Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
We particularly wanted to visit Preston to see if the cherry blossom was out.....it was! A superb display, both sides of the road in to Preston from the North. Nice day so stroll along the promenade at Lytham with lots of others.... We had lunch at The Queen's Hotel on the front (the first hotel to have had fitted baths installed with plumbing) . Nice place, good sticky toffee. We'd never been to Knott End (has anyone? No, that's unfair) so approached through country lanes after Blackpool... It is situated across the Wyre estuary from Fleetwood to which it is joined by a passenger ferry (another time perhaps). And from its promenade you get a glorious view (better on a clear day) of the full range of Lakeland hills from Scafell to High Pike. At the ferry stop there is a modern 'statue' of L S Lowry who used to holiday here and paint....with his dog. Rather good.
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For some reason our section in the gallery or the Gods was closed off and we had seats in the stalls. Good and bad. Great view of the strings and conductor, but you can't see any of the other players. Conclusion the Choir Circle (one above) would give the best overall view. The concert was conducted by Thomas Ardes and featured a Purcell arrangement, his own music (Tevot), Elgar's Suspiri and a new work from Oliver Leith. The Guardian gave it five stars saying the playing was triumphant. Let us hope it stays that way when Sir Mark Elder leaves at the end of the season.
A day trawling East Lancashire for pics. First the famous india Mill chimney at Darwen built to resemble an Italian bell tower (or campanile). The 300 feet high Grade II* listed chimney was started in 1863 and completed in October 1867 at a cost of around £13,000. It was designed by E. Bates of Manchester and is a striking example of Italianate architecture, which was popular at the time. It was built by B. Lloyd of Darwen, its foundation being one of the largest pieces of stone ever quarried in Britain. Ironwork on top of the chimney was removed for scrap during World War II. Nearby, industrial history - here a Wallpaper Surface printing machine. This was donated by Crown Wall Coverings Ltd. and is of a type used in Darwen from the middle of the 19th century. It is fitted with twelve printing stations each capable of printing a different colour. Next to the graveyard of St. George’s Church, Tyldesley where Richard Halliwell dentist was buried with all the teeth he ever extracted! On the nearby pub there is a giant mural of Ella Toone the 22-year-old local footballer who scored a brilliant opener in the 2-1 extra-time Lionesses' win against Germany at Wembley in July 2022 at the Euros Final. Over then to Worsley, and the Grade I listed church of St Mark's by George Gilbert Scott. Polly the Pig's grave lies in the front garden of Bridgewater Care Centre who were very good at letting me take pics. The historic Delph at Worsley is much improved with new signage and narrative sculptures.... Dinner at Brunning and Price's Worsley Old Hall. Followed by an 8.15pm kick-off at the Etihad to see Mancity win 4-1 against Aston Villa. Next day an all-day ticket to watch Judd Trump and Mark Williams at Centrex, a great facility. Manchester continues to grow!
We had a lovely Lebanese meal at Comptoir Libanais in Manchester....... our first time for Lebanese food, verdict deliicious. Thence to the Opera House for 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong'. Seats at the top were very steep indeed....... ...but a hilarious show, many many laughs. The only disappointment was that the exterior had been renewed and the 'mistake' in the list of playrights carved on a plinth had been put right, thus disqualifying it from 'Secret Manchester'. On Sunday we walked to Waddington and had another delicious meal at the Lower Buck which again excelled itself.
We had never been to the Lowry theatre so it was a real pleasure to see Cosi Fan Tutte, an absolutely brilliant production by Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Singing was unsurpassed.
