Updates and news, plus out and about with MJ.

Updates from MJ Towers: New Changes, Autumn Days and a Bit of History.

If you’ve visited me before, you’ll notice the changes at MJ Towers as soon as you approach the location. Things are moving forward here. A brand-new website is on the way, ready to introduce an exciting new concept for myself and my two assistants. The new room is almost complete — fully furnished and just about ready to become operational.

Autumn is clearly on its way. The leaves are beginning to turn and the weather has turned distinctly cooler of late — cool enough that we’ve been lighting the log burners to keep things cosy.

I’ve just enjoyed a week off. During that time I attended two property courses, with a couple more still to come. With this new knowledge I’m hoping to take a leap of faith and put it to good use.

Speaking of faith, I love to visit churches, preferably those in small villages or rural locations and I did this over the weekend. First was the beautiful St Bartholomew’s in Corsham. The Almshouses and 1668 schoolroom were open too, which was an added bonus. 

On Sunday we called at St Mary’s in Chilton Foliat. The warden was just locking up as we arrived but was delighted to see us, opened the door and welcomed us inside. Like so many churches these days it is poorly attended, which is a real shame. They all struggle with funding, and if we don’t use them we risk losing them.

From there we headed to the Grade 1 Tudor manor house that is now a Warner Hotel - Littlecote, to see the Roman mosaic. Built in the mid 4th century and depicts Orpheus, God of the underworld and musician to Apollo. The area featured a Roman villa built in 60AD. There are some archaeological remains of the villa too if you like that sort of thing— it’s free to view. You can also pop into the café afterwards even if you’re not a hotel guest, but remember, it's a Warner hotel and kids under 18 years aren't allowed into the building itself.

The manor has a small museum as Littlecote served as a base for the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War and later housed Allied units in the Second World War, including the US 101st Airborne Division (of Band of Brothers fame). The museum contains information about this fascinating history.

More updates soon once the new website and room are fully ready.