O'er moorland and brae: Beyond the lych gate

Minstead is a charming New Forest village, dating back to the Doomsday book; and means Mint Place: as mint grew wild there. It is not unusual even today to see a horse and buggy trotting along between the hedgerows.

The entire village is full of quirks and interesting corners. Its village green still wears its renovated ancient stocks; and New Forest ponies, owned by the commoners, nibble where once there was a pond used for dousing the village gossip.

The sign over the front of The Trusty Servant public house is a delightful satire on what a trusty servant should be. It is believed this was first posted at Winchester College, down the road, in the days when the students there had personal servants.

When searching for the ideal servant to fill the positions these were the qualities advertised: someone unfussy about their diet (the pig's head); able to keep things private (the padlocked pig's snout); patient (the ears of an ass); swift and efficient (the stag's feet); ready for hard work (loaded with tools in his left hand); neat (the tidy vest); faithful (open handed); ready to protect his master (bearing sword and shield). It is just delightful.

The church up a little lane is similarly quirky. Its entry is covered by an all weather lych gate, a lovely feature, which has an oak bier stand in the centre of it to carry the corpse on its way to and from services in the church.

The font is ancient. Saxon. It was discovered by the rector one day in 1893 when he was doing a spot of gardening. It had been hidden there during the Reformation. Recognising it as important he set it in his wheelbarrow and rolled it across to the church where it sits today. One of the oldest fonts we have seen, I think.

The pulpit has three tiers, the top two were able to be accessed by the minister from the Chancel. The upper level was reserved for the preaching of sermons; the middle for reading the scriptures. The lower level, accessed from the Nave, was used by the Parish Clerk to say the 'Amens' needed throughout the service. Again, a rare piece: we have never seen one quite like this before.

The church is all weird shapes and additions. Upstairs, is a 'gypsy gallery'. This was installed for the poor of the parish, the children of the Charity School, to enable them a dedicated place inside the church where they might attend service.

Then, to the side of the altar, are two eccentric additions which made us grin. Two of the big houses in the parish, Castle Malwood and Minstead Lodge, had their own private pews installed in their own private alcoves with doors accessing the exterior. They could come in and out as they wished. The Castle Malwood alcove had its own fireplace, and dinner was sometimes brought down from the house and served during the service. Now that is trusty service.

And the extra long pegs in the church were there to accommodate the tall stovepipe hats that the gentlemen used to wear back in the day.

While out in the churchyard is the grave of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who lived hereabouts, and now has a delightful spot to rest in peace.