A visit to Beningbrough Hall

Just before the weather warmed up, in mid-April, I went with friends to visit Beningbrough Hall, near York. It's another National Trust property (rocking that membership!), a Georgian mansion in the Italian Baroque style. Completed in 1716, it has a chequered history, including acting as a billet for British and Canadian airmen during WWII. It was acquired by the Treasury in lieu of death duties, and was offered to the National Trust in 1958, though devoid of contents. It seems that for many years the Trust wasn't sure what to do with it, and at first it was not open to the public. In recent years, a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery has led to its use as a gallery for portraiture. There are many 18th century portraits displayed and some special exhibitions. When I was there, we saw contemporary portraits of women who have made a significant contribution to the Arts. They have also imported some furniture and there's a display about WWII and the airmen. It's all quite interesting, though it lacks the personality of some of the Trust's other properties that have been closely associated with one family or one special person. 

                                                                                                                                                                  

Beningbrough is set in some attractive gardens but it was all still winter-dormant, with very little colour apart from the daffodils. We enjoyed a breezy, chilly but pleasant walk around the estate's perimeter, following the course of the River Nidd, which joins the River Ouse at this point. There were newborn lambs leaping in the fields and some shy spring flowers under the trees. Tiny wild violets are mostly mauve but you occasionally see yellow or white ones, as pictured. The village in the distance (above) is Newton on Ouse, which we drove through on the way. It is very pretty. 

Birthday honours!

It has been my birthday recently and I arranged to meet my daughter for the day in York - chance for some light retail therapy and a good conversation over lunch, uninterrupted by the usual chatter of her little girls. It turned out to be a hot, sunny day, so we decided to sit for a while in one of the parks in the shade of the trees.

All of a sudden, our reverie was interrupted by marching music from a military band. My daughter said she'd ordered it specially for me! It was 'birthday honours' but for Queen Elizabeth's 'official birthday' rather than mine. There was some more music, a few short speeches in front of the gathered VIPs and then a 21 gun salute, fired at precise 10 second intervals from three guns. It was impressively done, with each soldier and team knowing exactly what to do and when to do it, amidst a good deal of marching about and standing to attention.

A soldier gave me a leaflet explaining that, in 1971, to commemorate the city's 1900th anniversary, the city of York was given the honour of being one of 12 'saluting stations' across the UK. Gun salutes are fired to celebrate various Royal occasions. The salute was fired on this occasion by the 101st (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery, accompanied by the band of the Yorkshire Regiment.

I gracefully accepted all the fuss in celebration of my birthday!

(Photos from my phone. I didn't take my camera so I couldn't zoom in very close to the action.)

Transit patterns

Another York photo, but this one's just for fun.  It's the roof of York's main rail station: a wonderful soaring, sweeping glass and iron structure, made all the more interesting by being curved to follow the tracks.  The station was opened in 1877 and had 13 platforms at that time, making it then the largest station in the world.  It was designed by the architects of the North Eastern Railway, Thomas Prosser and William Peachey.

York is still an important rail junction, being about half-way up on the London-Edinburgh main line and joined by cross-country and trans-Pennine routes too.  (Probably why the National Railway Museum has its home in the city.)  I pass through it quite often and rather like the ambience of the station.

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A postscript - relevant to the WV debate - here's a comment that the Blogger spam filter siphoned off for me today:  'On speaking terms the homely correct hair spark, the arable land and combustor farmers are embowed at thrusters, headed for a level.'  Where do they find them?!

York's Walls

Over a week's worth of photographs of York and we have barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in this lovely city.  I would echo what 'Cranberry Morning' said in the comments a few days ago - for any visitor to England, York (and Yorkshire) is well worth a trip.

In this photo you can see a very small part of the ancient walls of the city.  The city has been walled since Roman times, and has more of its walls left intact than any other English city. That means that you can walk for a couple of miles, around a large part of the city, and see the views from an elevated position.  The walls are punctuated by medieval gateways known as Bars, several of which remain, and which controlled access to the city.  You can see the galleries from where missiles and boiling oil would have been dropped on attackers, and hear gruesome tales of the severed heads of traitors and criminals, left on spikes at Micklegate Bar as a warning to others!

College Street, York

This could almost be a rural village scene but in fact it's in the centre of York.  Tucked away behind the Minster is St William's College (below) a beautiful timber-framed building dating back to 1461.  It was built to house the Minster's Chantry priests (who were paid to chant masses for the souls of the dead) and is now the Minster's tea rooms and restaurant.  It is fronted by a little green with its sundial.  Behind is York's National Trust shop - a source of attractive gifts.  You can also see lots of bikes... York is a university city in a relatively flat area and as such is a popular place for cycling.

