The Best of Britain

I was reminded this morning, by one of my friends who is a blog follower, that Marty and I were close to the location where the PBS Series, Vera, is filmed. If you haven’t seen the show, it is a series based on a woman who has an uncanny sense that leads to her solving bazaar murder cases.

The show is filmed near Newcastle, and my friend had sent me a link for a half day bus tour of Vera filming sites.  The information described the tour, which included visiting gruesome murder sites that had been featured in various episodes.  And, if that wasn’t enough to tickle your fancy, you could order an official Vera hat to help celebrate the event.

I have to admit that I actually laughed out loud reading this.  I’m the last person who would find excitement in revisiting “gruesome” murder locations, especially since I am known to shut my eyes during this parts of the episode.  

But I was reminded by my husband,  that I do own a Vera like rain coat, and am generally donning a scarf wrapped around my neck.  I’m just missing the hat.  

And, as tempted as it might sound to join the tour, I was perfectly happy to enjoy the same scenery that I might have spotted in the many episodes that Marty and I have enjoyed, while bypassing the actual “murder” part. 

But it’s a moot point, as we left the area this morning with the Lake District being our final destination. But not before exploring Cherryburn which was located quite near our B&B.

 

Another National Trust Site, it holds the house where Thomas Bewick was born, and another house where he would have lived with his own family. I was not familiar with the name, but within minutes, it was easy to see why he is considered to be a famous English artist.  

He was known for carving boxwood to serve as “plates” in a printing press to add pictures to print.  His work was featured in Audobon Society books, as well as many manuals, and even a copy of Aesop’s Fables.   The detail was amazing. 

The boxwood was cut to be as thick as the metal letters used in the printing press, so that when they were inked up next to each other, and pressed, the result was a uniform photo and paragraph.  Really quite clever, if you ask me.

To add to our excitement, upon entry to the site we soon learned that the Best British Dig was going to be filming that day, and we were asked to sign waivers in case our faces showed up in any of the footage.   I found that to be quite amusing, because I’m fairly certain that no one in Great Britain would have recognized us anyway.  But it was definitely quite fun and we were made to feel rather important as part of the process.

While we were there, a 1797 coin was discovered in the dig. It really was quite an interesting event and we could tell that the producers and the archaeologist were extremely excited about the find. 

We certainly do manage to stumble upon some unusual happenings, don’t we?
And what a glorious day to enjoy such excitement!

From here we began to make our way southwest, to a second National Trust Site, Acorn Bank.  The drive was definitely challenging with us climbing to Hartside Summit, and back down the other side.  The roads are relatively narrow, but it was the hairpin curves on the way up, and again, on the way down, that caused a bit of nail biting on my part.  
But, we finally arrived at our destination.

The place is called Acorn Bank because at one time it held a forest of Acorn Trees. But, the owner had most of them cut down to see the view.  The house had been used as a nursing home at one point, so the upstairs still needs to be converted back to its original decor.  But the main hall at the downstairs entrance has been restored to the 17th century time period, even though the house dates back long before that.

There is a wing to the right of the main entrance that is sparsely decorated with items belonging to the last owner. 

The Trust originally purchased the property for its gardens.  Acorn Bank holds the largest herb garden in possession by the National Trust.  Here you can see chamomile still blooming.

We saw pear trees loaded with fruit

as well as several plum trees.

The gardens hold 27 different varieties of apples, most looking quite healthy.

There were artichokes

and varied flowers of many kinds.

Such magnificence only enhanced by the clever use of shrubbery. 

We did manage to spot one of the original acorn trees that had escaped destruction early on.

Interestingly enough, there is an operating mill on the estate that grinds wheat on the weekends, which the Trust then sells in 5 pound bags to those who might be interested.  They also sell their abundance of fruit, at a very reasonable price to raise funds for restoration on the estate. 

After we finished walking the grounds, we opted to head to Aira Force, which is a waterfall highly recommended for viewing. 

The GPS couldn’t seem to find it, but with some persistence, we did, and we headed up the trail in search of the falls. Luckily, I had brought my walking sticks, which I certainly did need as there were some steep inclines and a LOT of large rocks to maneuver through.  

We finally were able to spot it in the distance.  It was pretty awesome to see the water jutting out with such force. 

We decided to continue up the path and enjoy some of the beautiful water vistas, until the trail became way too rocky. 

 So, we headed back down the hlll to the car park, to make our way to our B&B.

Marty had presumed the difficult part of the drive had been earlier in the day, with the crazy hair pin turns.  But, we would soon find that experience paled with what was in store. 

We found ourselves once again climbing a summit, along a road that barely fit two cars side by side. The drive was a series of S curves, one after the other, the entire way up, and back down again, with rock walls on either side.

I’m not sure if the walls are there to keep you from possibly plummeting down the side, or to keep the driver from becoming distracted by the amazing vistas.  I will admit that it caused a bit of anxiety for me. 

It would certainly have been less challenging if the cars in the opposite direction had stayed on their side of the white line, and weren’t barreling down at what seemed to be ridiculous high speeds.  

And then, there was the occasional sheep that seemed to pop up on the wrong side of the rock fencing.

Yes, I’d say it was QUITE the adventure.  But we have obviously survived the experience, and we both hope that any future drives don’t involve the same road conditions. 

