England: Heavenly history in Alfriston

For a non-religious person I visit a lot of churches. But how could I not visit this one? It was a lovely walk to get there. It sits on an ancient Saxon religious site and has a barrow in the churchyard. The building dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building of national importance, because it’s the only church in the world to have murals by painters from the Bloomsbury set adorning its walls. St Michael and All Angels Church in Berwick is simply gorgeous!  

The barrow in the churchyard

We drove to the little town of Alfriston then walked a footpath, part of the Vanguard Way, to get there – it seemed an appropriate way to reach such an ancient place and it was easy to imagine ancient man walking that same trackway to reach their sacred site on the hilltop.

Inside, the church has some interesting features – the Saxon font may pre-date the church, there are grooves in one wall which are thought to have been made in the 14th century by men sharpening their arrow heads, and the clear glass windows in the north and south aisles are unusual and distinctive. But it’s the 20th-century murals that draw most visitors to this place and they are quite simply outstanding.

Painted during the Second World War by Bloomsbury artists Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and her son Quentin Bell, the murals continued, or perhaps revived a long tradition of painted interiors in Sussex churches. Inspired by the frescoes of Renaissance Italy and modelled on the painters themselves, their friends and local people, the murals are a refreshing change from the gloom of many small church interiors. Indeed, one Professor Reilly, who visited soon after the paintings were finished, said he felt like he was: ‘stepping out of a foggy England into Italy. I felt such a happy heavenly feeling as I sat there.’ 

With our spirits thus enlightened with happy and heavenly feelings, we walked back to Alfriston via a rather muddy path through the huge rolling farmlands of the South Downs, and sat down to tea and rather delicious cakes at the Badger Café. Refreshed and replete, we explored the town, coming after a short time to the green and the Church of St Andrew.

This is another ancient church, founded around 1360 and built in a massive cruciform shape on a raised mound on the village green known as the Tye. It made me think that this church also sits on an ancient Saxon site but the church’s construction is a bit of a mystery, as there are no records to explain who commissioned and financed such a grand edifice in such a small village. 

Next to the church sits the Chapel House, the first house ever to be taken under the wing of the National Trust, bought from Michelham Priory for £10 in 1896. The oldest parts were built around 1350 and are typical of a timber-framed ‘Wealden Hall’ house. But, like so many old buildings, this one has evolved over time: there’s a parlour dating from the mid-16th century; a hall, built shortly after the Black Death of 1348 by a yeoman farmer; the corridor was added in the 18th century; and the reading room is part of the original house. I was particularly impressed by the long-wheat-straw-thatched roof, as I suppose I should be given it cost £100,000 to be re-thatched back in 2005, and the gardens, laid out in the 1920s by Sir Robert Witt, were delightful.

A wander along Alfriston’s main street revealed more interesting historic buildings. Wingrove House, according to the plaque on the wall, is ‘a colonial style building from 1870, used as accommodation by trainer Harry Batho, racing manager to Horatio Bottomley’ (an interesting character indeed). The house is now a ‘restaurant and rooms’, and looks like rather a nice spot for a weekend treat.  

Left, Wingrove House; centre, right, the Old Farmhouse; right, the Star Inn

The Old Farmhouse is a 17th-century rebuild of the southern wing of a 14th century hall house, one of the oldest ranges of buildings in the village. The Steamer Inn dates from the 15th century and was an inn during the 19th century, though lost its licence in 1920.

Alfriston still has several characterful public houses to chose from, however. The Star Inn is my favourite, if only for its external decoration. It was rebuilt in the early 16th century, possibly on the site of an earlier rest house for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Richard in Chichester. The Red Lion figurehead comes from a warship that probably sank at the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690.

The George Inn also has a long history, having first received its liquor licence in 1397, and the Smugglers Inn was the home of Stanton Collins, leader of the Alfriston gang of smugglers in the early 19th century. It boasts 21 rooms, 48 doors and 6 staircases. Its sign tells: ‘The front bay was successfully restored, revealing its late 16th century origins, after near destruction by a car in 2005.’

Obviously, with a very small village and three pubs serving drinks, drunk-driving destruction could well be a problem. But don’t let that put you off a visit. It’s a charming wee place, with history on display, churches to be admired, Downs to be walked and beer to be drunk!

England: Speke Hall and Garden

When the opportunity arose, I just couldn't resist visiting one more black-and-white stately home before leaving the North West of England so off we went to Speke Hall, a rare Tudor timber-framed manor house.  

Speke Hall sits on the edge of the River Mersey, right next to John Lennon Airport – and I do mean right next to it – the sound of the planes taking off and landing seemed very incongruous during our stroll around the grounds. As rain was forecast for later in the day and it was already spitting when we arrived, we decided to explore the grounds before heading inside the house.

The Coastal Reserve pathway leads down to the river, directly past the end of the current airport runway onto a concrete taxiway that once connected the previous airport on the other side of Speke Hall to the new one. A red line leads walkers along this concrete wasteland then off to the left onto a pathway that runs along the top of the low coastal cliff. Looking along the Mersey to the left, you can see a long metal gangway running out into the water – that’s actually a lighting gantry that helps to guide planes in to land. Apparently, it’s also a favourite perching place for local cormorants but we saw none the day we visited.

