Category Archives: United Kingdom

Packwood House and Warwick

Blasdale Home Posted on by

14th July 2023

We met up with friends (Bill, Viv, Norman and Valerie) at Packwood House. This was our first visit to this National Trust house. (But why? It is an easy drive from home for us.) The weather was atrocious with torrents of rain. We arrived early and went straight to the cafe. It was a genuinely nice National Trust one which opens at 9.am and was very well used. Many people were there seemingly just to meet up with friends.

Bill and Viv arrived, followed by Norman and Valerie. Having had hot drinks and yummy cakes, we headed out to the house where B&Vs daughter Jenny came to join us and introduce her baby son to us.

Packwood House is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house in Packwood on the Solihull border near Lapworth, Warwickshire. The NT has owned it since 1941. The house began as a modest timber-framed farmhouse constructed for John Fetherston between 1556 and 1560. The Fetherston family owned the house for more than 300 years, until the death of the last member of the family in 1876.

In 1904, the house was purchased at auction by Birmingham industrialist Alfred Ash. Alfred Ash was a bit of a character. He was known for his sharp wit and his love of practical jokes. One of his favourite hobbies was to play pranks on his guests. One of his favourite pranks involved the house’s very narrow, spiral staircase. Ash would often hide at the top and wait for his guests to come up. When they did, he would jump out very suddenly to scare them.

Alfred Ash’s son, Graham Baron Ash, inherited the house in 1925. Graham Baron Ash was also a bit of a character. He was a philanthropist and conservationist. Like his father, he had a good sense of humour.

He decided to restore Packwood House to its former glory, so he spent the next two decades buying antiques, of the correct era, reclaimed salvage. and appropriate artwork. He had the house decorated in a traditional Tudor style. He also worked on the gardens, having them restored and adding a number of new features, including a yew garden and a lake.

Graham Baron Ash was a generous man, and he decided to leave Packwood House to the National Trust in memory of his parents. In his ‘Memorandum of wishes’, Baron Ash stated that all furniture should be kept in the same position, that no extra furnishings should be added, and that freshly cut flowers should be placed in every room. The National Trust has been careful to preserve the house and gardens in their original state. And we duly noted the many vases of cut flowers.

Here are some funny facts about Packwood House:

  • The house has a secret passage that leads from the library to the chapel.
  • The yew garden is home to a number of topiary shapes, including a dog, a rabbit, and a sheep.
  • The house is said to be haunted by the ghost of a former housekeeper.

Unfortunately, not all the rooms in the house were open; some of the downstairs rooms were closed due to being “rested”. There were an extraordinary number of longcase clocks. The National Trust room guides were very informative, and good humoured.

After touring the house, we walked out into the rain and visited the garden (complete with fantastic herbaceous borders), spending a significant amount of time in a summerhouse out of the rain. We did manage to view the topiary shapes, and cloud hedges,

We dried off in the cafe before heading off to Leamington Spa for an excellent supper and the night at Bill & Viv’s. We admired their recently refurbished sash windows and the evidence of Viv’s green fingers. After supper, we played a wooden memory game that V&N had recently discovered, Trickier than it first appeared.

The next day it was bright and sunny but with large rain clouds. At any moment it could be sunny, or it could pour. After a good, hearty breakfast We headed into Warwick on the bus, and after the mandatory visit to the charity shops, we headed to Saint Mary’s Church. Norman had worked here on an archaeological dig in 1975 after leaving Cambridge. This beautiful church is full of history & interesting features after standing for 900 years. The Norman crypt is the oldest part of the church, dating back to the 12th century. It is a vaulted space with pillars and arches, and it is said to be haunted by the ghost of a monk. There was part of a medieval ducking stool on display.

The church has three organs, of which two are operational and used at various recitals.

The Beauchamp Chapel is a magnificent example of 15th-century Gothic architecture. Built to house the tomb of Richard Beauchamp, the Earl of Warwick, it is said to be one of the most important tombs in England.

The church has connections with the armed forces, with old military flags on display. St Mary’s Church hosts regular services for military personnel and their families. These services are a way for people to come together to pray for those who are serving, and to remember those who have died in service.

Not so nice was a plaque to the memory of Enoch Powell. Apparently, Powell was a regular worshipper at the church. After his death in 1998, he was buried in the adjoining churchyard.

