Archives for posts with tag: historical

From Chipping Campden, we took a local bus to Broadway, crossing over the county line into Worcestershire, and then walked back into Gloucestershire for about an hour to our second National Trust property, Snowshill – immediately heading to the café for a cream tea to help recover from the last long hill!

Another spectacular place, filled with awe and wonder. Charles Paget Wade, architect and collector, purchased the estate just after WWI, and gave it to the National Trust a few years before he died in the early 1950s. The grounds are beautiful: simple walled decorative gardens near the manor, orchards of apples, and pasture for sheep. A tenant farmer still raises sheep on the property, and the apples from the orchard are used for delectable treats in the cafe. Next to the manor is a small priest’s house where Mr Wade lived while he filled the manor with his collections, which are vast; a passion he acquired as a small child.

The walk from Broadway was very pretty, although a bit treacherous on a narrow country road. The cream tea was calling and we persevered!

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The grounds were so lovely, with apples and flowers, a miniature harbour village, and a magical stormy sky all around.

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The collections: everything from bicycles, to musical instruments, to kitchen items, to prisoner-of-war bone carvings, to religious items, to over 2000 pieces of costume, and on and on.

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We ended the adventure with a drink just around the corner in Snowshill Village at the Snowshill Arms, before walking back to Broadway to catch a bus home.

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My first English pub experience. I had a small sherry!

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I am a bit behind on my posts! This week has been filled with adventure, but that will have to wait.

While we were in Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, we visited two National Trust properties. The first was Hidcote. Our walk took about an hour and 45 minutes, but we did stop to take lots of pictures. We wished we had done more research about the public footpaths, as apparently there is a route away from the roads.

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The garden was created with many arts and crafts garden design principles, with formality giving way to wilderness the further away from the house you wander.

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And even in October, there was much colour to enjoy!

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I am incredibly impressed with the work of the National Trust. The scale of what they take on with historical properties is enormous – each is so unique with its own needs and challenges. Hidcote runs with a team of gardeners, and a magnificent array of volunteers. I was amazed to find that the café tailors its daily menu based on what produce is available from the vegetable garden, and that historical research is ongoing. I would love to visit Hidcote again.

Read all about the fascinating history of this magical property here.

 

 

Love at first sight is the correct description of how I feel about this village in Gloucestershire. Our cottage is on a small lane, just off the high street. As I am writing this I can hear the clip clop of horse’s hooves just outside on the lane. There are birds everywhere, mostly jackdaw,  magpie, carrion crowns and wood pigeon, as well as a few robins and the occasional pair of pheasants scuttering along the hedgerows. The village is beyond charming, perfectly situated in the midst of lush rolling pastures. Everyone we have met has been so kind and friendly. Here are a few pics I took on Saturday:

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My first walk of the day, at about 8 am. This is St Catherine Catholic Church, just on the corner of our lane.

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Many doorways on the High Street lead to private courtyards, or hidden shops.

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St James Church.

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The walk up to St James.

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Chipping Campden High Street in early morning light.

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On our afternoon walk we find this gate which leads into the lovely Ernest Wilson Garden. Mr Wilson was born in Chipping Campden and was an important plant collector of the early 20th century.

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These unusual rose hips were interesting.

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A lovely, quiet place.

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The view from St James.

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View back towards St James from a public footpath through a field.

For our first full week, we will be in the lovely market town of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire.

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Yellow will be the colour featured in this week’s work, as I attempt to capture the delicate beauty of the honey-coloured limestone buildings. A hub for the arts and crafts movement, Chipping Campden is also the start of the Cotswold Way walking trail. We will take full advantage of that, visiting small towns and historical attractions, and seeking out all the tea rooms!

Day trips may include Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Sezincote House and Gardens near Moreton-in-Marsh.

Our accommodation for this week will be the first of three cottages we will enjoy on this adventure. More on that in posts from September 28–October 4.

October 1 and another sunny autumn day begins. We’re having the most beautiful weather. Yesterday we went to Ross Bay Cemetery for a guided walking tour. The Old Cemeteries Society hosts tours every Sunday, usually at Ross Bay, but sometimes at other historic graveyards like Pioneer Square downtown. Yesterday’s tour coincided with the 150th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the City of Victoria Symposium. Several actors in period dress portrayed people of importance from 1862 who are buried at Ross Bay. The Society uses the funds it raises from memberships and tours for materials to upkeep the historic graveyards. This year, we were told, they were able to repaint all the wrought iron at the Ross Bay Cemetery. Their volunteers also do research, gravesite cataloguing and tombstone cleaning.

Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria BC; a beautiful and peaceful place.