Prettiest Village in the Heart of England

by

Siri and Selma are sitting in the back of the Volvo happily munching their chocolates. With a full and smeary mouth, they ask hardly understandable when will we reach “England’s Chocolate Box” -village at last. Through rolling hills with big views, we drive on breathtakingly small roads to Castle Combe, a village that is quite often called “the prettiest English village“.

Hinten im Volvo sitzen Siri und Selma still vergnügt Schokoladenplätzchen mümmelnd. Mit vollen und verschmierten Mündchen fragen sie kaum verständlich, wann wir denn nun endlich “England’s Chocolate Box“-Dorf erreichen. Durch hügelige Landschaft mit teilweise weiten Blicken fahren wir auf atemberaubend kleinen Sträßchen Castle Combe entgegen, einem Dorf, das oftmals das schönste Dorf Englands genannt wurde.

Unknowingly, we already saw this village when we were watching the Poirot-films following Agatha Christie’s crime novels. We are fans of David Suchet playing Hercule Poirot. “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” as Harry Potter’s “The Philosopher’s Stone” were filmed here as many other famous movies. But we read all this after our visit. Dina and our Master strictly insist first to look and not letting our seeing being influenced by what we have seen before or read.

Wir haben das Dorf bereits gesehen, allerdings ohne es zu wissen, als wir gebannt abends alle Poirot-Filme nach Agatha Christies Romanen fasziniert von dem hervorragenden David Suchet sahen. “Mord an Roger Ackroyd” und ebenso Harry Potters “Der Stein der Weisen” wie viele andere Filme wurden hier gedreht. Aber das lasen wir erst später, da Dina und Masterchen streng darauf bestanden, erst selbst zu gucken und nicht gleich unseren Blick durch Wissen beeinflussen zu lassen.

We are far from being the only ones who feel drawn to Castle Combe. Like in many other Cotswolds villages we meet many Chinese tourists (who are eagerly chased away by Siri and Selma for Dina’s pictures, didn’t they do well? :-)). “Why do they come from that far?” Siri and Selma ask surprised. It’s a journey into a conserved past. That’s very special for them as in China many of the old places had to make place for modern buildings unless they were profitable tourist attractions.

Keineswegs sind wir die Einzigen, die es nach hier zieht. Wie in vielen Cotswolds Dörfern treffen wir viele chinesische Touristen (die Siri und Selma für Dinas Fotos wacker verjagen). “Warum kommen die von so weit angereist?” fragen verwundert Siri und Selma. Wir vermuten, dass es die Magie einer Reise in konservierte Vergangenheit ist, da bei sich zu Hause viele alte Orte gnadenlos dem Neuen weichen mussten, es sei denn sie konnten dem Massentourismus dienen.

And why do we see Castle Combe as beautiful? We thought about this for quite a while and our Master even photobombs Dina’s picture contemplating about the prettiness. Is it the unity of style that produces harmony? Our mind controlled seeing comes to a rest recognizing clear and coherent structures. It’s the “noble simplicity” which J.J. Winckelmann projected on the Greek classic and which became the ideal of the European classic movement.

Und warum finden wir Castle Combe so schön? Lange haben wir darüber nachgedacht. Wir glauben es ist diese Einheit des Stils, die Harmonie erzeugt. Unser geistgesteuertes Sehen ruht in der Erkenntnis einer ungestört klaren Struktur. Es ist die “edle Einfalt“, die Johann Joachim Winkelmann bereits an der griechischen Klassik lobte und die zum Ideal der (Weimarer) Klassik wurde.

Besides, Castle Combe is a window into a time when England was largely genuine English without considerable international influences that form modern cultural landscapes. “But was the wool trade here not an international affair?” disagrees mannerly hidden our clever Siri in a question.

Außerdem ist Castle Combe ein Fenster in eine Zeit, in der England noch weitgehend ungebrochen englisch war, ohne nennenswerte internationale Einflüsse, die die heutige Kulturlandschaften prägen. “Aber war nicht der Wollhandel hier damals schon eine internationale Angelegenheit?” widerspricht unser kluges Sirilein wohlerzogen in eine Frage versteckt.


On our way back to the hotel Selma praises the typical harmony of colour of the Cotswolds villages, the honey yellow stones that contrasts so harmoniously the green of the plants on the walls, “and” she adds meditating “despite all unity every cottage is individual.“

Auf der Rückfahrt zum Hotel lobt Selma die typische Farbharmonie der Cotswolds Dörfer, dieses Honiggelb der Steine, das so fein mit dem Grün der Hausbewachsung harmoniert, “und” fügt sie sinnend hinzu “trotz aller Einheitlichkeit ist doch jedes Häuschen individuell.”

Eating the last chocolates from their box Siri and Selma chat about the fascination of the appearance of individuality in our mass society.

Als Siri und Selma das letzte Stückchen Schokolade aus ihrer Box holen, plaudern die beiden Buchfeen über die Faszination des Scheins der Individualität in unserer Massengesellschaft.

With kind regards, wishing you a *Happy New Year!
Mit herzlichen Grüßen
The Fab Four of Cley

*May all your troubles last as long as our chocolates! – Siri & Selma (thank you, Mark Lanesbury 😉)

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2018

 

 

 

298 thoughts

    • Ja, das meinen unsere beiden Buchfeen Siri und Selma 👭 auch❣️
      Der Ort, zu dem man durch eine Art Hohlweg fährt, ist toll. Er ist zudem winzig, von einem Ende zum anderen gelangt man zu Fuß blitzschnell.
      Habe herzlichen Dank für deinen Kommentar
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Your combination of philosophy and wonderful images is as enticing as ever, KB and Dina.
    Of course, those Cotswold villages represent a dream of the past, though I doubt that their original inhabitants viewed them as we do today. Life was hard for them back then, and they would wonder at the affection we hold for those small cottages today. That said, they are ‘old England’, still standing in a time of homogenised housing, identical estates, and drab shopping centres. And for that, we must surely be grateful.
    Love from Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

    • Dear Pete
      you are absolutely right, these are the “romantic” feelings of people living in postmodern surroundings and it’s their expression of alienation. If we would bother to look further into it we immediately became aware that we wouldn’t like to live in those cottages before modern renovation inside. The other side of the coin is that those people communicated with each other in streets and places whereas nowadays communication takes place in the internet. But was this better? We shudder if we think about the social control. But, of course, visiting such places makes us reflecting our way of life, makes us ask what we see as beautiful and let us become aware how far apart are reality and phantasy, social history and Hollywood’s picture of it. And last not least we become aware that prettiness and beauty are ideological terms much formed by the zeitgeist.
      Thank you very much for commenting.
      We have quite a wind here and the sea is really rough. So it’s cosy to stay inside (blogging).
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks 🙏🙏 dear Sally
      well, Siri and Selma helped to make it look quiet and it was the end of November, no tourist season.
      All the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  6. We adored Castle Combe. Even wanted to rent a house for a week so we could be short-term residents. It’s the history and the quaintness that appealed to us. Who knows what else this sweet town has going for it, but we’d like to see. Wishing you a happy new year!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Wishing you a happy and healthy new year as well❣️
      When we were there at the end of November even then quite some holiday makers arrived at their rented cottages. There is a beautiful hotel as well with rooms in an idyllic row of cottages.
      Thanks and cheers
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  7. “And why do we see Castle Combe as beautiful?” you asked. I think Selma’s answer regarding harmony is a major factor. Also I think the lack (at least in these photos) of automobiles and electrical and phone poles and wires helps too.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear David,
      we agree, but we have to tell you that Siri and Selma were in a lovely way quite naughty. They placed “road closed” signs at the one road through the village. In this respect Dina’s pictures are not 100% realistic.
      Wishing you a happy new year
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Still, there are no wires or poles and as far as I’m concerned to say stopping traffic is “not 100% realistic” is no worse than using flash when there is not enough light as that too is not 100% realistic. 🙂 Wonderful photos.

