Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
We were in Manchester for a talk featuring experts from Hirst Conservation, the specialist paint conservators, who described the work they’ve done to date on site, including the preservation and safeguarding of the Ford Madox Brown murals and the ornate ceiling in the Great Hall, and some of the original decorative ceilings above the grand staircase, for example. The Manchester Murals are a series of twelve paintings by Ford Madox Brown in the Great Hall ofthe Town Hall and are based on the history of Manchester. Each measures 10.6' x 4.9' (or 3.2m. x 1.45m). the talk was detailed on techniques but would have been better with a slightly more broadbrush approach. We took the opportunity to admire some of Manchester's Christmas lights on our way to The Bridgewater Hall for our concert. The view of Barbirolli Square from the Bridgewater's bar is pleasing and we enjoyed our concert with a contrast between eighteenth century Mozart and a work written in 2011 by an Icelandic composer, with some Britten and Strauss too.
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We drove through Harrogate and Ripon to Markenfield Hall which is the most unspoiled fourteenth century house in England. It is said that it would still be recognised by its original builders and how often is that the case? We reached it down a mile long drive or rather farm track. The exterior views are very atmospheric. Below, the view form the East which shows the chapel. Until fairly recently Markenfield had a pair of black swans, but unfortunately an otter took care of them. Some birds still like the moat though. This view, below, shows the modern day entry to the undercroft and great hall above. The inverted 'V' is where the porch was at the first floor with external steps the only entry. The small attachment to the left of the door was the temporary jail - now a visitors toilet. What was the medieval kitchen shown here has now been converted to the owners' modest residence. This shows one of the wings, used for farm buildings as it always was...... and here, the other wing, used for housing since medieval times..... This shows the Elizabethan gatehouse......... Lastly, externally we noted the arms of the Markenfields..... Showing what a really friendly house this is small tables were laid out in the Great Hall for us to take tea and (very nice) cake. We were on a tour by Historic Houses members. The Great Hall was built around 1280 and was probably freestanding. When John de Markenfield received licence to crenellate in 1310 he linked it to the other buildings in the courtyard. The hall, as elsewhere, survives as original because after the Rising of The North in 1569 when the estate was confiscated by Elizabeth the whole lot of buildings was rented out to tenant farmers who made no changes. The hall itself, and the chapel next door were used as a grainstore. Today it contains a limited number of portraits, a good library of books and Vietnemese pottery amongst other things. The atmosphere is palpable. From the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries the hall was owned by Markenfields who became steadily more important in the North of England from the time when John de Markenfield, a Clerk to Edward I, used family connections to advance his way through the ranks - by 1310 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer to Edward II. The Markenfields, as so many Norhern families were staunch Catholics and this was to lead to their downfall when, in 1569 Sir Thomas, along with his Uncle Sir Richard Norton who was High Sheriff of Yorkshire, were ring leaders in the unsuccessful Rising of the North. They both fled abroad to save themselves from the terrrible fate of traitors. The Hall was confiscated and for 200 years used by tenant farmers. In 1761 the Hall was bought by lawyer and MP Fletcher Norton, who went on to become Solicitor General and after being knighted became the Speaker of the House of Commons. Although he never lived in the house but at nearby Grantley Hall, he did not buy it simply as an investment but out of family loyalty, for he was a direct descendent of Sir Richard Norton, standard bearer of the Rising of the North and Uncle to Sir Thomas Markenfield. Fletcher Norton became the First Baron Grantley and the property descended to the 7th Lord Grantley who began a restoration project in 1980. I was very taken with this portrait of Caroline Norton (the original is at Chatsworth). Caroline Sheridan, grand-daughter of the great comic playwright and Whig Member of Parliament, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was born in 1808. In 1827 a disastrous marriage was made for her by her impoverished widowed mother to George Chapple Norton, whose family owned Markenfield Hall. George’s drunken violence and emotional abuse ruined the marriage. The consequence of their ill-starred union were the legal reforms made in English parliamentary law in 1839, 1857 and 1870. Caroline Norton was a poet and songwriter, a society beauty before and after her marriage. George Norton was the younger brother of 3rd Lord Grantley (whose portrait hangs in the Great Hall) who had inherited the title from an uncle. Grantley’s malign influence would prove to be the bane of Caroline’s life for 40 years. In 1831 George Norton instructed his wife to persuade the Home Secretary, later Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, to secure him a well-paid position as a police magistrate. This had far-reaching and painful consequences for Caroline. She fell madly in love with Melbourne, a handsome, charming and intelligent man – everything her husband was not. A ‘criminal conversation’ court case ensued, (the legal term for adultery) and while George Norton lost the case, Caroline – despite her innocence – lost everything. She was left with only the clothes she stood up in, but her greatest loss was that of her three sons, Fletcher, seven, Brinsley, five, and Charles aged three, into the ownership of her vengeful husband. Caroline’s desperate attempts to see her sons – whom she had no right to see as their mother was not their parent in the eyes of the law – caused her to use her pen and go to into battle with the English legal system. She campaigned for separated wives to be allowed to see their children, helped to make it easier for wives to escape bad marriages, and enabled women to retain some of their property on marriage. The three pieces of feminist legislation which changed the lives of wives and mothers for ever were the Infant Custody Act (1839), the Matrimonial Causes Act (1858) and the married Women’s Property Act of 1870. One extraordinary aspect of Caroline’s life was her knowledge that she would not benefit from the legal changes for which she fought so hard – she knew that, but did it for the cause of women. The chapel is accessed directly off the Great Hall and contains much of interest. It is an ancient Catholic one, in which Anglicans also worship by Catholic invitation. In practice, the services are alternate, roughly once a fortnight. "From an Anglican viewpoint, the Chapel (and its 600 acre parish) is classed as an Ecclesiastical Peculiar – that is, exempt from the control of the Bishop, which it has probably been since the Reformation. In practice, the Bishop is most welcome and takes occasional services here by invitation."