Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
In the Estrella Damm Top 100 Gastro Pubs just announced within the Top 5 are two local to Clitheroe and two in Yorkshire within a short drive. All in all 14 out of the 100 pubs on the list are from Lancashire, Yorkshire or Cheshire. Great stuff. Number 2 on the list is The Parker's Arms "Possibly the most idyllic pub on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list, the Parkers Arms in Newton-in-Bowland, Lancashire, is a real treat. Madi and Smith took on the Parkers Arms in 2007 and have amassed an equally adoring local and national following, with gourmands travelling on occasion the length and breadth of the country to sample Madi’s cooking. The food here is honest, putting flavour and experience above all else, which should always be the case. This is a true gastropub, taking pride in the local produce – foraged and sourced – from the surroundings and the best suppliers." And Number 5 is The Freemasons Arms at Wiswell. At Number 26 sits The White Swan at Fence also local to here. "Wit surrounds an elegant menu and interior at the White Swan, which is apparent from the pub’s website that describes chef Parker thus: “This is Tom. Among other things, Tom is very good at chopping chives. Tom cooks your food. Be like Tom.” Tom’s skills at chopping chives extend further into the kitchen and it’s clear he devotes all his attention and energies towards curating a handsome and clever menu at the Michelin-starred pub." And at 39 within walking distance, The Higher Buck at Waddington.
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We went to Manchester on 2 buses changing at Burnley. Free for us, but I don't think I would like to do the round trip (2 hours each way) often. John Rylands was closed for lunch when we arrived, so we decided to try for our own lunch the family Italian restaurant on the ground floor of House of Fraser. Excellent choice. Great service (by Italians), very tasty food indeed, and lovely Sicilian Primitivo wine. Vey reasonable prices and a lovely restaurant. What more could one ask? The pistachio 'cake' - not to be missed! We had visited Rylands before, but I wanted to renew my membership (from the Sixties!). This proved surprisingly easy. I look forward to accessing sources to help write the family history. We always seem to see something new in Manchester. This time it was one of apparently two alleys dedicated to the famous Manchester scientist John Dalton. Best known for devising the atomic theory he also kept daily weather records of Manchester for fifty years, and the second alley which we weren't aware of appropriately has umbrellas featuring in its design. Here at Dalton Entry the roundels contain scientific instruments. We also passed the Chinese Arch......
We had passed the Manchester Hall (former Freemasons Hall) a few times without quite knowing what goes on there. In fact there are a whole host of facilities including 3 restaurants - Boujee, Dishooms and Masons. It was to the latter we were headed and what a great surprise it was. Firstly, the interior of the whole building is exceptionally grand....... ....but also Masons on the ground floor was lovely. And the food was terrific. Sunday lunch? Usually boring. Not this though, and my beef was probably the best I have ever had. The cocktails and puddings absolutely delicious. Service first class. So all-in-all a great experience we will most definitely repeat. We then made our way to the Bridgewater Hall, passing through the Town Hall colonades.... past the Midland Hotel.... ....and so to our destination, the ultra modern Bridgewater. The concert itself - Mahler's Symphony Number 3 - was terrific. The Third is actually the longest piece in any orchestra's repertoire. To quote one critic " .....the whole work came in at around 115 minutes. Not once during that time did the drama sag." In the morning I had listened to a recording of most of the first movement, but here in the round was better by, what, a factor of 10. The difference is simply incredible. Both the Guardian and The Times gave it Five Stars. Totally deserved. It ended in a standing ovation (granted parents of the Halle Children's Choir would have been there!). We're lucky to have the Halle on our doorstep. The Times Concert life at its most alive
