• DeanandLindasTravels
  • DeanandLindasTravels

Our European Adventure 2018

A 6 month trip on a shoestring Czytaj więcej
  • Coalbrookdale: Museum of Iron

    4 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We learned all about the iron industry, and the uses of cast iron which made this area so famous. It all started with the making of three legged cooking kettles (more stable than four legs), and expanded from utilitarian items to decorative ones. It became the style in Victorian times to have cast iron park furniture and home decorations.

    In 1851, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, or the first World's Fair, was held in Hyde Park, London, in a cast iron and glass Crystal Palace.
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  • Chirk Castle, Wales

    6 sierpnia 2018, Walia ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Built in 1295 when this area belonged to England, it was a defense against Welsh invasion. Now it belongs to Wales since the border changed. Chirk Castle is remarkable for having been lived in for over 700 years. The current owners use it as a holiday residence, but the public rooms are available to visit.

    On display in the Cromwell Room are some really old weapons from the English Civil War (1642-51). The last picture is a plaster frieze from the same period, making it the oldest interior decoration in the castle.
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  • More Castle Rooms

    6 sierpnia 2018, Walia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    The library contains so many old books, including a Bible in Welsh. The owners didn't just collect books, they read them!

    The Long Gallery contains the fantastic King's Cabinet, given by Charles II to Thomas Myddleton for his loyalty. The bedroom is called the King's bedroom, but it is doubtful that he slept in it, as it was on the side of the castle that was receiving battle strikes at the time! Czytaj więcej

  • Darby House, Coalbrookdale

    7 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Because Quakers refused to swear oaths of allegiance, they were excluded from professions such as legal, medical, teaching, the military, etc. As a result, most were involved in industry, commerce, and banking. At first they were shunned. Eventually they were viewed as good business partners, and thus became successful. Abraham Darby I and his family owned the Ironworks and lived near the factory. We visited their house to see how they lived. They dressed in plain clothes so as not to stand out. Eventually the way they dressed made them stand out, so many gave up the plain clothes. Czytaj więcej

  • Much Wenlock, Historic Market Town

    8 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Not far from where we are house-and-dog-sitting, is a market town by the curious name of Much Wenlock. It was fun to see, and we were surprised to find out that Dr. William Penny Brooks started the Much Wenlock Olympics back in the 1800s as an effort to improve physical fitness. He worked to include physical education in the schools. And the founder of the International Olympic Games patterned them after this town's local activities.

    The town is full of charming buildings. In this first one, the half-timbered building is the Guildhall (like a city hall) and had a butter market on the ground floor.

    The last picture is of a farm in the town, which has been converted into condos. The farmers lived in town and worked their fields that were scattered outside of the village.
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  • Canal Life

    10 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ 🌧 59 °F

    Navvies were the men who built the canals. They were not desirable people to rent to as they had a reputation for drinking, rowdiness, and thievery. So often they lived in huts near their work site.

    Here are some photos of the beautiful ways the boats were decorated.

    Also shown is a canal ice breaker, which was drawn by a large team of horses and rocked by as many as 20 men to break the ice.
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  • Porters Row Houses

    10 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

    These row houses were built in the 1830s and used by various workers and their familes. Each one is furnished to represent a different time period in which they were lived.

    In the 1830s there was no running water, electricity, or gas, yet it was considered a comfortable working class home of that time.

    In the early 1900s home, there was gas lighting and running cold water. A flush toilet is in the back yard! The parlor was only used for special occasions.
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  • Nostel Priory, Take Two!

    11 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We are staying in Wakefield for the weekend to visit Jacob and Jodie. Last time we were here, the house wasn't open, but it is today. The current family lives on the top floor, but the public can see the two lower floors. Construction started in 1725, but the first owner died and the family ran out of money to finish it. Finally the family came into more money during the Industrial revolution of the 1800s and more of the house was completed. However, there were tile floors and other features planned but never completed. Czytaj więcej

  • Nostel Priory continues

    11 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Here is the State Guest Room, for the most important guests. Chippendale furniture was featured throughout the house but especially in this room. We learned a lot about Chippendale, and found out there are no pictures of him, he died penniless, and he was not famous until after he died. This room was decorated in the popular oriental themes of the day.

