 people. The almshouses were built in 1893 and 1901 according to the dates on the buildings. Emma's second name was Louisa, hence the assumption is they were named after her. Subjectively, using her second name makes it more personal and caring than the usual formal surnames.

Pevsner includes the building in his survey of significant buildings. They were designed by William Huckvale, in the Norman Shaw tradition, described by Pevsner as a rather spiky vernacular style. The building was listed grade II in 1986. The 2020 accounts reveal the Trust managed eight almshouses in Tring.

The Louisa Cottages Charity Trust is a registered charity number 220078. Registered on 3rd July 1963, it is governed by Emma's will of 1935. The objects are stated as almshouses for aged or infirm poor persons who at the time of election shall be or shall previously have been employees (including domestic servants) on the Tring Park Estate or shall be at the time of election inhabitants of the parish of Tring. They are also affiliated to the Almshouse Association. To this day the Rothschild Foundation makes significant contributions to the running and maintenance of the almshouses.

The almshouses were at the end of our walk and it was a case of returning the same route to the carpark. Ches had a yearning for cake. Too late. It was 4:00pm and everything other than pubs were closing. We were even turned away at the entrance to the Marks and Sparks food hall.

Despite this, England is a most civilised country. We had bought a bottle of Spanish Vermouth some days ago, so retired to our farmhouse for a Vermouth over ice with a splash of sparking mineral water. Only missing a slice of orange to be perfect. So civilised. WHY HAVEN'T WE BEEN ABLE TO BUY SPANISH VERMOUTH IN AUSTRALIA? We've searched for years since we first had it, on tap, in Madrid. Perfect summer fare.

Tomorrow we're off to the Black and White trail of western Herefordshire with a stop along the way at Chedworth Roman Villa.

ALDBURY. GLAD'S COTTAGE AND TOWN HOUSES

Colin Wilson

It would be nice to know how Glad's Cottage got its name. However, it is really one of three buildings. The first pair was built on the site of the Town House next to Fulk's forge in the late 1600s, the later part of the Stuart period. A 1580 Court Baron record mentions the almshouse known as Town. However, Town House is a more general term for a building with a number of functions, as in the case of Barley Town House. See the article about Aldbury Church Houses for some further information. No 47, Glad's Cottage (the most southerly) was added later. It was brick-built, unlike the earlier timber framed structure. The late 19th century lean-to was originally a separate cottage. Its claim to fame is that it was the smallest dwelling (or almshouse?) in Hertfordshire. They were originally single-storey buildings; half storeys in the roof area were later constructed, resulting in the prominent dormer windows. Originally 4 dwellings, they are now three. A note in the Aldbury Conservation Area document says there were a pair, then three, then four almshouses.

Nowadays they look like the archetypal English thatched cottage, but it was not always so. A postcard from 1904 and A. Whitford Anderson's photo from 1903 show they were very ordinary buildings. At first sight they do not appear to show the present building, but a close look at the construction materials, windows, doors, chimneys and the adjoining building shows they are the same building. Moreover, the 1904 postcard clearly shows the 3 structures, which is concealed by the present roofline.

By 1834 the Guardians planned to sell off parish almshouses in the county, but the Aldbury locals opposed this and won their case. This indicates they were operated by the parish, not some private benefaction. This could be why Clutterbuck and Cussans do not mention them. Victoria County History (published 1908) says there were still 4 tenements occupied by poor people in receipt of parish relief. The same publication records that about 2.5 acres of land in Tring and Aldbury was let at £4.12 a year, the income being used for the upkeep of the buildings. The linked Sir Thomas Hyde charity has some discretionary provision for maintenance of the almshouse.

The Glebe Terrier for 1763 refers to a 'house for the use of widows that are helpless'. An 1805 reference talks of 3 tenements and land given by 2 sisters (whose names are not known) 'to be occupied by widows or widowers agreeable to the bequest of the donors'.

The current provision is for poor persons of good character, who have resided in the area of the ancient parish of Aldbury for not less than two years prior to appointment. An unusual feature is that being aged is not a requirement. There are three dwellings; the tiny lean-to has now been amalgamated with one of the other dwellings.

STOCKS FARM DOVECOTE

A stroll along Stocks Road brings you to Stocks Farm Dovecote, built in 1753 by Arnold Duncombe, the owner of neighbouring Stocks Farm. The Dovecote was given to the National Trust in 1990 and now forms part of the Trust's Ashridge Estate.

The Dovecote holds 482 nesting holes for 964 pigeons. It is made of red brick, with the date of its construction worked into the gable end in contrasting grey brick. The Dovecote is open only occasionally for special heritage event days but you can peer inside through an opening above the main door.

ASHRIDGE ESTATE

The Dovecote is administered as part of the National Trust's Ashridge Estate, which takes in much of the surrounding area. There are waymarked trails through the Estate providing a wonderful opportunity to explore a huge expanse of mixed woods and chalk downland covering the edge of the Chiltern Hills.

At the heart of the Estate is Ashridge House, built in the early 19th century by the 7th Earl of Bridgewater and incorporating part of a 13th-century priory. Ashridge House is now a business training college and is only occasionally open to the public.

Just a short distance away is the Bridgewater Monument, a neoclassical tower was built in memory of the 3rd Duke, who died in 1803. Visitors can climb to the top of the Tower for magnificent views that extend as far as London on a clear day.

PUBS

There are two pubs in Aldbury, the Valiant Trooper and the Greyhound. The Greyhound is a historic former coaching inn and the Valiant Trooper is a cruck-framed 16th-century building extended in the 17th century. Look for the two datestones inscribed 1769 on the front facade.

TIMBER-FRAMED BUILDINGS

Aldbury is blessed with a variety of picturesque timber-framed buildings. One of the most striking is Applegarth, a Grade II listed building on Stocks Road dating to 1598. Nearby is Timbers, an early 16th-century building with brick infill under a red tile roof.

Set back from the road is a 16th-century open hall house now divided into three separate dwellings (Cobwebs, Rose Cottage, and Folly Cottage). These are just a few of the numerous historic cottages; there are 35 listed buildings in Aldbury, many of them dating to the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Ridgeway National Trail begins (or ends) at nearby Ivinghoe Beacon, one of the highest points in the Chiltern Hills. In nearby Tring is the Natural History Museum established by Walter de Rothschild, and just a few miles away is Pitstone Windmill, a historic post mill built in 1627 and now owned by the National Trust.