I've got my beady eye on you..

Also at Bolling Hall, Scott Maslin, the Head Falconer at Bradford Birds of Prey was showing some of the birds they have rescued and rehabilitated. BBoP are a conservation, rescue and educational organisation and it was very interesting to see these beautiful birds and to hear their stories. Yorkie (above) is a European Eagle owl that was rescued from a life of mistreatment and violent abuse. She had a broken wing and was deeply damaged psychologically, having been kept in a cat carrier. (She has a 5' wing span!) Patient rehabilitation has calmed her behaviour and strengthened her wing so that she may be able to fly again. (See here for her full story.)

Luna is a Common Buzzard, a magnificent bird. It was wonderful to see these handsome creatures so close up. They also had a Tawny owl and a sweet, sleepy-looking little owl, whose proper name I didn't catch. You could even stroke them; their feathers were so, so soft. What a privilege. I was enthralled.

1461 going on 2012

Inside, Bolling's Great Hall (the 'housebody') was where the Tempest family and their servants ate and where visitors were entertained.  The women of the Frei Compagnie were engaged in a little light sewing and playing games .... whilst one young lady checked her smartphone for updates.

Towton Battlefield Society

Bolling Hall is run by Bradford Council, and I think they do a great job there. They teach about history in a lively, interesting way. It's a place you feel you can really explore; not one of those 'keep off, don't touch' places. The day I went, the Towton Battlefield Society (its Frei Compagnie re-enactors) were encamped in the grounds, demonstrating combat and other activities from the time of the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. These men demonstrated how the armour was put on, piece by piece and then how they might have fought, using different weapons including pikes, swords and daggers. We learned all sorts of interesting things... Apparently, fighting in a suit of armour quickly leads to dehydration, so in a battle the men-at-arms had to be rotated and rested.

The battle of Towton took place near York in 1461 and was a decisive battle with something like 40,000 fighting men in each opposing army. It was a very turbulent time of England's history when the Royal Houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) were fiercely contesting the right to rule. All very complicated. In the end there was reconciliation (through a political marriage) and the great Tudor dynasty started.

The Ghost Room

The Ghost Room at Bolling Hall was the Hall's guest room, where, in June 1643, William Cavendish, the Earl of Newcastle, slept as his Royalist troops prepared to attack the town of Bradford. Bradford was a Parliamentarian stronghold. The town had earlier resisted an attack by the Royalists, and the troops were out for revenge. The owners of Bolling Hall, Richard and Francis Tempest allowed King Charles' forces to use the Hall as a base and about 2000 men were camped in the grounds. Legend has it that the Earl was visited by a ghostly woman in white as he slept, begging him to 'Pity poor Bradford'.  He changed his orders and in the end only a few Bradford men who offered armed resistance were killed.

The room is lavishly decorated, with a fine plasterwork ceiling full of references to the Tempest family, including a boar - the symbol of Bradford, and a red rose indicating their Lancastrian sympathies.  The Flemish portraits above the fireplace represent actors in a play.

Bolling Hall

Bolling Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Bradford.  Now a museum and swallowed up by the city, it was originally a medieval (1370) stone pele tower, built out on a hill in the countryside to protect its inhabitants from attack.  It would at that time have been surrounded by wooden buildings. The tower has been added to and updated many times over the years and the Hall has a fascinating history.

During the Wars of the Roses the Hall's owner Robert Bolling fought at the Battle of Towton in 1461 on the Lancastrian side. They were defeated and he lost his estate, which took ten years to win back. Later, during the English Civil War, the then owner Richard Tempest supported the King, whereas Bradford was a Parliamentarian stronghold. Bolling Hall was used as a base for the Earl of Newcastle and his Royalist troops, who attacked and besieged the town in 1643.