Due, presumably, to an error by me we were catching the 6.20am train from Clitheroe. No catering at all. Fine moorland scenery on the way. It was good to see the daffodils still out in York (although we noted later there were none on Cliffords Tower any more). Historic bridge building now a cafe and cocktail bar. It's sometimes easy to forget York isn't just medieval...... A lovely coffee and almond croissant in 20CC opposite Mad Alice Lane which we then wondered down..... We missed the JUdges' Lodgings last time. Beautiful building and setting. Ropey old menus out front didn't raise the spirits........ Still loads of Indies in York and some great windows. This time we noticed a profusion of boojee plastic flower displays. The boojee fashion has spread from Manchester everywhere.....one of its very worst exports. As 10am came round we could enter the National Railway Museum. There are actually three large buildings closed at the moment for re-development, but what remains is pretty impressive. These were the gates for the Euston Arch - not quite as impressive as Warrington Town Hall, but still...... Coppernob – a rare example of a Bury locomotive – was one of a set of four A2 locomotives built by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy Ltd. as the Furness Railway was formed. No.s 1 & 2 were built in 1844, and No.s 3 & 4 in 1846. Due to the domed shape of the copper firebox (characteristic of Bury engines) the class came to be known as the “Coppernobs” with No. 3, the survivor of the original four, later referred to as “Old Coppernob.” Steam locomotive and tender, Liverpool & Manchester Railway, replica, "Rocket" 0-2-2, designed by Robert Stephenson, built 1979 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Rainhill Trials. BR Standard Class 9F number 92220 Evening Star is a preserved British steam locomotive completed in 1960. It was the last steam locomotive to be built by British Railways. It was the only British main line steam locomotive earmarked for preservation from the date of construction.[1] It was the 999th locomotive of the whole British Railways Standard range. It was spotted by me during my train-spotting days! Steam tank locomotive, Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, 2-4-2T No 1008, designed by John Aspinall, built at Horwich in 1889, withdrawn in 1954. 55 tons 19 cwt: weight kg Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 1008, nicknamed Lanky Tank, is the only remaining example of Sir John Aspinall’s L&YR Class 5 tank engines. These locomotives were designed for passenger work and proved successful, with 330 being built between 1889 and 1911. John Aspinall was made the L&YR’s Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1886 and he designed an entirely new range of locomotives which would be built in-house at Horwich Works. Many famous engineers of the future worked at Horwich Works under Aspinall’s leadership, including Richard Maunsell and Nigel Gresley. On 3 July 1938, 4468 Mallard - the first of the class to enter service with the Kylchap exhaust - pulling six coaches and a dynamometer car, set a world speed record (indicated by the dynamometer) of 126 mph (202.8 km/h). Gresley never accepted it as the record-breaking maximum. He claimed this speed could only have been attained over a few yards, though he was comfortable that the German speed record of 124.5 mph (200.4 km/h) had been surpassed.[7] Close analysis of the dynamometer roll (currently at the NRM) of the record run confirms that Mallard's speed did in fact exceed that of the German BR 05 002. London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Coronation Class 6229 (British Railways number 46229) Duchess of Hamilton was built in September 1938 by the LMS Crewe Works and operated until February 1964. It was the tenth member of its class and the last in the second batch of five red streamliners, complete with gold speed cheat stripes (the original five 6220-4 having been given a unique Caledonian blue livery with silver stripes). Shutt End Colliery steam locomotive Agenoria built by Foster, Rastrick and Company in 1829. Pullman Car Company First Class Parlour Car "Topaz".; Built in 1913, Topaz is a 1st Class Parlour car built at Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Works Co. Ltd., Smethwick in 1913 and entered service with South Eastern & Chatham Railway in 1914. It ran on services between London and the South Coast, on pre-war continental boat trains and the Bournemouth Belle. The carriage was withdrawn in 1960 and restored by the Pullman Car Company. During this restoration Topaz s livery was reverted from umber and cream back to its original pre1920s crimson. The carriage was then presented to the British Transport Commission at the Clapham Museum of British Transport in 1961. ; Topaz ran in the Travellers-Fare Centenary Express in 1979 which marked the 100th anniversary of on-train catering and the Rainhill Rocket Cavalcade in 1980.; The Pullman Car was an American invention, and even forty years after the first introduction of these vehicles in this country they still retained many different features. Most important of these is the integral construction of body and underframe, all of which are built principally from wood. At least six different woods are used for the main construction, excluding the decorative inlaid marquetry panelling used in the interior. Power car, Shinkansen Leading Car 22-141, 'bullet train', built by West Japan Railways, 1976, withdrawn from service in October 2000. Length 82'; width 11' 8"; height 14' 6 1/2". The Shinkansen power car 22.141 is the last to be withdrawn of the first series of cars in service. It is the first rail vehicle built and operated outside of Britain to enter the National Collection, telling the story of a railway which shaped the future for railways around the world. With the 1964 launch of the Shinkansen - which translates as new main line - Japan reinvented passenger railways. This was the first route dedicated to moving large numbers of people in comfort and at