Heritage Weekend

We’d a wonderful weekend checking out the properties opened during for Heritage Open Days (HOD). I took Friday off because this opportunity was too good to miss.  HOD celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering FREE access to properties that are either closed to the public or charged for admission. Every year on four days in September, buildings of every age, style and function throw open their doors. It was a once-a-year chance to discover hidden architectural treasures and enjoy a range of tours, events and activities which bring to life local history and culture.

Organised by volunteers, HOD was England’s biggest and most popular voluntary cultural event.  The event provides visitors with a unique opportunity to explore and enjoy these sometimes hidden, often curious and always interesting places in English cities, towns and villages - and completely free of charge.

HOD was established in 1994 as England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days. This year, for the first time, the scheme was run and managed in England by English Heritage, the principal public body charged with protecting the country's historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites.

On Friday, first on my itinerary was the Guy Cliffe House in Warwick. But we couldn’t find it and not signposted anywhere. Not a good start huh!!! Will e-mail them later to why it wasn’t signposted properly.

Then we went to our second destination, the Saltisford Canal Heritage Centre.  The Saltisford Canal Arm was all that remained of the Warwick terminus of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. Restored from dereliction between 1982 and 1988 by the Saltisford Canal Trust, the Centre was home to numerous colourful narrow boats, set in a waterside park close to the centre of Warwick.

We’d a wonderful time checking out these beautifully painted narrow boats. I was soo envious of this lifestyle, living in a boat, cruising leisurely along the canal watching the world go by. Bliss but I think my whole wardrobe could just fit in the whole boat. You seriously need to adjust everything to fit in a 30 x 7 feet space.

The next day, on a beautiful Saturday morning, we drove to Wellesbourne to check out  Charlecote Park. This grand 16th century Tudor home with imposing chimneys and mellow red brickwork was home to the Lucy family for more than 700 years. Walking down the lengthy main drive,  we passed through this majestic gatehouse, the best example of Tudor architecture at Charlecote and the only feature of the original buildings to remain intact. Most of the brick and stonework was over 400 years old and was built for show than defence.

What a pity photography wasn’t allowed in the main house. Built in the 1550’s , it was one of the first great Elizabethan manor to be built in Warwickshire. It was huge and the rich, early Victorian interior contained important objects from Beckford's Fonthill Abbey. The Victorian extension contained the library, my favourite place.

We wandered outside and the hundreds of house-martins flying caught our attention. They were busy feeding their chicks. We took this golden opportunity to observe them and off course take a few photographs. Aren’t they gorgeous…

The park was also well-known for its fallow deer. Unfortunately, they have decided to avoid the presence of visitors by moving opposite the River Avon where there was no public access. Smart huh!!! We also spotted several Jacob Sheep which originated from Portugal. They were the first flock of spotted sheep brought into England in 1756 by George Lucy.

Under the imposing cedar trees, we saw this lovely thatched summer house. It was created by Mary Elizabeth Lucy in the mid 1880’s for her grandchildren. Lucky, lucky kids…

I also wanted to visit the other 2 houses on my itinerary, Baddesley Clinton and  Packwood House. But Babe was already too exhausted. Never mind, next year darling…

Today, we visited the Ryton Organic Gardens. The centre is an internationally famous tourist attraction as well as being the site of Garden Organics headquarters. Ten acres of display gardens are managed entirely organically and all aspects of domestic horticulture are on show, including composting, pest and disease control, fruit and vegetable production, herbs, roses, lawns, shrubberies and herbaceous plantings.

The gardens are beautiful in their own right, bursting with colours, scents and shapes even in mid-September. I am green with envy cos my garden is slowly winding down.  What blew us away is the orchard. The apples are huge and mouth watering ( I’m fasting :-)) and Babe fell in love with these abundant pears :-).

 

Last in the list is Bagots Castle. The Castle, was probably rebuilt by Sir William Bagot c.1397, although there appears to have been an earlier castle. The original castle was probably the work of Geoffrey Savage in the time of Henry I (1100-35). The site is on a steep slope above the River Sowe and it is likely that it was originally a motte and bailey, within which a dwelling house was erected. Part of a building, probably Sir William Bagot's castle, has been excavated between 1933-48 exposing the foundations of a rectangular building with a stair turret and moat belonging to the fortified house.

We had a wonderful time exploring these wonderful places especially when they are free. We took a lot of photographs and learnt a lot about a lot of things. Couldn’t wait for next year… 

Hoped you too had a heritage weekend as varied as ours.