If only walls could talk.

 It turns out that East Anglia has some cracking medieval wall art and two of our finds were happy unplanned discoveries. I like to have some idea of what's in an area before I visit and a rough idea of opening hours etc. However, there's only usually a couple of things I really want to do and the rest is a wish list which leaves us a bit of wriggle room. Longthorpe Tower was a place I'd read about ages ago, but I had no idea where it was. When it cropped up again recently it rang a vague bell. Imagine my delight when I found it was not that far from where we were staying and very close to my number one destination. 

As I was to find out and despite appearances, strictly speaking this isn't a tower, but a solar and there is still part of the original house to which it belonged out the back [privately owned]. It was built for Robert Thorpe c1290-1300 and his story is one of real rags to riches. A mere sixty years before his family had been peasants, but over the course of two generations they had clawed their way up the social ladder and Robert [d1354] was a lawyer and an official of Peterborough Cathedral. This room was one designed to impress and impress it still does as every surface is painted. There's still a substantial amount remaining which makes it the most important collection within a non religious setting in Northern Europe [says she repeating the tour guide verbatim!] 

Below we have the wheel of the five senses. Each animal represents one of the five - spider [touch], boar [hearing], monkey [taste], vulture[smell] and cockerel [sight]. If you look at the close up of the cockerel you can see where the first draft didn't make the cut as it wouldn't have lined up properly. The chap at the centre is the man of reason and he's stopping the wheel with his hands so that the emotions can't free wheel out of control.

Each wall has something different to offer from the labours of months, to familiar religious scenes and even a fine young fellow with his pet hound wearing the fashions of  the 1320s. I wonder if the visitors were a trifle taken aback to to turn around and be faced with this rather large mythical beast then. Although only the rump now remains in all its glory it would have looked like a bull with some equine features and horns. Let's not forget the bonnacon's party piece...it would see off its enemies by spraying them with with flaming dung. Actually I might not be very happy if someone had just shot an arrow up my jacksy either😀

The ladies who gave us the tour we're lovely and very informative. As fellow fans of such things inevitably we started comparing about such things and what's in our local areas. I love these sort of conversations because you always end up learning something new. Two churches were mentioned with one in particular being recommended and that's how we ended up at St Pega's in Peakirk later on.....

At this point I definitely had no plans of searching out any more, but purely by accident on our homeward bound pitstop I decided to stick my nose round the corner of a church we were walking past just on the off chance. I give you St Mary's in Bartlow Hills. A wonderfully bonkers dragon and a doom screen with a splendiferous devil. Glad I took the chance.

Quite a good clutch I feel seeing as they're all at least 700 years old. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Arilx

 

Inside the cabinet.

Within Holy Trinity church in Stow Bardolph is the Hare Chapel and within that is this rather unassuming mahogany cabinet.

It's what lies within that makes it interesting. Open the door and you'll find yourself face to face with this life sized wax effigy of a woman. Even though I knew it was there it's one thing seeing photos of it and quite another seeing it for real.

This is Sarah Hare who was born in the village in 1689. She was part of the rich family who owned the manor and she stayed put in the family house her entire life. Besides from having no money worries she never married and very little is recorded about her life. However fame has followed her posthumously. She died on 9th April 1744 from blood poisoning after she pricked her finger with a sewing needle and this was how she set out in her will that she wanted to be remembered. I have no idea whether this was a common funereal practice at the time, but this is only surviving waxen effigy outside of Westminster Abbey. She's wearing her own dress and one of her own wigs made from human hair. It's not a flattering piece, but it's supposed to be a good resemblance. I rather like this slightly frumpy and middle-aged woman with her facial moles.

This is the first of my Norfolk holiday posts.

Arilx

The field.

We are still away. Stopped to photograph this yesterday after we spotted it from the car.  Hope everyone has a good weekend. 

Arilx 

 

Wren

 Before the midden hit the windmill you might vaguely recall that we had offered to make a folkart style wren mask for one of the Mythago stories. Apparently nobody has ever been daft enough to attempt such a thing as the search engine doesn't show any hits. After a lot of head scratching it's done...David's made it bar a bit of sewing and I've sourced the materials. Hope you all have a great weekend. We are travelling out of area......

Arilx

The Devil and St Dunstan

 As a county Sussex has many folkloric tales of the devil and his antics to share. He always seemed to by trying to flood the South Downs or move the churches around. However the South Saxon folk from these parts were far sassier than Old Scratch and time after time he was outwitted. I've shared some of these stories in earlier posts, but this time we're heading over to the village of Mayfield in East Sussex.