We continued along the path to the yacht club, then retraced out steps back to the house. As there was no signpost, we didn’t realise we could actually continue inland and return to the house by a slightly different route, but I don’t think we missed anything much. It was a grey day and the view – across the Mersey to factories and large industry – was rather bleak.

Fortunately, the house itself was superb. Built in stages between 1530 and 1598 by the Catholic Norris family, Speke Hall has had a long and interesting history. At one stage, it was even being used as a cow shed! Luckily, the hall was restored and renovated in the 19th century, so much of what you might think is original Tudor is actually the Victorian interpretation of Tudor, with a heavy mix of Arts and Crafts influences. Don’t let that description put you off – it is still amazing.

The hall’s layout is, in many ways, similar to that of Little Moreton Hall, built around a central courtyard – with two ancient yew trees estimated to be 500 years old, with a Great Hall in the same position but without Moreton Hall’s wonderful Long Gallery and its rollercoaster-ride flooring. 

The house is heavy with dark-wood panelling and ornately carved dark wooden furniture which has lots of little heads and figures incorporated in the designs. The predominance of dark wood made some rooms seem rather gloomy but was relieved in several by the amazing Jacobean ceilings of white plaster, richly decorated with roses, lilies, pomegranates and vines.

Though no spectral images appear in my photographs, Speke Hall has a reputation for being haunted. Dark shadows have been seen gliding through the rooms, visitors have supposedly heard footsteps and children crying, and an ‘overwhelming sense of oppression’ has been reported, though I wonder if that can be attributed to the decoration. 

As with most other National Trust properties, Speke Hall has excellent facilities. There are two eateries – you can enjoy light snacks in the Stables Tea Room or, like us, enjoy lunch in the main restaurant. I tried a local Liverpool speciality, appropriately enough called Scouse, which was basically just a beef casserole but very tasty. As we visited during the school holidays, there were lots of families with screaming, uncontrolled kids, both in the restaurants and in the house – not my favourite sightseeing scenario.

Luckily, the rain held off so we escaped the noise by walking along some of the woodland trails close to the hall and checked out the pretty gardens, which give some wonderful views of the outside of the house. It is such a photogenic place that I have gone rather overboard on the photos I’ve included here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed my day at Speke Hall.

 

England: Dunham Massey and the Pirates of Penzance

While I was in Cheshire, I had two visits to Dunham Massey estate – it’s one of the National Trust’s most excellent properties so was yet another instance where I could use my newly bought annual membership card – such value for money!   

Our first visit was for entertainment and we arrived too late to tour the house but did have a wander around the charming gardens, with their dazzling display of roses, lush herbaceous borders and exquisite flowering shrubs. Kaleidoscopic butterflies fluttered from bloom to bloom and the leg sacs of pollen-gathering bees glowed bright yellow.

Delight then turned to hilarity, as we set up our deck chairs on the lawn, enjoyed our picnic dinner and the evening’s entertainment began. Illyria is an open-air touring theatre company that performs all types of plays, from Gilbert and Sullivan to Shakespeare, at venues ranging from stately homes to parks throughout the UK and in Europe. Their performance of The Pirates of Penzance was laugh-out-loud funny. Amazingly, there was no rain, the crowd was very good-natured, and the garden setting perfect, spoiled only slightly by the background noise of flights taking off from Manchester airport (which are more frequent in the summer months as holidaymakers head off to their favourite Mediterranean destinations). What better way to enjoy a warm English summer evening!

Our second visit to Dunham Massey was a week or so later. At the moment, due to 2014 being the centenary of the start of World War One, the mansion has been partly transformed back to how it was from April 1917 to February 1919 when Dunham Massey became the Stamford Military Hospital, one of the 3244 auxiliary hospitals created to treat the war-wounded. By the time it closed, 282 soldiers had found sanctuary from the trenches in Dunham’s beautiful surroundings.

The recreated hospital is based on original records from the Dunham Massey archives and several rooms have been transformed into wards, soldiers’ living room, an operating theatre, etc., with detailed displays quoting soldiers who were treated there and the personnel who treated them. The recreation was very well done, with messages from the soldiers written on the pillows of their hospital beds and sounds (of men struggling to breath or moaning) brought a touch of reality to the scene. There were also brief profiles of the soldiers, and actors silently recreating some of the activities – a nurse rolling bandages, a solider playing the card game Patience.

The rest of the house remains much as it was when the last occupant Roger Grey, the 10th Earl of Stamford, died in 1910 – he bequeathed the house, its contents and the 3000-acre estate to the National Trust. One of the more notable pieces of furniture in the mansion is the State Bed (above right). Raised on gilded feet and topped with ostrich feathers, it mostly dates from the 1680s – it has been altered twice in its 300-plus-year history. In those days, beds were the most expensive items of furniture in houses and were left to subsequent generations in wills. Amazingly, the crimson-coloured silk velvet, gold-coloured silk and silver-and-gold-embroidery all date from the 17th century.

