Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
Yet again we took the bus to Blackburn to experience gourmet eating at Scholar's. Four courses for the unelievable price of £12. Amazing. Yet again we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Above, the first course - treacle cured salmon (after a lovely pre-starter of cream of celeriac veloute with hazenut and apple). Delicious. Then below, aged short rib of beef, beautifully presented and melt-in-the-mouth. And finally, strawberry cheesecake, many elements and light as a feather. It's great to support an institution like this. We walked through town then past the Barbara Castle statue (no eggs)..... and past the old maestro Gladstone ( perhaps due to be taken down due to political correctness gone mad....let us learn from the past, not try to take responsibilty for it). The town hall like many others in this area is super impressive........and reflective of huge local pride in times gone by. Now not that many museums have an aquarium, but Bolton has one. In fact it is recognised round the world for some ground-breaking research. We talked happily for quite a while to Peter a 'fish-head' as he calls himself, who is one of those looking after all the fish, which all seemed in excellent condition. We teh looked round the museum and art gallery. We were taken by the staircase 'Faces of Bolton' which mixed up notable Boltonians past and present in a striking and very interesting way. This oil of Clive Myrey was full of character..... and Sir Richard Arkwright seemed just the man to get the Industrial Revolution under way. Bolton was a huge centre of textiles and this survived through to the Eighties, often relying on incomers from India and Pakistan. St Helena Mill built in 1780 was the very first mill hereabouts and still survives. Our ancestors loved to mix practicality with good design. The tiled wall has lovely Lion tiles...... ...one of which is on display and is artistic and powerful at once..... You never know what to expect in these regional museums.........from advertising objects..... to Nat Lofthouse's shirt..... I loved this short video installation which featured someone cycling round the Bolton of today and interposing this with how everywhere she passed looked yesteryear. It was fascinating. Just a little bit of imagination but a great result. And lastly, like other museums Bolton had a Miscellanea of museum objects, theirs in the form of a chandelier........ The back of the town hall was just as impressive as the front...... And how about this? Would not be at all out of place in Bath, but has anyone outside Bolton heard of this wondrous crescent? To end, a little local flavour from the bar of the Swan and Royal in Clitheroe.......
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August 2023
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