York-Day Two

Continuing my recap of our road trip to York, which will now be three posts instead of two. I have pictures and they all need to go somewhere. 

Maybe not all, but many. 

We started the day Tuesday with breakfast in Middlethorpe's gorgeous dining room. So civilized. China cups and a small silver coffee pot on our table. No styrofoam. No shouting. 

Small jars of jam with a little silver serving spoon, a silver toast server, a very quiet space...so lovely.

After breakfast we walked the garden and grounds around the hotel. They know how to trim hedges in this country. 

These beauties were growing right outside our entry-

Clemson colors so I had to snap a pic. 

Middlethorpe Hall was built for Thomas Barlow who was a prosperous master cutler. I had to look up the word cutler, but basically it is someone who makes cutlery. 

One thing travel shows you is there is a lot you don't know. 

Middlethorpe was also once the home of the famous diarist, Lady Mary Wortley Montague who is said to be one of the most remarkable women of the 18th century. 

She was a writer and poet and campaigned for the introduction of smallpox inoculation in the UK. 

Later it was the family home of Fanny Rollo Wilkinson who was the first female professional landscape gardener in England. Living here was partly what inspired her to pursue 'gardening' as a career. 

After our walk we left Middlethorpe Hall and drove about fifteen miles north to beautiful Castle Howard. 

You may recognize the facade from the film Brideshead Revisited, the Netflix series Bridgerton where the house doubled as the Duke of Hasting's country home, and the ITV drama Victoria where the house doubled as Kensington Palace. 

Construction of Castle Howard began in 1699 but took over 100 years to complete, spanning the lifetimes of three Earls. 

The final appearance of the house bears only a partial resemblance to the original vision and it suffered significant damage during a fire that occurred in 1940. 

The fire started in a chimney and quickly spread, destroying rooms in the basement, the main and upper levels, as well as the incredible dome which collapsed into the Great Hall. It wasn't until 1960 that the dome was rebuilt, and then thanks to the filming of Brideshead Revisited, the Garden Hall was also rebuilt. 

Most of these homes have their own chapel, and this is the one in Castle Howard-

As you stroll the grounds of these amazing properties you cannot help but think about the cost of  maintaining so much land, so many old buildings with their old wiring, old plumbing, and antiquated systems of heating, as well as valuable works of art that need protecting and care. 

I'm sure it's the main reason they open family homes to the public for a fee and we get to enjoy visiting. 

Also, these places need constant dusting. Can you imagine? 

We toured the house then walked the grounds which are extensive.

 Lots of footpaths through the woods, and a path to the lake which leads you to a boathouse (now cafe). 

We enjoyed a cuppa beside the water before heading back into York city center to walk the walls. 

Walking around atop the walls of a city is something I love to do when given the chance. 

As we were making our way to the wall we passed the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey-St. Mary's, first built in 1088. It was at one time one of the most prosperous abbeys in Northern England, and the original church on this site was founded in 1055, dedicated to Saint Olaf. 

St. Mary's was started by William the Conqueror to reinforce his hold on the north and ended by Henry the VIII as a consequence of his reformation of the church. 

Today you can see remains of the walls of the nave, where the monks prayed and sang, and the cloister where they washed their clothes and were allowed to speak. 

As we headed toward the stairwell hubs, with his eagle eye, spotted a gentleman standing with his wife and daughter, wearing a hat from our local hometown hockey team. Always fun to see a little reminder of home. We spoke briefly and I continue to marvel at what a small big world it really is. 

We climbed the stairs to the top of the wall and walked for a while before noticing a beautiful garden just below. We headed down to get a closer look and ended up going inside the property (Gray's Court Hotel). The weather wasn't quite as perfect as their garden, but the inside was lovely too, so we had some bubbly and a pint because hey, we're on holiday. 

Grays' Court was built on the site of a Roman fortress and has been continuously occupied since the 11th century-1091. Not as a hotel of course, but there's been something happening in this spot for close to 1000 years. 

Old takes on a whole new meaning on this side of the pond.