Triangle Café
God’s House in Hitchin
I took this photograph one day on the way to work early in the morning. It’s as if the church were overlooking and protecting the Warner’s Alms Houses and the market. The usual view is usually taken from wonderful The Triangle Cafe across to the War Memorial and the church’s porch and tower. (A pretty view but it makes the church seem isolated and to do with death rather than with living and life) This was taken from Biggin Lane by The Biggin, through the market across to the church. It was strange to see no one in the market or teenagers hanging around, drinking alcohol as usual. A nice gentle, serene start to the day.
Churchyard Demarcation Posts
The Churchyard that surrounds St Mary’s Church is demarcated by these posts. Whether these are used elsewhere in Britain or just here in Hitchin, I’m not sure! There are two at the beginning of the South West corner of St Mary’s where one cuts through from Market Place past Halseys and The Triangle Café to Churchyard, two are at the South East corner by the market on Churchyard Walk South, two are at the North East corner at the end of Churchyard Walk North (Below) and the final two are at the North West corner of Churchyard Walk North by the ‘Hippy/New Age’ shop Stripe (Above) going through to Moss’s Corner.
Roof Top Garden
Within about a year or two, the owner of the building that houses the Triangle Café and other shops has created a nice little roof top garden/haven. This can only be seen from the tower of St.Mary’s Church, but it amazes one that it can be tasteful and fitting in with its surroundings even though it can’t be seen from ground level; whereas a few other buildings in Hitchin lack taste, style or blend in with their neighbours. Why a nice 18th century building was allowed to be pulled down to put up the hideous concrete carbuncle that is Churchgate beggars belief!
The Triangle Café
The photograph above is of the Triangle Café, run by the ever lovely Maree (Originally from sunny Belfast) Here you will get great wholesome, traditional, well cooked food and good service to boot too. The Triangle Café deservedly winning the ‘Hertfordshire Café of The Year’ award.
The building that the café inhabits, is a timber framed 15th century or early 16th century hall house, much altered and refaced in the 18th century. This building was also used as the vicarage to St Mary’s Church opposite it, from 1731 until 1925, when it then became used for shops and offices.
A Gargoyle’s View
Imagine if you will, that you’re a Gargoyle. What would you see all day long? Who would you look down upon in your stiff stone life? Are you there to protect the church, to scare away non-believers or other demonic creatures? Whatever the fact is, this is one of the views of one of the Gargoyles on St Mary’s Church overlooking the Triangle Café, The War Memorial and other shops.
(NB. The word Gargoyle comes from Old French Garguoille and Late Latin Gurgulio, both meaning ‘Throat’ and indicates one of the uses of a Gargoyle; that of a water spout for rain water) Here from the top of St. Mary’s Church, you can see the roof tops of some of the buildings that encircle Market Place, one of them being the lovely Triangle Café.