On this morning, which happens to be my birthday, I awoke in the tiny hamlet of Simonburn in northern England. Some friends and I are on a multi-day trek along Hadrian's Wall. Our hosts at the beautiful little bed and breakfast suggested that we should visit the local church which is only a few footsteps from their back door while we are here. Who am I to argue with such friendly locals?
Saint Mungo's Church of Simonburn is enclosed along with it's cemetery by a very old stone wall with a beautifully gated entranceway. After walking into the grounds, I find the door to the church open and poke my head in. The interior is quite beautiful, but obviously sees a lot of use by the locals. As I do a little research on the site, there seems to be a lot of varying opinions of how old the church actually is. Some report that it was built in the 13th century on the site of an earlier 8th century church, while other experts dispute both dates. It seems however old the original structure is, it has been built and rebuilt numerous times leading to much of the disagreement on dates. Still, it's a beautiful structure and well worth a few minutes of your time should you ever find yourself in this tiny corner of the world.
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