Headless chickens?

The River Avon at Stratford is well-known for the large gatherings of mute swans. (In fact one of the auditoriums inside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is called the Swan theatre.)  The lawns around the theatre are covered in feathers. This seems to be where the birds do their preening.

It was such a dull day that capturing the river attractively proved to be difficult. A black and white conversion brings a bit of cohesion to the scene, taken from the terrace outside the theatre.  There were not many people braving the slightly choppy water in rowing boats.

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon was first opened (next to the site of an earlier Victorian theatre that burnt down) in 1932, designed by Elisabeth Scott (and thus the first important building in Britain to have been designed by a woman). It retains many of its original art deco features, although it was extensively renovated, extended and transformed in 2010, to improve both the visitor experience and the conditions for actors and crew.

It is not, in my opinion, a particularly beautiful building. From some angles it looks like a utilitarian community hall and is rather rambling inside. It's a Grade II* listed building. It must be difficult to work with such an iconic 'national treasure'. The theatre is privately owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, dedicated to performing the works of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as producing new work by living authors and touring extensively, both here and abroad.

The public areas have many photos of current and past productions and some costumes and props on display. I spotted a huge poster of David Tennant as King Lear. I'd love to have seen that!

Shakespeare's birthplace

I last visited Stratford upon Avon on a school trip - so that's a long time ago. I was delighted, therefore, to have chance to revisit during my holiday. Memory plays tricks but it seems a lot has changed. At one time you could enter Shakespeare's birthplace via the front door for a modest fee. Nowadays there is an entire 'Shakespeare experience' awaiting you, with costumed guides - for a goodly sum, of course. We didn't pay the sum, so I can't tell you about that.

The house on Henley Street, now in the middle of a pedestrianised shopping zone, is where it is believed that the famous playwright William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and spent his childhood years, one of eight children. It is a restored 16th century house, made of wattle and daub on a timber frame, relatively simple but nevertheless substantial. William's father, John, was a glove maker and wool merchant and it is thought the house was once divided to allow him to carry out his business from there. He became Mayor of Stratford and that status enabled William to attend the local grammar school to begin his education.

In common with most places that have any relationship with a famous person, Stratford trades heavily upon its Shakespeare connection. Even on a dull, drizzly day the town centre was full of (mostly foreign) tourists. It was interesting but wasn't quite as charming a place as I remember. I suppose the weather didn't help that. It remains a fascinating town, with some very old buildings, many half-timbered, that have thankfully been preserved.

Harvest home

The harvest was in full swing whilst I was exploring Warwickshire. Not a common sight in West Yorkshire where I now live, this is a scene I remember from my childhood in the Midlands. The huge high-tech machines they use nowadays are a sight to behold, though I never saw a combine harvester near enough to take a photo. I daresay the combines could do it all by themselves, like the robotic lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners you now see advertised; they appear to need little human input. I love fields and big skies so I was refreshed by that wonderful sense of space.

Middle England

There are numerous walks around the Baddesley Clinton estate in Warwickshire. We followed a path around the perimeter of the grounds, through lush meadows and arable fields, dotted with magnificent trees. The sunlight and storm clouds made for an amazing sky, though we didn't get wet. Nearer the house there were several logs carved into animals, to delight children and perhaps entice them to run a bit further.

Inside Baddesley Clinton

The interior at Baddesley Clinton is arranged to give visitors a good sense of how it would have been used, although like most of our great houses, it has been changed and rearranged many times over its history. The great fireplace (above) was at one time upstairs. The estate was in decline from the 1600s until 1860 when it became the home of Marmion Ferrers. Together with his wife Rebecca and friends Edward Dering and Lady Georgiana, the Quartet (as they were known) devoted their time to painting, writing and restoring the house. 

The bed in the room below has an interesting story: it is said that one of the sons of the family, coming home from war with Spain, was crushed when the heavy bedhead fell on him as he slept. Luckily he managed to scramble out from underneath with only minor injuries!

