 |
| 1910 Well at Birdoswald Roman Fort |
 |
| The latrines still mostly intact after almost two thousand years |
This holiday was planned around all the things I’d been
dying to see in England. It’s been ten years since I had last been there and as
my tastes changed so did my wishlist. My long suffering husband was happy to go
along on my flights of fancy but there were a few things that were on his
wishlist too. One of these was to see Hadrian’s Wall. On a cold and windy day
we drove down the little country lanes with their dry stone walls and rolling
hills beyond and found ourselves climbing a large hill to the remains of one of
Hadrian’s forts on the wall. It was surprising how much of it remained intact
for the fact it has stood for many centuries being constructed only a hundred years
or so after the death of Christ. Nik and I didn't choose to read the material
on the fort but used our brains instead to figure out the reasons for the
different constructions and their placement and were rewarded by the little
plaques around the place.
 |
| Fountain at Castle Howard |
 |
| Temple of the Winds |
The sky was full of heavy clouds tinted peach by the setting
sun as we made our way to our next destination. We had nowhere to stay but
trusted in luck and came across a little farm stay bed and breakfast near the
gates of Castle Howard.
The next day was a tribute to my favorite programmes
the first being Brideshead Revisited. I adore the BBC adaptation of Evelyn
Waugh’s spectacular novel so we were there first thing before the maddening
rush of tourists to see the place as it sat quietly in the landscape. It was
for lack of a better term, magnificent. We wandered around the tracks for the
lake and copse coming to views of the mausoleum and the spectacular ‘Temple of
the Winds.’ The park was planted with the most splendid assortment of trees which
I admired greatly for the thoughtfulness of their planting. These huge old
sentinels were touched with autumn colours and the play of gold, copper, green
and turquoise as well as their textures one against the other were truly
delightful. It seems odd to be talking about how much I enjoyed the trees at
such a place but I have never seen this kind of garden achieve such a sense of
loveliness and continuity.
Even though I had seen the interior through my beloved
Brideshead Revisited it was nothing compared to the reality of being there. This
place was epic. It seemed as if I had stumbled on the biggest and most
elaborate stage set complete with cupola, painted murals and carved stone
everywhere. How dramatic it must have been to live in such a place.
 |
| Castle Howard |
After tea and scones, necessary for any fantasy tour it was
another long drive but this time to pay homage to Jane Austen. Anyone who loved
the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice must have Lyme Park on their list of
must do’s. It makes no difference that Colin Firth didn't swim in the lake by
the house or that his stunt double got poisoned by the water, this place was well
worth the visit. The older medieval house was rebuilt in the more fashionable
Italian style but still they liked to recycle and little bits and pieces of the
old house popped up now and again to add a quirky statements to this fantastic
old mansion. The National Trust attendants were the friendliest people I’ve
ever met, in each room someone would greet us and tell us fascinating stories
about their part of the house. We only had an hour before closing so we had to
rush through but we left with a very welcome feeling which was coupled by our
combined love of the house. It was one of the highlights of our trip so far.
 |
| Lyme Park |
That night we stayed in The Pack Horse Inn, a little old inn
which sat at the top of a hill crest overlooking a valley which was a patchwork
of fields and small farm houses.
The next morning the landscape was white. A deep mist had
penetrated into the valley adding a ghostly demeanor to our travelling. Soon
it thinned and opened up like a series of cut out silhouettes on a light box.
We were heading south again towards Nottingham. The day was beautiful and
perfect to wander through Sherwood Forest which was a real treat. I have an
idea in my head based on a tintype I found last year for a Joan of Arc painting
and these woods would be the perfect backdrop. I took many photos of the
gnarled old trees and the Major Oak with its rotted out center and sheer age
was something special to behold.
 |
| The Major Oak Sherwood Forest |
Nottingham itself is sadly just another large town and the
old castle, one of the three important medieval strongholds of England (if our
tour guide is to be believed) was pulled down to build an Italianate pleasure
palace. It was incredibly difficult to get carried away in the medieval drama
of the Robin Hood myth and finally after an hour of wandering around the caves
and tunnels under the new castle I had to admit defeat. Ah well we can’t win
them all.
We spent the night in the new labyrinthine construction
which was tacked on to D. H. Lawrence’s lovely old birthplace; a nondescript
hotel room without charm or finesse but perfectly adequate as a place to sleep
after such a day of such highs and lows.
