One of the benefits of retirement is that we can go out for lunch more often and incorporate short trips to places of interest. If the sun shines and we need a treat off we go, and recently when we couldn't decide where to venture, I remembered The Child of Hale.
It was many years since we had visited this quaint little village on the edge of Liverpool and it has an interesting story to tell. A champion of King James1 lived there who was a giant of a man.
I am only 5 feet tall.... or 5 feet small next to the statue
There are several thatched cottages in Hale and this is the one where John Middleton lived. We met some Scottish tourists who were staying in this house and they had been told that John slept with a foot out of each of two windows in his room!
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is just nearby and the flight paths are just overhead.
John Middleton's grave in the churchyard and people throw coins onto it for luck.
Here's the story of how he became the King's Champion and, surprisingly, he was robbed returning from court. It must have taken quite a few men to overcome him. 
At the end of the village there is a path which is a pleasant walk leading down to the banks of the River Mersey to Hale Beach.
We enjoyed a good meal in one of the two village pubs to complete another of our day trips.
8 comments:
Hi Jo,thank you for sharing your very interesting visit.Hope you got my new email addy ok.Hugs xx
it sounds like a lovely trip out, think of all the difficulties being that hight lol
Christine x
I had forgotten about this Jo! It's years since we moved to the North West this was one of the first places I visited! Your photos have made me want to go back ! Off to Paris next week but hope we can meet up after that! Hugs, Chrisx
what a lovely visit... but I wouldn't like to be that tall.
Oh Jo! Your post has brought back such lovely memories! My dad and I used to cycle from Garston where we lived , to Hale, and I well remember him telling me the story of the Child of Hale. Happy days!
In other news, I just can't get used to the 'new' name John Lennon Airport - and I don't begrudge him having it re-named after him; but to me it will ALWAYS be just Speke Airport!
Catch up again soon! Lxxx
you picked a beautiful place on a beautiful day xx
What an interesting story. I enlarged the photo so I could read the info board. What a shame he was robbed of his winnings!
Thanks for sharing,
Lisca
Sleeping with his feet out of the window - that doesn't sound very comfortable. I imagine mischievous little boys who would sneak up and tickle them!
I love thatched cottages, they always look so cozy and sweet. Put a beautiful garden around it and you have my dream home.
Our daughter is still in the decision process. We're going down to UC Berkeley today. She was there twice a few years ago, but now that she got accepted it's a different story. She wants to get the "vibe" of the place - if she doesn't feel comfortable there she can put it off her list.
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