Our B&B is called Dower House and it is located on the grounds of Wray Castle, which is actually a National Trust Site.   I don’t know how I got so lucky to have found this, except that I have noted that some very unique B&B’s at a very reasonable price can be found if one is willing to forego a television in the room.  This is perfectly acceptable to us, especially considering that one can usually hear it blasted from the neighbor’s room. 

And, you know what?  I’ll take this view anyway over a television in the room.

Wouldn't you agree?

A Day of Curious Surprises

This morning, we set out to the coast of Northumbria,  to visit an estate that is known to have Norman origins.  The Deleval family was gifted land in 1080 by William the Conqueror, and it is upon this land that Seaton Deleval Hall stands to this day.

The estate was purchased by Admiral George Delaval in the 1700s and he commissioned Sir John Vanbrugh to design this building in 1720.  Both passed prior to his dream coming to fruition.

George's nephew, Francis,  inherited Seaton Delaval Hall, and he and his wife, Rhoda, moved into the house where they raised their family. This painting depicts their seven living children. 

The family was known for what was considered to be "outrageous" behavior to the people of that time. They hosted many parties and theatrical events.  

Guests who were invited to stay the night would be shocked to find that mechanical hoists were installed in the house which would suddenly raise the bedroom walls, leaving them literally exposed to view from anyone nearby.  

There was a bed which could be lowered into a tank of cold water, just by winding a handle in the adjacent room. And there was this curious "upside down room" which was able to be completely inverted.

Let's face it....this is all quite ridiculous for even present day, let alone in the 1700s.

The house was victim to a fire in 1822, and the entire one wing was left uninhabitable.  The center living area of the house was damaged as well, and never underwent repairs to restore it to its original state.  The family was able to continue to live on the remaining wing, which offered plenty of room for their needs.

One of the bedrooms featured a four poster bed, along with a high plumed hat, presumably used for one of the many theatrical events that had occurred thanks to Francis, the eldest son. 

The center hall has a lovely black and white mosaic flooring, original to the house.  One can peer up to see that there were two more floors that have never been restored.  In this center hall space, a giant metal ball is hanging from the ceiling.  There really is no significance to this giant ball, it is merely there as a quirky addition. 

There is a unique staircase on each side of the house, leading to the upstairs, but no real rooms.  Just a different vantage point to view the center hall.

There was a giant anchor in the basement, presumably due to the connection between the Delaval family and the Navy.

The stable still stands, with the name of each of the horses placed above their stalls. 

Along the walls of the occupied wing, several gardens are on display. 

Such an interesting array of flowers and plants to enjoy. We walked around the grounds, admiring the many vantage points the grounds had to offer. 

We stopped for our daily "cuppa" and scone, then headed southwest to another National Trust Site:  Gibside. 

I had read that this place offered some enjoyable trails to walk, along with gardens, but I had not realized that Gibside is the ancestral home of the Queen Mother.  We quickly learned that when one of the National Trust guides sought us out, after realizing that we were Americans, and as he put it, Americans love learning British history. And he certainly was correct in that analysis with these two Americans. 

Gibside was a Jacobean mansion built in 1620.  It stands as ruins on the grounds.

The Queen Mother's father, the 14th Earl of Strathmore, enjoyed spending time there as a child when it was very much a beautiful palace. 

The land was inherited by George Bowes in 1722.  He was a coal magnate with money to spend to create a magnificent property and he was responsible for creating the beautiful landscape garden, along with the Chapel designed by James Paine. 

But, before I get ahead of myself, we decided to walk the liberty tour on the property, as it was 2 and a half miles long, and just about enough for my legs which were still remembering hiking Hadrian's wall just yesterday.  

The tour begins in a walled garden, that features dozens of apple trees bursting with harvest.  Along the way, there are several quilts displayed as flags, each depicting a different scene.  Here is the apple tree in spring.

Here you can easily see the queen, enjoying a picnic, along with one of her precious corgies. 

Summer is represented here, with air balloons in the sky.

and I absolutely loved the apples, represented by buttons in the color and shapes of the fruit.

So clever!

There were other plants among the trees, as you can see by this nearly ripe pumpkin

and nearly faded thistle.

Just outside the walled garden, along the trail, stands the ruins of the Orangery.

Such an amazing view overlooking fields scattered with sheep.

Opposite the chapel stands the Column to British Liberty.  It was constructed in the mid 1700s by Bowes-Lyon.  The female figure at the top was once covered in gold leaf. 

Along the trail, there is a small pond with a house upon the hill that is not actually part of the estate.

and a bird hide, which proved to be a bit entertaining

The Liberty trail was a peaceful haven, leading us through the woods in a loop, then back to the "Avenue" with the Liberty Statue standing on a hill, to our backs, as we approached the chapel.

The interior is simple but lovely.

and at the entrance to the chapel, on the left, stands a simple memorial, with a book of remembrance that a visitor can choose to sign.

We signed the book, offering our condolences, and realized what a rare opportunity we had been gifted on this day.  We are part of an event that will be written in history, preserved, as these special places of beauty have been preserved for future generations to enjoy. 

And with that, I sign off to get some sleep.  We will be moving towards the Lake District tomorrow as we begin another adventure.  Be sure to stay tuned!