Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
On the way to our holiday cottage in the charming village of Staveley near Knaresborough we called at Temple Newsam one of the truly great historic houses of England and the birthplace of Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, and now a major Leeds Museums and Galleries site. We were shown round in a very small group by one of the volunteers who proved knowlegeable and enthusiastic as so often in these houses. It really is a magnificent house, both architecturally and in terms of its contents. There are substantial holdings of fine and decorative art - furniture, wallpaper, silver and ceramic collections. These are unrivalled outside of London and are designated by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as being of national significance. Of most significant historical and cultural interest perhaps is the Chippendale Society collection of Chippendale's works that are on permanent loan. (The Society is based here). In essence a Tudor Jacobean house, Temple Newsam has passed through lots of hands (with extremely interesting family history) but after WW1 was sold by the then 2nd Earl of Halifax to the City of Leeds for a nominal sum, with covenants guaranteeing its use for the people of the city in the future. It seems that the Corporation was offered all the contents at the time for £10,000 but turned this offer down. Since then a number of more enlightened curators have made an enormous effort to bring back many of its treasures (some gifted back by the Halifax family, others tracked down). What an achievement. Interestingly, rather as at Wentworth Woodhouse, coal mining continued on the site until the 1970s. There is no sign of it now and you would never guess the Capability Brown landscape had ever been changed. The picture gallery was terrific, and contains a high proportion of family portraits in their original placing........... As so often, an enormous amount of care and money went into the ceiling work and the fireplaces throughout the house......... ......but all the rooms were splendid in their own way without exception. Here the Georgian Library converted to a chapel in 1877 and reverting to its original function in the 1970s (with organ remaining). The paintings were full of interest.....here, for instance, a charming portrait of a Victorian denizen, and indeed a legend in her own lifetime, Emily Wood. and here a rather wistful and touching portrait. Number 159, let's call it 'Portrait of a Young Man'. At the foot of the stairs is a magnificent organ clock from 1765. and everywhere, objets d'art In the State Bedroom there is an original 'angel' bed. I wasn't aware what this was, but can now look out for them. It is a bed whose canopy and drapes are suspended from the ceiling, almost floating in th air. The fashion for them didn't last long apparently as there were serious injuries from instances of them falling down. We admired this solid silver wine cooler made for Lord Raby of Wentworth Castle. It weighs an astonishing 80,000 grams. There were fine stables........ and we saw at least some of the grounds as the house car park was closed due to filming (all secret) and we had a long walk in atrocious weather to and from the car. Invigorating. Our next stop was in the centre of Leeds itself, at the University, and it was the M&S museum and archive. A little jewel in its own way and well worth an hour or two. Be warned however, you can't park anywhere near. We used the audio guides to go round the exhibition which were good. One thing which struck us about the fashion which was shown decade by decade, is how very old-fashioned it seemed even for its own times. M&S is closing many of its big city centre stores because they are nowhere near as profitable as the food shops. Our own conclusion is that M&S fashion and homeware would have done much better if its buyers had listened to its major customer base rather than trying to be different. Retirees like us walk away from stock that is 'Made in China' as much of their stuff now is. Why oh why did they not continue to use British suppliers with huge marketing and supply chain advantages? Their response times and quality would be enormously improved. Too late now I suspect. We arrived at our cottage (still in torrential rain), and had a three course meal from the hands of the ex-chef owner. A nice way to arrive. Next day, scouting out free parking places for our forthcoming trip to London, we parked on Knavesmire overlooking the race course. Our route in took us down Micklegate...... and astonishing buildings as everywhere in York. Micklegate was improved, but the number of pubs involved in the Micklegate Run (brought back fond memories) was less. Pity. The river looked quite high. Soon to get a lot higher. We walked in along the river. Then got a glimpse of our first destination - Clifford's Tower. As we climbed the steps we started already to get a good view of York Eye....... And the inside was quite spectacular. It used to be just a shell until English Heritage's major changes this year. We saw the remains of the chapel used by RichardIII amongst others. He was very well liked in York (as by me). The views from the new roof were great and all explained in helpful information boards. Going up and down the stairs and across floating bridges was all a bit vertiginous for me, but we thoroughly enjoyed our visit and appreciated the changes. Almost opposite Clifford's Tower is Fenwick Department store. We were doing some Christmas shopping so enjoyed our look round. We both concluded how very much superior to John Lewis's it is. Presentation and atmosphere are worlds away from JLP. A lot of it is to do with the fact that it is still independent, has just a handful of stores (nine in total), and has responsive buyers. Interesting. Wherever you point your camera in York, you'll have a great picture. Here just outside Fenwick's. The main shopping street - Coney Street. The Mansion House. In Collier Street, Barnitts was not only still there but seemed to have taken over the whole street! We strolled down Fossgate (hugely improved) to our next destination The Merchant Adventurers Hall. This was started in 1357 and it shows. The undercroft where you enter (all original timbers) was used as a hospital and then almshouse until 1900. The chapel was built in 1420. This carving show God supporting his son on the cross. There were fine and very interesting artefacts everywhere....... The oak 'evidence chest' survives from the early 1300s and was used to store important documents relating to the Adventurers holdings. It was purchased second-hand! The Adventurers banner. The Governor's Parlour...... and a detail from his chair....... There are two silver collections. Mnay of these pieces in the Parlour are still used. The Great Hall on the first floor was built as a double nave as no oak timbers were big enough to span the width. Built in 1357 from local oaks, the hall has seen some improvements over the years. The wooden panelling is Tudor and the green panelling Georgian. In this cabinet a collection of York silver on loan from an individual. The Judge's Lodgings is still a good hotel and restaurant. We were heading for York Art Gallery past a chunk of Roman wall.... and the Borthwick Institute, once a fifteenth century guildhall....... The Gallery itself is housed in quite an impressive building, and has let's say a three or four star collection........ On exiting, York looked wonderful in the twilight. Another day, more to see in York. We passed the Roman multangular tower on our way to the Yorkshire Museum. Their collection of Roman artefacts was superb. This tombstone stood out, and is quite rare as it depicts a Roman citizen seated on a sofa with his arm around his obviously well-loved wife. Their child figures too. I was amazed that you are allowed to stand on this mosaic from one of the more important Roman houses in York (no shoes of course). What a connection to those times. But the museum isn't all about Ancient Rome. Medieval York is represented very heavily. This carving shows York citizens rescuing Edward I who is seen, rather crudely, falling down a mountain. This rather amazing Anglian helmet is the best preserved in the whole of Europe. Very impressive. York's glassmakers were important, and how vivid is this regal portrayal, probably of Edward III. It was almost certainly made in the workshop of Master Robert of York, one of England's greatest glass painters. The Middleham pendant, found by a metal detectorist, with its enormous blue saphire, shows some of the best engraving ever seen in this country. Middleham was the base of Richard III so it could well have belonged to his wife Ann, or possibly his mother.The Middleham This grotesque is a bit like the film version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. We then had yet another wander around the streets and snickleways of York. York has much improved since we were there. It has an absolutely fantastic range of shops and restaurants and old pubs, and it appeared to us strikingly clean and free of litter. Quite an achievement! This was the Minster's outdoor workshop with crisp samples of its work and a mason (female) beavering away in the background........ I mentioned the river on our first day. On our last day it had burst its banks - always a spectacle. We had a marvellous lunch in a pub called The Whippet, not at all easy to find, but very very good and with oodles of atmosphere.
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