Though a very grand house, some of the other rooms at Dunham Massey were quite homely and comfortable, finely furnished but with familiar items like photographs and piles of newspapers. I really liked that! And I loved the library – always a favourite place of mine.

After our walk through the house, we checked out the old water mill. The history of water mills on the estate dates back to 1347, though the present mill dates from 1616. Amazingly, it was working until March this year, when part of the wheel broke off. A shortage of elm (following the devastation of elm trees by Dutch Elm Disease) and the need to raise money for the repair has meant a delay in getting everything working again but the mill should be up and running by the start of summer 2015. It was originally used to grind wheat, malt and barley but was converted to a water-powered sawmill in the 1860s. It was fascinating to hear the guide explain the workings.

We also strolled along a couple of the long tree-lined avenues that radiate out from the house. The estate is well stocked with fallow deer and, luckily, these elegant creatures are not particularly shy of human visitors. We watched them for quite a time and were able to get close enough for good photos. A wonderful way to finish off a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon!

Wales: Chirk Castle

I spent just one day in Wales during this trip to the UK – some day I will return to explore further. This post describes the first half of our day trip, to visit the amazing Chirk Castle, and the Chirk and Pontcysyllte Aqueducts – more on those two incredible feats of engineering in the next blog.

We set off at 10am and didn’t get home till 9pm so it was a very long but truly splendid, action-packed day. After an hour’s drive, leaving behind the bountiful farmland of the Cheshire Plains for the rolling hills and valleys of north Wales, we arrived in the little town of Chirk and easily found our way to their impressive castle – my only castle visit on this trip but what a cracker!

Chirk is part fortress and part family home. Built between 1295 and 1310 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, it was originally part of Edward I’s ‘Iron Ring’, a chain of fortresses built across northern Wales to keep the rebellious supporters of Welsh ruler Llewellyn-ap-Graffyd in check. The land was granted to Mortimer for his role in killing Llewellyn and his two young sons. 

Though not particularly tall, Chirk is still a formidable structure, hunkering down on top of a hill, perfectly positioned for defence. What we see today, however, is not what the castle originally looked like, as this illustration from a signboard at the castle clearly shows. The front third of the castle, comprising two drum towers, and the barbican gate on the south side, are now gone. This may well be a reflection of the castle’s history. During the Civil War in 1644, the governor of the castle had his men use stones from the battlements to drive off an attack by parliamentary forces.

During the medieval period Chirk’s fortunes swung between glory and disgrace – five of its owners were executed for treason, and during the Tudor period Chirk Castle was held by the crown, until Elizabeth I gave it to her favourite Robert Dudley. In 1595 Chirk was sold for £5000 (that’s the equivalent of 12 million pounds in today’s money) to Thomas Myddleton, a rich merchant who rose to become Lord Mayor of London. He was the one responsible for converting the castle from fortress to family home, and Chirk remained in the Myddleton family for the next 400 years, until it passed to the National Trust in 2004.

One of the staterooms, with its amazing ceiling

The Long Gallery, left, and the dining room, right

Evidence from its military past and a charming sign in the servant's hall

The castle’s life as a fortress is very apparent, in the crenellated battlements, in the interior displays of coats of arms and old weapons, in the guard tower with its eerie dungeon deep below ground. But the interior also provides ample evidence of the wealth, the status, and the eclectic nature of its various occupants. The staterooms are magnificently appointed, with the intricately decorated ceilings I love so much, with lavish furnishings and tapestries, there's a fabulous 17th-century Long Gallery and a well-stocked library – my neck was craning in all directions to take in the splendour of it all.

And the gardens were equally magnificent, with beautiful rose gardens close to the house, a clipped and shaped yew hedge, long expanses of lawn edged with glorious borders of flowers and shrubs, a small pond with waterlilies, some large old specimen trees, a double Haha (a Hahaha?) overlooking fields of sheep, and a lime tree avenue with a large statue of Hercules as the focal point at the top of the rise.

Hercules, a lead statue that was commissioned by Robert Myddleton in the 1720s, was my particular favourite. He used to stand outside the castle’s main entrance, with a companion figure of Mars, but, poor chap, he was moved to an outlying woody area in the 1770s. And there he languished, away from the public’s gaze, quietly deteriorating until the R.A.F. used one of their helicopters to rescue him in 1983. The National Trust has since restored him and placed him in this prime position in the avenue.

As well as the 5.5 hectares of garden surrounding the castle, its 480-acre grounds also include longer woodland walks and, apparently, a well preserved section of Offa’s Dyke. Unfortunately, we had lots more to see so needed to move on – but, before we left this superb place, we got photos of the very grand, though now mostly disused entrance gates and the very pretty flower-festooned black-and-white gatekeeper’s cottage.

Details of our adventures during the rest of this one-day visit to Wales follow in the next blog.

The gatekeeper's cottage and the entrance gates

A summerhouse in the gardens