Deliriously Whimsical

BritMumInNZ


Tynley Hall – sweet memories from our Wedding night.

Author Philippa Gregory has me caught in a deliriously whimsical state of mind with dreams of roaming the English countryside and visiting National Trust properties and other country homes. But this isn’t one of those ‘grass is greener’ / I’m feeling home-sick posts. I simply love British history and reflecting on so many wonderful places I’ve visited in my youth. My passion for history evolved from my parents love of the British countryside. Many a Sunday was spent walking, combined with an historical angle of interest and pub stop for lunch. In addition, I was fortunate to have the most dramatic, engaging history teacher. She literally brought the Tudors and Stuarts alive in the classroom and I studied that period with a passion at G.C.S.E. I considered going on to do A-level history on that period, but choose Modern History instead. Again, I had the good fortune of passionate teachers and studied some gruesome and painful episodes of European history in the 19th and 20th centuries.

But back to the nostalgia for roaming National Trust properties and the ancient byways, which criss-cross over Britain’s landscape. Next time we visit we shall definitely be making a few pit-stops at some of my favourite haunts. Though we have no concrete plans to visit, at this stage, we are thinking of traveling before baby number three gets too mobile. I’d preferably like to fly before the messy introduction of solids too, as exclusive breast-feeding saves us having to carry a whole lot of paraphernalia, but we’ll survive if necessary (equipped with several changes of clothing for us all!).

The last time we lived in England was back in 1998. We lived in Hampshire for a year and I had the good fortune of working in Winchester, one of England’s most beautiful cities, packed with historic buildings and tranquil green spaces. My lunch times were spent walking past the magnificent Cathedral, hearing the choir boys singing, and meandering down to the River Itchen. I worked for Hampshire County Council and part of my job involved organising civic events in The Great Hall, ‘The first and finest of all 13th century halls, with the greatest symbol of medieval mythology, The Round Table of King Arthur‘. The weight of history was with me wherever I walked.

There is something so overwhelming about walking footpaths or through buildings that have stood for centuries and seen so much history. My senses are always heightened and my heart feels the beat of those that have walked before me. One of my favourite places to visit was The Vyne, in Hampshire, which was visited by Henry VIII on at least three occasions. And I’ll never forget visiting Hampton Court in Herefordshire, with the maze of a thousand yews, with a gothic tower at its centre, particularly memorable.

Ah well, tis late now. Book and bed beckon. We’ve all been feeling a little off colour this past week or so with colds and both girls have had days at home to recharge. It is just as well I have a good book to keep me amused! Wideacre here I come!

    ‘Wideacre Hall, set in the heart of the English countryside, is the ancestral home that Beatrice Lacey loves. But as a woman of the 18th century, she has no right of inheritance. Corrupted by a world that mistreats women, she sets out to corrupt others.’

Wideacre is full of Beatrice Lacey’s passion for the land and descriptive passages of seasons changing. It is those passages that have really stirred me, particularly as I think of England now entering the beautiful colours of autumnal leaves, whilst we welcome the blooms of spring.

From our garden:

I wasn’t sure if any would make it, as I’d sent the girls out with a bag of bulbs each to ‘try their luck’. There is no formal pattern to their planting, which kind of adds to the magic or where they will flower next!

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6 thoughts on “Deliriously Whimsical”

  1. I have ALWAYS wanted to live in Eurpoe, purely for the history, the whole idea is so mind blowing. I can’t even begin to entertain how fun it would be to take pics!

  2. I’m with you on the history front. As a New Zealander walking where people have walked for centuries is a pretty amazing thing. The Angkor Wat Archeological Park which has stood since the 12th century is mind blowing- the architecture, the science behind the barays, the hints of both Hinduism and Buddhism. We all loved the temples in Egypt and their movie script tales and secrets too. Going to Italy will be another trip where we get to walk in the footsteps of another era. Other than the dubious (so I’ve heard) honour of being born in Birmingham I haven’t made it as far north as the UK but it is on our list!

  3. While history really isn’t my thing or at least grand buildings I do get a sense of awe when I am in a building or location that was used by ordinary folk. A lane that has been used for a thousand years, Greek Temples, excavated buildings on Santorini or the Roman town that we spent a day scrambling over (in Turkey). I was quite overcome by a jewellery lady at the WI letting me put on a gold Roman ring. And I would just love to visit the ruins of some of the ancient cities in Africa.For the moment I’ll have to be content with driving to work along some roads that were first walked (to Pilton Abbey) a thousand years ago.If I ever won the lottery, ha ha, I’d try and buy an ancient torque ( pay some one to steal one from a museum?)

  4. I think I will always miss the stately homes and castles of Britain. Just be able to walk in places where giants of history once trod is something I never got tired of. And I grew up in Herefordshire in the marches so we were blessed with castles all around us. We could even see the ruins of one, Goodrich Castle from our bedroom window.

    Whenever we do go back – we try and get our fill of as many castle as we can manage, because it has to last a LONG time.

    And we also spent the last 2 years in the UK before emigrating taking long weekends to visit cities and towns all over the UK and Europe to try and fit as much in as we could, knowing we would not be able to visit often.

  5. Hi Sarah

    One of the things I’m loving now I’m visiting the UK is the sense of place and history which is missing from living in the new world. Buildings are older, more solid and the landscape has the feel of centuries of tinkering by human hand until it’s found a balance. Whether it’s towns, villages, cities or simply driving on the motorway I am thinking more about what’s gone before.

    Thanks for all your comments on my blog – it’s kept me going to know there are people out there reading when the slow internet connections made me want to throw the laptop out the window. Looking forward to catching up with all your happenings soon.

    JT xx

  6. Small world – I worked in Winchester for a few years just opposite the great hall, and living just up the road in Whitchurch.
    To echo Avalon’s thought – while I didn’t used to be into ‘British’ history, looking out onto the ruins of a castle was a nice view. I always enjoyed the architecture of old towns like Winchester. To just walk down a street which had been there since 10 something or other, 12th C buildings mixed in with 16th C architecture and everything. I’ve found I do miss the ‘old’ sense of places.

    It’s funny – there’s a sign in South Wairarapa, which points to an ‘historic church’ – historic in as much as it’s from the 1940’s.

    ho hum, certainly didn’t come here for the history of the place.
    Still, I have come to appreciate British history more. Just took leaving the place to learn that. 🙂

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