Amorous foxes

 

Amorous foxes

Read more about these gorgeous creatures in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Amorous foxes

Lesser emperor

 

Lesser emperor

Read more about this stunning unusual dragonfly in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Lesser emperor

Weymouth: beach huts

I've written about Brits and their beach huts on this blog before, back in June 2019, so I won't rehash here what I've said before; you can read that for yourselves if you're interested by clicking on the link above. Suffice to say that the concept of the beach hut is alive and well – one might even say thriving – in the Dorset seaside town of Weymouth.

In that previous blog I wrote: 'My eye is drawn to the design of the different huts and their wonderful vibrant colours, and the way they sit in the land- or town-scape. They are very photogenic, and I hope to find more to photograph.' Well, now I have and here they are....

Greenhill Gardens, on Weymouth beach front, is home to two separate and very different areas of beach hut constructions. The earliest, most imposing and most unusual is the two-storey building containing a total of 45 beach chalets, 31 on the ground level – the earliest part of the building, and an additional 14 on the second level (according to the English Heritage website – I didn't actually count them). You can read a brief summary of the interesting story behind their construction on the Greenhill Gardens website.

The gardens also contain a further two single-storey terraces of huts, colourfully painted and located in a slightly elevated, well-maintained garden setting. For more comprehensive detail on the actual buildings and the reasons they are Grade-II listed, here's a link to the entry on the Historic England website.

This final grouping of beach huts is set to the north of the Greenhill Gardens huts, and appears to be a more modern construction that includes a shallow pool in front. Though my photographs don't show any of the huts in use, that is simply because I wanted to avoid invading people's privacy – many of the huts were in use during my three visits to Weymouth this past summer. 

A Common tern up close

 

A Common tern up close

Read more about this stunning bird in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: A Common tern up close. There's even a video with this one.

Sanderlings, sand runners

 

Sanderlings, sand runners

Read more about super-cute sand-scurrying Sanderlings in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Sanderlings, sand runners

Weymouth: St John's gargoyles

Though I've not published any architectural posts on this blog for some time, I haven't stopped looking at the unique and unusual features I see around me, especially now that I am venturing away from home for short breaks in different locations. 

One of those locations is Weymouth, a seaside town on the south coast of Dorset, where I've mostly been enjoying the excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife that are available in the local area. However, I quickly realised that Weymouth was an interesting town that deserved more of my attention and I was delighted, when I walked along a different route to one of the local nature reserves and took a closer look as I passed this church, to notice the magnificent gargoyles adorning the side of the impressive building.

 

This is the Church of St John the Evangelist, known locally and on its own website, simply as St John's. The history section on that website says the church was built between 1850 and 1854, and has been restored several times since then, initially in 1883, again in 1960, and it underwent major work in 1985.

The church is Grade 2* listed, so there's a full description on the Historic England website. Not surprisingly for this location, just a few miles from the Isle of Portland, the church was constructed from 'coursed and square Portland stone with cream ashlar dressings'. Though the gargoyles are mentioned ('on the E side there is a large carved gargoyle figure at the outlet from the central valley to the transept' – the gargoyle pictured in the photographs above, and 'large stone gargoyles at the chancel end' - shown below), there is no explanation of their features or significance. 

Like most gargoyles, these creatures are fantastical beasts, a weird combination of human and animal characteristics that are likely just products of the stone carver's imagination but which probably also held some meaning for local Christians. Many gargoyles are thought to represent demons, others evil-doers, who have sinned and been consigned to hell fire and damnation; all are probably intended as a warning to impious members of the congregation not to the stray from the path of righteousness. Though decorative, gargoyles also have a practical function, helping to funnel rainwater away from the building to protect the masonry from damage and erosion. 

If you ever get to Weymouth for a visit, try to tear yourself away from its many seaside attractions and walk the short distance east along The Esplanade for a look at the superb gargoyles adorning the side of St John's.

