After visiting the caves and refreshing ourselves with tea. We climbed up the hill to the mausoleum. The gigantic hexagonal structure is built of flint. The many arches contain niches with urns holding the remains of Dashwood ancestors. Right behind the mausoleum is the church of St. Lawrence with its unusual gold ball. The Golden ball at the top of the bell tower replaces the traditional church steeple. There is a hatch in the ball which allows entry and 5-6 members of the hell-fire club would meet here. Although the church is small, it has a beautiful ornately painted interior. We were allowed to wander through snapping photos despite the fact that the local choir was getting ready to practice for a concert that evening, they were quite welcoming and friendly. After an exploration of the church and its grounds we made our way back to the mausoleum and had a picnic lunch just outside of it on the hill. It was a lovely sunny day and we enjoyed the blue skies filled with small planes and red kites hovering on the updrafts around the hill. I had made chocolate fairy cakes (cupcakes to those from the states) and we enjoyed them in the sun.
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