All Saints, Pavement, York

This attractive octagonal lantern tower crowns the church of All Saints, on the street known as Pavement - one of the earliest paved streets in York.  There has been a church on this site since before the Norman conquest, but the present building dates from the 14th and 15th century.  Part of it was demolished in the late 18th century to allow for the expansion of the marketplace in Pavement.  In medieval times, the lantern tower used to hold a light, kept burning at night, to guide travellers into the city through the wolf-infested Forest of Galtres to the north.  Little evidence of a forest these days - nor wolves! - but the elegant lantern survives and the church remains a haven in the middle of the city's bustle.

(PS: I find it a useful landmark when I'm seeking out one of my favourite stores in York, the Lakeland kitchenware shop!)

Floral rainbow

I'm not quite finished with the York series of photos...

This display of primulas and hydrangeas, for sale in one of York's markets, provided a splash of rainbow colour to brighten a chilly February day.  I would have bought some but I didn't think they'd survive intact on the train journey home.

View from the top

The views from the Yorkshire Wheel are worth seeing, though it's not too easy to get decent photos owing to the amount of reflection in the glass of the capsules.

This is the vista across the city of York looking towards the south-east, with the huge bulk of the Minster obviously being the main landmark.  In the foreground is York's main river, the Ouse.  The bridge you can see is the Lendal Bridge, an iron bridge built in 1863.  It has stone towers at each end; the one catching the sunshine is the Lendal Tower, now a private residence I believe.  The stone buildings on the riverside to the right are, I think, city council buildings - part of the Guildhall.  On the left edge of the picture you can see the Yorkshire Museum, set in a park.

Looking to the north east you see the River Ouse meandering through the vale. The boat is one of the large pleasure boats that ply up and down, allowing visitors to enjoy a leisurely cruise and perhaps a drink, whilst learning more about the history of the area.  I'm not sure what there is to see on the northern side of the city but to the south of the Lendal Bridge the boats give a different perspective on the centre of York and sail on to the Palace at Bishopsthorpe, the Archbishop of York's residence.  At the bottom of the photo you can just see one of the platforms of York's main railway station.

Dizzy

First there was the London Eye and now many of Britain's cities seem to be following the trend for a "Big Wheel" visitor attraction.  Actually I've never been on the Eye (I will, one day) but when I saw the  Yorkshire Wheel in the gardens of York's 'Royal York Hotel', I decided to treat myself to a twirl.  Yes... even though it was windy and the capsules were swaying quite a lot!  They are enclosed, so I didn't fear I'd fall out.

Being so sunny and windy, it was a clear day and you could see for miles from the top of the ride.  York sits in a flat plain - the Vale of York - so that means the view goes on forever.  There was a commentary through speakers in the capsule, but being deaf I couldn't hear a word so I just had to guess what I was seeing.  The most noticeable far-away feature was a large power-station with huge cooling towers, which I took to be the huge one at Drax.  You get a lovely view of the Minster too, of course.

I had not realised til I was writing this blog and Googling as I go (!) that the Wheel is so new - it was only opened just before Christmas, though it replaced an earlier structure in the grounds of the National Railway Museum.

Pictures from up top tomorrow....

Newgate Market

In ancient times, York was granted a Charter to hold a market and the tradition of an open market continues to this day.  Nowadays the market is called Newgate Market and occupies a central position near The Shambles.  It has over a hundred stalls selling fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and other goods (fabrics, haberdashery, you name it and you can probably find it!)  Like any market, it is full of colour and life and, set against the backdrop of York's medieval buildings, it is a really interesting area to explore.

The Shambles, York

The Shambles in York is a famous old street right in the centre of the walled city.  In 2010 it won the Google Street View award for 'the most picturesque street in Britain' and you can probably see why.  It's also said to be 'the most visited street in Europe' - so it's usual to find it thronged with tourists.  It is York's oldest street, mentioned in the Domesday Book (making it over 900 years old).  The buildings you see date from the fifteenth century and are so crowded together that the overhanging first storeys almost look as though they're touching.  The medieval word 'Shamel' meant a booth or a bench and the street was originally a row of butcher's shops and houses, with produce laid out on benches and hung on hooks outside.  Meat was slaughtered there and the road has a central channel to catch the blood and offal.  Nowadays the shops sell mostly gifts and trinkets to appeal to tourists.

