Hidden Treasure in York

Before moving on from York, I wanted to share with you an unexpected find that we stumbled upon during our stay there. Just behind one of the busiest pedestrian streets in York and in the shadow of the towers of Yorkminster, lies a hidden treasure connected by a narrow alley away from the bustle of the city. 

It is the Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate.. Surrounded by a tranquil grassy courtyard, this church, with foundations from the 12th century, dates primarily from the 15th century.

Entering the church, you first notice the original box pews and the uneven flooring which gives it some interesting character. The light floods in from the medieval stained glass just behind the altar. Today the church is only used on special occasions--no electricity has been installed, so any evening services are by candlelight.

I've only seen box pews like this in a few places, since most have been removed since then and replaced with benches. The ones here date from the 18 century,

and were installed in churches to give families some privacy and some extra protection from drafts. Some of them were even considered personal property and were passed down through the generations.

Donated by the rector at the time, the beautiful stained glass dates from 1470 and even includes the rector

himself kneeling under the Trinity.

Just a quiet little gem of a church, tucked away where one can retreat for some contemplative reflection, it's serendipities like this that can make a special trip even more memorable.

Have you ever discovered a secret gem or treasure on your travels?

Castle Howard

I've seen a lot of castles through the years in France, Germany, Belgium and now many more in England since we've lived there. I have some favorites on my list, and after visiting Castle Howard, near York, I'll be adding one more to that list.

Stately and grand do not begin to describe this 18th century Baroque house just 15 miles from York in the rolling Howardian Hills. Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh for the third Earl of Carlisle, the house and gardens have seen 3 centuries of improvements by craftsmen and gardeners. It is currently the home of Hon. Simon and Mrs. Howard along with their two small children.

If it looks familiar, it might be because it had a starring role in the 1981 TV series, "Brideshead Revisited" and its cinema remake in 2008. Not truly a castle, it is more precisely an English country house, one of the largest in fact, with 145 rooms.

A portion of the house was destroyed by a fire in 1940, with most of the house now having been restored by the family through the years. The current owner grew up living in this house being surrounded by some amazing art, statue and porcelain collections known worldwide for their beauty and value.

Can you imagine living in such splendor? The Great Hall is the masterpiece of the home,

boasting a 70 foot beautifully painted dome which came crashing down in the fire of 1940.

It has since been restored to its early splendor.

Touring the furnished rooms was a real treat. We started in Lady Georgiana's bedroom. Georgiana Cavendish married the 6th Earl of Carlisle, uniting the homes of Castle Howard and Cavendish.

The Castle Howard Bedroom with its suite of satinwood furniture from 1777-1789.

The Crimson Dining Room with its Crown Derby dessert set dating from 1796-1801

and a little child's chair sitting at the corner. See the porcelain child's bowl in front of his place? Just like the one your children use for their bowl of Cheerios, right?

The colors in the Turquoise Drawing Room were striking--I love red and turquoise together. This room holds several important pieces of art in the family collection including paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Frederic Leighton, and Thomas Gainsborough.

The day we visited we were fortunate to be able to visit the Temple of the Four Winds which has been  used as a place for refreshment and reading. A cellar was located below the Temple where servants would have stored and prepared food.

The cube, with dome and porticos was originally called the Temple of Diana

and boasts beautiful stucco work in its interior. The current Hon. Simon Howard married his bride there in 2001.

The vista from the Temple has a commanding view over some of the 1000 acres of gardens

with its collection of lakes, waterfalls, and fountains.

One could easily spend the day touring the gardens just to find all its follies--the Obelisk, the Pyramid, the Memorial Column, the gates and avenues, the Mausoleum and the Mock Fortifications. And of course, the color throughout the year is always changing with the seasons--we loved our view of the daffodils, cherry trees and rhododendrons. 

So much more I could share with you, if there was only space. I think though, that you might see why this castle has made it to my favorites list. Do you have a favorite that you've visited?

And I think I'm headed to Netflix next to request a copy of "Brideshead Revisited."

If you've seen it, would you recommend it?

