↓
 

Blasdale Home

The web home of Steve and Rosemary

  • Home
  • Picture albums
    • 2020s
      • 2020 Gallery
      • 2021 Gallery
    • 2010s
      • 2010 Gallery
      • 2011 Gallery
      • 2012 Gallery
      • 2013 Gallery
      • 2014 Gallery
      • 2015 Gallery
      • 2016 Gallery
      • 2017 Gallery
      • 2018 Gallery
      • 2019 Gallery
    • 2000s
      • 2000 Gallery
      • 2001 Gallery
      • 2002 Gallery
      • 2003 Gallery
      • 2004 Gallery
      • 2005 Gallery
      • 2006 Gallery
      • 2007 Gallery
      • 2008 Gallery
      • 2009 Gallery
    • 1990s
      • 1992 Gallery
      • 1993 Gallery
      • 1994 Gallery
      • 1995 Gallery
      • 1996 Gallery
      • 1997 Gallery
      • 1998 Gallery
      • 1999 Gallery
    • 1980s
    • 1970s
    • 1960s
  • Tag Cloud
  • Blog
  • Blasdale Genealogy
  • Cambridge
  • Grendon
  • Subscribe
Home→Categories United Kingdom→Warwickshire 1 2 >>

Category Archives: Warwickshire

Post navigation

← Older posts

Packwood House and Warwick

Blasdale Home Posted on July 14, 2023 by SteveAugust 9, 2023

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.

National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House
National Trust - Packwood House

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

Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick - St Mary’s Church
Warwick Castle
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick Castle
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick - Mill Garden
Warwick Street
Posted in Art, Warwickshire | Tagged Bill and Viv, Norman and Valerie, Packwood House, Saint Marys Church, Valerie, Warwick, Warwickshire | Leave a reply

The Game Fair 2021 – Festival of the Countryside

Blasdale Home Posted on July 24, 2021 by SteveJanuary 29, 2022

The Game Fair was at Ragley Hall this year. We believe this is now a permanent venue. The show ran from 21st July to 24th July. This year we arrived on the first day the campsite was open, Wednesday. Most of the site was fairly empty. Thursday was a peaceful day reading books on a hot sunny day. We luckily had decided to take the awning for shade.

Friday the show opened, and we took the tractor towed trailer up to the show to save walking. There was a short ceremony in the main arena at 10.00 am with a shotgun salute.

We spent Friday looking around the show, finding somewhere to eat. I’m sure the show was smaller than usual. Many gun shops had decided not to attend, the cost of the stand and the potential of Covid restrictions forcing social distancing made many think the risk was too high. The food area was a bit of a disappointment. In the past you could pick up a nice lunch, this year seemed few were selling meals while loads were selling gin.

The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021
The Game Fair 2021

We did spend quite a time looking at the dogs, and their retrieval performance. We left after lunch on Saturday. Sunday was going to be the Kingswood Gun Club 40th anniversary celebration.

Posted in Clay Shooting, Warwickshire | Tagged Game Fair | Leave a reply
Upton House dressed for Christmas

Upton House and Gardens

Blasdale Home Posted on December 2, 2019 by SteveFebruary 6, 2020

Visited Upton House to see it dressed for Christmas. We try a different house each year, staying clear of the busy Waddesdon Manor which has the cheek to charge National Trust members.

The house was nicely decorated and had been done by the National Trust volunteers. Nice to know our money is being wisely spent. We must look to see where the baubles come from, they seem so much better than the ones sold in shops.

We also ate lunch in their cafe. This was rather disappointing. Previous meals have been good. I could not fault on quantity, my baked potato with tuna could have fed a family. It must have had a least two cans of tuna, and a huge potato. The potato was stale, presumably from another day, the tuna lacked enough mayonnaise and also lacked chopped spring onions. Nope, I did not finish eating it, unappetising and far too much. Rosemary did not fare much better.

Upton House
Upton House
Upton House
Upton House
Upton House
Posted in National Trust, Warwickshire | Tagged National Trust, Upton House | Leave a reply

Goodbye Margaret and David Lishman

Blasdale Home Posted on December 9, 2018 by SteveJanuary 25, 2019

Today we travelled to Fillongley to scatter Margaret and David’s ashes. It had been arranged with the new owners of Margaret & David’s former house that we could scatter their ashes in the garden. Very gracious of them.

We arrived in time for cakes and coffee in the neighbouring farmhouse belonging to the Bagleys who had been so helpful to Margaret and David in the days before M&D left their house and went into residential care. Ron and Mary, Gilly, Dan and Audrey, plus Brenda also came.

Suitably fortified, we made our away across to M&D’s house & garden and chose two trees to scatter the ashes around and marked the places with a scattering of carnations.

After the scattering we all went for a very enjoyable Sunday lunch at the Cottage Inn, where we toasted Margaret & David.

Posted in Warwickshire | Tagged David Lishman, Margaret | Leave a reply
National Trust - Canons Ashby

National Trust Canons Ashby

Blasdale Home Posted on December 8, 2018 by SteveFebruary 8, 2020

Rosemary wanted to see a National Trust house dressed for Christmas. The most dressed house is Waddesdon Manor which we have seen many times. Last year we went to another house because Waddesdon started charging NT members to go around the house at Christmas. (This is probably the intention of the National Trust, so they can get more non-members in paying the full price.) R was outraged (even though she’s heard all about people booking free NT members tickets and then not turning up) so she insists we go to another house. So, this year we went to Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire.

The house was decorated in various different styles based on one of the many eras when the house has been lived in. The helpers were all dressed up in appropriate costume for the various eras of the house decoration. We wandered around playing with the children’s toys. Of course, the day ended with tea in the cafe and a search through the secondhand bookshop.

Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby
Posted in Art, National Trust, Warwickshire | Tagged Canons Ashby, National Trust | Leave a reply

Post navigation

← Older posts
©2023 - Blasdale Home Privacy Policy
↑