      Liked by 2 people

    • We absolutely agree, the lack of wires, advertisements etc. add very much to the magic of this place and make it perfect for filming.
      We wish you a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  8. nice pics of a nice village
    is is said before here above , those houses are modern on the inside , otherwise no one would live there
    here we have the village Giethoorn , where the Chinese have taken over many B&B , and they do that all around the world
    but it is nice even so

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Of course these cottages are kind of modern inside, but we would feel much too near to our neighbours and claustrophobic with so little space.
      What is ‘nice’? is the question and why is something ‘nice’. it’s worthwhile contemplating , isn’t it?!
      Thanks and all the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Pooja
      Castle Combe is easy to reach. We keep our fingers crossed that one day very soon you will find yourself on the one street of Castle Combe you see on Dina’s pictures.
      Thanks and a happy new year
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks a lot for liking Dina’s pictures and our dear Master’s text.
      We wish you a happy and healthy new year and thanks for visiting us regularly❣️ It’s very much appreciated.
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ahoi, dear Matroos
      our beloved Bookfayries immediately felt at home there. They didn’t want to leave.
      Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏🙏 and wishes.
      All the best for the new year, health and happiness
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  14. Castle Combe deserves the title of being the most beautiful village in England. While I have never been in England, Hanne’s outstanding photos leave no doubt about this claim. The little chocolate munching fairies applied their incredible magical powers and with their fairy dust blew away the tourists from the sidewalks so Hanne could take these amazing shots. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and kindness you have shown me. Believe me they have helped me greatly and are very much appreciated.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Peter
      where would we be without our beloved Bookfayries? They are such a help!
      It was a pleasure to support you, dear Peter, and we are VERY happy to read that it was helpful. We hope you are better now and sending love and fairy dust.
      Wishing you an easy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Oh dear, we envy you for the snow ❄️☃️🌨
      And we, Siri and Selma 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️ just sneaked out to write on our Master’s MacBook (we are actually not allowed to touch it) to write “Thank you very, very much, dear Peter!”
      Lots of finest fairy dust
      👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Hi Peter
      of course I have read this all. I am nosy 😉
      Siri and Selma are forgiven, of course.
      I wish you all the best and get better soon
      Klausbernd
      BUT my dear Bookfayries, please, don’t touch my MacBook agin!

      Liked by 2 people

  15. I thought at first you were making a much too extravagant claim for the village, but after looking at the photographs I realise that, of course, you are right, and it is probably, England’s most beautiful village. Not being disfigured by advertisements, tea-room signs, and a pavement filled with tables selling souveneirs, it has to be the most beautiful.
    A Happy New Year to all of you. I’m now off to dig into my last box of chocolates, having been stimulated to do so by your talking about Siri and Selma eating theirs!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Mari
      we hope you enjoyed your last chocolates.
      Indeed, it’s the magic of this little village not having all these signs, no telegraph and electric wires, no satellite dishes or solar panels etc. That’s very special, isn’t it?!
      Thanks for commenting and wishing you a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Happy New Year, my dear friends, the Fab Four of Cley. Looking forward to tagging along on all of your adventures in 2018. I loved walking the streets with you in the prettiest village in the heart of England. Thank you!!!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Clanmother Rebecca,
      we wish you a happy and healthy new year as well.
      Thanks for liking our posts 🙏🙏
      We will have our next adventures in Cornwall, we suppose. Dina is already quite prepared.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Good morning, dear Laurie,
      we suppose, Castle Combe is great to visit as a tourist but we wouldn’t like to live there. Too much tourists in summer and we would feel a kind of claustrophobic there on the long run and, of course, we would miss the sea.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Fab Four of Cley,
    I think I am drawn to this village, not just because it is so clean and quaint looking. I think it might because in this changing and uncertain world of ours, this village stands solid, unchanging, untainted and beautiful – despite the presence of human beings.
    Thank you for the peek into you journey through this village, dear friends.
    May the New Year bring you many more days as pleasant as this.
    GP Cox

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear GP Cox
      we agree, this little village radiates a feeling of stability. It’s amazingly well kept. But it’s a holiday place for rich Londoners nowadays, quite some cottages are holiday homes or homes of people who moved in from the big cities.
      Thank you very much for your kind words, our dear friend 🙏🙏
      Wishing you a happy and healthy new year and go on teaching us about the history of WW II with your outstanding blog.
      With lots of love from the sea
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Mark,
      thanks a lot 🙂 🙂
      With Siri and Selma chocolates are gone as swift as lightning. Thank you so much for wishing us that well and thanks for visiting us that regularly as well.
      All the best and cheers
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! A visit to this beautiful area has been on my mind for long. Maybe, maybe…Listening to Siri and Selma and looking at Dina’s breathtaking photos – I think I have to go.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. Wonderful pictures, and the lovely thing about this time of year is that one can enjoy the architecture and see the bones of a place unhindered by foliage and trees – beautiful though they are …so you have caught the essence of this picturesque place…
    So many beautiful Cotswold villages, and towns… Broadway… Stow on the Wold,,,Shipton under Wychwood … Upper Slaughter, Lower Slaughter….the last two whose names are corrupted from old English, and not as bloodthirsty as they sound…Bradford on Avon.. Bath, Marlborough… yes. times were hard in comparison with the comforts of our own, but these places and people were prosperous thanks to the wool trade…and yes, how amazing to live in an England with only eight million people compared to sixty or so now !!!!!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Valerie,
      yes, we were amazed about all these beautiful Cotswolds villages and market towns. We stayed in Broadway for about a fortnight before Christmas and visited lots of beautiful places. In these old times people were quite prosperous here (in comparison to other English areas) and now it’s the prosperous people again who use those cottages as holiday and second or third homes.
      Even with such a low population people used to live in small cottage rows extremely near to each other. We would feel claustrophobic there.
      Thanks for commenting and wishing you a relaxing weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Hi,
      oh dear, we envy you – just a little bit. We would like to see David Suchet live. For us his acting of Hercule Poirot is absolutely great. We have to admit we didn’t see him in other roles.
      With lots of love from the little village next the big sea
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Jo,
      now the wind has dropped and Siri and Selma packed their fairy bags with dried cranberries for their flight to you. They went an hour ago. And I should tell you that they love hard centres. But I have to warn you, be careful that they don’t eat all your chocolates. They are European champions in fast chocolate eating. And, please, be so kind to send them home this afternoon otherwise all your sweets are gone and they will be too heavy to fly back again.
      Thank you 🙂 🙂
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • It would be doing me such a favour if they would! I seem to have mislaid my willpower in all the Christmas wrapping. Thank heavens there’s only 1 mince pie left. Sorry sweethearts but I really can’t share my brandy cream xxxx

      Liked by 1 person

    • Well, Siri and Selma are happy just visiting you, we suppose. But actually now it’s about time to sent them back to us. We don’t like them flying in the winter’s dark.
      And NO brandy cream for our fairies!

