bluepueblo:

Medieval Entry, Derbyshire, England

photo via besttravelphotos

bluepueblo:

Red, Cambridge, England

photo via elde

bluepueblo:

Medieval Castle, England

photo via michelle

bluepueblo:

Poultney Bridge, Bath, England

photo via mark

bluepueblo:

Ancient Rail Portal, Wales

photo via terri

hauntedengland:

The Great Thunderstorm of Widecombe-in-the-Moor in Dartmoor, Kingdom of England, took place on Sunday, 21 October 1638, when the church of St Pancras was apparently struck by ball lightning during a severe thunderstorm. An afternoon service was taking place at the time, and the building was packed with approximately 300 worshippers. Four of them were killed, around 60 injured, and the building severely damaged.

According to local legend, the thunderstorm was the result of a visit by the devil who had made a pact with a local card player and gambler called Jan Reynolds(or Bobby Read, according to the tale recorded at the Tavistock Inn, Poundsgate). The deal was that if the devil ever found him asleep in church, he could have his soul. Jan was said to have nodded off during the service that day, with his pack of cards in his hand. Another version of the legend states that the Devil arrived to collect the souls of four people playing cards during the church service.

The devil headed for Widecombe via the Tavistock Inn, in nearby Poundsgate, where he stopped for directions and refreshment. The landlady reported a visit by a man in black with cloven feet riding a jet black horse. The stranger ordered a mug of ale, and it hissed as it went down his throat. He finished his drink, put the mug down on the bar where it left a scorch mark, and left some money. After the stranger had ridden away, the landlady found that the coins had turned to dried leaves.

The devil tethered his horse to one of the pinnacles at Widecombe Church, captured the sleeping Jan Reynolds, and rode away into the storm. As they flew over nearby Birch Tor, the four aces from Jan’s pack of cards fell to the ground, and today, if you stand at Warren House Inn, you can still see four ancient field enclosures, each shaped like the symbols from a pack of cards.

bluepueblo:

Castle View, Wales

photo via unearthly

bluepueblo:

Reflections, Grasmere, England

photo via cageof

bluepueblo:

Pastoral Beauty, Naunton, England

photo by flashoflight

bluepueblo:

Ullswater, Lake District, England

photo via spirit