BATH – STREET VIEW

 

It has been a pretty grim few months, hence the severe lack of posting on the blog, which meant, amongst other things, that our planned holiday to Scotland had to be cancelled. Eventually, though, we did manage a few days away in Wiltshire where we visited the famous pre-historic sites and a couple of the cities.

Here is one of the tiny side streets in Bath, close to the cathedral and just off a square with a beautiful tree whose branches almost fill the entire space. It was a very busy day but this little street was quiet and would still be familiar to Jane Austen and her contemporaries.

 

BOLSOVER CASTLE (6)

Looking up into the Lantern at Bolsover Castle, the sun streams through and casts coloured light through the small panes of stained glass. This bright central room is high in the Little Castle and links a number of chambers on this top floor.

BOLSOVER CASTLE (5)

These beautiful double arches still stand beneath the Terrace Range, a vast roofless shell, at Bolsover Castle.

BOLSOVER CASTLE (4)

Slightly different view here, this time from the interior of the 17th century castle. This is one of the small fireplaces in an upstairs panelled room. Many of the rooms have fireplaces, and some of them are very ornate, but this is one of the simple ones set into a corner.

BOLSOVER CASTLE (2)

A view of the ‘Little Castle’ or keep of the 17th Century Bolsover Castle. The red doors lead into the garden whereas the path to the left takes you around an under the archway (see Bolsover Castle (1) photo) which, in turn, leads you to the main entrance.

BOLSOVER CASTLE (1)

This archway lies inside the grounds of Bolsover Castle, an impressive early 17th century castle built over the site of an earlier mediaeval fortress. The castle dominates the skyline as you approach the small town of Bolsover, and would undoubtedly have been more impressive during its heyday when it was owned by the Cavendish family.

RIEVAULX ABBEY RUINS

The ruined Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire, an English Heritage property. This was one of the earliest Cistercian abbeys to be founded in England. The first buildings were of wood in 1131-2 although in 1135/6 the stone structures were started. Expansion and remodelling continued through the next few hundred years until the Dissolution and sale to the Earl of Rutland in 1538 who stripped the buildings leaving a ruin behind.

GARGOYLES

These handsome gargoyles are to be found in the walls of the ruined Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire. Rufford Abbey – and its adjacent park – is a former Cistercian abbey now in the care of English Heritage.

LANERCOST

Lanercost Priory, in the undercroft looking out,

And on the inside looking along the length of the building.

Lanercost Priory is managed by English Heritage.

YORK MINSTER

York Minster as glimpsed from the dark medieval street leading towards it. The sun shining on this huge cathedral would have been like a beacon in the middle ages, and not much has changed!

 

A clearer view of the imposing cathedral, one of the largest gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe.