Our last week in Yorkshire

Our last week in Yorkshire began with what has become, for me, a very special part of our visits here - the annual reunion with four of my "old" friends. Having worked together for only a relatively short period of time during the late 1960's, it was, however, a very memorable one! At that time we were all (very) young, single women who eventually went off on our separate paths.....but after almost 50 years, nothing has changed the amount of laughs and good times that we share - however infrequently that we meet.
As usual there was a never-ending flow of conversation and laughter when the five of us reminisced about past times together. During this 3rd annual reunion - as we continue our friendship - it's become less about past times and more about our current lives - with all of the sharing, advice and laughter that is usually evident in a group of (more mature) women.
So for 5 hours we sat at our lunch table and once again had a wonderful long afternoon........a big thank you to Gloria, who arranged a time and place for this year's reunion.......I hope to see you all for #4 next year!
This week we also enjoyed a couple of good "historical" outings with Marjie & Glyn.
Our first one took us to Lyme Park in Cheshire, which required a scenic journey across the Pennines - an added bonus. This historic house, which was first a remote hunting lodge, is set in a large park famous for its herds of deer. In Tudor times a house was built there and this was turned into an Italianate palace by the Venetian architect Leoni in the early 18th Century. Owned by the Legh family, the house is finely furnished with Mortlake tapestries, wood carvings by Gibbons and a large collection of clocks which pre-date the Regency period. An interesting fact learned in the "clock room" was that the concept of accurate time measurement only became necessary as railway networks developed and local time-keeping caused confusion. When the time differed by up to 1/2 hour in some areas, it was often the cause of not only trains to be missed - but also accidents.
One of Lyme Park's most famous possessions is the Sarum Missal - a book which was in the Legh family from at least 1508 and brought by The National Trust to the library there in 2008. These handwritten copies of the Mass were illuminated with letters of different coloured inks, sizes and fonts. Broken into "sections" it allowed the priests to navigate the text. The copy here in the library at Lyme Park, is the first copy to be printed in Paris - dated 1487 - using 2 colours.
A less serious side to the house can be had by playing dress-up in a room full of period clothes - which I did! In addition to this, a more modern "claim to fame" is that "the lake scene" in the 1995, BBC production of Pride & Prejudice starring Colin Firth, was filmed there - using the house as "Pemberley." Unfortunately we ran out of time to visit any of these splendid gardens........but we did use our imagination when we viewed the lake area through the windows of the house.....which was not not hard to do, when thinking of Colin Firth!
After having afternoon tea with Marjie's group of friends last week, it seemed like a good idea to enjoy another of these very civilized, British traditions. Due to the high reputation of the afternoon tea served at Wentworth Garden Centre, it seemed the perfect location to enjoy this treat.....so on a (partially) sunny day, in the company of Anne, off I went. We were not disappointed!
We were seated in the "Summer House," a charming little building, away from the larger Café. With a view of the courtyard from our window, this chalet-type building - with it's high beams - is perfect.....and so was the tea! Over the course of 2 hours we shared sandwiches, small pastries and, of course scones......with jam, strawberries and clotted cream :)
Our final "day out" with Glyn & Marjie took us to Nostell Priory - a Palladian-style house, set in 300 acres of parkland. The original Augustine priory was founded in the early 12th century and was dedicated to St. Oswald - an Anglo-Saxon king of Northumbria. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, by Henry VIII in 1540, it was abandoned for over 100 years before being bought by the Wynn family in 1654,
who for 3 generations lived in part of the old priory. Eventually a new stable block was built.
Sir Rowland Wynn, who travelled extensively, had inherited the house in 1722 at the age of fifteen. After returning from his travels, he married an heiress and started to plan his new house - using ideas and inspiration from his travels. Building started in 1736, with the decoration of the interior beginning in 1747......but it was in 1765, after his death, that the next Wynn - another Rowland - started to create a magnificent series of rooms. He hired the up and coming Robert Adam - who was to become famous for his light, airy and elegant interiors - along with the cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale. Over the next 10 years they built, designed and furnished it - with Chippendale himself designing over 100 pieces of work for this house.
Our visit took us through many outstanding rooms - including the Library, the State Dining Room, the Tapestry Room, Bedrooms and the Top Hall. We saw paintings by Gainsborough & Hogarth, Venetian vases, tapestries "rescued" from France after the Revolution, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper and a billiard table covered with the original 200 year-old baize - and lots of Chippendale furniture! There is even a "Doll's House" - not a toy - but a "house" made in 1740 for the ladies of the household, with which to imagine and create interiors for their dream home.
Nostell Priory still remains in the Wynn family today.
To follow our tour of this beautiful house, we walked the formal gardens + a huge area for growing vegetables & fruit. We also wandered around part of this huge acreage, following paths which took us through its woodlands and past its lakes.....all this on a perfect English sunny, day.......a great ending to our stay in Yorkshire.
This week has been a full one - with one more time spent walking through our favourite village of Wentworth, fun times with friends, visits with Trevor's mum and time with family....all of which would not be possible without the generous hospitality of Glyn & Marjie......so before we set off on the next part of the adventure....
A very big "thank you" to you both..... we've had a great time.....but one question.....can we come back next year?