The Flickr Eyamparishchurch Image Generatr

The beautiful, historic village of Eyam (pronounced 'eem'), in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, England which became famous after the Black Death of 1665 and 1666.
An outbreak of the plague was contained when the villagers decided to isolate themselves from the surrounding communities. Many people in the village died. It is also known that some of the village population were genetically unique and naturally immune to this very deadly disease. There are still descendants of this line in Eyam.

1775 Wall Sundial

The Church of St. Lawrence, Eyam

The Church of St. Lawrence

Eyam

The Parish Church of St Lawrence is located in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire’s beautiful Peak District. Eyam is noted for the historical reality of the plague in 1665-66, commemorated in the village and in the church itself.

Christian worship has taken place in Eyam for over 1000 years! Our first recorded Rector began his ministry in 1250 and the Church dates from Saxon times. St Lawrence, Eyam has huge amounts of history and played a key role in the 1665 - 66 plague when the villagers quarantined themselves to prevent the spread of the disease.

The impressive west declining sundial stands on two corbels projecting from the wall above the doorway to the south aisle of Eyam Church.
The dial dates from 1775, and tradition has it that is was designed by a Mr Duffin and local stone mason William Shore carried out the work.
However it is possible that the dial was designed and made by the eminent clock and instrument maker John Whitehurst of Derby.
The hour is read from the shadow cast by the gnomon, the dial is engraved to local time, and reads approximately one hour slow during British Summer time. Detail over lines of declination Lines of declination cross the face of the dial from left to right. This detail, seen on the right from near the top of the dial face, shows the winter month labelling of the lines of declination.
A protrusion under the gnomon as seen in its shadow follows these lines, indicating the month and sign of the zodiac.
Names of various places in the world are arranged around the gnomon near to the top of the dial. As the shadow passes over a name, it indicates noon at that particular location.
The Latin engraving at the top of the dial translates as "Cultivate an enquiring mind", and on the corbels, "Like a shadow, so passes life".
Names of two contemporary church wardens - William Lee and Thomas Froggat - can be seen near the top.

I was asked the other day if I had a decent shot of the Celtic Cross in Eyam Churchyard and realised I couldn't find one so it's high time and beyond I popped into the churchyard and captured the image.
John Beck, the noted Eyam geologist, told me he thought there was a piece missing between the head and the body of the cross. Looking at the image there is a clear break and a change of width which doesn't seem in keeping so I suspect he may have been right. He said he always kept an eye out for any dressed masonry as he walked the village in case he may have been lucky enough to find the missing bit and I do the same.
When processing the image I thought I'd done something I shouldn't when I saw the brown line running up the left hand side but I went back over to check and it really is there...

I've had this image in mind for a while now but inevitably there's only one opportunity a year to catch it when the roses are newly laid by the Rector's Wife on Plague Sunday at the Service when we remember the time of the Plague visiting Eyam.
Catherine died on 25th August so the service is on the last Sunday of August - usually Bank Holiday weekend.

We noticed this rather unusual fungus in the Churchyard at Eyam last weekend