      Like

  35. Such a beautiful village and no wonder it is used on film sets.

    Makes one wonder about the maintenance problems of modern homes too. If these gorgeous stone cottages could last for centuries, why do our modern homes and apartment buildings have so many problems these days, (I’m thinking of my last 2 apartments when I say this).

    Trouble is that not many young people want to be stonemasons and carpenters these days with the emphasis on computer technology. I hate seeing the old crafts lost.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Vicki
      you made the point: These houses look beautiful after hundreds of years whereas most modern houses look horrible after about 50 years.
      Good craftsmen are rare and therefore expensive today. They do “the real thing” whereas computer nerds are feeling at home in the virtual world. Sometimes we have the feeling that the virtual reality is for the masses whereas reality becomes more and more something exclusive for certain elites. Umberto Eco wrote about this tendency in his essays about 15 years ago.
      We wish you a great weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Oh, ganz herzlichen Dank, lieber Mick 🙂 🙂
      über deinen lieben Kommentare haben wir uns gaaaanz doll gefreut, echt!
      Wir wünschen dir ein wunderschönes Wochenende
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  38. What a beautiful little place. In several of the photos, the light in the treetops above the village is really lovely and in one there is the double charm of a sample of that light along with smoke from a chimney. Gorgeous! Happy new year to you both and Siri and Selma as well.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Thank you so much! 🙂 🙂
      We can tell you we had to wait for more than 30 minutes for the smoke being right as well as the light. It’s (sometimes) hard work helping Dina with her photography.
      We wish you a happy and healthy new year and thanks for commenting
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Tess
      funny that you ask about our dear old Volvo: it’s a V50 estate we are now exchanging for XC60.
      Thanks for commenting and have a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Wow you are moving up in the world! The XC60 is a beast and i would like it today as I have to drive in the snow. Happy Driving!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much.
      Actually we are used driving in the snow and on ice but a four wheel drive makes driving much easier.
      Even our old V50 is perfect for winter driving – well, Swedish design. When we lived in Finland we did our daily driving practice on frozen lakes which was great fun. Now we are a bit out of practice but it’s like biking, once learned you have it forever.

      Like

  43. Liebe Fab Four,
    Nun weiß jeder, dass Feen Schoki und gewissen anderen Dingen nicht gut widerstehen können. Wobei für Schokolade der Spruch“ das Einfachste ist oft das Beste“ nicht so ganz gelten kann , denn Kakaobohnen sind zwar pur am gesündesten, doch so richtig lecker werden sie ja erst mit sugar 😍und einer Fülle geheimer Zutaten, die dann auf noch viel geheimere Weise miteinander vermischt werden wie bei Willy Wonka in Tim Burtons Schokoladenfabrik oder wie Juliette Binoche im schönsten Schokifilm, den ich kenne.
    Vielleicht verhält es sich mit der Schokolade ähnlich wie mit dem englischen Preisträger von: Unser Dorf soll schöner werden! (hat hier bei uns das Dorf Währentrup vor Jahren mal gewonnen, seither ist es immer noch ein bisschen schöner als andere Dörfer, die Auszeichnung wirkt noch lange bei Dörfern nach wie es scheint, länger sogar als bei manchen prämierten Menschen……🤔
    Auf den ersten Blick erscheint alles ganz einfach und erst auf den zweiten und dritten Blick entschlüsselt sich die verborgene Komplexität und Individualität dieser Häuser. Wenn man in die Häuser des Dorfes hinein ginge, würde man dort die Bewohner treffen und dann wird das ganze noch viel komplizierter, denn jedes einzelne Haus dieses von den Massen der Welt besuchte Dorf konserviert immer noch seine eigene Geschichte. Sie verbindet sich mit den Geschichten der anderen Häuser und auf dem ersten Blick erscheint alles sehr pittoresk und auf den zweiten und dritten…verbergen sich sicherlich auch an diesem so idyllischen Ort ein paar traurige Geschichten über das Auslöschen von etwas Altem zugunsten eines Neuen, nur, dass diese Geschichten weder bei Harry Potter noch sonstwo stehen, denen dieser Ort ausschließlich als Kulisse dient.
    Es gibt sicherlich viele Berichte und Fotos über dieses Dorf, doch ich kenne sie nicht. Dafür jetzt Eure wieder wissensreiche Reise-Doku mentation. Kunstvoll verwortet, reich und tief bebildert und mit Feenstaub bepudert.
    Ich wünsche Euch ein frohes und gesundes neues Jahr.🤗🎉
    Liebe herzliche Grüße von der Karfunkelfee aus dem wilden Teuto🧚‍♀️✨

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Feenfreundin,
      womöglich haben wir unsere beiden Liebfeen zu sehr verwöhnt. Sie mampfen keineswegs jede Schokolade, oh nein, es müssen schon die schwedischen Schokoladenoblaten von Marabu mit Orangenzusatz sein oder dunkle Schweizer Schokolade mit Orange oder etwas Pfeffer. Normale Milchschokolade rühren sie nicht an. Ja, den Film “Chocolate” schauen sie sich immer wieder gerne an wie sie auch Roland Dahls Geschichte von der Schokoladenfabrik bereits öfters abends in ihren Kuschelbettchen gelesen haben.
      Diese idyllischen Cottages sind schön anzuschauen, aber wir wollten nicht darin leben. Die Cottages sind viel zu klein und die Nachbarn viel zu nah. Sie sind eher für Hobbits gebaut. Allerdings in damaliger Zeit lebten hier im Vergleich zum übrigen Europa relativ wohlhabende Menschen, die vom Wollhandel profitierten. Heute sind allerdings viele dieser Cottages Zweit- und Drittwohnungen wohlhabender Städtebewohner, oder sie werden als Ferienwohnungen vermietet. Außerdem gibt es in Castle Combe ein schickes Hotel mit Zimmern in einer bilderbuchartigen Cottage Row.
      Auf der anderen Seite wird das Alte liebevoll gepflegt und nicht durch entstellenden Solarzellen auf den Dächer oder Satellitenschüsseln oder Werbung entstellt. Alle Häuser sind gut gepflegt und man fühlt sich als Besucher wohl hier. Das Dorf ist sehr klein, was es einfacher macht, es so fein zu halten. Es ist nicht zur Kulisse verkommen, sondern es gibt “echtes Leben” dort und das Filmen ist wie in unserem Dorf eine willkommene Einnahmequelle.
      Wir wünschen dir ein neues Jahr voller toller Momente und senden gaaaaaanz liebe Grüße vom wilden Meer in den wilden Wald
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • We know that feeling of being behind very well. But why stress ourselves, it’s only social media. Keep cool! We are looking forward to your post about Castle Combe.
      Wishing you an easy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • True. I did not stress from the beginning because it was always for pleasure. Plus real life takes over especially since I am on holiday 🙂 I hope you are enjoying your weekend. Mine is pleasant. Time spent with cousins and friends.

