Our Valentine Gift to You: A Blovel

A Warm Welcome to Bloxley Bottom

We are a small village, a distillation of hundreds of similar hamlets throughout the realm.  And similarly, we in Bloxley Bottom have our fair share of swells and ne’er do-wells, our virtuous and our sinners. Over the next weeks, you will meet some of our residents and learn our stories, from the outlandish to the exquisite. No doubt you will like some of us more than others – we shall leave that choice to your individual discretion. There is, after all, no accounting for taste
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Briefly, Baron Bloxley and his family lead the community, along with the vicar of All Saints Church, Mr. Newton and his wife. But truth to tell, the reigning sovereign of the neighborhood is the baron’s mama, Lady Louisa, dowager baroness Bloxley, daughter of the earl of Kenley.  But wait, we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Our fictional Bloxley Bottom is a few miles inland from the channel in eastern Kent, a short ride from the town of Deal and Walmer Castle, the latter presided over by the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, none other than His Grace the Duke of Wellington himself, a frequent visitor to our fair village.  We are eight miles north of Dover and a two dozen east of Canterbury, perfectly placed in the midst of verdant fields and lush orchards, the best of the earth’s bounty at our fingertips.  We boast a small but fine inn, an efficient blacksmith, a few shops with the latest goods from London bazaars, and a full complement of curious characters of all sorts.

In essence, Bloxley Bottom is a happy place – at least until you pierce its placid exterior. Look beneath the surface and you shall soon uncover The Secrets of Bloxley Bottom.  Starting tomorrow.

*a serial novel, in episodes