Faery

I stumbled upon a ruined chapel in the woods, the other evening. It was rather like walking into the middle of La Belle Dame sans Merci: as much of an elfin grot as you're likely to come across these days. There was not much of it left: a few carved stones stacked sombrely one upon another, tracing out the shape of the chapel and the beginning of a spiral staircase; a few red tiles carpeting the floor. It must have been impressive when it was built, which it appears was not so very long ago – the late 19th century, rather than the Middle Ages. But you can still use your imagination, and conjure up a few pale warriors wandering among the yew trees, up to no good.

I knew the chapel was somewhere around there, but had not visited it for many years, so was not sure what I would find, or whether I would find it at all before dusk fell and I was compelled to leave hurriedly. It was no worse than I remembered. Presumably  it is to its advantage that it is hidden in a secluded corner of the woods, especially as it stands in the middle of the busy town of Wilmslow, which is not really the sort of place where you expect to find elfin grots. But it shows how even our modern featureless suburbs can still be home to interesting historical relics, which have the ability to transport us to to ages long gone.

And no birds sing.