So, what's the first thing you do in the morning if you are staying in Whatsandwell? Well, you pop on your fishing gear, then head down to the river to fish. At least that's what Marty did this morning.
While searching for places to stay, I noticed that this place owned the rights to the river in close proximity and when I asked, I was told that Marty was welcome to fish anytime he chose. Well, you can imagine how much that excited him! He even went out and bought a new, retractable, fly fishing rod that would fit in his suitcase. And, he tied a LOT of flies prior to us leaving.
I'm not sure how many he was able to use this morning. What I do know is that he did not catch any fish. But he didn't seem disheartened.
We headed to breakfast which was, once again, quite plentiful. Then we hopped in the car for the drive to Southwell in Nottinghamshire.
Here stands the Workhouse and Infirmary.
It came under the possession of the National Trust in 1987 and it offers a glimpse into the life of those less fortunate. In fact, very much the opposite of those families who built those grandiose manor houses that we've been touring.
We arrived just when it opened, and it was already brimming with activity. There were two primary student groups in house today, and believe me, energy abounded. Luckily, we were able to sneak ahead of them only a few minutes in when the chaperones felt sorry for us and insisted we go ahead.
I was only slightly familiar with workhouses in England, having worked with my friend Jennifer on a project where Jennifer helped me trace a woman and her two children who were in and out of a workhouse over a few years time. They were in London.
But I was not aware of the mindset behind these workhouses, and to be quite frank, I found it very sad. The above workhouse was built in 1824 as part of an experiment by John Thomas Becher.
He had come up with an Antipauper System which was designed to abolish Out-relief which was support generously offered by parishes to help those in need.
Becher's plan was to make the workhouse plain, boring and life extremely difficult for the residents. He believed that the desperate would take the help, but any person who was abled bodied would prefer to find work than be miserable living in a workhouse. People who asked for help would be offered the workhouse but this new system cut the Out-relief giving of food and money.
I was completely unaware of such thinking, but I finally had a new take on the Charles Dickens Scrooge quote: Are there no workhouses? The men had come to him asking him for charity for the poor. I had originally thought that Scrooge was just a cheapskate. But, in reality, he was following the letter of the law. The workhouses were supposed to replace handouts. So, why would Scrooge give money when it was clear to those at the time, that it would be detrimental? He would have presumed that the workhouses were the best option for the poor. That was what Becher was trying to present.
The workhouse was set up in separate sections: rooms for able men
Rooms for infirmed men:
Rooms for able women
And rooms for children:
There was also a room for infirm women but I don't have a photo.
Each room told a story. These dolls have a card around their neck. The little girls says
Mary Ann Ogden, Age 3
Mary Ann came to the Workhouse with her brother, James, age 7 and baby Wilhelmina,,age 1. What happened to their Mother and Father?
The stories were a clever way to tell the history of what these inmates endured.
Here is a list of Rules and Regulations they were expected to follow.
All infringements were recorded and there were consequences if the rules were not followed.
We saw what meals would be like.
There was a small school room for the young boys to learn how to read and write.
The floors were worn with use and one could imagine the men and women walking daily through these long hallways.
A person could check ones self in, and could also leave at any time. But the clothes that had been issued must be returned prior to leaving.
Married couples could not be together. A wife could not choose to stay if her husband wanted to leave. Nor could she leave if her husband wanted to stay.
The elderly, people with disabilities and children were forced to live in this system with no choice as they had no means of support. They were the real victims here.
In a separate building nearby, stands an infirmary.
Its purpose is exactly what one would expect. It was there to care for the sick and infirmed. Young girls trained to be nurses here. There was a glass case cleverly inscribed with a timeline of the infirmary.
These particular buildings were used as public assistance housing after the workhouses were closed. There were very sad stories posted about certain people who found themselves in dire straits and needed to sign themselves into this place. None of them had happy memories of their time spent here.
As you can see, this National Trust Site is far different than most that we have viewed. But it shows an important part of history whose story needs to be told and remembered.
We left the workhouse and headed to Derbyshire to Hardwick House. This was certainly quite a contrast. To begin with, I'm fairly certain that the road in is way over a mile long! We walked past the stables
and headed right to the old hall. This is where Elizabeth Hardwick known as Bess Hardwick, was born. It's also the same house that she rebuilt in 1587 to impress her friends and other guests.
It was spacious with walls covered with tapestries as well as carved oak furniture. It stands in ruins now, but it's really amazing how many of the fireplace friezes are still in place.
There 127 steps to the top.
We decided to make the climb, stopping along the way to admire the decor on some of the walls.
The top offered an amazing view of the countryside.
As well as the hint of changing leaves below.
But it began to rain, and with that we decided to head over to the main hall.
There were some lovely gardens between the walls defining the perimeter of the Hall grounds.
Once inside, one is immediately drawn toward the portrait of Bess. It was painted in 1580 as shows her high status as Countess.
She had come into a large sum of money on the death of her fourth husband, and she decided to use it to build this English Renaissance style manse.
Above the fireplace, two stags with antlers that are actually real support the coat of arms.
Here is the room where the accounts were kept.
Bess used textiles to decorate her house and she had five large wall hangings made featuring noble women from history. These are Penelope and Lucretia.
They were exquisitely sewn.
We walked from room through room in awe of the collections held in this manor house.
Even the stairwell was decorated!
This large room features the story of Dionysus in the painted 3D plaster art at the top of the walls.
Around the corner is the long gallery which certainly stands up to its name. In addition to two large decorative fireplaces,
there are tapestries displayed the entire length of this hall. They tell the story of Gideon. Can you believe that these tapestries are 450 years old?
The contrast walls were covered with paintings, but two in particular caught my eye.
This is Lady Arbella Stuart, painted 1859. She was Bess's granddaughter.
And this is Louis XIV as a child.
Here is a fine piece of carved wood from the 1560's. The inlay was stunning.
The tour took us through several bedrooms, each with its own unique style. But one common theme: grandiose.
From the landing on the one end of the house, one can peer down into the entrance hall. Here you can see just how long the table is. It was difficult to capture it in its entirety from below.
All of the bedrooms had ornate fireplaces. Many with dates.
This last one is in Bess's bedroom
along with a portrait from younger days.
It was in this bedroom that Bess passed.
The exit was through the kitchen which was quite neat, tidy, and shiny.
The door from the kitchen led to the outside. Since it had stopped raining, I attempted a second photo of the old hall from the new one.
We took a few more photos of the grounds
and headed to the tea room for our daily cuppa.
Delicious as always!
But it was now time to leave so we began the long walk back to the car park.
We headed back to the B& B and Marty ventured out to try his hand at fishing. Luck was not with him, so he returned relatively quickly and we headed to the Jug and Glass for dinner. The food was simple country fare, but delicious. The waitress was quite cheery, making the experience that much better.
Hope you enjoyed today's varied adventure. It's late and I need some sleep!
Until next time....