★★★★★ At a certain point this Mahler Symphony No 3 transformed from the very good to the sublime. I almost didn’t notice it happening, so powerful was that sensation of being utterly consumed by the music, of living and experiencing it rather than simply listening to and observing the performance. The Guardian Hallé/Elder review ★★★★★ Elder’s measured passion unleashes Mahler’s magic Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Mahler’s huge Third Symphony marked a triumphant opening of the Hallé’s spring season We'd heard about Silverdale from a neighbour Phillip, and it was just over an hour away up the M6. When nearly there we saw a sign to Jenny Brown's Point, and took the single track lane and parked for a short while where we shouldn't. A short stroll showed us a really atmospheric part of the Bay. It has been said that Jenny was a lover waiting for her lost sailor to return, a nanny who saved her charges from the tide, a lodging-house keeper, or a steam engine (or "jenny") sent to Brown's Point. Take your pick. Whatever! Since we were feeling peckish we visited the Silverdale Hotel, and what a good choice it was. Lovely location, good beer, fascinating interior. We sat in the conservatory overlooking the garden. Frances had soup and I had Morecambe Bay potted shrimps. Terrific. In each of the toilets there were twinning notices...something unusual and reflecting the nature of the hotel. Something we had never seen before. A short walk took us to the shingly beach with views over the bay to genteel Grange-Over-Sands (which we did know). Silverdale was lovely, charming, quiet, and beautiful. A mecca to see thirty four varieties of butterfly in season. We will return. Driving on towards Arnside we passed Arnside Tower. Situated about a mile and a half outside of Arnside, and to the South East of Arnside Knott, Arnside tower is a spectacular and almost unique example of a Cumbrian pele tower. The oldest building in the parish, the tower was built in the late 14 or early 15th century, and was a free standing tower (most pele towers had outbuildings or were attached to a house or hall of some sort). The tower would originally have been four and five storeys tall, however due to systematic dismantling and weathering and age, it is now both roofless and floorless. The tower was severely burned in 1602, probably through a domestic fire rather than as the result of an attack, but was repaired and then occupied. Parking at a cemetery lay-by on the way in to Arnside, we made a quick decision to climb Arnside Knott. A good viewpoint apparently and 700 feet up. We made our own way rather than following any route. It was good to be in English woods but with views all round. Passing a good scree slope gave an entirely different feel, more reminiscent of The Lakes. Then climbing gave us a view back over Morecambe Bay. Until we reached what is always good to see after any climb...a bench with a view. After a short rest the views quickly opened up and we were looking at a majestic sight.....Howgill Hills to the right and The Lakes mountains themselves ahead and to the left. We chatted to two friends who came here frequently from Southport. Every time the experience entirely different given the changes in weather around here. We were lucky to see two trains crossing the viaduct (people wait for hours to get shots apparently!). A train journey from Lancaster to Arnside and then Grange is something we will do some time. Nice to eventually come across the trig point. They are of course not used any more, and this one had been adopted. We were near the end of our walk. The air must be good here. We then drove into Arnside, most definitely one of the prettiest villages in the North West. I checked out the price of houses all overlooking the front and the Bay. Out of our price range. Damn! There were one or two houses with corner entrances like this. I expect it's to shield entry from the winds. We all know now the dangers of walking onto the Bay itself. The combination of fast tides, quicksands, draining rivers, shifting channels and sheer unpredictability has trapped the unwary for centuries. But what a beautiful place.
One of the four best black and white houses in the country (as per Pevsner : all the others are in the North West) and as yet unvisited by us. Today was the day. Driving through 'posh' Manchester, Wilmslow, Bramhall etc was quite an experience. So many people with so many nice houses. Our first view of Bramall was from the West side as seen here. But before entering you go to the visitor centre just through to the left of the picture and watch a brief but extremely interesting video about the history of the house and the Davenport family who were the main owners through the centuries. You enter into what was the Great Hall where we had a very friendly welcome and spent some time discussing the house with a Guide who was very happy to chat away and answer questions. A fascinating feature here is the heavy door on the opposite wall to the modern porch in which there is a smaller wicket door and much old metalwork. An interesting theory is that this served a defensive purpose in that anyone attempting entry through the wicket was at an immediate disadvantage in terms of brandishing weapons, having to both bend down and raise their knees. Stockport Council acquired the house as more or less as an empty shell and with various grants have undertaken major restoration, and also tried to re-create some of the atmosphere of when the last major restorer (and rescuer of the house), Charles Nevill, lived here up to the First World War. They have done an amazing job. The fabric of the house speaks for itself, but the internal additions do indeed create a wonderful feeling of a home that was lived in. And we are lucky that the Art Council