high speed. The Shinkansen in the National Collection is the only bullet train outside of Japan. South Eastern & Chatham Railway Class D 4-4-0 steam locomotive No 737 I remember there being a bigger model railway here....perhaps I'm wrong. One for the Manchester book perhaps. An omen? We are looking at flats there.... The Catholic church which appears bigger than the MInster may have been built deliberately as an optical illusion (see 'Secret York'). Whilst waiting for our lunch time we discovered the secret garden of the Fat Badger. Very pleasant. We lunched in the pub opposite - the Eagle and Child, built in 1640, a Grade II* listed timber framed pub....interesting menu and quirky inside. We then made our way down the snickleway next to the Fat Badger, barely visible. But we knew what pleasures awaited, views unseen by 99% of visitors. Turn round from this interesting little courtyard, and the magnificent sight of the Minster. As there were queues to get in we decided to have a little wander. The cafe at St Crux was closed but the owner let us have a look. In 1888, a parish hall was built on the site of St Crux, reusing materials from the church which those vandals the Victorians had demolished (they had to dynamite the tower), including much of its north wall, and the Perpendicular east window. Inside are many of the monuments and fixtures from the former church. Burials include Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, Sir Thomas Herbert, and two Lord Mayors of York: Thomas Bowes and Robert Welles.[1][4] Location within York The building was grade II* listed in 1954.[5] It is used as a tea room, and for charity markets. On return we walked straight into the MInster. Frances got this one....a storage vessel for copes. Other garments are just hung somewhere convenient....! York Minster’s Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the country, a masterpiece in glass and stone depicting the beginning and end of all things. All 311 stained glass panels were removed from the 15th-century window, which is the size of a tennis court, in 2008 so York Glaziers Trust could begin the mammoth task of restoring the fragile masterpiece. The project, which also involved the conservation or replacement of nearly 2,500 stones by York Minster’s stonemasons, was part of the cathedral’s £15m York Minster Revealed project, which ran from 2011 to 2016. York Minster’s St Cuthbert Window is one of the largest surviving narrative windows in Europe. Located in the cathedral’s South Quire Transept, it tells the story of the life and miracles of one of Northern England’s most significant saints. It is thought to date from c.1440 and is the only surviving whole stained glass window dedicated to the life of the saint. It is one of three great windows in the cathedral’s East End, which include the St William Window (c.1415) and the Great East Window, (completed in 1408), both of which have undergone major conservation and restoration projects in the last two decades. Now, after centuries of exposure to the elements, the stonework of the St Cuthbert Window and the wider South Quire Transept needs urgent work to replace and repair eroded and decaying masonry. The conservation project is the subject of a major exhibition at the cathedral which opened in summer 2021 – Light, Glass & Stone: Conserving the St Cuthbert Window and we could see some of the original panels at close quarters (complete with some graffiti). York at night on our way back to the station is even more enchanting.....
Our day started with breakfast at The Hoxton Shepherd's Bush and the most enormous banana bread.........we then strolled through Holland Park and its Japanese gardens.....rather busy. We then strolled along the Thames to Barnes, passing dozens of crews being coached. Lovely houses awaited in Barnes..... ......including that of Gustav Holst. We didn't go in (estate agent's photos!)
An unexpected change of bus led us to the Catholic Westminster Cathedral, impressive and rather strange. I liked the 'bamboo shoot' building in the background... After an interminable journey through depressing Peckham (I never want to see Peckham again) we arrived at Greenwich. National Maritime Museum Old Royal Naval College We went first to the Queen's House, built for Henrietta Maria, where the contents were amazing...all sorts of famous portraits I had always wanted to see, and much else of interest. You are greeted by a couple of Canalettos of London.... Winterhalter's Queen Victoria..... Vice Admiral Sir Edward Brace KCB (bap. 2 June 1770 – 26 December 1843) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The more casual portrait of William Orpen by Herbert Barnard John Everett is full of character.... Loads of impressive maritime paintings, mainly Dutch.... The Earl of Shrewsbury with King George IV... William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham (c. 1510 – 12 January 1573) was an English diplomat and military leader. He served four monarchs, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, in various official capacities, most notably on diplomatic missions and as Lord Admiral and Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The original builders of the house King Charles and Henrietta.... Richard Drake of Esher (1535[1] – 11 July 1603), was Equerry of the Stable and Groom of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I. The Queen's House, Greenwich - The Queen's Bedchamber - the ceiling. But we were not able to see the highlights of the house features - the Tulip Staircase and the Great Hall because annoyingly of a wedding. Sir Francis Drake, 1540-96 The famous Armada Portrait.... King Philip of Spain (and England).... A rather gloomy Henry VII.... Another luscious portrait of Queen Elizabeth....... and her father Henry VIII. James VI and I Frederick V, 1596-1632, Elector Palatine, King of Bohemia and Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594-1612) Queen Anne....plain to say the least! Nelson of course.. and Emma in one of her poses..... Portrait of Anna