Wednesday 2 September 2015

It's been a long time...

Apologies for the hiatus, I can see my blogging becoming sporadic for the next few months, so bear with me.  We are busy with a lot of things, not all I want to share on here, and our regular routine has gone out of the window for the forseeable future.

However, for the time being I have a day out to share with you, and a sprinkling of charity shop purchases.

On the 7th of August we ventured over to the lovely county of Shropshire again, to visit a couple of English Heritage managed properties there. Boscobel House and White Ladies Priory are both former refuges of King Charles II after his defeat by Oliver Cromwell at the battle of Worcester in 1651.

White Ladies Priory is a small ruin in a field near to Boscobel House, and was active as a priory until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monastries in 1537.  It is alleged to be haunted and has a certain atmosphere about it.  The approach is off a narrow country lane, barely wide enough for one vehicle, then a walk down to the ruin along a very leafy path.  

 We spotted this amazing old Beech tree nearby, with carvings going back over 100 years!  I showed this photo to the guides in the nearby Boscobel House, who were staggered as they hadn't noticed it.



 The ruins are small, yet incredibly tranquil









Boscobel House is a mish mash of building styles, parts of it dating back to the 1500s, when it was a farmhouse.  Over the years it has grown gradually, with bits added on here and there.

The inside is sparse, not much furniture downstairs as major renovation works are being carried on outside, affecting the main facade and downstairs rooms, which are now partially shrouded in sheeting.

We did, however, get a grand view of the very hidey hole that the 21 year old King Charles II hid in as he fled from Cromwells army.



The hole he had to climb down through is tiny, I am fairly slim and think I would struggle, the guide said the young king was 6'2", same height as him indoors who wouldn't have been able to squeeze through that opening!  

 The above photo is the actual hideout and hatch, which would've dropped into place to block the entrance.  The hatch was then covered with fresh blocks of cheese to put any dogs off the scent.



The king would walk up and down this attic room for exercise and observe comings and goings on the nearby road from the window in the photo above.  Below the window, in the floor, is the entrance to his hideout.

The countryside around Boscobel House is serene and the gardens and outbuildings overflow with history.  We walked to the end of the gardens and sat on a bench with our backs to the field containing the Royal Oak



 We suddenly heard the sound of hooves and watched as the whole field of sheep disgorged into an orchard next to us,



each one stopping for a drink at their water trough before coming through the gate.  Some had a nibble from the trees!


  This went on for about 15 minutes until all but one sheep were in the orchard.  The last sheep then bleated loudly from the gateway, and all the sheep trouped back out of the field!



Bizarre!

The gardens in parts were fragrant, with herbs and old English flowers surrounded by vibrant green box hedging, butterflies and bees enjoyed the chance to collect nectar in peace





We had a good meander around the grounds, sampled some tea and cake in the tea room, and admired the antique farm machinery





I always find the outside of English Heritage properties much more interesting than the insides, this one's a beauty!






It was another lovely day out and another place we will return to soon.

I also have a few charity shop bargains to share.  I found these lovely items of jewellery in a three for a pound basket.  One I cannot share as it may be a present for a friend though!



The necklace above looks like bone or horn, not sure which, 33p


This lovely bracelet isn't real silver but the stone isn't plastic either, also 33p


The crocheted top was just 50p



As was this gorgeous Boden corduroy skirt! 

Hopefully, my blogging mojo will return soon, and I may be back with more regular posts.

Now it's time to catch up with your blogs!

9 comments:

  1. Great day out, love the bargains. Today I got a jacket for £3,25 which was half price and a shirt for the beloved for £4.50 from £7. Both washed and drying.

    Did you see the blog where someone put sleeves from a lace top into a denim jacket - sleeves removed. Looked good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh, sounds like a nice haul, Maureen! I have a damaged silk chiffon blouse in my fabric stash that I want to remove the sleeves from and add to either a denim or check fitted shirt, thought I was being original! Which blog was it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Swit swoo!!! Loving the look of that place!!! The ruins, the missed carved tree, the beautiful Tudor-look beaming! You did well with your bargains too!x

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's lovely to see you back - I'm particularly envious of that pretty top! Jx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great places to visit (I am a real sucker for English Civil War/interregnum history) and you found some lovely things in the charity shops - the bracelet and cardigan are so pretty! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. There's some great places in Shropshire, isn't there? I remember Boscobel House from a school trip in the 1970s!
    Good to see you. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting places for a day out . The buildings and the gardens really wonderful. Once again a few good finds.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Boden for 50p? Now that's what I call a bargain! Cake looks nice too (and I bet that was more than 50p LOL!) x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Claire,
    I love your blog. Do you have an email address at all? I've got something I'd like to talk to you about.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. I'd love it if you left a comment too!