Monday at Castle Howard - Part I

Eleven years ago, my sister-in-law took us to Castle Howard for the first time. The place made a lasting impression on us and we always talked about going back, but it never worked out - until Monday (27 July).

I had booked our tickets for the house and gardens online while still in Germany, and visiting the house required to choose a time slot to regulate the number of people roaming the place. Ours began at 11:00, and we arrived a few minutes after that time at the ticket office and proceeded straight to the house.

Inside, there are friendly and knowledgeable volunteers in most rooms as well as handheld boards so that one can wander around at will, have a close look and read the relevant information.

There is currently an exhibition to celebrate 300 years of Vanbrugh, who designed the house. We found that very interesting, and a large model of the house and grounds showed the extent of the estate and how carefully it had all been planned and carried out. Vanbrugh lead a very adventurous life and comes across as a fascinating man, loyal and generous friend, kind family man and very talented writer and designer. My sister promptly ordered a book about him, which I am certainly going to borrow from her eventually.

We remembered most of the rooms from our 2015 visit, but a few things had been restored or replaced since. Click here if you want to compare the photos from back then with the ones I took on Monday.

Sculpture of Roman goddess Minerva, made of black marble and amber-coloured onyx

The interior of the chapel is by William Morris.

We browsed the gift shop at the end of the tour and found everything in there of very good quality (priced accordingly) and presented to high standards.

Lunch at the Fitzroy Café was next, and then we proceeded to the gardens - but just as 11 years ago, that will be another post.

A Quiet Sunday

We do get out and about quite a bit when we‘re here in Ripon, and meet with friends and family, loving every minute of it all. But a quieter day is welcome every now and then, and Sunday (26 July) was such a day.

An artisan market held on the market square had been announced for that day, and after breakfast we had a look round. It was small and many of the stalls offered pretty much the same things; for instance, there were at least three with hand-crafted jewellery, two with stuff for dogs and other pets, three with baked goods and/or cheeses. Nothing we wanted or needed for ourselves or as souvenirs for people back home. We did get an assortment of quiches, though, to have that evening for our tea.

We walked over to the Cathedral once more, this time mainly browsing the gift shop. Lunch at Oliver‘s Pantry followed, and it started to rain a little just as we were sitting at our table by an upstairs window with a good view of the street. Almost as soon as it had begun, the sprinkle of rain ended.

Kirkgate, Ripon, om Sunday afternoon

My husband sent me this photo from a walk that morning. Kay will love it especially!

In a charity shop on the same street I found two paperbacks for 1.49£ each and gave 5£, leaving the change as donation. 

Back at the cottage, we followed our trusted pattern of a rest and coffee/tea on the bench in front of the house afterwards.

I went to see Mary for an hour, and upon my return, my sister and I took a little walk around the neighbourhood, just to the cemetery and back. It was mild at 21C and sunny but very windy, and we soon returned to the cottage for a cosy evening, eating our quiches with salad while watching an old episode of Midsomer Murders.

Saturday at Fountains Abbey

Yes, again! My sister had bought Explorer Passes for us from the National Trust, valid for eight days. Our first visit was on Tuesday, so we were well within that for our second visit on Saturday (25 July).

This time, we walked in on a slightly different route, entering the estate at the tea house by the lake and making our way towards the abbey on the other side of the river.

A sign pointed to the Banqueting House being open, and since I had been there many years ago but didn‘t find it open then, we decided to have a look. And that little detour was well worth it!

The view from the Banqueting House goes straight to the Octagonal Tower on the other side of the river Skell‘s valley. Nothing was left to coincidence here when the grounds of the estate were designed.

I love such puzzles and mysteries as the one about the painting of the (presumed) Sultan of Surat! 

Back at Marmaduke Huby‘s tower

By the time we had walked past the ruins of the abbey and reached the visitor centre at the top end of the estate, lunch was a good idea, and we still had a good choice of tables at the restaurant before many more people arrived. I enjoyed my Cornish pasty; a hot meal was welcome after having walked a while in the very windy weather.

At the shop I bought a few little souvenirs and then we walked to St. Mary‘s. We had timed today‘s visit deliberately to find the church open and had a good look around. We‘d been inside before, but that was years ago.

Floor mosaic in front of the altar

Spiral stairs leading up to the organ

Back at the cottage, a rest was followed by coffee/tea on the bench in front of the house. Food shopping at Aldi was next, and for our evening meal I made avocado on toast with a leafy salad and coleslaw.

I ended the day facetiming with my husband.