England July 2 - July 4

This was what was left of a church that had been bombed in World War II. They have intentionally left it as a reminder of the price of war. It was really interesting to walk around in the remaining walls and think about what they lost.

St. George's 

St. Mary's Prestwich, Manchester

St. James, Eve Hill

 Birmingham Marketplace vendors...seriously awesome market! The energy in this place was amazing, buzzing with life. This was right before I drove down a bus only lane, that I didn't know was a bus only lane and we saw the camera flash a photo ticket.  Urgh!

Birmingham Cathedral 

All Saints Chilvers Coton church 

 As soon as the service was over the kids flocked to the cookie table.....doesn't matter what religion you are all kids speak cookie.

 This was a burned out church from the WWII bombing. Amazing to see the shell that was left. Makes it all feel very real.

Liverpool Docks!

We found some rain in Liverpool today.

 Tribute to the Beatles!!!

Souvenirs- the kids choosing candy. 

July 2 - Saturday

My Dad must really want photos of all these towns. I would have given it up by now. We made it to six more towns today. We headed South on M6 and ended up north of Coventry in a Holiday Inn Express. Today I enjoyed the market in Birmingham. It was a literal zoo of people. There were all nationalities of people selling fruits and veggies and all sorts of people buying the goods. The aisles were small and they were shoulder to shoulder no room to hardly move about in. The sellers were yelling out prices and the buyers were shouting back. It was loud and a bit of madness. It was a nice change from the car. We ran across a few Native American Street performers who were playing their wooden pipes and selling their CD’s and dream catchers. That was an interesting location to find them. It was much like New York City street seller but much more congested and louder. The name of the market had bull in it but I can’t remember the rest. I really enjoyed that. I also sweet talked us into a church in Birmingham, the Church of England church in the city center. The doors were locked but they actually had a door bell so I rang it and then knocked real softly. A guy answered and told me they were closed. I acted all disappointed and he said I could come on in of a two minute look around. We hustled in and too photos really quick. He showed us a plaque on the floor that said the teacher of Thomas Jefferson had worked at the church. He was proud to show it off to us coming from the New World as he called it. When he found out we were from Utah he went on about how much his wife likes Donny Osmond and she and her girlfriend have very expensive tickets to go see him in concert this summer. Dad said he doesn’t like Donny at all, I think the guy from the church sides with Dad. 

So I have been navigating today again and Sonja has been driving. We are both very tired and ready for the church hunting days to be behind us. Actually I love the churches and walking through the cemeteries is so relaxing. It’s the driving that is the killer. One more day to go. Our last day we are spending in Liverpool at an art gallery. We turned in early tonight. 8:30 was our last church. 

I’m off to bed. 

July 3 Sunday - This is a list of the churches we visited on the 2nd and 3rd of July. Quite a few. 

St. George’s church in Unsworth. Barlow, Samuel Hulme headstone

St. Mary’s churchyard - Prestwich, Manchester Diocese , the Church Inn pub next door sold me a diet Coke so I could use their bathroom. Carriage stoop for unloading, found Robert Redford’s stone, Thomas Heywood stone, old english writing, Alice Holme, 

St. James, Eve Hill in Dudley town was locked up tight. Churchyard locked as well as the church. 

Birmingham City- crazy streets, pretty sure we went down a bus only section - market day at Bull Market Plaza was packed and hustling. Mostly selling fruits and veggies - Super fun, lots of people variety and energy.

Birmingham Cathedral - It was closed up but I knocked and rang the bell and soon enough someone answered. I told him we wanting to see the church so he let us slip in for two minutes. Told us about The plaque commemorating William Small the teacher of Thomas Jefferson who was buried in the church and went on and on about how much his wife loves Donny Osmond. 60,000 people were are buried around in the church yard. It is in the city center now and is used as a park for everyone to hang out and play. It was busy! 

All Saints, Town of Chilvers Coton found the stones of T. Cooper, Jean Cooper, James Schofield, Joseph Cooper, Samuel Cooper 

St Laurences’s Church - found Enoch Quinney stone, Elizabeth Ann Quinney, David Quinney

Coventry - city center burnt out St Michaels church bombed out during the war. The shell remains and the base of the columns. Very vivid reminder of what was lost to World War II. , Holy Trinity church- talked with the nicest man there. He talked about the symbolism on the stain glass and told us St. Gabriel is always depicted with a lily and St Michael is always depicted holding a sword. He explained their stain glass about the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Said the Roman Catholics focus on the virgin Mary while they focus their worship on The Trinity. Their ceiling was under repair from a death beetle that had eaten away all the wooden beams. They had a bell fall from their bell tower years ago that hit a boy and killed him. They moved the bell tower and eventually gifted the bells to a church in New Zealand. In 1966 there was a big storm in New Zealand and the same bell fell again and killed people a second time. The man said the bell had vertigo and suffered from fear of heights. Saw a Bishops Bible from the 1568th year. This is a version of bible from before the King James version.  - drove by St Mary’s Guild Hall. Ate in the old prison/courthouse for lunch. It still has the old cell bars throughout. Listened to a great jazz band while there. The last hanging in Coventry took place just outside the restaurant on Cuckoo Street. 

Bidford-on-Avon -river with the swan, cemetery around the corner from the church, angel on a cross headstone, man in the yard working on the flower beds. Sent us down to the pub to talk with the 90 year old man. The churchyard man said he had been a choir boy in the church years ago but had moved north. He also said the Quinneys had been the milk delivery business fifty years ago. We went down to the pub and the guys in the pub said the old man had sold to a brewery but they knew there were loads of Quinneys living in Salford the next village over. They also pronounce it QuIney with a long I sound. 

St. Matthews Church - Salford Priors - Haywood stones, Fred Quiney stone, William Quiney stone, Hilda and Leonard Quiney, church had a castle tower on the side of it- thatched cottage

St Mary the Virgin Church - Stoneleigh - thatch cottages, lovely old lane of houses

St John the Baptist Church Baginton - found William Shakespeare (1900 version)

St Giles Church Bubbenhall

St. Mary’s Church and Parish Centre Walgrave, Coventry

July 4 - Today is the Fourth of July back home. Happy Birthday America. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the trip but boy am I glad I get to go home to the land of the free and the home of the brave today. England and Scotland are nice but there's nothing like America. We went to see the Lady Love Museum in Liverpool today. Also, the docks and the Maritime Museum. I loved the docks the most. Looking out over the ocean and thinking about those who left England for a chance at something better. They were smart to take their chances in America. I also wanted to throw bags of English tea in to the Liverpool harbor but didn't want to start an uprising on the day before we head home. So proud to be an American, we have our problems but we also have our freedom.