! The view back into the Great Hall from the chapel which shows the intimate connection between the two. A portrait of the Richard Norton who was standard bearer for the Rising of the North. You can see where 'renovators' used ordinary cement instead of limestone cement. This cannot now be removed without dmage to the stone. Lesson, always keep on top of your builders! This is a photo of the banner Richard raised........the original is at Arundel Castle. A rare double piscina.....again, note the awful cement infill. One last thing of interest in the Chapel is this masonry hand found in the moat, believed to come from nearby Ripon Abbey. Research by the late Prof. Andor Gomme has shown that the earliest part of today’s house was built circa 1230 - its Undercroft consisting of the three surviving vaulted ground floor rooms. Its Great Hall was incorporated into the Chapel and Solar above. The feel of this amazing survival isn't helped by the use of one of the rooms as a storeroom/junkroom. Still, it is a family home and we all have them......... This medieval fireplace on the ground floor comes from the Great Hall above and was moved downstairs stone by stone. All in all a wonderful house well worth visiting.
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.
We had never really been to an antiques centre, and Preston Antiques in Horrockses' old mill was an eye-opener. Massive amounts of top notch stock on the first floor included things like George III armoires in seemingly perfect condition (highly polished anyway) and paintings and objet d'art of all kinds. Prices were high. As we ascended the building stock became a bit rougher until on the top floor it was more or less house clearances. Interesting. We came for jewellery boxes with costume jewellery but found none. We successfully bid online for some later. As we were near, we then went to Astley Hall for the third time (have to use our annual subscription!) and found it as idiosyncratic and interesting as ever. No produce in the walled garden - the season seems to be over. Otherwise yet another worthwhile visit to a real gem in the North-West (of which there are very many indeed). This time we had a walk in the woods alongside the River Chor (thus Chorley). Really good Autumn colours ( despite global warmers saying there wouldn't be any). .....as indeed there were closer to home in Clitheroe park...... and on our walk to Waddington.........
A Visit to the "Transitions in Print' exhibition at John Rylands...and Snooker in Bolton...11/14/2022 We went to the 'Transitions In Print' exhibition at John Rylands. In fact we had a guided tour by one of the chief curators who certainly knew her stuff and conveyed in an extremely interesting way how new cutting-edge technology was helping staff, scientists and academics re-interpret how and why the Gutenberg printing revolution occurred. This is all the more pertinent as the Rylands has one of the world’s greatest collections of 15th-century European printing. Truly fascinating. After the usual good lunch at Cicchetti in House of Fraser we enjoyed the start of the Christmas lights transformation and drove off to Bolton Stadium. Here we saw a wonderful snooker match in the Champion of Champions between Judd Trump and Mark Selby. You really got a feeling that you were watching people play snooker in your own front room such was the immediacy of the view. Interesting to watch all the behind the scenes stuff too including the various cameramen, interviews etc etc. A top-notch experience.
We started off our little tour of the Lune Valley in Halton at the Manor House. Halton was a strange mix of old houses and new houses and council houses reflecting its proximity to Lancaster I suppose. The countryside around was beautiful..... and we soon arrived at the Crook o'Lune a well-known beauty spot in Summer. Because of road works we were then diverted a long way round to Claughton the smallest parish in Lancashire. Along what was clearly an estate road we passed what was the local manor house. Next, to Gressingham and its Church which has quite a lot of interest. I did enjoy.........the roundel at its entrance - the hen harrier of Bowland. The Norman doorway is also impressive with its chevrons and ropework and in fine condition. The stained glass is by Morris and Co. Very unusually all the pews are box pews. Gressingham largely escaped the major Victorian works applied to so many ancient parish churches – but it may have acquired at least some of its box pews from another church which was having them removed as part of a Victorian restoration. The centre set appears to be newer than those along the north and south walls Our next call was to Hornby where we admired the local houses of several eras......... the fine gatehouse at Hornby Castle.... and the castle itself across the River Wenning (a new one on me). The castle is not open to the public, but they do do AirBnB. The parish church is St Margaret of Antioch (not many of those around), and its unusual octagonal tower dates from 1513. It was ordered to be built by Sir Edward Stanley on his safe return from the victory at Flodden. There were several ancient stones in the porch and the original porch door is shown inside the church. A lovely little place was Hornby. Being hungry we made for Kirkby Lonsdale but on the way came across a new Brunning and Price pub The Highway Man where we ate. Good service, the usual quirky interiors including what almost looks like a full library. We parked by the river Lune as we normally do and walked in a long the river. We only managed about half of the intended tour but this certainly gives us a lot to look forward to another time.
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August 2023
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