Moolbopc naturalists' JFicIJi Club. 



THE FUNGUS FORAY, 1889. 



The Annual Fungus Foray commenced by the meeting of mycologists at Ludlow, 

 on Monday, September 30th. On Tuesday, October 1st, the Foray was made over 

 the grounds of Mr. A. R. Boughton Knight, of Downton Castle. 



The party explored over the south bank of the River Teme so far as Hay 

 Mill, and returned by the north bank. Some few geologists extended their 

 rambles beyond the Bow Bridge in search of an out-crop of the bone-bed under- 

 neath the Downton Sandstone. Dr. Cooke kept a record of the species of fungi 

 observed during the day, and later in the day i-eported that 86 species had been 

 met with, including three or four specimens of Strobilomi/ces slrobilaceus. 



A few botanical plants were observed upon the north bank of the river Teme, 

 which are here given because they are not recorded from this locality in "The 

 Flora of Herefordshire " i—Serratula tinctoria (common sawwort). Origanum 

 vulgare (common marjoram), and Solidago Virgaurca (common golden-rod). 

 Euonymus europaeus (spindle tree) was also noticed, but " The Flora of Hereford- 

 shire " states that this is common, and distributed through the county, it being 

 recorded from every district except Kington (11). 



On the outward journey a halt was made at Bromfield, distant three miles 

 from Ludlow, to inspect the Church which was undergoing extensive restoration. 

 The square tower at the north-western end of the Church appeared to date from 

 the early part of the thirteenth century. A plain bold Norman arch, with 

 remarkably small plinth and capitals, does service in the northern wall of the 

 chancel. The plastered roof of the ceiling of the chancel has some exquisite fresco 

 colouring, of date 1G58. Some handsome shafts of Norman architecture had just 

 been discovered under the plastering, in the east wall of the chancel, and were 

 partly exposed ; they shewed that the original arch had a span of twenty feet. 

 One stone in the north shaft was recognised as formed from the Upper New Red 

 Sandstone of Grinshill Hill, north of Shrewsbury, twenty-five miles distant from 

 this locality. On the east there is a pretty approach to the Churchyard through 

 an avenue of about thirty Cypress trees on each side. 



The handsome oaken rafters and tie beams over the nave with the names of 

 their makers, and the date 1577 inscribed, are in an excellent condition of 

 preservation. Attached to the southern wall of the Church is a lofty dwelling 

 house, now ruinous, with Tudor doorways and windows. The history of this 

 building and its connections with the adjacent Priory may, upon some future 

 occasion, form a subject of further investigation by the archaeological members of 

 the Club. 