We ate lunch in a small cafe called the Thomas Oken. Oken was a wealthy Mercer who died in 1573 leaving his fortune ‘for the relief in need’ of Warwick residents. It was full inside, so we sat outside and ordered drinks and food. Then it started to rain. Thankfully, space became available inside. The weather soon improved, and we were able to continue our tour of Warwick in the dry,

Once we had finished, we walked down towards Warwick Castle and visited a small private garden called The Mill Garden. This was super special, quiet, secluded spot. It is a privately owned, half-acre informal cottage garden located on the banks of the River Avon. Julia Measures, is the current owner. Her family has owned the gardens since 1938. Her father Arthur worked on it for 60 years.

We headed back to Leamington Spa on the bus, and then, after a restorative cup of tea & biscuit at B&V’s, we drove home

Wells Farm, BBOWT Reserve

Blasdale Home Posted on by

12th July 2023

We visited Wells Farm in Little Milton. This was an organised trip by BBOWT. The reserve is a working farm, managed on a traditional rotation basis. The hedge margins are more than six meters wide, giving plenty of habitat for insects and birds. The fields have a mixture of soils. from chalk to sand and wet clay. Walking the fields, it became obvious as the soil types changed.

We were given tea and coffee in the Little Milton village hall. A wonderful village hall with an integral community run post office, shop and cafe.

The fields had many flowers and insects. The bird life was sparse, but then there was a group of 40 plus people walking around. It would be interesting to spend time there quietly.

BBOWT have the land on a 999-year lease, on the condition it is managed as an environmental farm. The lease was gifted to them by the previous owner. One does wonder how we could survive if all agriculture was performed in this same way…..

Cambridge Alumni Event

Blasdale Home Posted on by

16th June 2023

Rosemary and I had our first campervan trip of the year to Cambridge. I had been to Cambridge in the van on my own to attend an Alumni event. Rosemary being left in hospital to have a replacement hip. I had later been to the Download festival with Selina. But this was our first Rosemary and I trip of the year.

We were attending a garden party at Gonville and Caius. I had chosen an off-grid camping pitch to test the new leisure battery. It was on grass and in an incredibly quiet area of the campsite. There were an interesting mix of people in our field. One couple from Holland were driving a Series 1 Landrover, and were taking it up North to a show. There were also a number of walking / cycling campers.

The weather was very good for the few days we were away. We managed to dodge the only rain.

Most days we caught the bus into Cambridge city centre. Friday we ate and drank at the famous Eagle pub and later sat in the sunshine outside Kings College drinking a glass of wine from the Cambridge Wine Merchants.

The garden party was on Saturday when the food was up to its usual high standard. We also visited the library where there was a special collection of old medical books on display. When you look at the surgical equipment in use in the 17th century, it doesn’t seem to have changed much in modern days. (This was brought home to us when we visited Egypt a few years ago. On one wall there were carvings of surgical equipment from the pharaoh times. They were very recognisable as surgical devices.)

It was a shame to see the Corpus Christie clock out of action. It had been removed. Some vandal had taken a hammer to the glass window which protects the clock from the elements. This glass was very resistant to attack and had not been broken through. I gather the clock is now back, so the congestion at the junction of Benet Street and Trumpington Street will be back.

Settle and Carlisle Railway

Blasdale Home Posted on by

25th March 2023

We had booked a Steam Dreams trip on the London Euston to Carlisle via The Settle and Carlisle Railway, with the Royal Scot. Today was the day. Alarm clock set for an early rise. We were catching the trip from Milton Keynes at 6.55am but allowing plenty of time to park and navigate the HS2/EWR inspired roadworks and the Bucks CC potholes and failed roads.

We were greeted by Steam Dreams as we walked through the doors of Milton Keynes station and directed to our platform. (How did he know we were with his company?!) Despite our early start we were not the first to arrive. The train arrived on time, hauled by a 1972 86101 Sir William Stanier FRS. The class 86 locomotives started production in 1965. In 1970 three class 86 locomotives were modified and converted to run 5000 bhp with a top speed of 110mph. These were a test bed for the class 87 locomotives. The conversions were renumbered 86101 – 86103. 86101 was bought in 2019 by Locomotive Services Limited which operates the Saphos, Steam Dreams, Midland Pullman, Statesman, and Intercity rail excursions.

We were seated at a table of four in Carriage B, one of five Pullman class carriages. Our amiable traveling companions also boarded at Milton Keynes. They were from Kent and preferred to board here rather than Euston. The man was a train enthusiast and had a large model train set up at home and they were organising another Steam Dreams trip for sixteen people later in the year.

