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| Belsay Hall |
Greetings from bonny Scotland – on a bright and clear
however still chilly evening. We made it to Scotland this afternoon and for the
first time on entering a new country actually came across a designated entry to
the country. Obviously despite not voting for independence last year they still
want everyone to know where their country is.
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| Part of the Quarry garden |
The last couple of days have been great days exploring parts
of northern England. Yesterday we started off at Belsay Hall and Castle which
was in the hands of the Middleton (not sure if they were related to Kate)
family for over 700 years until about 1980. It started off with the defensive tower
built about 1370 which then had a manor house attached to it in the 17
th
century when life became not quite so violent. Later still a new manor house
(Belsay Hall) was built on the estate a short distance from the original
castle. At the same time Sir Charles built a whole new village and relocated
everyone off the estate (obviously not short of a quid). To build the Hall they
quarried stone from the estate and later it was turned into an amazing quarry
garden. Belsay Hall was requisitioned by the government during WWII and
eventually in the 1960’s it became impossible for the estate to maintain. The
family moved to another house on the estate and handed over the castle and Hall
to the state in 1980. This must have been such a difficult decision for something
that had been in the family for so long – however it was probably a case of
doing that or losing everything. All the
furniture and fittings were sold to pay the tax man and as part of the
agreement the Middleton family wanted Belsay Hall to remain unfurnished as that
is part of the building’s history. The Middleton family still own the estate so
it was not a case of losing it all. It was certainly a great way to spend the
morning before we headed to the north eastern coast and the delightful village
of Beadnell. The coastal part of Northumberland is obviously a popular part of
the country and it was great to have a walk along the beach.
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| Lindisfarne priory ruins |
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| Lindisfarne castle |
This morning we headed up to Holy Island and Lindisfarne
castle and priory. We journeyed across the causeway at low tide with no dramas
and then spend some time exploring the island. It was so peaceful and quiet –
despite all the tourists and you can understand why it was chosen as a spot for
a monastery. St Aidan was invited to Nothumbria by King Oswald to establish
Christianity in his kingdom from the Scottish monastery at Iona. The monastery
continued until the monks fled due to attacks from the Vikings. St Cuthbert was
the most celebrated of the monks – he reluctantly became Bishop but then
retired and moved over to his own little island to be a hermit. The conditions
were extremely austere so either he was extremely tough or ‘a little mad’! They
are famous for the Lindisfarne Gospels produced in the late 7
th or
early 8
th century. It was also amazing to see some of the name
stones that were made on the island and to find out that they were actually
coloured. We certainly just thought of stone work as engraved sandstone but
they were brightly coloured and would have been quite stunning. Benedictine monks
returned in about 1150 and built the priority and set up a thriving community
until it was suppressed by Henry VIII. We also had a look at the castle which
was remodelled into a summer holiday home in 1901 for Edward Hudson who owned
the magazine ‘Country Life’. The whole island was magnificent and it was such a
privilege to spend some time there. We even managed to see some seals (albeit
through telescopes) and plenty of bird life.
Being in Scotland we have the chance to explore some of the
conflicts between Scotland and England tomorrow with the William Wallace
Memorial.
Love to all
S&E
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