Back in the Yorkshire Dales!

 Let me share my morning breakfast view:

Pretty nice, isn't it?  Our room was through that door on the right.  To be honest, the room was the smallest one that we've stayed in so far on the trip, and we did have a heating issue where it felt like we were in a sauna. but that was soon remedied. and we adjusted to the tight space without issue. After all, it's variety that makes the adventure...don't you think?

As I mentioned yesterday, we are working our way back north so that we will be close to the airport the night before flying home.  But we still have a few days to enjoy this spectacular country.  

After breakfast, we drove about an hour north to Wentworth Castle Gardens.  The estate is huge and actually holds two different types of deer, but we didn't venture far enough to see them. 

We did take the upper walk through the gardens.  Many of the blooms have faded, but some were still popping some brilliant colors. 

There was a folly in the distance.

And the sun was shining brilliantly on the front of Wentworth Castle.  It is not part of the National Trust site.  It is actually listed as a college. So, we could enjoy the views, but not tour the interior, which was just fine with us. 

There are more gardens behind the castle and here is one that was still aglow with color.

Along the path, this fuchsia plant was certainly sporting colorful flowers.

It stood near an extremely large rhododendron.  I had Marty stand underneath so that I could show my mom the one in her backyard is not quite this high......although it might be close! 

We opted to continue the path to Stainsborough Castle, which is actually a folly that was built in 1727 by the Earl of Strafford.  Along the way we spotted this monument. 

It was built in memory of the Honorable Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.  In 1720, she brought the smallpox vaccine from Turkey to England, introducing it to the local population. In gratitude, the monument was built. This is believed to be one of the oldest monuments in the country dedicated to a non Royal. 

From this point, we could see the castle in the distance.                     

We were able to climb to the top of the tower.  I didn't bother counting steps, but there were certainly quite a number of them. 

The views from the top were beautiful. 

As we began to make our way back down, I spotted this dragon at the top of the railing. 

And at the bottom we spied the tail!  I had completely missed this on the way up!

Quite clever if you ask me. 

We walked our way around the perimeter

and made our way back to the entrance, finishing with the Lady Lucy's Walk,  an avenue lined with Lime Trees.

From here, we hopped back in the car and headed north once again, with Keighley as our destination.  The drive took us on the outskirts of Leeds, and would you believe that it took us an hour to drive just 19 miles once we exited the M1 highway?  

The traffic was intense, with roundabout after roundabout resulting in an extremely pokey drive for most of the route.  But once we were off the main road and headed to the parking lot for Cliffe castle, there was nary a car in site! 

We parked in the free lot for this unique museum, rounded the corner, and lo and behold!  There was a cafe with the perfect view of the castle!  So, we stopped in for a cuppa and scones. 

Rejuvenated, we walked down the path towards the museum.

which had a very clever dragon weathervane perched on top.

This castle museum sits in an oasis of green, with flower borders, and spraying fountains uniquely situated, added to the beauty of the surroundings. Honestly, one would never have guessed that such hidden tranquility existed when driving through the intense traffic to get here!  That was certainly a pleasant surprise! 

Once through the doors, we were greeted by a pleasant young girl who invited us to explore the interior on our own accord.  When I asked her if we needed a map to follow, she said that you really couldn't get lost as all of the rooms ended at the same interior hallway, but that wasn't exactly true.  There were sections like a maze and every time I turned a corner, something new and different was on display.  And some back tracking was entailed, but obviously we eventually found our way out. 

This building was built in the 1880s by a Victorian millionaire and textile manufacturer by the name of Henry Isaac Butterfield.  In the 1950's, Sir Bracewell Smith purchased the castle with the intent of making the land into a grand public park with the castle to be a free museum, and so it continues to be so. 

One first notes the grand staircase to the left 

and the large drawing room to the right.  As we gazed on the contents, we could hear the glorious sound of a piano echoing through the rooms.  The melodious sounds added to the experience as we walked from one of these grandiose rooms to another. 

You can't see them in the photo, but there were delicate  musical motifs adorning the ceiling in the middle as well as around the perimeter.  A large glass chandelier hung from the center. 

