Stately Homes near Birmingham

The last two weekends, I have taken day trips to see a few stately homes near Birmingham now owned by the National Trust. First is Wightwick Manor near Wolverhampton, a Tudor-style house built in the 1800s after the House Beautiful ideal and owned by a family who collected Pre-Raphaelite art. The current exhibition at the house is about the Rossetti family. I like how it emphasises the talents of all the siblings, comparing them to other genius families like the Brontës and Morrises, and that it puts their lives into context. It also features Elizabeth Siddal and Lucy Madox Brown, who were married to the Rossetti brothers.

The other two houses are not very far away from Lapworth in Warwickshire and I was able to walk to them both in a day. Packwood House has a famous yew garden with topiary trimmed apparently to represent the Sermon on the Mount. Baddesley Clinton, surrounded by a moat, was a Catholic stronghold in the 1590s. There is a historic priest hole and the house now contains a chapel and sacristy.

Wightwick Manor

Drawing by D.G. Rossetti

Love Among The Ruins by Edward Burne-Jones

The Acanthus Room

Christina in a Rage by D.G. Rossetti

Tiles designed by William De Morgan

Packwood House

The Lookout Room

The Yew Garden at Packwood House

Baddesley Clinton

Inner Courtyard at Baddesley

Thanks for reading!

Newcastle, Tynemouth, Gateshead, Leeds, and Sheffield

Every time I have a school holiday, I tell myself I will finally sit down to do some translation work—and then I plan a trip! This time it was to Newcastle, Tynemouth, Gateshead, Leeds, and Sheffield. I did get some work done after all, since I visited libraries everywhere and chose some books for our school library. The highlights of the trip were seeing the North Sea coast at Tynemouth, visiting the Lit & Phil in Newcastle, Durham Cathedral, and the Central Library in Leeds (an amazing building, even though it is currently under renovation). I got to catch up with a friend in Leeds who showed me around the university campus including the historic Brotherton Library. And in Sheffield I enjoyed an Ash Wednesday service at the cathedral, seeing the botanical gardens, and browsing the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop. 

Newcastle Cathedral

Jessie Window, Newcastle Cathedral

Window, Newcastle Cathedral

Quire, Newcastle Cathedral

Altar, Newcastle Cathedral

Window, Newcastle Cathedral

Organ, Newcastle Cathedral

Grey's Monument, Newcastle

Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle

Geordie Translator at Newcastle City Library

Lit & Phil Library, Newcastle

Sylvia Waugh at the Lit & Phil (Mennyms!)

A copy of Sylvie and Bruno by Lewis Carroll
from 1928! (still in circulation)

George MacDonald's Fairy Tales
illustrated by Arthur Hughes

University of Newcastle

Snowdrops in February

Tea at Claremont Teahouse
(They have 60 kinds of tea!)

Seven Stories National Centre
for Children's Books, Newcastle

Tea at Seven Stories

Front Street, Tynemouth

King Edward's Bay, Tynemouth

Priory and Castle Ruins, Tynemouth

Long Sands Beach, Tynemouth

North Sea Coast, Tynemouth

Durham Castle

Durham Cathedral and River Wear

Durham Cathedral

Bede's Tomb, Galilee Chapel at Durham Cathedral

Window, Galiee Chapel at Durham Cathedral

Decorative floor tile, Durham Cathedral

Prior Castell's Clock, Durham Cathedral

Cloisters, Durham Cathedral (aka Hogwart's)

Chapter House, Durham Cathedral

View from Durham Cathedral Central Tower

View from Central Tower

Civic Hall, Leeds (notice the owls)

Inside Central Library, Leeds

Decorative windows at Central Library, Leeds

Floor tiling at Central Library, Leeds

Poetry and Music by J.E. Millais, Leeds Art Gallery

Old Age and Infancy by J.E. Millais, Leeds Art Gallery

Wall Tiling inside Leeds Art Gallery

Brotherton Library, University of Leeds

Sheffield Cathedral

Altar, Sheffield Cathedral

Peace Gardens, Sheffield

Winter Garden, Sheffield

Teapots at Millennium Gallery Sheffield

Ruskin Collection at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield

Flowering Tea at Pho in Sheffield

Rhyme and Reason Bookshop, Sheffield

Botanical Gardens, Sheffield

Snowdrops

Forest Garden

Spring Snowflakes

Thanks for reading!