      Like

    • Good afternoon, dear Nia,
      thanks for liking Dina’s photography 🙂 🙂
      We wish you a happy and healthy new year as well.
      All the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Derrick
      actually Dina likes photos without people, but, oh dear, our dear Master run into two of her pictures. He had to invite us to a lovely meal for his fault.
      Thank you so much for liking Dina’s photos.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Anette,
      dieses kleine Dorf ist andersweltlich; wir haben uns sogleich dort wohl gefühlt.
      Dir wünschen wir ein neues Jahr voller fröhlicher Momente, Heiterkeit und Gesundheit.
      Mit lieben Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  49. Beautiful photos. I wonder who actually designed this style of house? Was harmony important to them? In some of our modern housing developments in New Zealand there are many rules about what one is allowed to build; there is a certain aesthetic standard which must be adhered to. The end result is usually not pleasing, as far as I am concerned. Although this Cotswold village is beautiful, I wouldn’t want to live there any more than I would want to live in a modern housing development in NZ. I would feel confined. Wishing you many happy adventures in 2018.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Gallivanta
      we have to admit we have no idea who designed these cottages. We only know that this part of England was quite rich as an effect of the wool trade. They had money to build decent houses.
      We like modern architecture like Bauhaus (Mies van der Rohe f.e.) and those houses we blogged about in the very north of Scotland. Especially Scandinavian architects like Snöhättan we like very much. These postmodern private houses are full of light, they fit well into their surroundings and look like interesting sculptures. It’s very comfortable to live in such a house. Sorry, we have no idea about architecture in NZ but we see in our village that the design standards help to create houses that harmoniously fit into their surroundings.
      We wish you a happy and healthy new year
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  50. Ihr lieben fabelhaften vier,
    sehr schöne Fotos, Hanne, sie zeigen die Idylle perfekt und lassen uns Einblicke in die Geschichte nehmen.
    Ich wünsche euch auch alles Gute zum Neuen Jahr, liebe Grüße von Susanne

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Guten Tag, liebe Susanne,
      Hanne-Dina nahm sich viel Zeit, dieses idyllische Dorf zu fotografieren, und wir anderen hatten derweil viel Freude, den Ort auszukundschaften.
      Auch dir und Micha viel frohe Momente im neuen Jahr, Gesundheit und Glück
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      man sieht den Fotos an, dass sich Hanne viel Zeit genommen hat!
      Micha und ich sitzen gerade nach einem anstrengenden Einkaufssamstag geruhsam zuhause und erholen uns beim “rechnern” und anschliessenden Lesen.
      Liebe Grüße an euch vier von uns aus dem schon stockdusteren Berlin

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks a lot 🙂 🙂
      We wish you all the best for the new year as well.
      Filmmakers don’t need to put such an effort in costly postproduction filming here.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Guten Tag, liebe Reni
      … und es ist nicht nur dieses Dörfchen, sondern es gibt in der Umgebung viele wunderschöne Dörfer und Marktstädtchen.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  55. So enjoy your photography Dina, the way you capture the essence of a place. Particularly here with the light and smoking chimneys. Those Cotswold villages look very quaint…. quintessentially country.
    Wishing you adventurous trails and experiences to inspire the Fab Four through 2018.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you so much 🙂 🙂
      Great that you like Dina’s photography!
      England has a lot of villages looking quaint and quintessentially country. That was one of the reasons we moved to England.
      All the best for the new year, may it be a happy and healthy one
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  56. Drawn in at first by the selfish desire to confirm “Cotswolds, aha!”, the beauty and charm of this post has brightened my morning. I must try candy on my fellow travellers, patient as they must be… Thank you – twice.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your great commentary! 🙂 🙂
      It’s great to read that our post has brightened your morning. Actually this is our aim.
      Yaeh, we can recommend the candy trick to patien your fellow travelers and sometimes a glas of vine or a pint of beer will work as well.
      All the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  57. God fortsättning! Mögen wir noch viele solcher zauberhaften Orte finden. Thanks so lot for posting such fine photos and literally words. LG Ruth
    ps Was wäre mein Englisch ohne Deines, KB. Was wäre mein England ohne Deine Bilder Hanne. Und nicht nur das……soooooo viel Inspiration!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Guten Abend, liebe Ruth
      Habe gaaaaanz herzlichen Dank für deine lieben Worte, die uns sehr gefreut haben. Das ist toll zu hören, dass wir dich inspirieren. Wir werden uns Mühe geben, dass das auch weiterhin so bleibt. Uns bereitet es viel Freude.
      Demnächst wird es nach Cornwall gehen, mal sehen, welche Abenteuer uns dort erwarten.
      Wir senden liebe ❤️ Grüße an dich im schönen Schweden 🇸🇪 und feinsten Feenhauch
      💃🚶👭
      The Fab Four of Cley
      P.S. Hast du Schnee ❄️? Wir warten sehnsüchtig auf ihn.

      Liked by 1 person

  58. Beautiful post Fab Four, welcome to 2018! Dina’s photos are marvelous and actually I love the photobombed capture the best 🙂 Agree wholeheartedly it would be less-than-desirable to live in one of the cottages if they’d not been updated, and I too wonder if I’d prefer communication within the neighborhood vs over the web. If the latter there would be no blogging and I’d not be able to enjoy your thoughts and images! All the best to you.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  59. A treat of a post and the photographs are wonderfully idyllic – I can see the tourist board quoting you and asking for permission to use your photos!! 😀 As always it’s your deeper thoughts and questions that are the signature of all your posts…it is amazing and reassuring how the individual remains strong in our huge society…the houses here all uniquely distinctive although from a quick glance this is not so evident. Wishing you all a happy weekend. xxx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Annika
      What a great commentary ❣️Thank you very much!
      Dina likes taking moody photographs and our dear Master loves philosophing and we clever Bookfayries have to bring pictures and ideas 💡 into a harmonious blog. We can tell you that’s quite a job but it’s fun as well and we even get extra pocket money 💰 for it.
      If we look at these cottages they are all similar, one style, but as well they are all individual. In a way it’s like a metaphor for our life in a mass society. Well, you see our dear Master gets carried away again. We have to stop ✋ him.
      Lots of love ❤️ from Siri and Selma 👭
      And Dina 💃 and our Master 🚶

      Liked by 1 person

  60. Good afternoon, dear Tina
    We wish you a great new year.
    Thank you very much for your kind comment. We wouldn’t like to live in such cottages although they are all renovated to modern standards but they are too small and the neighbours too near. We would feel claustrophobic there. It’s great for visiting 👍 but a challenge living there 👎
    Quite a lot of these cottages are holiday lets or second or third homes. We suppose all the inhabitants are busy communicating using social media.
    With warm greetings from the cold sea 🌊
    The Fab Four of Cley
    💃🚶👭

    Like

    Reply

  63. First thank you Dina for putting a follow on my blog, through that I have found your delightful post. The photos are so magnificent, you have caught the magic and atmosphere of a lifestyle long gone. The fact that all the “foreigners” had been chased away gave it an authentic old time feel. But I can understand why the tourists would flock to this beautiful part of England. I would “flock” there too. I enjoyed reading your commentary too. It was a style of communal, neighbourly life that is, sadly, not found now in this computer age when we hardly know our next door neighbours and if we do know them, probably don’t know anyone else down the street. But having said that, like one of your other comments, I would not like the hard lifestyle they led with no mod cons. I think it was probably our golden age in the 1950’s when it was still a friendly place to live, but we did have washing machines, vacuum cleaners etc and our entertainment was talking to each other!!! or reading a book….