Spider: Agalenatea redii

 

Spider: Agalenatea redii

Read more about this handsome arachnid in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Spider: Agalenatea redii

Grey seal

 

Grey seal

Read more about my Grey seal sighting in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Finally, a Grey seal

Smart Magpies

 

Smart Magpies

Read more about these very intelligent birds in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Smart Magpies

Leafhopper: Graphocephala fennahi

 

Leafhopper: Graphocephala fennahi

Read more about this stunning leafhopper – and see what colour it really is – in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Leafhopper: Graphocephala fennahi

Red-veined darter

 

Red-veined darter

Read more about this stunning dragonfly – and see if it really does have red veins – in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Red-veined darter

Chalkhill blues

 

Chalkhill blues

Read more about these gorgeous butterflies and see a slideshow of photos of them and their unique environment in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Chalkhill blues

Weevil: Curculio glandium

 

Weevil: Curculio glandium

Read more about this darling little weevil in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Weevil: Curculio glandium

Parent bug mother and eggs

 

Parent bug mother and eggs

Read more about this beautiful British shieldbug in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Parent bug mother and eggs

Grebe vs eel

 

Grebe vs eel

Read more about this tussle between a Great crested grebe and an eel, and find out who won the battle, in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Grebe vs eel

An exuberance of Marbled whites

 

An exuberance of Marbled whites

Read more about, and enjoy my photo slide show of, this beautiful butterfly, in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: An exuberance of Marbled whites

Ruby-tailed wasp

 

Ruby-tailed wasp

If you want to see this stunning little wasp in full technicolour, check out my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Ruby-tailed wasp

Foxes in the garden

 

Foxes in the garden

Read more about this stunning Fox, and see its whole family at play, in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Foxes in the garden

Lifer: Norfolk Hawker

 

Lifer: Norfolk Hawker

Read more about my sightings of this magnificent new-to-me dragonfly in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Lifer: Norfolk Hawker

Five big hovers

 Five big hovers

Meet Chrysotoxum cautum, one of the five large hoverflies that feature in one of this week's daily nature posts on earthstar.blog. Click the link to find out more about the Five big hovers.

Cool cats

 

Cool cats

Read more about this stunning caterpillar, and those of other species, in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Cool cats, 2

Cacopsylla ambigua

 

Cacopsylla ambigua

Read more about this member of the jumping plant lice family in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Cacopsylla ambigua

Scribbled wingwaver

 

Scribbled wingwaver

Read more about this stunning little fly with the most wonderful name in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Scribbled wingwaver

Bagworms

 

Bagworms

Read more about Luffia lapidella, also known as a bagworm, in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Bagworms

The Mocha

 

The Mocha

Read more about this gorgeous moth, The Mocha, in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Anyone for a mocha?

A Wasp beetle

 

A Wasp beetle

Read more about this wasp-mimicking beetle in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: A Wasp beetle

Fine streaked bugkins

 

Fine streaked bugkins

Read more about this Miris striatus nymph in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Fine streaked bugkins

Leafminers: Elachista cinereopunctella

 

Leafminers: Elachista cinereopunctella

Read more about these leaf-mining moth larvae in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Leafminers: Elachista cinereopunctella

Mining bees

 

Mining bees

Read more about the Andrenidae mining bees in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Mining bees

Peacocks aplenty

 

Peacocks aplenty

Feast in the beauty of Peacock butterflies in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Peacocks aplenty

Starlings and bee-flies

 

Starlings and bee-flies

Read more about Starlings and bee-flies in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog: Starlings and bee-flies

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!

Read more about the profusion of butterflies I spotted during a walk to celebrate the vernal equinox in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Happy Spring!

Mating Toads

 

Mating Toads

Read more about mating Toads in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Toads having a moment

Zebra spider

 

Zebra spider

Read more about this cute little spider in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Zebra spider

Water vole

 

Water vole

Read more about this Water vole in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: First Water vole of the year

Rook pair-bonding behaviour

 

Rook pair-bonding behaviour

Read more about Rook behaviour, and see a bonus video, in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Rook pair-bonding behaviour

Velvet shanks

 

Velvet shanks

Read more about this fungus and the tree it's growing on in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Velvet shanks and a Wych elm

First hoverflies

 

First hoverflies

Read more about my first two hoverflies of 2025 in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: First hoverflies

Fluted bird's nest fungi

 

 Fluted bird's nest fungi

Read more about these unusual fungi in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Fluted bird's nest fungi

Marsh tit

 

Marsh tit

Read more about this rare bird in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Marsh tit Monday

Cold weather snaps

 

 Patterns in ice

Read more about local weather phenomena in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog: Cold weather snaps

Black-throated diver

 

 

Black-throated diver (or loon)

Read more about this stunning bird in my daily nature posts on earthstar.blog : Black-throated divers

Vapourer

 

Vapourer moth cocoon and eggs

Read more about it in my daily nature post on earthstar.blog : Vapourer cocoon and eggs