Ideally, all Autumns should be punctuated with a weekend away.
Mine was a quick trip to the Cotswolds.
Day one took me into the hub of historic Cirencester.
A pleasing display of yellow ochre architecture that envelops the market square.
Peppered with patches of pastel buildings, alight in the late September light (like quiet sirens in central Cirencester).
With a bright Brandeis blue sky shooting out the sunshine.
Cirencester’s Parish church (St John Baptist church) is in the centre of town…
Built in the 15th century, interestingly it is the church with the largest porch in the country!
And the Corinium Museum is its close neighbour, our next stop:
The museum contains an exceptional collection of Roman artefacts.
This is the Orpheus Mosaic.
It was discovered in 1825 at Barton Farm, about 300 metres outside the city walls of Corinium. The mosaic which dates to the 4th century AD shows Orpheus – a character from Greek myth who could play the lyre so beautifully that wild beasts were instantly tamed – charming animals with his music.
As predicted, I was drawn to the display of jewellery and I was struck by the modernity of the pieces.
The amount of jewellery found in excavations indicates that the people of Corinium were very fond of personal adornment.
Every Roman coin tells a story. An emperor could use a coin as an outlet for imperial propaganda. The reverse of coins depict Roman gods and personifications, for instance Victoria, representing victory, and Pax, the personification of peace.
After an absorbing afternoon at the museum, I explored the colourful shops in town…
… before heading back to the hotel just as the sun started to set.
Click here to see tomorrow’s post of more pictures of the beautiful Cotswolds.