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Well, the communal style of living had it’s very dark sides as well. The social control was drastic and it was a hell of a life if you didn’t fit.
      In the fifties people were quite poor in comparison to today and the standard of those cottages was very low, you were kind of cut off there. Aldo the fifties were very conservative and the social control was nearly as strict as in the times before. There are much more people reading books today than in the fifties. The postmodern lifestyle gives people in such villages a freedom and education they have never had before. Without internet those villages would be be deserted.
      There are always two sides of everything. We are living in such a rural idyllic village as well but only because we have the internet as a window into the world and to keep in touch with our friends.
      Thanks for liking our blog and for your commentary 🙏🙏
      Have a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Well, we all look at things from our perspective and with a more or less one-dimensional view. That’s why we like blogging, we are confronted with many different views.
      No only Nietzsche wrote that tension or polarity is the base of life.
      Wishing you a wonderful week
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Tish
      thanks a lot for liking our post 🙂 🙂
      We only visit places out-of-season because then we see the real beauty.
      All the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  65. it is a little bit “stuck in aspic” – sort of National Trust romanticism. No satellite dishes? No solar panels? Suggests to me there must be very tight rules to actually live there, and I am quite sure I wouldn’t want to live under such rules. (And in case you were wondering I neither have satellite dish or solar panels, but I could if I wanted to). BUT I love Dina’s photos and I am amused to think of Siri and Selma diverting all the Chinese tourists. I think one big problem with the Cotswolds and especially the eastern side, is its closeness to London and consequently all those tourist buses hogging every town/village/garden in the region.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Jude
      we have to say we actually are in favour with this NT romanticism. We live in a village without those strict rules for planning and find it horrible with solar panels on old flint cottages and satellite dishes. Germany had the problem of having nearly no planning regulations for a long time and most of the villages are that horrible nowadays that the inhabitants (who changed it all) moved away. We are in favour of strict planning rules. If one doesn’t like it then one should look for another place to live or to find other solutions like geothermal heating. The consequences of hardly any planning rules are that the well off people buying most of the places and converting them into symbols of wealth (like in our neighbouring village Blakeney or more so around Burnham Market).
      Do you know Lacock? Except two houses every house of this village is owned by the NT.
      Great that you like Dina’s pictures and didn’t Siri and Selma do a great job diverting all the traffic with their “Road Closed” signs.
      We wish you a wonderful weekend and thank you very much for your commentary. We really love opposition that makes blogging interesting!
      With lots of love
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  66. Dina’s lovely photographs of Castle Combe and your interesting and philosophical musings make this such a lovely post, Klausbernd! I am so glad Siri and Selma managed to keep the traffic and people out of the village – what clever fairies they are! Best wishes for a fabulous 2018! 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Keng
      yes, it really is!
      Thanks a lot for commenting. We wish you a wonderful 2018
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley
      We are just in the process buying a very safe car 🚙

      Like

  69. Ok, vielleicht stimmt etwas mit meinen Augen nicht, aber vor lauter Bäumen, kann ich das Dorf kaum sehen…tolle Bäume!
    In einer Mondnacht lag ich wach und formulierte im Geiste einen merkwördigen Kommentar nach dem anderen…
    Dachte: hoffentlich geht diese Nacht bald vorbei….
    Einer dieser Kommentare bagann z.B. so: Gotteswillen, gebt den Buchfeen nicht so viele Schokoplätzchen-Boxen, Schokolade macht dick, picklig und ist nicht gut für die Zähne….merkt ihr was, so was kann man doch nicht schreiben! und überhaupt: Resisdance! Schokoplätzchen für alle!

    Würden wir uns Plätzchen essend an den Brunnen hocken, liebste Siri und Selma, betimmt haben H-D und KB (Klausbörnd) noch jede Menge im Kofferraum dabei..und dann würden wir darauf warten, dass dieser verdammte Frosch uns endlich die goldene Kugel wieder aus dem Brunnen hoch wirft….???!!!
    Falls der Frosch uns nervt, wisst ihr sicher Bescheid, wir fallen ja nicht auf Manupilationen herein! Wir doch nicht!

    All the best for 2018 from the three of Schillerplatz to you at Cley Dorf!!!

    Deine Geschichte, lieber Klausbernd, finde ich übrigens excellent geschrieben, ist euer neuer Volvo wirklich schon geliefert? kann es kaum glauben….
    Geniale Fotos und herzlichen Dank fürs Teilen!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Pia
      nee, wir fahren jetzt erst in zwei Wochen zu Dinas Geburtstag für 14 Tage nach Cornwall und danach werden wir das neue Auto kaufen. Besonders Siri und Selma freuen sich schon sehr darauf. Sie sind ganz aufgeregt. Wir wussten gar nicht, dass sie solche Technik-Freaks sind.
      Ja, ja mit der Schokolade … Aber wusstest du, dass Feen keine Karies kennen?
      Wir saßen übrigens an dem Brunnen, aber Siri und Selma fanden den Frosch zu blöd und hässlich und wollen auch keinen Prinzen als Lover. Wie sagten sie: “Wir bürgerlichen Feen haben die Revolution gewonnen. {Sie meinen wohl die französische} Mit dem Adel geben wir uns nicht mehr ab!” Und ab in die Brunnentiefe wurde der freche Frosch geworfen.
      Wir wünschen dir und deinen Kiddies groß und klein ein wunderbares 2018. Lasst es euch gut gehen
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer zum Schillerplatz
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Ach, ich vergaß zu sagen: Das, was du auf Dina’s Fotos siehst, ist das gesamte Dorf – minisuperklein das Örtchen, nix im Wald, da sind nur die Räuber und freche Eichhörnchen.

