York

It's not often that work takes me away overnight but, back in September, I was lucky enough to go on a conference in York. Lucky because it's such a beautiful and interesting city to visit. Having looked at the conference programme, I'd spotted a couple of windows of opportunity to do some brief sightseeing.

I knew I was in for a great time as this sunflower was shining over me at the railway station as I set off.

The first window of opportunity was on the evening of the first day before the start of the conference dinner. We were staying at the Royal York Hotel which had the Wheel of York in its grounds (though it's moved to another location now). Even better, one of the perks of the conference was a voucher for a half price ticket.

The capsules were much smaller than those on the London Eye which I'd been on many years ago when it first opened. In these it was seated room only with a commentary on the history of York and sights to look out for.

Below us was the hotel with the railway station right behind it.

Over to the right in the distance was Holgate Windmill.

Further round was the river Ouse.

And York Minster dominating the skyline. You can also see part of the Roman wall amongst the trees.

In the grounds of the museum, I could see the ruins of another unidentified religious building. Intrigued, I decided that would be my destination in my final window of opportunity.

Next morning I was up and breakfasted early to give myself an hour to explore. Heading towards the river, the first building I came across was Barker Tower which was built as a watchtower in the 14th century. Apparently it was also once used as a mortuary! Now though it's a cafe.

Continuing on over the river and along the street, the next building of interest was this one. You might think it's a church but it's actually part of St Leonard's Hospital which was built in the 12th century and, at that point, was thought to be the largest hospital in the North of England.

In those days, hospitals did have a religious element in that the sick were also treated for their spiritual health. Unfortunately, that connection to the church meant that St Leonard's was included in the buildings destroyed as part of the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1540s under Henry VIII. This lovely undercroft survived though.

Whilst wandering around photographing St Leonard's, I could see other buildings nearby and was irresistibly drawn on towards them. This is the Multangular Tower which was built around 300AD by the Romans and is the last surviving of eight similar towers. In Roman times it was only as high as the orange line of terracotta tiles.

The upper part with the arrow slits is 13th century.

Behind the tower and along the wall was a small fernery. I loved reading the little information board which said that in medieval times, ferns were associated with mysticism and superstition and were believed to help you become invisible!

I have to say that the all of the information boards I came across were very interesting and well put together. It was refreshing to have so much free information, particularly in somewhere with such rich history as York.

Anyway, I could now see the building I'd noticed from the top of the Wheel the evening before.

This is St Mary's Abbey which dates from the 13th century, though it stands on the site of an older abbey of 1055. It was once the richest abbey in the north and, I love this bit, was renowned for its decadence! So much so that the rich Abbott is featured as one of Robin Hood's enemies in medieval ballads.

Like St Leonards, it was destroyed in the Dissolution. If you're interested, there is more about the Abbey and all of the other buildings I've mentioned in this post on the History of York website.

Did I mention I only had an hour? I'd already managed to pack a lot in but wanted to take a closer look at the Minster.

You get an idea of the scale of the building from the man standing in front of the door.

And this is the arched window from inside.

You have to pay to wander around inside but, with time so limited, it wasn't worth it so I made do with the shots I could take from the doorway.

In any case, it's just as impressive from outside.

With time marching on and a last look back at the Minster, I carried onwards to circle back to the hotel via the town centre.

I didn't have to go far before I came across something else of interest though: a statue of Minerva, goddess of wisdom and drama.

The great thing about York is that there's something of interest every few steps. This is the spot where it is believed Guy Fawkes was born in 1570 (though the building is 18th century) and he was baptised in the church across the street.

This is Mulberry Hall which, as you can see from the front of the building, dates from 1434. It's now a shop selling fine china, crystal, dining and kitchen ware. There are lots of these wonky half-timbered buildings around York.

Mulberry Hall is relatively modern compared to some of the buildings though, or rather the ruins of some buildings.

And there are lots of interesting details like this amazing door knocker.

My favourite find though was this pair of mischievous looking dragons.

All too soon it was time to head back to the hotel and the conference with a last look at Barker Tower and the city walls. I'm so glad I made the time for some whistlestop sightseeing and it's safe to say I'll be making time to visit again at some point to see what else York has to offer. x

Cogges & canals

After we left Aston Pottery, we headed north of Witney to Cogges Manor Farm Museum. Chickpea was about 6 years old the last time we visited which is the same age as my friend Gill's daughter now.

The main house dates from the 13th century but has been altered over the years with the upper floors mainly dating from the 16th century. It's built with the lovely warm-coloured limestone which is so typical of this area (and so different to the red Accrington brick from where I live).