acquired for the Hall paintings and chattels from the Davenport family under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. The chapel resonates with its history. On the left you can see the unglazed windows looking through to the Library, a feature which is suggestive that this wing was once a separate building from the Great Hall. The Ten Commandments are painted on the wall, but they reveal an even older painting - probably A Passion Painting - overpainted with The Ten Commandments some time during the reign of Elizabeth I, an indication of how careful this Catholic family had to be. The ancient box pew is believed to come from the Davenport chapel in Stockport parish church Above the Davenport arms is the shield of the Plantagenets a rose and fetterlock, which dates the pew as not later than Richard III. The Banqueting Hall..... The Solar upstairs...... which houses what is considered to be one of the only full suites of medieval paintings in the country. Breathtaking. Project manager Alison Farthing said: “The paintings depict a code for living that is highly ordered and moral. In contrast, this would have been a room for drinking, feasting and other things that are counter to the moral code depicted on the walls”. The painted walls would have served instead of tapestries which were of course phenomenally expensive. The oldest parts of Bramall Hall are constructed with wattle and daub. This ancient method of wall-building consists of interwoven sticks (wattle) covered in a mud or clay material (daub). Wattle and daub was common in many timber-framed houses and was popular for its durability and low cost - this example, which can be found in the Nevill room, is over 500 years old. Charles Nevill was painstaking in his earlier restoration and added much good work reflecting the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially in woodwork details and ironwork. This heraldic carpet is a rare survival of a once commonplace object, a table mat or cover, and a splendid example of the high art of Elizabethan embroidery. It hangs now on the wall of the Plaster Room so-called because it has plaster floor as well as ceiling (under the present floorboards). Remarkable. Never heard of such a thing. Off the Plaster Room is the Paradise Room, a name used historically for a favoured bedroom. The plaster frieze is noteworthy here. Behind the panelling to the side of the fireplace is what may have been a Priest's Hole. Views are over the splendid grounds towards the Derbyshire hills. The Withdrawing Room, the finest of many fine rooms, is particularly famous for its ceiling. It dates from the Elizabethan Period and shows the wealth of the Davenport family. Its creators could well have been itinerant Italian craftsmen. The ceiling is sometimes referrred to as Venetian. Alison and the restoration project team were keen to make sure Mary Nevill, wife of Charles, and an avid writer and philanthropist, was properly represented in her boudoir, and sought out some of her original belongings to reinstate them in this very quirky room. I mentioned some of Charles Nevill's restoration details, and throughout the house they are just wonderful........ The glazing thoughout is also worthy of mention. The building’s numerous lead stained glass windows have been carefully restored by hand by Burnley firm Pendle Stained Glass. They sought to preserve as many original panes as possible, by reinforcing them with extra leading, and only fully replaced panes which were completely beyond repair with contemporary replacements. Next, to the servants' quarters....... Washroom..... Maid's bedroom with very rare vauum cleaner..... Undermaids' bedroom........ Sewing room...... Housekeeper's room....not bad! Even within the servants' quarters there was still attention to detail by Nevill......... Butler's pantry.... Victorian Kitchen dresser...... Servants' dining room..... Game pantry....... Ah, yes....clothes drying. Hard work. My Nan had one of these. The Nevill's private dining room.... We will return in Spring/Summer when the grounds will be at their best. All in all I have to say of the many dozens of houses I have visited over the years Bramall Hall was the best, the most interesting, the most surprising, a real gem of a place. WE then headed for another gem - Knutsford. In King Street alone there are a host of fascinating buildings, shops, restaurants, pubs..... An inviting doorway........ We didn't have time to visit the Georgian church just set back from King Street. Another visit. We lunched in the Church Inn at nearby Mobberley. I had read good things about this pub and it lived up to expectations. Real fires and lit candles on every table is always a good start. Our last stroll was along Legh Road in Knutsford. As Pevsner says, worth it for "one of the most extraordinary sequences of villas in all England." No-one could disagree. Many by Watt and his practice. A house designed for Royce of Rolls Royce fame. A fitting tribute to Watt himself. What an amazing imaginary architect. And what a delightful day.