      Like

    • A happy 2018 for you as well, dear Sue.
      Late autumn and winter Castle Combe is very peaceful, it radiates a great fairy tale atmosphere.
      We send lots of love to you so far away in Alberta
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  72. Hi to my dear friends in Cley!!
    A very beautiful blog. You have such a talent in capturing the atmosphere.
    Maybe you dear Dina and Master can arrange some trips as tour guide and photography course. A perfect combination with Siri and Selma🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️
    Thanks for sharing!!
    🙋🇮🇪🍀🍀☘️☘️🌈🌈🌈🌈🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Joan 🍀
      great reading your commentary 👍 sitting on the sofa while our gardener is sharpening his tools for cutting our lawn.
      We are so happy that you like our blog. After be at odds with blogging we really love it again now (Master’s comment: especially after being at Instagram, such a stupid medium, unbelievable!).
      Many years ago our dear Master did tours around Norfolk and two big Round-England-Tours, an introduction into the natural and cultural history of the island. Unfortunately that was without Siri and Selma 🧚‍♀️ 🧚‍♀️ It would be even more fun doing it together with Dina and our beloved Bookfayries.
      We will go to Cornwall in a fortnight for celebrating Dina’s birthday. We hope for a rough sea perfect for photographing.
      We send you lots and lots of love 💕❤️💚💙💜💕
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Thanks a lot.
      I just read that you are a writer as well. May I ask you about your agents? I publish world wide with Random House and some other publishers but unfortunately my agents have retired and I am looking for a new agency especially for my copy rights in China and Russia. Can you help?
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Thank you, dear Brian, for commenting 🙏🙏 🙂 🙂
      Strange these contradictions, the quiet peaceful village next to a noisy race track.
      All the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Guten Morgen, lieber Pit
      was für ein schöner Morgen, die Sonne schein bei 5 Grad C und es ist fast windstill. Wir werden nachher ins Vogelschutzgebiet gehen, wo die liebe Dina die riesigen Schwärme von Pink Footed Geese und Brent Gees fotografieren möchte.
      Keiner von uns ist ja zuvor in den Cotswolds gewesen. Wir waren völlig verblüfft über diese malerischen Dörfer und Städtchen.
      Dann mach’s mal gut. Liebe Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hallo Klausbernd,
      die Cotswolds finde ich eine der schoensten Gegenden Englands: archetypisch wuerde ich sagen. Obwohl ich ja schon mehrfach [beginnend in den fruehen 80er Jahren] dort war, zieht es mich immer wieder hin. Wir haben hier vor ein paar Tagen einen kurzen Film [https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/cotswolds] gesehen, der u.A. auch ein wenig von dieser Gegend zeigte. Mal sehen, ob/wann wir wieder hin kommen. Ich glaube, ich hatte schon mal gesagt, dass ich eine Tour von Suedengland geplant hatte, sozusagen von Kueste [Broadstairs] zu Kueste [Landsend], dann aber zu Irland [wo Mary, wegen ihrer halb irischen Abstammung gerne hin moechte] plus Wales umgeschwenkt bin. Nun habe ich eben zwei Touren abrufbereit. 😉 Ob eine davon in diesem Jahr zustande kommt, das steht aber noch in den Sternen. Wir wuerden ja auch wahnsinnig gerne wieder einen “Road Trip” hier in den Staaten machen. Warten wir mal ab. Und in der Zwischenzeit traeumen wir. 😉
      Liebe Gruesse, auch an die restlichen 3/4 der Fab Four, von
      Pit und Mary

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ja, lieber Pit, das hast du fein geschrieben, die Cotswolds sind archetypisch für die englische Naturlandschaft. Wir werden zu Hanne-Dinas Geburtstag 🎉 nach Cornwall in die Gegend von Landsend fahren, wo ich Cornwall am schönsten finde. Wir werden sicher darüber berichten. Anfang Februar sind wir wieder zurück.
      Wir träumen derweil von Reise durch Norwegen 🇳🇴 vielleicht mit unserem neuen Auto 🚗, das wir bald kaufen werden.
      Ganz liebe Grüße an dich und Mary
      💃🚶👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ich freue mich schon jetzt auf Dinas Bilder von Cornwall! 🙂 Habt’s fein da!
      Und ich freue mich auch schon auf Bilder von den Pink Footed und Brent Geese.

      Like

    • Dear Jane,
      we wish you a wonderful new year as well.
      Thanks for liking Dina’s photography. We were fascinated by all these details which add an interesting graphic element to these cottages (like the gutters f.e.).
      All the best
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, dear Carmen,
      we wish you a happy and healthy 2018 as well.
      We couldn’t believe it but there are many of these charming villages and market towns in the Cotswolds.
      Thank you for liking Dina’s photography
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Charlène
      we are very happy that you like our website 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 We love creating graceful posts.
      Thanks for commenting
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  80. Several of the Cotswold villages are are picturesque and’easy’ to photograph. But these photos are exceptional – they capture the soul and spirit of the village. They convey so much – they are pictures about the village, not merely of the village.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Louis
      thank you so much for your kind words 🙏🙏 We wanted to catch the essence and gist of this village as a representative of all these idyllic Cotswold villages.
      We wish you a wonderful week
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  81. Ahhh the photos are divine! And it is so wonder that it never changes. I spent summer in Buford when I was in grad school so many years ago, and have such happy memories of the gorgeous Cotswolds. I also became addicted to Agatha when I was in middle school. Miss Markle rocks! I am interested to see Kenneth Branagh’s new adaptation.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Cindy
      now we have happy memories of the Cotswolds as well. We will back one day that’s for sure.
      If we remember it right, Agatha Christie was fed up with her Poirot after 33 novels. She designed him that narcissistic that she stopped having him as protagonist any longer and replaced him with Miss Marple. For us Poirot is so connected with David Suchet that every other actor has no chance. Hercule Poirot was played in films by more than 20 different actors.
      Thanks for commenting and have a happy week
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Lieber Ernst,
      auch dir alles Gute, Gesundheit und heitere Gelassenheit in 2018.
      Na prima, dass dir Dinas Fotografien und Masterchens Geschichten so gut gefallen.
      Mit ganz lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  84. Extrem gute Fotos sind das.
    Zum einen fiel mir eine Art “hyperreality” auf, in der Klarheit und Expressivität der Bilder. Fast “grafisch” klar muten diese Fotos an.
    Zum zweiten scheinen die Strassenszenen völlig gereinigt von allem Unrat zu sein, so als hätte sich ein dienbarer Geist um “die Reinheit jeder Pore” der Bilder bemüht. Kein wegeworfenes Papier, kaum eine schadhafte Stelle im Mauerwerk, kein Rost, kein Garbage. Fast möchte man meinen, die Fotografin hätte sich darum bemüht. 🙂
    Danke für diese “beherrschten” Fotos (im doppelten Sinne) 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Habe herzlichen Dank für dein Lob, über das wir uns sehr gefreut haben. Dina kam es in der Tat darauf an (wie bei den meisten ihrer Bilder), das grafische Element zu betonen.
      Es war in Castle Combe so sauber, was uns auch sogleich auffiel, und alles vom Feinsten renoviert. Das liegt wohl daran, das viele der Cottages Zweit- und Dritthäuser etwas betuchterer Leute sind. Übrigens war das bereits im 14. und 15. Jh. so, als die Gegend äußerst wohlhabend durch den Wollhandel war.
      Mit herzlichen Grüßen und Wünschen für eine angenehme Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  85. I’m late and now I had to scroll for ages to get to the bottom. 🙂 Such a beautiful start to your new blogging year. The photos are outstandingly good and I enjoyed your little story very much. Recently I bought a travel guide to England and Wales as I do hope to spend my holidays there this or next year. I couldn’t resist reading about the Cotswolds after you posts and do you know, Castle Combe is connected to Norfolk?
    “The village prospered in the 15th century when wool was the main industry when it belonged to Millicent, the wife of Sir Stephen Le Scrope and then of Sir John Fastolf (1380–1459), a NORFOLK KNIGHT who was the effective lord of the manor for fifty years. He promoted the woollen industry, supplying his own troops and others for Henry V’s war in France.”
    Wishing you the best for 2018,
    KLEM
    Hjerter