Places like Glastonbury claim that St Dunstan worked there as a smith, but we all know that the truth is  he really was in Mayfield [whilst curiously also being able to be the Archbishop of Canterbury simultaneously]. One day, as he was hammering away in his forge, a young lady that he didn't recognise entered the premises. His suspicions were immediately raised and then verified by the glimpse he got of a pair of unsightly cloven hooves beneath her skirt. In the ensuing tussle the Saint grabbed the devil by the nose with his red hot tongs. Although the horned one made good his escape with much shrieking it's said that he flew over to Tunbridge Wells where he quenched his painful snout in the waters of the now famous Chalybeate Spring and that is why to this very day it retains its mild ferrous taste. As you can see the episode is well documented around the village.

This was my first visit to Mayfield and it's a gorgeous place full of architectural delights and independent shops. We were here celebrating a family birthday, but were able to enjoy a quick dash round beforehand. I strongly suspect that its charm will attract many during peak holiday times so perhaps its best enjoyed during the quieter part of the year.

Arilx

The beginning of Summer

 How on earth have we ending up here in June already. If I asked you to list what does June make you think of?  perhaps you might answer- weddings, cherries, strawberries and cream, Pimms, sunshine, the Summer Solstice, tennis, Royal Ascot.  There is a definite thread of freshness, joy and light running through many of these with the dark days of Winter a dim memory. As we approach the longest day the battle between the Holly and Oak King once again commences with the Oak King the victor as he leads us away from the longer daylight hours. Thankfully we have many more weeks of gorgeous long evenings to enjoy before all that starts again. My biggest lesson this year  has been not to launch too far into the future and just dig out the glimmers of each day. Am delighted to report that where we are now medically means that we will be able to get away on holiday soon. It's great news. I have a couple more posts to write about the adventures I had last month, but am behind as usual.

 Please let me leave you with one last offering from Guildford Cathedral. There are a lot of references to the town's wool trade and blue accents reflecting the fame of their blue coloured wool. 

You have to look back and high up to catch a glimpse of this window and the similar one with stars next door to it. A slightly more unusual depiction of the sun which seems apt for Flaming June.

Arilx

The People's Cathedral

 Guildford Cathedral is one of only three cathedrals built in the 20th century. Both Liverpool and Coventry are quite dark inside, but suffused by the brilliant jewel like colours of all the huge areas given over to the stained glass windows. This one, built from locally made bricks and sitting proud high above the town on Stag Hill, looks to promise much the same. It's the same era and influenced by the same architectural styles of the time.

However, the architect and his wife had a very different vision for the interior. It was to be simple and light with the eye being led to the high altar as its focal point. The reamy amber glass chosen for all of the windows casts a soft buttery yellow on the creamy coloured stone and it will come as no surprise to find that it's heavily inspired by the clean lines of Scandinavian design. It is so much softer than its Brutalist exterior would lead you to expect. I found all of the modern cathedrals were spectacular in their own ways.

It seems rather a quaint way of doing things, but if you want to cast your net wide and find those with innovative ideas then a good approach as any is to open it out and run a design competion. This was won by Edward Maufe in 1932. The site was marked by the Ganges Cross in 1933 which was built  out of Burma teak from HMS Ganges and the foundation stone laid in 1936. Work was abruptly halted by the break out of WWII.

Returning to its construction post war it quickly became apparent that there wasn't enough money to complete it, so the committee turned to the public for help with its innovative 'Buy a brick' campaign which ran from 1952 to 1961. During that time more than 200k people, including our friend Prue, parted with 2s 6d and made it happen. Even the Royals got in on the act [you can see the late Queen's signature on one], but the rumour is that they didn't pay [no comment]. It was consecrated by HRM Elizabeth II on 17th May 1961.

It's bold and it's innovative showcasing the works of some of the greatest sculptors of the day. Yet the story continues to evolve. New windows are still being added and a piece by Nicholas Compton was put in as recently as 2016. It won't be to everyone's taste, but it's different to anything I'd seen before. For me it was those glass etched angels [well nigh impossible to capture] done by John Hutton.I'd fallen for his work at Coventry and was so thrilled to discover him here too. I could rattle on, but think I'll leave you with a few more photos to leave you with my lasting impression.

This was what else we got up to on our recent 'Fam Day Out'.

Arilx

Under construction

In my Beryl Cook type imagination this is exactly how I think it would look like when all the post box topper groups come together to create their woolly masterpieces....surely their meetings would also include a cup of tea and cake🫖🍥🥮 Hope everyone has a good Bank Holiday weekend.

