Haddon Hall, Bakewell Derbyshire

One of the most fascinating "houses" I've seen this year is Haddon Hall in the Peaks District, Derbyshire. It is one of the finest examples of a medieval manor in England.  It dates back to the 12th  century and was used until the 17th century.    It was then left empty for over 200 years and so bypassed more modern renovations.  In the 1920s the 9th Duke and Duchess of Rutland restored the house and gardens and made it their home. 

Haddon Hall is located alongside the River Wye, just out side of Bakewell, and not far from the magnificent Chatsworth House.   From around 1087, the house was owned by William the Conqueror's illegitimate son, William Peverel, and his descendants.  It changed hands, through marriage, to the Vernon family on the 13th century.  

The property changed hands once more in the 16th century when, again through marriage, the Manners family took hold of Haddon. In 1703 the Manners became Duke and Duchess of Rutland. They chose to make their primary home in the spectacular Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire so left Haddon house unused. As a result, Haddon Hall stood abandoned and neglected for more than 200 years, between 1702 and 1920.

Because Haddon Hall is so well preserved as medieval manor house, it is often featured in historical films and television programs.  It was used for Humperdinck's castle in The Princess Bride and in the movie Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley.

For a full list of movies and TV programs filmed at Haddon Hall:  http://www.haddonhall.co.uk/film-and-photo-shoots/films-and-television-programmes-featuring-haddon-hall/

The house is open to visitors from April to October, with a whole host of special events being staged throughout the season.  

We were there on a September day where a medieval musical troop performed a wonderful concert.

This room really impressed me.  It is called the Long Hall and it was designed to give the women of the Manor and place to walk and get their exercise no matter what the weather was outside. 

The dining room 

 A portrait of  King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York are carved into the wood paneling

A medieval kitchen

Drawings on the wall of the Chapel

This tomb was carved by Lord Haddon's mother, Violet Haddon. She had little training as a sculptor but when her young son died, she found solace in learning the craft and creating this beautiful tomb. It reads: ‘Robert Charles John Manners, Lord Haddon. Born Aug. 8th 1885, Died Sept. 28th 1894. Eldest son of Henry 8th Duke of Rutland, K.G. and Violet his Wife. For ever wilt thou grieve and he be fair.’ And, at the foot of the base: ‘Hope of my eyes/ Something is broken that we cannot mend/ With Grief, Remembrance/ Pride and Love, I decorate/ his Memory/ Dear dear little Boy/ You give us all Perpetual Benediction. Entirely designed and modelled/ by his Mother.’

Haddon Hall seems to make the middles ages come back to life.  On Trip Advisor one reviewer said, "On a scale of 1-10, Haddon Hall is a 15!" I agree. It certainly is well worth a visit. 

The Autumn Colors of Oxford

England's Autumn colors are beautiful but much more subtle when compared to the seasonal colors of New England.  What you see here are splashes of colors against a fairly constant green backdrop.  Sometimes it's the shrubbery and vines here that boast the brightest Autumn colors.  (By the way, Fall is an American word) 

 In New England, you can see entire forests transformed into a glorious blaze. There is nothing quite like the brilliant red of maple trees  and the vibrant yellow of  the trees of New England.  I feel fortunate to be able to enjoy them them both!

Oxford Autumn Colors

  

Magdalen Tower 

 The tree-lined Poplar Walk at Christchurch 

Christchurch

Christchurch Meadow

The Thames at Iffley Lock

St. Mary's Church Yard

Old Iffley Village

Egrove Park

Looking down Headington Road from the Brooks Campus Bridge

New England Fall Colors

Where is your favorite place to see the Autumn colors?

The Blood-Swept Land of Poppies at the Tower of London

I finally got to see the Poppy  Installation at the Tower of London.  The installation far exceeded my expectations.  It was simply stunning, dramatic, and so, so moving -- the pictures don’t do it justice.  The installation will be completed on Nov. 11, Remembrance Day, when exactly 888,246 poppies will fill the moat -- one for each British and Commonwealth fatality of the First World War. The installation’s mammoth scale echoes and honors the war’s enormous toll -- a fitting remembrance on this 100-year commemoration of the Great War. 

The installation is the creation of Paul Cummins, a ceramicist artist and renowned theater stage designer Tom Piper.  They were inspired by a line in a will of an unidentified local man who died during the war. Describing the battlefields, the soldier wrote, “The blood-swept lands and seas of red, where angels fear to tread.” That first clause is now the title of the installation.

The Tower of London’s moat is the perfect spot to safely handle this slow-growing and delicate art project that is on such a massive scale. Its fortifications make it so that the public can see the poppies but they can't touch them. In addition, in 1914, the moat was also a training ground for military volunteers.

The poppies themselves are modeled after the flouncy poppy of Flanders Fields, where Col. John McCrae wrote his famous poem.  The ceramic poppies are available to buy for £25 each and the net proceeds will be shared equally amongst a group of carefully selected veterans charities.

 For more information:
 http://poppies.hrp.org.uk/ 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11021743/Row-on-row-the-poppies-flow-at-the-Tower-of-London.html

My extraordinary cousin Diane Tueller Pritchett.   

The poem that was the inspiration for the installation:

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

The blood swept lands and seas of red,
Where angels dare to tread.
As God cried a tear of pain as the angels fell,
Again and again.
As the tears of mine fell to the ground
To sleep with the flowers of red
As any be dead
My children see and work through fields of my
Own with corn and wheat,
Blessed by love so far from pain of my resting
Fields so far from my love.
It be time to put my hand up and end this pain
Of living hell. to see the people around me
Fall someone angel as the mist falls around
And the rain so thick with black thunder I hear
Over the clouds, to sleep forever and kiss
The flower of my people gone before time
To sleep and cry no more
I put my hand up and see the land of red,
This is my time to go over,
I may not come back
So sleep, kiss the boys for me

Night Bus from London to Paris

I've discovered how easy and cheap it can be to hop across the channel from London to Paris.  The Eurostar (high-speed train) is great and takes just over 2 hours from St. Pancras station to Gare du Nord in Paris.  If you book 4 weeks or more in advance it can be reasonable, but can be rather pricey if you don't plan ahead.  

Flights can be reasonable too, but the best prices are for flights out of Luton, Stansted and Gatwick, to Charles de Gaulle airport.  This adds extra travel time and cost getting to and from these out-of-the-way airports.

But, for about 50 pounds round trip, you can take a Euroline night bus from the Victoria Bus Station in London to the International Bus Station Galliéni (metro station)  in Paris.  I took the 8pm London Tube bus from Oxford to the Victoria Bus Station.  My bus left London at 10:30pm and drove through the night arriving in Paris at 7am (8am Paris time) . The bus was clean and comfortable and on the way there I had two seats to myself so I could curl up tight and lie down.  I actually slept pretty well.

The bus on the way back was more crowded so there was no chance to stretch out. (The seats do recline). We  left Paris at 10:30pm arrived in London by 7am.  I was back in Oxford by 9am.  Suddenly Paris doesn't seem so far away. 

For more information about the Euroline bus to Paris: 

 http://www.eurolines.co.uk/offers/london-to-paris?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=bus%20london%20to%20paris&utm_campaign=France%20-%20Paris

The reason for my visit to Paris: 3 glorious days with my dear friend Julie

In Paris, calories don't count!  

Lunch!

  

Dessert my last night there!  Divine.