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Hjerter,
      thanks a lot for commenting, my dear friend.
      And thanks for telling us about the connection of the Cotswolds to Norfolk. A Norfolk knight promoted the wool industry there, we had no idea.
      We also wish you all the best for the new year, health and happiness.
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  86. What makes Castle Combe so attractive to us? – a good question, Klausbernd! I think I am taken by the symmetry and stability of the village – and the total absence of modernity. The local planners have done well to preserve the look, but from what era? Most of these homes look like 16th-19th C. When was new construction stopped, I wonder?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Peter,
      unfortunately, we cannot tell you when the planners stopped new constructions. We suppose it was the Victorians.
      The harmony based on symmetry and colour adds very much to the attraction, as you already wrote.
      Thank you for your commentary and have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Peter,
      today Rolling Harbour answered your question in his commentary.
      Just scroll two more comments down. There you will find it.
      All the best
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Like

  88. Very lovely. It’s a little-known fact that by Act of Parliament (The Concealment of Wiring and other Impedimenta of Modern Living Act. 1986), it became illegal for there to be any visible wires, utility posts, telecoms masts, motorised vehicles, advertising hoardings, mobile phone shops and 103 similar modern-day excrescences within the purlieus and curtilages of Castle Combe (Look carefully? See anything of this sort? No!) and 11 other specified ‘chocolate-box’ English villages. This Act was passed after enormous pressure was brought to bear by Film and Television Companies, especially those specialising in period costume dramas, classic English ‘whodunnit’ movies, TV series involving either eccentric medical practitioners or endearingly whimsical detectives or charmingly inept vicars, and decorative historical romances covering the period 1800 – 1963 (when, according to Philip Larkin, sex was invented). Or so I was led to believe.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear RH
      thank you very much for your explanation. We didn’t know about this Act of Parliament.
      One immediately notices this special atmosphere in Castle Combe even if one isn’t aware of the reasons.
      Great this idea of Philip Larking’s sex being invented between 1800 and 1963. We couldn’t stop laughing about it.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Dear RH
      Sorry, to bother you. I was trying to find out which the other 11 chocolate box villages were ruled by this Act of Parliament from 1986. Could you, please, be so kind to let me know. The problem is that ‘chocolate box village’ seems not to be defined and everyone understands different villages and towns as chocolate box. And I wasn’t able to find this Act of Parliament neither.
      I would be very thankful if you could help me finding these villages.
      Thank you very much
      Klausbernd

      Liked by 1 person

    • Klausbernd, there’s an official list of 43 qualifying villages, and they rotate the honour of inclusion, within the terms of the Act (you’ll find that in the appendix to Halsbury’s Statutes 1986 Vol 3, p 761). They remain ‘listed’ for 12 months, then wait to take their turn again. The rotation is overseen by the the Senior Matron of the Queen’s Bedchamber. The official list is never published – you take your chance whenever you visit a picturesque village…

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear RH
      thank you very much for your answer.
      Now I understand why I couldn’t find a list of these chocolate box villages.
      For somebody coming from a country where nobility doesn’t play an important role, the Senior Matron of the Queen’s Bedchamber sounds funny like in a fairy tale.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      Klausbernd and the rest of The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  89. hello dina its dennis the vizsla dog hay wot a peeseful and pikcheresk villadj!!! no dowt mayd eeven better with the addishun of choklits!!! hay my dada sez he has red menny menny agatha christie buks but not the murder of roger akroyd he sez he lernt abowt the ending befor reeding it and so sinse he wuz spoyld for the ending he never did reed it!!! i did not eeven no they had spoylers bak befor the days of the innerwebs!!! ok bye

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Dennis dog,
      thanks for your comment. Yes, those chocolates … Fairies can’t withstand them like dogs can’t withstand bones.
      Like your dad, we love the Agatha Christie stories and like watching the films. Actually, we don’t mind that much knowing the ending. We enjoy how it’s done.
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • Good evening, dear Jacqui,
      we also watched all the Hercule Poirot episode. Really down we were when we had seen them all. Great memories for us also.
      Thanks and have an easy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  91. A lovely village filled with outward harmony. I particularly appreciated the concept that while each building fit into the whole, it also maintained its own individuality. Great photos as always. And I assume, great chocolate. 🙂 –Curt

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Curt,
      we suppose that’s the magic of Castle Combe that every building fits in the whole and at the same time, it’s quite individual as well. It’s like a metaphor for living in a mass society, we are all the same but individual as well.
      Thanks for liking Dina’s photos.
      Cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Yes, we agree. We wrote this in our answer to Curt (above) as well.
      And it adds to the magic of Castle Combe as well that you don’t see any wires, solar panels, satellite dishes and advertisements.
      All the best and thanks for commenting
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  94. Thanks for posting these photos. I love these cottages. They are so quaint and beautiful. I fell in love with the English countryside, its cottages and little garden when I visited England 35 years ago and the bug has stayed on. I now have a collection of Lilliput English cottages.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Rosalinda
      thank you very much for your kind words. 🙏🙏
      You wouldn’t believe it these cottages haven’t changed since you visited England. We like this love of the past in England.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  96. It is indeed a beautiful village. In addition to what you point to what makes Castle Combe special, part of it is maybe also the lack of regularities like straight line or same sized and types of shape that we find in modern urban development. And of course the proximity and inclusion of Mother Nature. I wish you all the best for 2018.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Otto
      we agree it’s the lack of straight lines and right angles that is that charming. I don’t know if you have come across Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposophists. Originally Steiner was trained as an architect. He tried to avoid straight lines and especially right angles in his buildings because you don’t find those in nature. It was just the opposite to Bauhaus and de Stijl at the same time.
      We wish you a happy, healthy 2018, full of luck and great moments
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  97. Great to see that you are still alive despite declaring Castle Combe to be the prettiest village and that the other chocolate box villagers haven’t turned you into chocalate . Really a beautiful place and photographs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Caroline
      autumn and winter are the best seasons for visiting the idyllic villages and market towns in the Cotswolds. It’s much too busy at other times, especially with Chinese and Japanese tourist groups.
      Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography 🙏🙏
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  100. I noticed a comment or two about the “lack of modernity” adding to the attractiveness of the village, but I noticed something else, too. There are several signs of modern life in the photos. Most obvious might be the skylights in the second photo. It’s the best sort of adaptation: incorporating modern conveniences in such a way that the general “feeling” of a place isn’t disturbed.

