Sunday 21 October: a brief wander around Blists Hill on an afternoon that started sunny. If the sun had continued to shine, we’d have spent longer…
Category: NT and EH
National Trust, English Heritage, museums etc.
Kirkham Abbey
Saturday 20 October: we’re in Yorkshire, exploring after lunch. The ruinous remains of Kirkham Priory stand beside the river Derwent, between York and Malton, and are worth exploring. The York – Scarborough railway passes through the valley on the other side of the river, crossing the minor road by means of a level crossing. It’s controlled by a mechanical signal box, “Kirkham Abbey”: the crossing gates swing out across the road when a train is coming. Kirkham Abbey is a now-rare survivor of a once-common scene.
Photo note: today’s outing wasn’t expected to have photographic opportunities. I took the photos using the smartphone – not the best tool for the job, especially considering the railway is in deep shade, mid-afternoon in late October. We’ll have to revisit…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=473260&Y=465760&A=Y&Z=120
An Attingham autumn
Tuesday 9 October: an autumn wander around Attingham Park. The deer are busy with the rut (so we won’t disturb them), the leaves are turning nicely, and the squirrels are out in force making the most of the abundant nuts. There are some interesting fungi too (this is proving to be a recurring theme), though I’ve no idea what they are.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=355235&Y=309991&A=Y&Z=120
Coughton Court
Wednesday 29 August: That’s “coaton”, not “coffton”, we’re told. We’ve been here just once before, but there are no photos – I’d left the camera at home. Today we’ve had lunch in the Bull at Ambridge, served by none other than Jolene (some readers may know what, and where, I’m talking about), and after that, we’re ready for anything. Coughton was home to the Throckmortons (spelled “Throgmorton” on the stained glass), a Catholic family with close connections to the gunpowder plot. Try not to mention bonfire night… Whatever its history, it’s an interesting place to visit and explore. The latter is a prerequisite to the house – the use of timed tickets, to regulate the flow through the building, means there’s time to kill in the grounds – including an impressive walled garden – and the tea room (of course!).
Lazing at Attingham
The deer, that is. They seem to be taking it easy this afternoon. But never mind the deer, look what’s parked outside, taking a drink at the Mytton and Mermaid. Those ploughing engines, on their way to the steam rally at Onslow Park, use a lot of water. (I suspect their crews were ready for refreshment too). Elsewhere at Attingham, there are signs of the advancing season. Autumn’s approaching, and the apples and pears in the walled garden look juicy, despite the dry summer.
Dudmaston
Tuesday 7 August: A gentle stroll around the lake on a warm afternoon. The grounds are not as green as they should be, and one or two of the trees are beginning to look prematurely autumnal. We could do with a drop of rain.
A happy consequence of the weather: it’s warm enough to justify ice cream afterwards…
Another look at Moseley
Friday 3rd August: We were here on a cold day in March, when there was a welcoming fire in the grate. Today, the dark shady corners of this old house are pleasantly cool on a warm afternoon.
Sunshine and shade
We’re at Attingham, where there will be some colour, and some cooler shady places where we can wander. It’s more colourful than we expected! The deer have found some shade under the trees in the park, and we’ll find some cool at the end of our walk – we’ve earned ice-creams, though we haven’t walked far today.
Common spotted
Orchids – in gay profusion! We have a decent crop in our back garden – a dozen flower heads (it’s probably a sign of neglect…), on plants which just arrived, quite unexpectedly, a couple of years ago. If they’re in bloom, the wild ones must be blooming too. The land near Benthall Hall is now looked after by the National Trust, though whether they’ve done anything to encourage them, I don’t know. Whatever the reason, there are hundreds – ones and twos and small colonies in the meadows, and in the little area of scrubby woodland, great clumps of them. They’re mostly common spotted, varying in colour from almost white to a deepish purple, but amongst them are a handful of (late) early purple orchids. Quite a sight!
Benthall Hall NT
Watermills in border country
A good day out – the steam-hauled “Welsh Marches Express” (see “Steaming through Stokesay” for more pictures and video), followed by visits to Herefordshire and Shropshire watermills, open to the public on “National Mills Weekend”. We’ll have lunch out too, in the black-and-white village of Pembridge.
The mills are:
Staunton Mill, at Staunton on Arrow (Herefordshire)
Court of Noke Mill nearby (with mill-wheel turning)
Wrickton Mill, near Neenton, Shropshire (also with a turning wheel)
Charlcotte iron furnace, near Neenton (no, not a mill, though its bellows were water-powered – many years ago…)
Video on Youtube: Court of Noke and Wrickton mills