Barley Hall

York is jam-packed full of incredible historic buildings like this one - the stunning Barley Hall.  It is a reconstructed medieval house, once the York townhouse of the Priors of Nostell (a monastery near Wakefield) and then home to a Lord Mayor of York.  Until the 1980s the house was hidden within and under a derelict office block.  When the block was being demolished, traces of the medieval building were rediscovered.  Eventually the site was bought by the York Archeological Trust and the medieval house has been painstakingly uncovered, explored, researched and restored.  Approximately 30% of what you see is original, the rest a painstaking reconstruction using similar methods to what would have been used in the first place.  Barley Hall now functions as a museum and venue for events and weddings.  There's interesting information about the archeological dig and restoration on the website here.

Viking invasion

The Vikings appeared to have taken over York's Mansion House! When I visited at the weekend, the city was in the throes of a Viking Festival, celebrating that part of York's rich history.

York started life as Eboracum, an important Roman city. After the Roman Empire disintegrated, the city was settled by Germanic immigrants, Anglo-Saxons, but little is known about this period. In 866 Vikings from Scandinavia attacked and took York.  They settled in the area, the city became known as Yorvik and it was a Viking city for two hundred years, until 1068 when the Norman king, William the Conqueror marched with his army from the south, determined to subdue the rebellious north.

For some reason York seems to have a particularly rich archeological heritage and there have been many remarkable finds within the city's walls.  The Viking period is explained and celebrated in a famous visitor attraction called the Yorvik Viking Centre, which is well worth a visit.

Another view

Another view of York Minster, this time from the north side, showing the octagonal Chapter House (jutting out left with the pointed roof) and the central tower.  You can climb the tower for an exhilarating view across the city, but I didn't this time as it was so windy.  This side of the church has a pleasant garden, a nice quiet spot in the middle of the busy city.

The building has several times been damaged by fire.  The most recent (as Jack commented yesterday) was in July 1984 when lightning struck the building and a fire broke out in the south transept.  The resulting damage, including the beautiful Rose Window, took over four years to repair.  The Minster constantly undergoes restoration; there is nearly always some part of it shrouded in scaffolding.  There are stonemasons and glass restorers working permanently on site.  At the moment they are working on the glass of the Great East Window, the largest expanse of medieval stained glass anywhere in the world.

York Minster

A photo to prove that we can also have bright blue sky in the middle of winter!

Ages ago, I promised some photos of York, which is a beautiful and very historic walled city, the county town of Yorkshire.  I have not visited since, so - on the spur of the moment and gambling upon the weather forecast being right - I decided to have a day trip on Saturday.  In fact the weather turned out to be brighter than forecast, though very cold and windy.  It was perfect for showing the lovely gothic Minster at its best.

The Minster/cathedral dates from the 1220s, though there were earlier churches on the site and it has constantly evolved through the centuries.  It is one of Britain's most beautiful and interesting buildings, as lovely inside as out.  Take a look at the website for more information and photos - you can take a 'virtual tour' too (though for some reason they have filmed the interior without any of the chairs that usually fill the nave, so it looks rather unlived-in!)  In my photo, you may be able to see the heart carved into the West Window, completed in 1338, which I think is a lovely feature.

Being so close to neighbouring buildings you really notice how the cathedral towers over them.  Imagine then how much more amazing it must have seemed when it was first built, when dwellings were on the whole very modest.  Life in those days revolved much more around the church (see this interesting piece) and this building must really have seemed like a bridge between heaven and earth, an offering and reflection of the glory of God.

Appetiser

This is a promise...one day I'll take you to York and really show you round this beautiful city. It's about 30 miles from Saltaire and I went there on the train recently to see the annual exhibition of photographs from the Yorkshire Photographic Union (which represents all the Camera Clubs and Photographic Societies in Yorkshire). The show was well worth a visit....inspiring and daunting in equal measure! Afterwards I did a little sight-seeing and some gentle shopping in York's lovely shopping centre. The light wasn't great for photos - it was a terribly dull, cold day - and I had only taken my compact camera as it wasn't a day for serious photography, just for looking. But this snap, taken from the front step of the Art Gallery, gives a taster of this historic city.

The county town of Yorkshire (of course), York is a walled city with some ancient streets and the wonderful York Minster (cathedral). You can see the twin towers of the Minster and part of the Walls on this photo. (Click the pic to view it larger.)