    I was caught by your comment to Otto about Rudolf Steiner and his preference for avoiding straight lines. Just today, an artist I follow posted about Friedensreich Hundertwasser quoting the artist to the effect that “The straight line is godless and immoral. The straight line is not a creative line, it is a duplicating line, an imitating line.” I’m not sure I’d go with ‘godless and immoral,’ but there’s a point here that can’t be denied.

    Finally, the various references to nostalgia, romanticism, longing, and such sent me looking for a passage from Roger Scruton’s Where We Are: The State of Britain Now. I think it’s applicable in so many ways to our feelings about these pretty little villages: “The word [nostalgia] (from Greek nostos, the journey home) denotes the pain that people feel when severed from the place and form of life to which they belong. The capacity to feel this pain was regarded by the ancient Greeks as part of a virtuous character: proof of the loyalty that binds the individual to the community…Turning for home is not an escape from the world, but an affirmation of it — such is the theme of Holderlin’s Heimkehr, describing the return journey, which is also the forward journey into the place of belonging.”

    And then he adds this wonderful line: “There is a utopia of somewhere; but there is also a utopia of nowhere, which is the home of frozen hearts.” My presumption is that chocolate belongs in the utopia of somewhere. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Oh dear, we have to admit we don’t like Hundertwasser – neither his pictures nor his architecture. Hundertwasser, for us, goes over the top. Steiner and Scharoun f.e. were much clearer and not influenced by the the Vienna art doco like Klimt. We have to admit we like the Bauhaus and de Styjl, the overdetermination of straight lines and primary colours, like Gropius f.e. Hundertwasser is a kind of too Baroque for our taste. Although we love ❤️ modern and post-modern art we love these idyllic villages too. But, as we wrote, no way we would like to live in such a village and such houses 🏡 As you know, the Greek nostalgia had to do with the geo-political situation, a small country with an enourmous successful and powerful neighbour. As we know from history nostalgia emerges if a country looses its power and isn’t successful any longer.
      These were just some ideas 💡 We are holidaying in Cornwall right now and celebrate lazyness therefore we say ‘all the best’
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Agnes,
      there are quite a lot of cottages to rent but the most beautiful place to stay is the Golf 🏌 Hotel there. You will love it, we suppose.
      We are just on a holiday in Cornwall and therefore it took us so long to answer. We celebrate lazyness in front of the open 🔥 fire
      Thank you very much.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  102. Another stunningly “individual” village where the past still exists! No wonder Castle Combe has been the backdrop to many films. Thanks you for this tour…so good to the eye 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Tiny,
      thank you very much.
      We really love ❤️ this village, although we are actually lovers of post-modern architecture. But there isn’t an either or …
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  103. Prince Charles is trying to recreate modern built villages like this, in Cornwall I think, but with Character. I think more modern builders should look at the buildings we all love and try to find ways of giving us the beautiful but with modern and technological benefits and advances, not just tan bricks in a box with tiny double glazed windows of no character.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Charlotte,
      we absolutely agree.
      Do you know where in Cornwall that is? As we are right now in Cornwall enjoying rough seas and great ales.
      Thanks a lot for telling us.
      Lots of love ❤️
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  107. Pingback: Blogbummel Januar 2018 – buchpost

  109. When I look at the pictures of ‘Dina’ Hanne, I can understand why this village is called “the prettiest English village”. It exudes a certain charm and yet you can almost feel the hard and turbulent times of the past that is hidden behind these beautiful craftsman houses.
    Best regards, Heidi

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Heidi,
      actually, the people there were quite privileged because of the wealth of this area. It’s was the wool trade that made the inhabitants of this village quite well off in comparison to the rest of England.
      Thanks for commenting.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  111. Was für wunderschöne Aufnahmen. Da geht einem Liebhaber der Insel das Herz auf – und das Fernweh wird größer. Wird wirklich Zeit, dass ich es selbst mal schaffe, England einen Besuch abzustatten. – Bei Schottland wird es endlich diesen Herbst soweit sein.

    Beste Grüße aus der Crimealley und ein großes Kompliment für diesen äußerst gelungenen Blog
    Stefan

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Lieber Stefan,
      habe herzlichen Dank, dass dir Dinas Fotografie gefällt 🙂 🙂 und unser Blog 🙂 🙂
      Letztes Jahr fuhren wir durch den Norden Schottlands (und bloggten hier darüber https://fabfourblog.com/2017/07/21/scotlands-mystical-valley/). Uns hat diese Reise absolut gut gefallen. England ist ja auch wunderschön. Oftmals hat man Gefühl, dass die Zeit stehen geblieben ist seit der victorianischen Epoche.
      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Lieber Klaus, vielen herzlichen Dank für den Link. Gänsehaut, wenn ich diese Bilder sehe. Seit Kindesbeinen zieht es mich nach Schottland. Über die Literatur von Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson und später Ian Rankin habe ich nicht nur das Medium Buch für mich entdeckt, sondern letztlich sogar meine große Liebe gefunden. Schottland, aber auch das viktorianische Zeitalter, haben einen besonderen Stellenwert für mich. Großer Traum ist es, mal einen längeren Urlaub dort zu verbringen. Bis dahin dienen solch wunderschöne Aufnahmen als Appetitmacher. – Auf meinem Blog arbeite ich übrigens mit dem schottischen Fotoprojekt “Dark Edinburgh” (https://crimealleyblog.wordpress.com/dark-edinburgh/) zusammen. Noireske Einblicke in das Athen des Nordens. Falls du Lust hast, kannst du Dich hier also auch gerne mal umschauen. – Ich sende herzliche Grüße aus einem kleinen Dorf im Spessart zurück und folge euch ab sofort mit Freuden. Stefan aus der kriminellen Gasse

      Liked by 1 person

    • Na, lieber Stefan, der Spessart ist ja traditionell eine richtige Räuberhöhle, da gehört eine Crime Alley hin 😉
      Uns hat es besonders gut auf den Orkneys gefallen und überhaupt an der kargen Nordküste, wo der Großvater (?) R.L. Stevensons einige Leuchttürme baute, die atemberaubend liegen.
      Wir halten dir unsere Daumen ganz fest, dass du bald nach Schottland kommst.
      Übrigens auch wir haben alle Romane Ian Rankins in unserer Bibliothek. Gerade lesen wir jedoch atemlos “I am Pilgrim” von Terry Hayes.
      Mach’s gut
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Danke Schön. 🙂 Edinburgh werden wir schon diesen Oktober über meinen Geburtstag besuchen. Nur ein Wochenende, aber ich werde jede Sekunde genießen. Sobald die Kinder ein wenig größer sind, werden wir dann auch mal länger auf der Insel verweilen. Dartmoor, Cotswolds, Exeter, Oxford, London, die schottischen Highlands, die genannten Orkneys … es gibt noch so viel. dass es zu sehen gilt. Fürchte ja sowieso, dass ich nicht mehr zurück möchte, wenn ich einmal da bin 😉 – Terry Hayes ‘Pilgrim’ schaue ich mir gleich mal näher an. Macht es besser, LG Stefan 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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