Baddesley Clinton

Not far from Packwood House in Warwickshire (see here) is another National Trust property, Baddesley Clinton. A medieval moated manor house over 500 years old, it was passed down within the Ferrers family for 12 generations until 1940, when it was bought by a distant cousin, restored and eventually sold to the National Trust in the 1980s. 

It is arranged around an inner courtyard, with different wings of the house being built and rebuilt at different times. The family were always staunch Roman Catholics. In the late 1500s, when Britain broke from the church in Rome, Catholic priests were persecuted. Several hidden 'priest holes' were installed in the house to give sanctuary and it appears they were used and worked, as the priests were not discovered in 1591 when the 'priest-hunters' called.  

Knowle's finer points

My friends jokingly suggested that I wouldn't find much to photograph in Knowle. I think perhaps familiarity breeds contempt... The West Midlands and Warwickshire could not be more different from the area of Yorkshire that I live in, and even some of the 'ordinary' buildings are very old indeed. Up here, medieval buildings (aside from churches and some grander houses) are only really to be found in cities like York and Chester. I found it all quite delightful: pretty settlements, historic buildings, all set in pleasantly green and rolling countryside. These are some of the details that took my eye in Knowle.

Knowle

We went for a gentle stroll one evening around the village of Knowle, which retains an olde worlde charm, despite being a busy and functional residential hub in close proximity to the West Midlands conurbations of Solihull and Birmingham. The area around the historic and beautiful parish church is especially interesting. The church itself dates back to 1403. There are some fine Tudor timber-framed buildings on the high street, including one that now houses the library.

I learned a new word on my holiday: jettying. It refers to the way that in many medieval timber houses the upper floor projects over the ground floor. The jetty had the advantage of increasing the space without obstructing the street, and meant they could use shorter timbers. I love learning new things!

Kitchen gardens at Packwood

The walled kitchen gardens at Packwood House are a riot of colour, with lots of flowers romping exuberantly through the vegetable beds.  The well at the garden's centre has been ingeniously adapted as a children's play area, so they can draw water in little cans to water the flowers. There is also a 'Pottering Shed' to play in, which my grandchildren would have loved. 

Packwood House gardens

The National Trust property, Packwood House in Warwickshire, is fascinating inside and also has extensive and beautiful gardens (see here).

It is famous for its huge plantation of topiary yew trees, some over 350 years old, said to represent the Sermon on the Mount. Unfortunately, the trees are now very fragile and suffer from waterlogging in the heavy clay soil so they are being carefully protected.

There are recesses known as bee boles in the old walls, where skeps - coiled straw beehives - would have been placed.

Packwood House interiors

The interior of Packwood House is left almost as it was when Graham Baron Ash lived there. It was his expressed wish that the furniture should be left intact, with no new additions, and that fresh flowers should always be placed in the rooms. He was, however, a meticulous and very 'proper' man, so, although it looks like an immaculate museum rather than a well-worn country house, that is in fact how it would have been during his lifetime. Tables are laid for meals and the rooms look as though he may have just popped out for a few minutes and may appear at any time. It's all quite delightful, with so much to see and enjoy. 

Packwood House

Packwood House is a National Trust property in Warwickshire, which began life as a timber-framed farmhouse in the late 1500s.  Built by William Fetherston, it was passed through his family of yeomen farmers for more than 300 years, being adapted and extended as time went on. In 1904 it was bought at auction by Alfred Ash, an industrialist. His son, Graham Baron Ash, a bachelor with a perfectionist streak, meticulously restored, decorated and furnished it as a Tudor mansion, where he delighted in holding lavish and legendary house parties. In 1927, Queen Mary visited for tea. He sounds a fascinating character - you can read more about him on the National Trust website. He eventually gave the house to the National Trust in 1941 but continued to live there until 1947. At his request, the house is preserved almost exactly as it was when he lived there.  

Love birds

I've had a few days away, staying with some wonderful and generous friends and then catching up with my dear sister. It's been really lovely. Now I need to spend some time processing all my photos! I love living in Saltaire, in Yorkshire, but it's also very good to explore other parts of our beautiful country - and a constant delight to have the time now to do that.

Here's a starter... little love birds, spotted in the garden at the National Trust property of Packwood House. More to come...