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On a recent trip to London I paid a visit to Southwark Cathedral, which is right by London Bridge tube station.
Author Archives: Louise Jayne
Calke Abbey
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A few weekends ago I went to visit Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. Surrounded by a large and impressive park Calke Abbey is a stately home that the National Trust is leaving largely in the decaying state it was in when it first became a Trust property. So as well as magnificent rooms that echo the grandeur that once was, there are the rooms abandoned by the owners when the upkeep of the house just became too expensive.
Kedleston Hall
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Last weekend we took a trip out to Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. Built in the 1760s it was designed by the architect Robert Adam as a showpiece palace for entertaining and to display Sir Nathaniel Curzon’s collections of paintings and sculpture.
One of the most impressive rooms is the Marble Hall – lit only from windows in the ceiling.
The architect loved Rome, which is evident throughout the room and in particular the statues lining the Hall.
Other highlights include the music room,
the drawing room,
and the saloon, which has a particularly stunning ceiling.
When balls were held there attendees could rest and watch the dances whilst sitting on settees and chairs that were curved to fit the wall.
The house also has an Eastern museum, housing many different artifacts, though it isn’t particularly organised. The highlight for me though is the peacock dress that was worn by Lady Curzon at a ball when her husband was Viceroy of India.
We also visited All Saints Church, in the grounds of the Hall, which has some very impressive stained glass windows.
The park surrounding the Hall is also well worth an explore, though it was too hot that day for us to fully take advantage of the walks available. We had no trouble spotting the wildlife though – sheep everywhere!
I’d definitely recommend it for an enjoyable day out – the cream tea’s in the restaurant are excellent too!
Paris: Part Two
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Last time there was Place de la Bastille, Place des Vosges, the Eiffel Tower, Pont Neuf, and the Musee d’Orsay.
This time we start off with Notre-Dame, probably my favourite building in the world.
Containing France’s largest organ, it took 170 years to build. After the revolution in 1789 the Cathedral was vandalised and renamed the Temple of Reason, but fell into disrepair. Restoration began in 1841 and lasted another 25 years. Continue reading
Categories: France, Paris
Tags: Hotel de Sully, Maison de Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame, Opera National de Garnier, Paris, photo post, Place des Vosges, Sacre Coeur
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Paris: Part One
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I realise I haven’t posted here in ages, but since I recently visited Paris, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get things going again. This was my second trip to Paris and a chance to see some places that I hadn’t visited the first time.
Our hotel was not far from Place de Bastille, where Bastille prison used to stand and where the Colonne de Juillet was erected in the memory of the rebels who were killed in the 1830 and 1848 revolutions.
Deciding to walk from our hotel to the Seine and our final destination of the Musee d’Orsay, we took photos of the beautiful architecture of Paris, and stopped off for a brief period at the Place des Vosges, considered one of the most beautiful squares in the world (though personally I think that’s probably stretching things).
Our stroll along the Seine took in many famous sights, including the most famous of all, the Eiffel Tower (more of which later)……Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, the first stone of which was laid by Henri III in 1578…
…and our final destination of the Musee d’Orsay.
A beautiful building, converted from a railway station, it was opened as a museum in 1986 and exhibits art work from 1848 to 1914 including that of Renoir and Van Gogh. Unfortunately you aren’t able to take photos inside (I’d love to show you the inside of the building itself, never mind the artwork on show).We then headed towards the Eiffel Tower and managed to survive the extremely long queues to admire the views from the very top.
Originally built for the 1889 Universal Exhibition, it was the world’s tallest building until the construction of the Empire State Building in New York.
Next time…my favourite building in the world, Notre Dame, a boat ride along the Seine, Opera National de Paris Garnier, the Moulin Rouge, Sacre Coeur, more of the Place des Vosges, the Hotel de Sully and the Maison de Victor Hugo.
Categories: France, Paris
Tags: artwork, Colonne de Juillet, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, photo post, Place de la Bastille, Place des Vosges, Pont Neuf, the Eiffel Tower, the Seine
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Nottingham – Here Be Dragons
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Whilst out walking yesterday I came across something that I thought deserved its very own post. It’s a sculpture of a dragon made by this sculptor, commissioned by Nottingham City Council. It is quite simply amazing. The location really isn’t that great for showing it off, but it definitely deserves some more recognition.
Oxford
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Last weekend I met up with a couple of friends in Oxford and in between catching up with them we did a brief spot of sight-seeing. A few of the pics I took are below.
Out and About in Derbyshire
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Yesterday I was out and about in Derbyshire, visiting two different mills. The first was Masson Mills, a working textile museum, on the banks of the River Derwent. Built in 1783 it is one of Sir Richard Arkwright’s mills and was in continuous production until 1991.
The second was Caudwell’s Mill in Rowsley. Built in 1874 it is a working example of an early water turbine-driven roller mill. Much of the machinery inside dates from the turn of the century and represents the most advanced technology of the time.
Week Thirty-Seven
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I only did a few tourist things this week. One was a visit to the Police Museum which turned out to be a very interesting, if small, floor of the old Coroner’s Court Building. Included on site are the city’s original morgue and autopsy laboratory, which includes the forensic table where Errol Flynn was declared dead.
I also visited the Marine Building, which has some of the most beautiful Art Deco style architecture I’ve ever seen.
And that actually concludes my time in Canada. I have decided to go home a few months earlier than planned, so this will be my last blog post from Vancouver. I have had a fabulous time and I hope that all of you who have been reading and commenting have enjoyed hearing what I’ve been up to and looking at the pictures. I’ve quite got into the habit of always carrying my camera with me now, so I expect I shall keep this blog going to post my continuing adventures, wherever they may be.
Till next time…
Week Thirty-Six
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I achieved quite a few little trips this week. The first was a long walk across Burrard Bridge, taking lots of photos as I went:
A friend and I also visited the UBC Botanical Gardens which, whilst okay, were certainly not as magnificent as I’d been lead to believe by other people and their website. I suppose I’ve just been spoiled by Kew Gardens back in London.
We also went to the Nitobe Memorial Garden, as part of the price of admission to the Botanical Gardens. This is a very pretty Japanese style garden, which is apparently one of the most authentic such gardens in North America, as you can see:
I also went on another explore around Kitstilano and found myself, inevitably, at the beach:
Till next week…
Categories: Vancouver
Tags: at the beach, burrard bridge, Kitsilano, nitobe memorial garden, photo post, UBC, ubc botanical gardens, Vancouver
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