It was a dull day on the River Hiz!

St Mary's Church

A moorhen nesting on the fountain

Colourful fabrics

Peppers on the market

Mixed materials especially in the tower

In 910 the church and its adjoining palace were burnt down and the monks left Hitchin for St Albans Abbey following which local people used stones from the ruined church to build a new parish church. In the Domesday Book of 1086 St Mary's is listed as the most important church in the Deanery of St. Albans. The church was partially destroyed during the 'Great Wind' of 1115 after which the nave had to be completely rebuilt; the church was struck by lightning in 1292 which caused great damage, while in 1298 the centre of the church collapsed as the result of an earthquake. Six years later in 1304, possibly weakened by the earthquake, the roof collapsed damaging monuments and relics inside the building.^[5] The church was rebuilt with flint, rubble and stone from Totternhoe in 1305.^[4] In 1220 the nuns and Bishop Hugh of Lincoln endowed a vicarage at the church.

The present church building dates mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries and was originally dedicated to St Andrew, but came to be known as The Church of St Mary due to the powerful and influential Guild of our Lady founded in the 15th century.^[6] The south porch, with its original door and described as "the chief glory of the church", was added in about 1450.^[7]

Parasol umbrella

Interesting clock seat

Very fine loos

Hitchin Town Hall & North Herts. Museum on Hermitage Road

The Old Library

We visited the museum

In Hitchin museum

from Wikipedia

The great bustard (Otis tarda) is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Otis. It breeds in open grasslands and farmland from northern Morocco, South and Central Europe, to temperate Central and East Asia. European populations are mainly resident, but Asian populations migrate farther south in winter. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996.^[1]

Portugal and Spain now have about 60% of the world's population.^[2] It became extinct in Great Britain when the last bird was shot in 1832. Recent attempts to reintroduce it into England have met with some success^[3] and there is a population of 40 birds on Salisbury Plain, a British Army training area. Here the lack of public access allows them the freedom needed as a large ground-nesting bird.

Barber's poll with and without movement

Sun street

Sun Hotel

Poker

The River Hiz flows under

Coaching Inn

Splendid establishment...

Pretty chapel

Prunus

Comfrey

Graffiti

Artwork at Church House

Sun came out as we left

Wooden tiles