Upstream of the Cartford Inn, just beyond the car park, stands a small jungle of trees and brambles. This week, as winter' grip eases, spring is goading the trees to pop their buds – all except one. The ivy is the awkward plant. It flowers in late autumn and ripens its fruit in spring. Step over the stile into the field and look back for the best view of the ivy berries hanging like grapes in the hedge.
Then take a closer look at that clump of trees before the foliage obscures what lies within: a tumbled chimney breast and the stark crumbling masonry of what was once a cottage possibly as old as the Cartford itself. This was latterly the home of Ike Fenton- famous for his unrepeatable tale of the hunchback and the candle - and his wife. Conrad Morley, a local artist who emigrated to America a century ago, painted the cottage in oils. His relatives cross the Atlantic from time to time, buying back Morley's early works but that painting's owner won't part with it at any price.
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