    The desk in the library is also Chippendale.

    The Tapestry Room is beautiful, but was only used for special guests.
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  • Royal Armory: Training

    13 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Boys learned how to wear armor and handle weapons starting at age seven. This armor weighs 16 pounds. By age 14 most boys had learned how to master a lance while riding.

    We enjoyed watching some volunteers demonstrating foot combat techniques. They seemed to have a lot of fun as their sense of humor was apparent, but they were very good at choreographing the motions. Czytaj więcej

  • Dog-Sitting, Greenfield, Bradfordshire

    15 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We are taking care of two Cocker Spaniels, Holly (the black one), and Cookie (the brown one). We spent the first day settling in as we usually do: laundry, shopping for groceries, and making soup. It gives us all a chance to get used to each other, and of course, we usually need some down time. The dogs are cute, affectionate and lots of fun. Holly absolutely loves to chase a ball, and when she returns it, she gives it a little shove so it rolls right up to our feet so we can throw it again right away! Cookie doesn't chase balls, but when she's had enough of Holly getting all the attention playing fetch, Cookie steals the ball and chews it to pieces!

    We are in a very small village. The villages have installed "traffic-calming" measures, and none of the secondary roads go straight. We have to plan on twice as long as we think a drive will take, due to winding, narrow roads, and of course, sometimes Elizabeth (our GPS), gets mixed up and directs us us the long way.
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  • A French Château in England!

    17 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    This French Renaissance-style château was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874 to entertain the fashionable world and to house his collection of fine art. We enjoyed seeing the house and its Victorian-style gardens with their fountains and statues. There was an Aviary and more gardens to explore, but we ran out of time and stamina! We had hoped to go back but it isn't open on Mondays and Tuesdays, and we have to leave the area on Wednesday. Oh well, we know we can't do everything. Czytaj więcej

  • Waddesdon: A Weekend Party Place

    17 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    The Rothschild family was in the International banking business, with different branches of the family in various parts of Europe. Ferdinand, a widower, lived and worked in London. He bought this property, which was a barren hill, and transformed it into an elegant place for entertaining at his famous Saturday-to-Monday parties. He delighted in showing the house, its treasures, and the gardens to friends.

    The dining room is remarkable for its marble walls hung with tapestries. The table is set for 24 people. The bouquets of flowers are high, as the custom was to talk up and down the table, rather than across it. The food was legendary, and Queen Victoria enjoyed it so much, she sent her own chef to learn the recipes. Unfortunately, Baron Ferdinand had a stomach problem, and only consumed toast and water!
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  • Bedrooms at Waddesdon Manor

    17 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    When Queen Victoria came for lunch in 1890, she used the State Bedroom to rest, but didn't stay overnight.

    The Fountain Bedroom and bathroom were used by Ferdinand's single sister known as Miss Alice, who helped him host the dinners. She was instrumental in keeping the furnishings and collections safe. For example, she believed in keeping the rooms dark, covering the furniture when not in use, and keeping smoking to the Smoking Room. Some of the rooms are so dark it is hard to take pictures of them, and the ones we did take had to be lightened.

    Ferdinand willed the house to Alice, she willed it to a nephew, and he gave it to the National Trust. It is so wonderful that the family was able to keep it all together for us to see!
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  • Shaw's Corner

    18 sierpnia 2018, Anglia ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Born in Ireland, George Bernard Shaw lived in England for most of his life. He and his wife married in their 40s and lived in Ayot St Lawrence from 1906 until his death in 1950, aged 94. The home is maintained just as he left it.

    He wrote more than 60 plays including Pygmalion. One can imagine how well his home suited him for writing, being in a country-like setting. He is the only person to have won the Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar. He also wrote many pamphlets about women's suffrage, to support his wife's efforts.
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