Scenic History in Tintagel

 Today's adventures found us on the west coast of Cornwall, in the village of Tintagel.   Here, along the cliffs, stands the ruins of Tintagel Castle. 

Getting there involves a LOT of steps before getting to the bridge that crosses over to the island. 

Once across, there are several sets of stone facades that are part of the last structure that had adorned this section of land in Cornwall.   But there are really very few castle ruins to see. 

But he vistas are amazing!

This land was once a settlement here, in the 5th and 6th centuries, and is believed to be the seasonal home of a regional king.  It was purchased in 1233 by Richard, Earl of Cornwall who had become quite rich from the tin trade. Based on the book, "History of the Kings of Britain", it was believed that King Arthur was conceived here, and Richard felt it the appropriate place to build a castle. 

When Richard died forty years later, the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair.  It's not too difficult to imagine how harsh the winds would have been on any type of standing structure up on this cliff.  

It was a challenge to just stand and pose for a photo at the top, as the gusts were so strong that I had to brace myself from being blown backwards!  

We've been out in windy spots, but this was really unlike anything I'd experienced before!

 A man offered to take our photo with the giant structure  of King Arthur at the top.

and I took one of him standing alone, which was actually quite an accomplishment as this particular section was popular with tourists from all countries that were there today. 

Continuing our walk, I was able to capture this photo of the cliffs north of the castle

and an overhead view of the bridge that was used to cross onto this section.  For the record, I walked straight across without looking down. (I have a fear of heights.)   Until the 14th century, there had been a landmass connecting these two parts.  But it collapsed in the late 1300's making it very difficult to get to the castle. I imagine there had been a lot of cliff climbing at that point. 

Some of the steps were shale and a bit difficult to maneuver, and others were neatly placed into the cliffs for easier walking. 

But these were definitely the most challenging as some of them had heights of nearly 18 inches to transcend. 

As we made our way to the exit, this was the view of the bridge from below. 

Back on the other side, there was an exhibition center that we popped into.  It gave some details regarding the legend of King Arthur and his association with this part of Cornwall.  The story tells of how the King of Britain fell in love with Duke of Corwall's wife.  The King asked Merlin the wizard to make him a magic potion which would change his appearance so that he resembled the Duke.  The ruse worked, and Arthur was conceived as a result. 

This delicate diorama, made from the pages of a book, represents the couple in the garden where they meet.  The detail of the paper clipping was amazing.  Certainly unlike anything I've ever seen. 

 

The legend of King Arthur's conception was the impetus for great tourism in this area during Victorian times. It was then that work began to preserve the castle ruins and make the area accessible as a financial interest.  The castle and grounds are now kept by English Heritage. 

Marty and I certainly enjoyed all of the views on this brilliant but blustery tour.  Afterwards, we made the very steep climb back up to the village where the winds were no longer an issue, and we actually became quite hot!

We decided to visit the National Trust Site that is called Tintagel Post Office.  

We ventured out back to check out the "wonky roof" as it was described in the paperwork. 

Once again, they had clever placards to help explain the story.

The house dates back to the 14th century, and was used in retail by various professions over the years, last being a post office.  There was a large sitting area where the food was more than likely prepared. 

Just two actual bedrooms. 

This one had a bed cover with a weaving of Queen Victoria.

There were several samplers made by two sisters who were in the early teens. 

Two were hanging in the parlor. 

Others were displayed in the bedroom.

Such fine details made by little girls and preserved for nearly 200 years!  How amazing!!

It didn't take long to go through the house and we were happy to stop in a nearby tea room for an afternoon cream tea which this area is famous for. 

I had been instructed the other day, that the proper way to have a cream tea is to put the jam on the scone first, then the cream.  So, today, I decided to try it that way.  I've always put the cream on first, then the jam. 

In my opinion, I've been doing it the "correct" way as I soon learned that it isn't easy to put thick clotted cream onto a surface that wiggles, like jelly.  Also, the cream wants to slide off the jam as you eat...one more thumbs down for me.  You won't seem me worrying about the "proper" way in the future!  I say do what works for you! 

We finished relatively early and decided to come back to our B&B, then head over to this estate that is only a mile away.  The Costislost hostess had mentioned that they offer free admittance, so why not?  We knew we were too late for the house tour, but that was OK with us. 

We were happy to just to walk around the surrounds. 

Quite charming, indeed. 

Dinner was Cornish Pasties that we had picked up in the village:  Steak & Stilton.

As you can see, just one nearly took up the entire plate!  Our B&B hostess had left out plates and dinnerware for us, which was just perfect!

A nice, quiet, peaceful dinner with just the two of us! 

We move on tomorrow.  I'll be sure to keep you posted....

Riding the Steam Train from Bodnin.

 Things are a bit wonky with the internet this evening, but I'm going to make the best out presenting our exciting adventures today.  

We awoke to yet another brilliant morning, and enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the dining area downstairs,  chatting with the fellow guests who are all very welcoming.  Then, we headed to a National Trust Site called Lanhydrock.  