I just love the architecture of this house and it's a pity it wasn't open on the day of our visit. What I do remember of it from our visit many years ago was the lady guide telling us about the lath and plaster construction inside and teasing us about our northern pronunciation of lath (with the 'a' as in cat rather than 'ahh' as in car).

If I ever win the lottery I'd love a walled garden.

So many picturesque corners to photograph.

I really liked these butter moulds too which were on display in the dairy.

Our favourite part of the visit though were the pigs. I was standing by the gate of the sty with the camera when one of the pigs suddenly jumped up right next to me - he (or she) obviously decided he would be much better in close-up!

And he quite happily posed in different positions for me! For all you pig connoisseurs out there, they are Middle Whites.

The following day was the last of our visit and we chose to walk along the canal. Possibly not the best choice as it was baking hot and the path was so narrow that we had to walk in single file for most of the way - not ideal for chatting.

I did manage to spot a couple of interesting things though like this lords and ladies which seems to be abundant in that corner of Oxfordshire (again, unlike where I live).

I also spotted this banded demoiselle.

All too soon our visit was over but not before Gill gave me another belated birthday gift.

When we visited last year, we went to see Giffords Circus which happened to be in the area. We missed them this time but, when Gill went, she found that they still had some mugs from the previous year and bought me one! They issue different mugs each year, designed by Emma Bridgewater who is the sister of Nell Gifford, the founder/owner of the circus.

In case you've never seen or heard of Gifford's Circus, here are some piccies from last year. So colourful and great costumes!

And so our holiday came to a close and it was time to head back up the M6 to home, thankfully without the sounds of S Club 7 singing 'Reach', which Gill's daughter made us perform several times on every car journey. I'm hoping she's grown out of it by the next time we visit!

Smithills Hall

With a gorgeous day forecast for last Sunday, it was time for another outing. I was happy with  a walk but Chickpea prefers a day with things to see and do, and not walking just for the sake of it. We discussed a few options and decided on Smithills Hall near Bolton. Originally we planned to visit a nearby park too but, in the end, we spent all afternoon looking round the Hall and its grounds.

The oldest parts of Smithills Hall date back to the early 1300s with various extensions being built up to the late 1800s. I particularly loved this part with its classic Tudor architecture and details.

This little window looks into the Great Hall which is the oldest part though two of the walls were rebuilt with stone in the 1600s.  

And this is the Hall from the inside with its wonky flagstone floor. Unlike National Trust properties, you're allowed to take photos inside.

Such a beautiful timber ceiling.

This small window near the kitchen is believed to be an alms window or lepers window which was used to pass food scraps to the poor to avoid direct contact with them.

The Withdrawing Room dates from the 1500s. Interestingly, one of my great-grandparents surnames appears on the family crests by the window so, you never know, we may have some connection in the distant past.

All of the walls are covered in oak panelling.

The chapel was originally built in the 16th century but was refurbished after two fires in the 1800s. This stained glass window is one of the few original features which remain. The window second from left is the crest of Henry VIII.

Thomas Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury during Henry VIII's reign but was burned at the stake by Queen Mary after Henry's death. Almost all of the stained glass bearing his crest were destroyed but this is one of the rare ones to survive.

The other stained glass in the chapel is Victorian but equally as colourful and beautiful.

Other parts of the Hall, like Mrs Ainsworth's Room, date from the 16th century but are decorated in Victorian style. I could picture myself in this room, curled up on the sofa in the bay window with a good book or some hand sewing.

I particularly loved these tiles in the fireplace. I think the info board said they were by William De Morgan.

After looking round the Hall, we took a walk around the grounds. There's a woodland trail which winds down towards the stream with steep slopes on either side. Most of the vegetation was similar to the photo above - lots of trees, ferns and old rhododendrons but no pretty vistas to photograph for you.

An interesting looking fungus was growing on an old tree trunk. I'm not a fungus expert but I'm sure one of you will be able to tell me what it is.

And back nearer to the house was a small waterfall.

As we left, instead of turning back towards home, I decided to drive up the road towards the moors. One of these days I'll have to find out where the public trails are as the views must be amazing from the top. If you saw my photo of Winter Hill in the April Scavenger Hunt, the TV mast on the top of it is just over to the left of here.

The views were still pretty fantastic though with views over Bolton and the surrounding countryside and the Pennines beyond.

Another lovely day out and we're planning to go to the park I mentioned at the beginning this weekend. Two sunny weekends in a row - who would believe it!