Tuesday 14 August 2012

“As My Whimsy Takes Me”

downham mkt clockThat’s the motto of the [fictional] Dukes of Denver, and of Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey, son of the 15th Duke. Our whimsy took us on Monday morning to the pretty little town of Downham Market, with its hexagonal clock tower. And then a few miles further south, to the village of Denver. These are real places, but Dorothy L Sayers set the ancestral home of her aristocratic sleuth a few miles further east in “Duke’s Denver”.

logomillWe visited Denver Mill [it is free] and we loved climbing up to the different floors and seeing the millstones and the hoists and workings. The picture above is from their website – currently the mill is without sails and looking a bit sad.

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Bob bought a bag of flour, and then we drove along beside the beautiful Denver Sluice

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It was peaceful – very unlike the descriptions of the cold winter flood in Miss Sayers “Nine Tailors” mystery! We came back to Cornerstones via the home of my BIL’s parents [that’s Bob’s sister’s in-laws] in Downham Market and enjoyed tea and a chat with them, as we’d not seen them for about eighteen months. John said that the mill had been featured on one of Alex Polizzi’s programmes [I missed that one]

Another lovely day! So grateful to God for this great holiday.

6 comments:

  1. Another twenty minutes east from DM and you would have been in our area! We love DM and go there occasionally for treats just to soak up the small traditional town atmosphere which it manages to retain - I wish I could live there sometimes! We took the girls to the Denver windmill some years ago and they were fascinated by the double seater netty in the back garden!
    So pleased to hear about your lovely holiday xx

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  2. I'm having an interesting start to my morning! DM is EAST of us, sorry!!

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  3. I am always fascinated by mills, thank you for sharing the photos...or as Lord Peter would say "I thank ee".
    Jane x

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  4. Your pictures make me want to visit England even more than I already do (I have been, once--London for a week in 1987). Looks like a lovely little trip!

    xofrances

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  5. Mum and I both deeply in love with Lord Peter. We have a regular trade in the now well thumbed books.

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  6. I too am in love with Lord Peter - and "Nine Tailors" is one of my very favourite books. How fun to visit his stomping grounds. (I do hope you didn't run into Gerald's Duchess - she doesn't sound at all amiable.)

    What a fascinating mill.

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