Very soon we were offered and consumed a glass of Champagne, with optional peach syrup, to start our breakfast. We were offered porridge, with whisky soaked raisins. as an extra item to the menu below:

Glass of Champagne

***

Tricolour melon and fresh blueberry salad in a minted syrup. served with Tiresford Farm natural yoghurt and seeded granola

***

Grilled back bacon, Cumberland sausage, Stornoway black pudding, griddled flat mushroom and vine tomato with Freshfield Farm scrambled eggs

or

Loch Duart smoked salmon, toasted English muffin, Freshfield Farm scrambled eggs and a chive hollandaise

***

Morning bakery basket

served with a selection of preserves and Netherend Farm salted butter

Freshly brewed tea and coffee

***

Late morning offering

Freshly brewed tea and coffee, and a selection of Danish pastries

At Crewe we were due to change locomotives to the Royal Scot (46100). Unfortunately, due to some track/signalling/fire issues, this was not going to happen. The announcement went on to suggest that the change almost did not happen, but they had managed to get the Royal Scot out of its locomotive shed and up the line to Warrington Bank Quay Station to wait for us there. We stopped at Crewe for a few more travellers to embark. Here at Crewe there was many railway anoraks with their cameras. While we waited here, we saw another excursion train, pulled by a diesel locomotive “Steel on Steel”. We saw it again at Warrington Bank Quay. I think it too had an issue with its star locomotive.

We set off again, stopping at Warrington Bank Quay Station where our 86101 headed off to Carlisle, where it would power us back. As soon as she left, the Royal Scot manoeuvred to the head of our train, and we headed off to Carlisle. It was difficult to find a good place to see the manoeuvring of the engines. There are quite a few Youtube videos showing this happening, but I have yet to spot myself in the crowd of photographers.

We headed on North, stopping on occasions to allow fast electric trains to pass. At Lockstock we left the mainline and joined the Settle Carlisle line, passing through Blackburn, Settle, Ribble, the Ribblehead Viaduct, and stopping at Appleby to load up with water a second time, and then finishing in Carlisle. (First water stop was near Chatburn.) If we had not been able to use the Royal Scott, it probably would have been unlikely we could have gone across the Viaduct, because the line there is not electrified. There were quite a few walkers by the Viaduct. I bet they were delighted to see a steam train go over it.

At the water stop, in between the rain showers, I managed to get a few more pictures of our train. (I later learned that R had noticed me on the next platform and decided I was a train nutter, but wondered why I was focussing on her.) Tea and cake materialised.

In Carlisle we had two hours to explore the city. We ventured up to the cathedral. A quite different cathedral to most, quite small. Someone was practising on the organ, which lent a good atmosphere. Superb organ pipes.

Walked back in the showers, vising the secondhand shops in what looked like a rundown city centre, to make our way back to our carriage. We set off being towed by the 86101, down the main line to Milton Keynes. This was a much faster trip, reaching speeds of 155 kph (96 mph), quite good for an aged locomotive and rolling stock. On the way back we were treated to a glass of Champagne before our dinner, which also included a bottle of wine.

Assiette of native fish.

Beetroot cured salmon and halibut fishcake dill, caper and citrus mayonnaise with a pickled cucumber salad

***

Duo of Gressingham duck.

Roast supreme and confit leg, thyme infused potato fondant, winter squash puree, roasted heritage carrot,

with cherry and red wine jus

***

The great British cheeseboard

served with Allen’s chutney and artisan biscuits

***

Warm gingerbread sponge, poached Yorkshire rhubarb, almond brittle and mixed spice custard

There was of course coffee and chocolates to finish, and we were each given a special presentation pack of chocolates to take home.

The staff on the trip were superb. Despite the long day, they were jolly and helpful. It appears most of them were from Crewe where the company is based. They travelled to Milton Keynes and stayed the night in a hotel there, getting up early to be coached to Euston Station to get the train ready for a 6am departure. On the return they would be coached back from Euston getting home at 3 am. A pretty long day for them. It was tiring enough sitting there eating and drinking.

The food and drink serving is all coordinated with where you get on and off, so no one misses out on the full day’s meals.

Other thoughts about the trip. Surprised by the number of freight trains on the rails. Of course, we passed by Rugby where there is a terminal and interchange with the road network. Even saw a large train where the wagons were exclusively Tesco. I didn’t know Tesco used the iron road for transportation. I suppose there will be more room on the lines when HS2 is fully operational. Fully meaning the lines all the way up to Manchester.

Short Video of the trip. Please subscribe and Like.