We had never visited the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, here shown in its stately setting amongst one of the most remarkable groups of public buildings anywhere in the world. Truly awe-inspiring, and all visible on exiting Lime Street station. An astonishing exterior view from a station almost akin to coming out of the station at Venice - almost but not quite! We had come to see the Sickert exhibition, but early arrival gave us chance to have a coffee and cake in the excellent cafe, and have a brief visit to the inspiring decorative art section next to the cafe. Here a cabinet by Liverpool furniture maker Hugh Miller. Here 'chair number 7' part of ‘The Coffee Ceremony’ collection by Hugh Miller. The piece, made in solid British elm, with details in brass and Japanese bamboo, takes inspiration from Japanese design principles, as well as Western cabinetry techniques. Here the coffee cart......... This huge earthenware Davenport jug was an astonishing 'coup de theatre'......... We just had time for a quick glimpse of the sculpture collection, the room so reminiscent of the British Museum..... Sickert was unusual in so many ways. And having read Patricia Cornwell's forensic investigation of whether he was actually Jack The Ripper (and been half convinced) I was fascinated to see the complete range of his painting. He first became well-known for his Variety Theatre paintings, sometimes painting the artistes - here Minnie Cunningham..... But he soon came to concentrate on the audience themselves, the onlookers, the voyeurs...... ....and architectural details...... Painting on fans became very popular in Victorian times...Sickert was not slow to follow trends. During a visit Walter Sickert made to Venice between the autumn of 1903 and the summer of 1904, he worked hard and it was an important time of development in which he evolved new ideas concerning pairs of figures in interiors.1 In Venice, Sickert led an extremely ordered existence, writing to his friend and patron Mrs Hulton on 1 January 1904 that he painted, ‘models from 9 to 11 and 1 to 4, and when the weather is fine a landscape or so’. He went on to explain that he got most of his sitters from the restaurant where he usually took his meals, the Giorgione di San Silvestro, run by Signor de Rossi seen below. Often Sickert worked extremely quickly, and this can be seen in the flowing paintwork and, as here, the grids of red lines giving a base for his works. Dieppe was important to Sickert and indeed he lived here for a period. These pictures are part of a series of six large Dieppe subjects that were commissioned by M. Mantren, the proprietor of the Hôtel de la Plage (later Metropole) to decorate his hotel restaurant. Mantren disliked the pictures so much that rather than installing them he sold four of them as soon as he could! Shop fronts always fascinated him...... As we got deeper into the exhibition it became clear how significant the exhibition was, with paintings assembled from many collections....and of course including The Walker Art Gallery's own. The Gallery has the largest collection of Sickert drawings in the world, with 348 sketches, plus 12 prints and a copper etching plate. The collection demonstrates the varied, vital role drawing played in Sickert’s practice. The drawings range from on-the-spot sketches made to capture a particular pose or detail, to final studies for paintings, and drawings made as artworks in their own right. The drawings are typically small, sometimes on lined paper from exercise and ledger books. "Before training as an artist Sickert had a brief career as an actor. Throughout his life he enjoyed playing different roles, sometimes radically altering his appearance by shaving his head or growing a bushy beard. In his self portraits Sickert is often acting a part: the glasses worn here (below) are a prop, giving him a vulnerable air despite the sharp eye behind. This painting was once simply called The Man in the Bowler Hat. Sickert described it as a 'punching ball', a searching self-examination of his middle-aged self. He later renamed it The Juvenile Lead referring to his past on the stage and his present situation as a successful and influential painter." Southampton Art Gallery. In the Tate's 'Ennui', one of several versions of this subject, "Sickert suggests the strained relationship between the figures by their lack of communication. Despite being close together, the man and woman face in opposite directions, staring off into space. They appear almost trapped in their surroundings. The furnishings reinforce the theme, in particular the bell jar containing stuffed birds, suggesting a suffocating environment. Sickert’s works give us no moral or narrative certainty. He leaves it up to us to interpret the image." The video half way through the exhibition was instructive, although with a very weak attempt to clear Sickert's name as Jack the Ripper. We then came to Sickert's nudes. The Guardian critic was interesting in this respect. "The painting to which Sickert gave the title Jack the Ripper’s Bedroom.........portrays the artist’s own flat. Venetian blinds let in a weak ghost of daylight that animates a pink bedcover, as if the bed is haunted by a memory of flesh. Creamy pigment suggests flayed skin.The painting dates from 1905–7. Sickert said his landlady told him that in 1881 she had let the room to a man she reckoned was the Ripper. But this bit of urban folklore scarcely explains the painting. Without going into the realms of conspiracy theory, the spooky, sensual way he paints the room confesses at the very least that Sickert had a morbid, oddly personal interest in the crimes.At the time when Sickert painted Jack the Ripper’s Bedroom he was beginning to paint women naked in cheap London rooms. The criminal edge continued. In 1907 Emily Dimmock was murdered, apparently