All England Tour Pt II
All England Tour Pt II · 27. September 2019
Knole House is another built to impress house from the Elizabethan era. It was built in 1605 by Thomas Sackville, and is one of the largest country houses in England. Thirteen generations of the same family have lived at Knole since the 1st Earl emblazoned the family symbol, the Sackville Leopard, across its gabled exterior and paneled interiors. The parklands with its wooded uplands, dry river valleys and tree-lined avenues is the last remaining medieval deer park in Kent. Of interest, Vita...
All England Tour Pt II · 26. September 2019
Oxburgh Hall was built in 1482 courtier Sir Edmund Bedingfield, whose family have lived here for continuously for 500 often tumultuous years. The fact that the house still stands is an achievement in itself. It has survived a dreadful fire set by Parliamenterian forces during the Civil War when the family were staunch Royalists and Catholics. It had periods of near dereliction and a threat of demolition. However, the family's unshakable Catholic faith and the desire to preserve the memory of...
All England Tour Pt II · 26. September 2019
THIS is why I felt I really needed to go on this tour. We got to see the tapestries made by Mary, Queen of Scots, and Bess of Hardwick Hall, Countess of Shrewsbury. These tapestries are shown at Oxburgh Hall, and it was wonderful to study them up close. I took loads of pictures of them!! I took a picture of every single slip (so there are a lot of pictures of them). These slips were sewn onto a green velvet, probably in the early 1700's. Prior to that it is believed they were just stored in a...
All England Tour Pt II · 26. September 2019
Blickling is an estate over almost 5,000 acres, that has been occupied since the Neolithic period. Archeological finds of arrowheads, axe heads, and pieces of Roman pottery provide evidence of human occupation for thousands of years. The site is a sensible choice for early occupation. "Blickling" in Old English means a grassy bank next to a stream, "blick" being related to beck and "ling" being the grassy bank. Blickling Hall has an old and famous history, being the home of many with royal...
All England Tour Pt II · 24. September 2019
The Swan is another old coaching inn along the great road, in the adorable scenic town of Lavenham. The Swan had a nice little bar that had military badges from the nearby US Air Force base, and a lot of military memorabilia from World War II. Lavenham had been a wool market town, and had many Tudor style timber-framed houses. The Inn was very quirky with a lot of twisting hallways, staircases, and low ceilings. I really enjoyed staying there and wandering around the town of Lavenham. My room...
All England Tour Pt II · 23. September 2019
I think Burghley is my personal favorite among all the grand houses we have visited. I find it fascinating that one family has owned it, from the time William Cecil, 1st Lord Burghley and Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I built it. It has an amazing collection of paintings, ceramics and works of art, many of which are still standing where they were first recorded in 1688. And interestingly enough, the family still lives here in one of the apartments surrounded by the landscape designed by...
All England Tour Pt II · 23. September 2019
Hardwick Hall was built by Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury. She was the daughter of a country squire, and was born at his small manor house, the "Old" Hardwick Hall in the mid-1520s. Bess had great intelligence and ambition, and was married four times. Each time she married, she improved her circumstances until she became one of the richest women in England. She outlived her first three husbands, but her last husband, George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, probably suffered some form...
All England Tour Pt II · 22. September 2019
The George in Stamford is another coaching inn we stayed at. Some parts of it are about 1,000 years old! And it is located just off the ancient Great North Road. The building was very quirky with lots of twisting hallways, staircases, and rooms tucked away here and there. My room was at the end of a little hallway with a little door! It also had beautiful carved woodwork, real fireplaces, and a really nice bar. The food and service were excellent. The photos of the wall murals are from the...
All England Tour Pt II · 20. September 2019
York Minster was another amazing site to see! What a beautiful church and the stained glass windows are absolutely beautiful. We had a fascinating lecture by the head of the embroiderer's guild for the church. Yes, they have a number of embroiderer's who repair the embroideries and make new ones. The needlework was amazing. There were examples of everything from medieval to modern embroidery. What really struck me though was the number of remembrances for people who died in the wars. I thought...
All England Tour Pt II · 20. September 2019
The Treasurer's House was originally just what it sounds like...the house for the Treasurer of York Minster. In 1547, at the time of the Reformation, the office of Treasurer was abolished and the house passed into many hands over the centuries. It was in a state of sad disrepair when it was purchased by Frank Green in 1897. He repaired the house with the help of architect Temple Moore, and restored the exterior to something like its original shape. Over the years, Green continually change and...