Directly across from the small drawing room stands The Paris Exhibition Clock. It dates from 1867 and is one of the original furnishings of this castle. It was interesting to see the pendulum swinging in a complete circle rather than back and forth. 

And just outside the small drawing room stands this sentry. 

Next to the music room is the small drawing room.  It features the same type of chandelier. On the table in the back is a rare Malachite crucifix, although it 's difficult to spot here. 

There was yet another sitting room adjacent.

And, just next to this was a room with a grand piano, which was the origin of the beautiful sounds we heard while walking through.  The young man who was playing said that this was the only way that he could practice, as he does not own a piano, so they let him play in the museum.  How nice is that? 

This same room featured a Malachite Chimney, made in 1840, in Russia for a Russian Prince.  It was sold at auction in 1880 and purchased by Henry Isaac Butterfield, the original owner of the castle, to add to his collection.  It is strictly decorative as heat would cause the malachite to break off of the metal frame. 

Opposite the rooms stands the grand staircase with the beautiful stained glass window. In 1870, Henry Butterfield commissioned the window to be made the Powell Brothers.  The center window features a portrait of Henry with his wife Marie Louise and their son, Frederick, adorned in Elizabethan garb to match the medieval style of the Castle. 

At the top of the window is Raphael's Madonna and Child, reflecting Mrs. Butterfield's Catholic faith. 

Climbing up the stairs, you can see various painting hanging on the walls.

There is an upstairs room devoted to stained glass windows that have been saved from destruction.  This set, featuring the story of Tristram and La Belle Isoude, were commissioned in 1862 and were installed in the Dunlop house.  In 1903, upon the death of the owner, the panels were removed because they were considered to be "old fashioned."  They were purchased by the Bradford Art Gallery in 1917 and they are now preserved here in Cliffe Castle. 

This is the central window from St. James Church in Brighouse. It was closed in 1970 and the windows removed.

And these are two World War I memorial windows that are preserved here.

It's a shame that these brilliant windows have been removed from their original place, but how wonderful that they have been preserved in this museum for the visitor to enjoy. 

On the upstairs floor there were several rooms devoted to the history of Keighley, filled with items reflecting change over time here.  It would have taken well over an hour, or more, to peruse all of the information carefully presented. 

The rear of the downstairs floor is a full fledged museum, with items ranging from the ice age, to minerals, to animals, to development of tools to industry in the area.  I liken it to a miniature version of the Carnegie Library Museum in Oakland, PA, only without the dinosaurs.  Just about every and any subject was covered somewhere.  Here are just a few items that caught my interest. 

A hearth and bellows

an 18th century sundial . It came from the Fleece Hotel in Keighley.

A mid 19th century cast iron water pump with a carbon filter. 

A clothes wringer (my grandma had one of these although not nearly as elaborate).

 A hedgehog.  In case you hadn't realized, they are common to this area.  (and this one is not alive)

And a WWI memorial plaque. The families of all who had a loved one killed in the war received one.  The names of over 900 men are listed in the borough hall. 

And, finally, these collectibles that always bring a smile to my face.  They seem to be quite common in England and we've seen similar ones adorning mantle pieces in most places that we've toured. 

This museum was filled with countless items of interest and we could have easily spent several hours there had we the time.  (and you'r probably thinking "thank goodness they didn't" because that would make this blog even longer!)  But it closed at 4:00, so we headed out on our way once again.  Stopping in Kinnerdell for a couple of photos.

We are in the Yorkshire Dales, which is featured in the PBS series "All Creatures Great and Small", and driving through the countryside looks exactly like the scenes in the series.  It's like stepping back in time.  The one difference, though, is the occasional camper van which you certainly would not have seen in the late 1930's! 

We are staying at  The Low Mill B&B.  This is a converted mill with just two bedrooms to let. One enters a space that is a common room where the original mill works still stand. As you can see, some other items that would not be in a mill are on display there as well. 

There are some other quirky items scattered about as well.

How's that for fun?

And here's the view from our room.

I'm pretty sure Marty has already heard the fish calling his name.  He came up empty handed at the last place.  We'll have to wait and how this one works out for him. 

I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Until next time...