Arilx

 

Quiet spaces

 I suspect many of us have had to seek out a quiet place from time to time where we can gather our thoughts and recalibrate before heading back out into the real world to face whatever is causing us stress or upset. That space will look very different to each and every person. David was back in hospital on Sunday having a follow up biopsy [routine] and it's the results of this which will determine what treatment course he's put on to. We arrived for a 7am check in, but he didn't go in until 14.30 and despite the early start the surgeon wasn't sure if he'd have time to operate. Thankfully it went ahead, but in the minutes he'd gone I suddenly had a small wobble and the emotions around me of people inconsolable with grief in the corridors or having a mental health crisis was too much and I bolted to the sanctuary of the chapel where I could have a few minutes on my own and steady the ship. I am pleased to say that it all went smoothly and this time round we knew what to expect. For practical reasons we'll be based back here for the next few days until he's healed. Before I went up to collect him I saw two newborn babies which was truly life affirming and it felt like the circle of life had been properly completed. 

Should you ever find yourself in Guildford I can heartily recommend this place as somewhere to catch your breath. This is the restored Japanese garden in Stoke Park...TYM was dead chuffed as this was his discovery not ours and free entry. We recently spent some happy family time together sitting under the trees whilst it piddled down enjoying a coffee from the nearby cafe. Even with it raining for some of the time it still caught us up in its magic. Plus spot the naff croc🐊

I will endeavour [am not making any promises mind as it's the kiss of death if I do!] to show you what else we got up to on 'The Fam' day out.

Arilx

A Lovers' Tiff

With the weird way my brain is wired the first thought I had when I encountered these two in Petworth Parish church is that they looked like they'd had some sort of tiff. She's being haughty and offhand with him for something he's done and he knows he's up to his neck in it, but still hasn't a clue as to what his misdemeanour is! Isn't the characterisation of the two of them rather marvellous. Normally tombs from this period [16th century] tend to be rather stiff and conventional. This is John and Jane Dawtrey. John was the High Sheriff of Sussex in 1526. His wife predeceased him and their union bore six children.

Have a lovely weekend.

Arilx

 

Boom Boom

If you were in the UK during the 1970s you're quite likely to know that 'boom boom' was the well known catchphrase of Basil Brush. I was surprised and delighted in equal measure to stumble upon four foxy cubs playing rough and tumble along the river bank on our evening walk. They scarpered as soon as they caught sight of us, but David did manage to get these.

What a treat.

Arilx

Let me guide you.

 I am a very curious person and I have learnt over the years that the guides at historical places are very knowledgeable. Unless you ask them you will never what gems they may impart. My questions are always limited to just a few and only about things that I'm either interested in or when I don't understand what I'm looking at. This approach pays dividends for me and this clutch of tales from the big house were gathered in exactly this way on our recent visit to Petwork Park.

The image below is 'The Card Players' by Jan Matsys and it's at least 500 years old. I'm not entirely sure how to read what I'm seeing, but that bloke on the far left looks like a nefarious fellow and you wouldn't trust him any further than you could throw him. The room attendant remarked that the hands have been painted really well bar the old lady's one on the young man's shoulder. We speculated that she might have been added in later on and painted by someone other than the original artist. The prominent red hearts are also there to signify something....how I wish I could ask the artist what was in his mind when he created his piece.

Many of the paintings in the house are what I would term brown ones...stiff portraits or landscapes following the conventions of the day. In amongst the collection though are examples where the real face of the sitter looks back at you. The name of this lady hasn't come down to us, but the name of the artist Lavinia Fontana has. Yes you read that right a 17th century Italian female painter. In her day she was so highly regarded that she was invited to Rome to paint the pope. It was highly unusual, but possible for a woman to flourish in what was very much a man's world if they were either from the nobility or born into an artistic family. Fontana had the fortune to be in the latter category. Her husband was wholly supportive of her work, although I'm not quite sure how she found the time as she also had eleven children. Her fame did not last though as she might not be forgotten, but she has been omitted from the canon of well known male Renaissance artists. I'm back championing her cause. Other female names from this time to look out for are Sofonisba Anguissola, Artemsia Gentileschi and Elizabetta Sirani. 

I happened to spot this set of chairs set round the walls of the dark stairwell and zoomed over for a closer look. The guide, noting my enthusiasm, commented that people rarely give them a second look, but they are nationally important and a very rare survival. Apparently they are called Sgabello hall chairs.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that this room off the main entrance is currently undergoing a major refurbishment. Originally the walls were covered in portraits of the posh young totty of the day and the idea was to impress you from the minute you crossed the threshold. That was until 1820 when the then Duke of Egremont had a change of heart and decided to dedicate the wall space to the triumph of his sons in the Battle of Waterloo. What was one to do with the bevy of beauties....why just cut off their legs and shove 'em further up the wall😁Thankfully his instructions weren't carried out to the letter and instead their painted legs were folded up. Now the NT is busy unfolding the creased painting and restoring them to their rightful place. If you look carefully you can still just about see the diagonal crease mark left behind.

And there we have my own personal tour of Petworth Park without a groat being passed over for the official guide book...I've long since stopped buying such things as I never read them and they just become another item to clutter up my dwelling and collect dust😂

Arilx