I've been surprised to see the parking lots so full as I had originally attributed the crowds to the free National Trust Entry special, but that ended on Sunday, and there hasn't been much of a lull in the visitor count that I can see.  I guess a lot of people must be on holiday!

The walk down to the house was quite long, and one must pass through this entrance gate before going into the house. 

Can you see Marty standing under the arch?  That gives you an idea of the size of the structure. 

This amazing dwelling was built in 1630 for the Robartes family.  They had been merchants who became so successful that they were able to accumulate enough wealth to purchase this estate and build a house on it. 

Once through the gate , we were directed to the back so that we could begin the tour in the kitchen. I found this first item to be quite interesting.  It's a rotating knife sharpener that was built in 1889. First time I've ever seen anything like that! 

The rooms were cleverly displayed with placards to explain the various functions of a particular room.

I enjoyed the way that the information was presented.  This plate gives a description of how clotted cream was made.

The kitchen had several rooms stemming from it. The above being a dairy, and below is part of the pantry. 

This was a huge mortar and pestle. 

And there was a separate room for baking ovens. 

All very interestingly presented. 

The house interior focuses on the most recent family, who moved into the residence in 1885.  Thomas Charles Robertes and his wife Mary were the occupants who eventually had nine children in residence with them.  The house was built in Victorian style, which allocated part of the house to the children, including a nursery and a schoolroom, which was quite unusual at the time. 

We walked up a set of steps that led to this very long hallway.  

On the landing stood this beautiful clock, still functioning. 

It was obvious that the Robertes children grew up with much entertainment in their lives.  Here you see a giant puppet show.

complete with costumes for their presenting play. 

There were endearing items in every room. 

Every room featured a book case filled with books. The inscription on the glass panel gives an insight into the life of one of the daughters. 

The shades told the story of one son, who seemed to be in constant trouble. 

The wing included this room that held items that, once again, told a story.

There was a rug with steps to teach one how to dance.  Marty gave it a try. 

Tommy not only had his own bedroom

but he had a dressing room adjacent to it. 

There was a billiards room down the stairs and it was set up with music piped in, sounding like a record playing in the background, reflecting the sounds of the time in the 1910's.  

I found this daily record detailing who was driven where to be quite interesting. I'd never given much thought as to whether a log was kept for such things. 

We continued down a different hall, spying the front gate through a window. 

Then we came to the wing that is presently under construction.  A long gallery is located in this wing, and the trust has been working on cleaning its unique plaster ceiling.  As a result, they have moved items out of the long hall to keep them from harm's way.  It's quite obvious that people in charge have quite the sense of humor. 

There were 3,348 books removed from the long gallery to keep them safe from the cleaning. 

When we finally made it to the gallery, we were able to walk up on scaffolding to get a close up look to the plaster ceiling.  The ceiling dates from the reign of Charles I.

The work is attributed to the Abbott family from Frithelstock in Devon and supposedly depicts various Bible scenes among the work.  It certainly was fascinating.  And so interesting to see so many items moved to other rooms for safekeeping. It reminded me of how we move everything out of one room in order to paint it.  Well, imagine all of those items in that extremely long gallery needing a place to go!  And the delicate nature of some required special care in moving.  Quite a production that the National Trust has undertaken, that's for sure. 

Heading outside, we walked around a bit to enjoy some of the gardens. 

There is a church on the grounds that stands quite close to the house.  It continues to be an active parish.

As you can see, flowers were still in brilliant blooms. 

Walking out, I spotted this door near the entrance to the stable area.  Small door for people.  Large door for horses. 

One thing of note about Lanhydrock was that during WWII,  the grown children from the family agreed to take in ten evacuees.  But when Violet got to the station, she ended up bringing home seventeen. She said that she simply couldn't bear to leave the other seven at the station.  

The evacuees were cared for as if they were family, being taught lessons, and encouraged to read, while also allowing time for playing on the huge estate, in addition to daily chores.  It's commendable that this family would embrace these children and offer them a safe and loving environment during a difficult time. 

The house was  gifted to the National Trust in 1953, but some of the family remained living in the house until they passed.  The house is now completely under the control of the National Trust.

I found the history and the house itself to be quite fascinating, don't you agree? 

But the excitement wasn't over! 

We had stopped to pick up tickets to ride a steam train from Bodmin to two little villages on either side. So, we headed to the train station to begin the journey. 

Our tickets gave us assigned seating in Car A which was at the front of the train. 

To be quite honest, I had expected to see more scenery along the ride.  There was a brief moment when I spotted sheep running in the fields, and a couple of vistas appeared along the way.  But, the majority of the ride featured hedgerows on either side. 

But that didn't dampen Marty's enthusiasm.  He spent a lot of time filming.

And he was thrilled that the brakeman and the engineer let him have some hands on fun during the experience.  Looks like he has some Cornish railroad friends now! 

And that brings this day to an end!

Until tomorrow....