York-It's Much More than the Minster

In addition to seeing Yorkminster church when visiting York, you'll have to be sure and visit the Shambles, voted the most picturesque street in Britain and winning the Google Street View Award in 2010. Lined on both sides with buildings from the 14th century, with overhanging timber framed buildings, the street was originally the location of scores of butcher shops, but today offers some of the most interesting shops and tea rooms in the city of York.

Shopping has to be one of the favorite pastimes in this quaint town,

with something to offer everyone,

whether it be  a pair of boots at Jones Bootmakers in this timbered building from the 1600's,

or a set of armour,

or something vintage from the church ladies at their rummage sale,

maybe something from the street market,

or even a bargain at Poundland, where everything's a pound! I must admit I gushed a bit at the possibility of finding things for just a pound--I had never seen such an option in London!

We had some great meals while we strolled the city streets, including a delicious sandwich from York Hogroast,

which was hand carved to our liking.

Our favorite meal there was at Little Betty's, the sister cafe to Betty's, which was first established in 1919, and draws huge crowds each day for delicious treats, meals, and afternoon tea. The hard part is narrowing down your choice from such a delicious array of goodies.

Our day was topped off with a spooky, thoroughly entertaining, quirky, and amusing Ghost Walk which sent us rushing back to the safety of our hotel at its conclusion.

All in anticipation of our day trip to Castle Howard the next day, which of course I will share with you soon, and which surprisingly proved to be one of my favorite castles in all of England.

Headed North to York

It would be hard to find many towns in England with more historical and cultural heritage than the city of York, located in northern England, halfway between London and Edinburgh. It was a perfect getaway weekend destination, and after arriving by train, we hopped off and walked towards the town and the many surprises that awaited us.

Crossing the River Ouse,

we headed towards the center of town, which had its beginnings as a Roman fortress in 71 AD.

Our walking tour started with the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey. Founded around 1080, the abbey was an important Benedictine monastery, one of the largest and richest in northern England,

whose abbots were known to be worldly, and the abbey was mentioned often in the stories of Robin Hood.

One of the city's most fascinating features is its medieval city walls which date from the 14th century, and are the longest and best preserved city walls in the country. The gates or bars, as they are called allow access into the city.

Monk Bar is the tallest of the four main gates, and still has a working portcullis. You can enter the walls here to begin a stroll around town that follows the line of the original Roman walls. 

The full circuit of walls is 4. 5 miles around, but even if you take a short tour of the walls like we did,

you'll take in beautiful views of gardens and get a peek of York Minster.

York Minster, the jewel of York, is an architectural masterpiece, and the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps, truly a sight not to be missed.

The first church at this site was a wooden chapel built in 627, followed by several other churches built in succession through the ages, but the current minster was built between 1220 and 1480,

and encompasses all the major developments of Gothic architecture. I learned that the word "minster" was an Anglo-Saxon term attributed to missionary teaching churches, and is now a title of honor. Westminster is another example.

The interior is stunning-- lofty, airy, full of light flowing through the colors of stained glass on the sunny day we were there.

The entrance to the choir, or quire, is a 15th century screen,  towered over by the organ console.

The screen is decorated with statues of 15 kings of England from William I to Henry VI.

Inside the late 14th century quire, we were fortunate to hear a visiting young boys' choir rehearsing. Angelic sweet voices of young boys--nothing more beautiful.

Most fascinating of all to me was the variety of medieval stained glass found inside. Some of the stained glass in the church dates back to the 12th century. A statistic that amazed me is that 2 million pieces of glass make up the 128 stained glass windows in the church, most of which were removed at the times of World Wars I and II to save them from any bomb damage. That part of 20th century history has always intrigued me--how through the will and hard work of the British people, so many works of art, statuary, and in this case, glass were moved to safety during these two explosive times in history, only to be completely restored after the danger had passed.

This window is my favorite of all the windows. It's called The Heart of Yorkshire. Can you see why?

So much more to share about York than one blog post can handle, so stay tuned to hear more about this delightful town and its treasures.