van Gelder, third wife of Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Lieutenant-Admiral-General of the United Provinces. and Michiel, obviously a pair of paintings meant to be hung together. The Solebay Tapestry The important Battle of Lepanto, defeating the Turks in the Med. Our next destination - the Royal Observatory.....where a poor lunch, if you could call it that. The signs had promised 'the best view in London'....who could argue? We didn't have time for anything but lunch......I did touch this however. On our way to the boats, our chosen means of getting back (and avoiding Peckham thank God), we just had time for half an hour in the Museum which really deserved a whole day - yet another amazing building in the whole Greenwich complex. Fiji decorated canoe.... Cupola from the old Baltic Exchange.... Victorian lighthouse model.... Roman anchor..... A 68 Deep sea diver's boot..... On the left (below) Admiral John Byng...... “In this country, it is good to kill an admiral from time to time, in order to encourage the others”. This comment is taken from Voltaire’s ‘Candide’ which commented on the execution of the Admiral John Byng on 14th March 1757, with the charge of “failing to do his utmost”… Also....Admiral Jervis, 1787 and Captain the Honourable George Edgcumbe, 1720-95 Greenwich pensioners..... A fairly recent attribution of a painting to Gainsborough.......one of the finest surviving examples of Gainsborough’s early portrait work, depicts naval officer Captain Frederick Cornewall. Admiral Alexander Hood.....a commander of the Channel Fleet during the French Revolutionary War.... A General at Sea...... Scaled model which the Admiralty insisted on and now one of the many many treasures to be found in the Museum. Dobson's portrait of a naval officer...... Greenwich and the Cutty Sark... Our sleek and comfy Uber boat......very good value....we went from Greenwich to Putney. Sister craft....they varied in size. Our was one of the larger ones..... We passed old wharf after old wharf.....all now an unbreakable series of posh apartments. Lots of icons along the way..... Nearly back..... and dark when we got to Putney.......
Lots of flooding from the train windows...London however was lush. After meeting Thomas Jonglez my publisher at Leighton House cafe the previous evening we decided to return to look at the house. Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, PRA (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subject matter in an academic style. His paintings were enormously popular and expensive, during his lifetime, but fell out of critical favour for many decades in the early 20th century. His house is a marvel. But it is one of several built by and lived in by a group of artists called the Holland Park Circle, forming a unique group of studio-houses. G F Watts was the first and then there were 9. All but 3 survive, although Leighton's must be the most spectacular. A space for his work, and for his extensive collections reflecting a huge cultural diversity. Of all the things there were to remember three stood out - the modern staircase in an annexe which stretches from basement to the top of the house, the cafe with its great glass window overlooking the gardens, and the winter stuio on the top floor. But everywhere you are overwhelmed with magnificent architecture, furnishings , paintings and collections. Leighton was born in of all places Scarborough to Augusta Susan and Dr. Frederic Septimus Leighton (1799–1892), a medical doctor. Leighton's grandfather, Sir James Boniface Leighton (1769–1843), had been the primary physician to two Russian tsars—Alexander I and Nicholas I—and their families, and amassed a fortune while in their service. Leighton was never short of money. The famous painting 'Flaming June' (sketch above, original owned by Museo de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, although currently at the RA ) perhaps is illustrative of one of his techniques........he painted all his models nude and then clothed them afterwards. Great technique I think. Here a model for his tomb by Brock, and his palette. So well-known had Leighton become by his death that he was laid to rest next to the builder of St Paul's himself. I liked his watercolour of a Venice palazzo. The Arab Hall at Leighton House is for many the centre piece of this unique artist home. Started in 1877 it was not fully completed until 1881. An extension of the original building, it reflects Leighton’s personal fascination with the Middle East which he often visited on his travels. Widely admired by Leighton’s contemporaries, the Arab Hall’s fame and reputation continue to the present day, as a favourite spot for visitors and much sought-after location for photoshoots, films and music videos. His taste falters with his use of Murano surely?! This winter studio was added late on and what an amazing light atmospheric room it is. The house was grand in the usual Victorian manner, full to overflowing.... I responded to the Guide who asked whether we had found our visit interesting by pointing out that it would be easy to have real instead of imitation plants. However I was put in my place by being told they would love to but they were conscious of the evaporation caused by real plants which might affect the prints, furnishings etc. Never assume you know best! I liked the fact that this box on the chair was especially designed for collapsing top hats which became all the vogue. Lunch was at a good Italian on Holland Park Road........ A quick last visit to the nearby Design Museum. Great, but it doesn't seem to have got beyond 2012 which is an enormous pity. This origami piece of clothing was fascinating..... ....and I liked that they emphasised the punched cards of the Jacquard loom, to me the very precursor of the whole Industrial Revolution. Home in the top front seats of a double-decker, always amazing to see the different aspects of London.
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August 2023
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