Luds church and the legend of the green man

Today we looked round Buxton and then went off to discover Lud's church.

Lud's Church is a huge  cleft in the rock on the hillside above Gradbach, in a forest known as Black Forest. The feature is 15 metres high in places and over 100 metres long, and two metres wide.

Over time this place has offered shelter to many, some say that Robin Hood camped out there. What is known is that the Lollards used it as a place of worship in the early 15th century. The Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe and he and his followers were thought to be heretics. 

The church is also thought to be the  'Green Chapel' in the poem 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. The place has a nice feel to it and you can imagine the medieval romance dances round the walls.

I was really surprised to see a spider plants growing on the walls I have only ever seen them growing indoors.

Another legend has it that Lud's Church was named after a horse: supposedly, a huntsman was pursuing a deer and as he followed it on horseback he was led to the chasm. The hunter failed to see the danger but his horse, Lud, did: when the rider went too close, the horse bucked and threw him to his death in the chasm. 

There are also connected rumours that originate from a similar period in time, suggesting that the hunter that was killed still roams around the woods and the area. It is said that he is covered from head to toe in moss and leaves so the locals called this legendary being the green man.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lud's_Church

I didn't  read about the green man until we were leaving and felt it was a 'just meant to be' trips out especially as Julie Anne's project last week was the Green Man. 

I hope you enjoyed looking and reading about our day bigs hugs xxx