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Wednesday 7 April 2010

The messenger of spring

This is an old photo of mine, but it was taken at exactly this time of year - April 7th. I like it as it looks so full of the promise of spring - and that's what we need round here! The photo shows the Great Barn at East Riddlesden Hall. I showed a picture of its interior on 31 October - it's a magnificent medieval oak-framed building, dating back to the 16th century. East Riddlesden Hall itself is a 17th century manor house, reputed to be haunted. It's the nearest National Trust property to Saltaire, situated just a few miles up the Aire valley towards Keighley. It's not very big but it has attractive gardens and is a lovely place to visit, particularly in the spring or autumn.

The flowers sprinkled across the grass are Lesser Celandines... the messenger of spring. In one of my favourite books, C S Lewis's 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', when Aslan comes to Narnia the whole wood passes in a few hours from January to May. The children notice 'wonderful things happening. Coming suddenly round a corner into a glade of silver birch trees Edmund saw the ground covered in all directions with little yellow flowers - celandines.'

8 comments:

  1. Celandines are a favourite of mine too. Love the angle of this photograph. I want to make the climb and breathe the spring air.

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  2. the place looks very Victorian!

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  3. It is indeed a beautiful building (and a beautiful photograph). I love the way the shape of the roof is reflected in the curve of the wall.

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  4. That tree is still a little bare. Hope the blossoms and leaves come soon! :o)

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  5. A lovely shot of the old great barn and the carpet of calendines. Hopefully you'll have warm weather soon. Is Saltaire anywhere near St Helens, that's where my mother was born.

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  6. Beautiful picture! And The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is one of my very favorites too! Thank you for giving me a better picture of that scene!

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  7. What a beautiful spring picture! I have never heard of those flowers before.

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  8. I can't say I've ever noticed those flowers before. Nice setting and lovely stone structure. ~Lili

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