by a client, in Camden Town. Sickert had recently moved into the area and in 1908 started painting nudes that explicitly allude to this crime. The Camden Town Murder, or What Shall We Do to Pay the Rent? shows a man sitting next to a woman’s possibly lifeless body. The artist himself is queasily comparing voyeurism and violence, painting and murder." "Other nudes painted by Sickert in Camden bedrooms are equally uneasy. Mornington Crescent Nude from 1907 lets us look through an open door at a woman waiting on a bed. We see her breasts and hips in the light filtered by a blind – but her face is obscure, her expression unreadable. La Hollandaise, painted in 1906, has her legs towards us, her breasts on show, but again her face is lost – in fact there is a black hole where her nose should be. As in a skull. The Walker’s terrific exhibition goes to the jugular of Sickert’s tense and stressful art – the mad nocturnal crowds and troubling nudes. To understand him you have to see him not in the genteel drawing room of Victorian and Edwardian British art, but the wider realities of his time. His Viennese contemporary Sigmund Freud saw civilisation as a thin veil over the sexual desires and obsessions that drive humanity. Sickert’s paintings of music halls assert something similar. His nudes explore his own psyche. He does this not just to shock but to free art from dishonesty. These are not polite paintings, they are sleazy confessions. The modernism of Walter Sickert is not pretty. But it is life." Sickert in a lecture is quoted as saying 'Murder is as good a subject as any other', but is it? How many 'macabre murder' painters do we know? Moving on I found the portrait study 'Baccarat' and its accompanying notes and sketches very interesting. Even more indication of Sickert as voyeur. The exhibition also showed paintings by Sickert's circle which is always instructive. The painting of Victoria and her grandson showed another Sickert technique...copying photos from newspapers. Later paintings of Bath were at once nostalgic and pessimistic. All in all a tremendous exhibition which certainly justified the two and a half hours each way train journey. Briefly flipping through other galleries I was delighted to see one of the winners of Portrait Artist of the Year represented with this portrait of Kim Cattrall. and I particularly liked this by William Holman Hunt...it has great character. The social reformer Josephine Butler was well sculpted..... and good to see at last 'When Did You Last See Your Father?'. Weren't the Victorians a sentimental bunch! Some great seascapes.... ....including these two Lowry's..... and although we have missed the Laura Knight exhibition in Milton Keynes, good to see her represented.....a beautiful picture of the view from her window. A modern take on 'willow pattern' was interesting.... I think the last painting we saw was this Lucien Freud..... All in all a great exhibition and a wonderful gallery. I wish Manchester had something half as good.
We took the chance of meeting Katherine and Aiisha at Preston station to go over to Blackpool to show Aiisha the Illuminations. We took the Lytham approach from the South which is always a nice way to come into Blackpool, passing Lytham's independent shops and restaurants and many fine houses. Our first destination was the new and prize-winning fish 'n chips outlet Papa's. Good but not quite as amazing as we expected. Whilst still daylight, what do you do in Blackpool (apart from the rides), you go to Amusement arcades. Great fun was had by all. The Illuminations were great too. Next day we all went to Skipton Castle (never yet visited). The gateway, facing town, is highly impressive, with its bold round towers and Clifford challenge - Hencefoorth! Spot the gunner. Ah, there she is. Skipton castle dates from 1090 but was massively strengthened by Robert, the first Clifford Lord of Skipton, around 1310. At the end of the run of inner buildings the watchtower with the clifford flag flying. Although a shell, virtually all of the castle is intact and roofed, and in a remarkable state of preservation. A lot of this is due to Lady Anne Clifford who was born in the castle in 1590 and who restored this and other Clifford castles after the Civil War. She was a redoubtable woman. Here we ascend Lady Anne's steps......... ........past the old drawbridge, and through a Norman arch to the characterful inner courtyard - the Conduit Court, with its splendid old yew tree planted by Lady Anne. Most of the stone stairs are incredibly well-worn and some of the detailing is worth seeking out...... The Banqueting Hall is impressive... ....and off the Hall is the medieval kitchen, not a separate building annd far off (as was often the case). The baking ovens are readily seen....... and off the kitchen is a garderobe, always fascinating for children. Everywhere the views are tremendous. Here is the raised walkway we shall be taking into the woods later on. The surrounding hills give an almost Scottish feel on a misty day.... Beyond the gateway the main market street in Skipton........the temporary prisoner Mary Queen of Scots may have felt nostalgic. The thickness of the walls was impressive. and each room had its own interest. Well worth the visit, but we needed more steps so off we went to explore Skipton Castle woods..... The willow sculptures on their hand forged steel frames keep remarkably intact.... The 'dens' are perhaps more temporary... Next, to Betty's Ilkley....after a trial of Ilkley's Play Area.... and Pooh-sticks on the Wharf... Ilkley's atmosphere still very Christmassy, and quite lovely. Our last day was local, in and around the castle and park...... .....with a bit of Scottish dancing thrown in..... and a timed test on the Maze... A lovely visit, full of interest.
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