As yet another in the “for heaven’s sake, what on earth has this got to do with mapping” series of incidental snapshots, drawn from life & art seen on the streets of Carlton & Gedling, as your intrepid mapper penetrates deeper & deeper into the hitherto unexplored heartlands of England, I bring to you one of the unacknowledged obsessions of the Brits: Fairies

This plaque was on a house on one of the eastern slopes of Marshall Hill and caught my attention immediately. The lady householder told me that she purchased it a few years back via the internet.

The Oirish (and, indeed, all the celts in the British Isles) (which is to say, everyone except those descendants of William the Bastard) freely admit to an active engagement with the Little Folk. As is so often the case, this is just the English being disingenuous, since they are as fascinated by the natural spirits of this place as everyone else.