Recently in general Category

I've been a bit slow to post my photos this summer because the weather has been so warm, and I've not wanted to spend more time in front of a laptop after working in front of it inside a hot and humid house all day. I've just wanted to relax in the garden where it is cooler, but it's not so easy to see the laptop screen. Last month, I visited my friend in Fordingbridge in Hampshire. 

This time, I drove and went to the Fighting Cocks pub a few miles outside of Fordingbridge. There were many horses, New Forest ponies, and donkeys hanging around.

I had one glass of drink outside in the pub garden in the sun after work.

The donkeys were loving the dirt and dust because the weather has been so hot and humid and the grass is dry. 

We had a quick walk in the New Forest but did not get too far because there were a lot of horses and ponies around, and I did not trust them.

Last time I visited Fordingbridge, we went to the George pub next to the bridge. We did not go this time, but we had a walk around the river. It is so low due to the hot weather, so I was able to walk around where the water normally covers.

I always have fond memories of this little town.

We had breakfast at one of the new restaurants, Dominic Cafe. I had scrambled eggs and toast.

In the evening, we went to the Raj of India. This was the first Indian restaurant that I've ever been to. It has changed management since I visited all of those years ago, but it's still really good.

Hopfully I will be able to catch up on my posts soon! 

Shoreditch became the playing ground for August's first weekend and the previous weekend (8-9th) for Pokémon GO. Pokémon GO hosted a "Summer Quest" with timed research and quests in the area around Brick Lane and Shoreditch, and those who completed some of the activities could claim a free drink (coffee or tea). I've been playing the game since it was launched ten years ago, but I am not a die-hard player; I went along to play. Pokémon have stepped it up this summer with events at National Trust properties as well as this event.

 It was a bit hot for either of those drinks, but I did have a tea after I completed the quest. The area was proving to be popular with other Pokémon GO players in the area.

Yesterday marked a partial solar eclipse in London with the totality being nearly at 90% at the peak. I bought some eclipse glasses awhile ago and had some from the total eclipse in America a couple of years ago. I went outside and met up with neighbours on my street in order to watch this event and let them share my glasses since the glasses were hard to find. The peak of the eclipse happened at about 19:20.

The next total solar eclipse will not take place until 2090, but another partial one will take place in 2050.

The Old College in Tattershall is located in Lincolnshire, and it was a former grammar school that is now in ruins. The college was set up in the mid-1430s with the ruins dating from the mid-1400s. It was a good example of Gothic architecture. In the 18th century, it was used as a brewery. The importance of the site is that it was one of the first brick buildings in England and one of the surviving examples of a medieval school. The remains of the college are now maintained by English Heritage. I explored the remains of the college and also had a wander around the square of the village of Tattershall.

The college remains are sign-posted and just off the main square.

There is not too much to see except for the brickwork. It is the shell of the building. It was commissioned by Lord Cromwell, treasurer to King Henry VI. This man had a lot of wealth and owned a lot of the land here; he was also responsible for the castle in the town, which I will cover in another post.

The end of the building backs onto private gardens.

Tattershall was a village before the Romans, and it was listed in the Doomsday Book.

Below is the buttercross, and markets would take place here.

Another important item is the little house on top of a roof in the square. It is known as Tom Thumb's House aftr the fictional storybook character.

The town's mayor is Julian Fellowes, award-winner and writer of "Downton Abbey" and "Godsford Park", various plays, and other television/film screenplays. 

Monkesthorpe Chapel is located in Lincolnshire near Gunby Estate, and it is maintained by the National Trust and an important religious site. Visitors who wish to see the interior of the chapel must ask the National Trust volunteers in the Gunby car park for the key and then return it. Monkesthorpe Chapel is a Baptist chapel, and it was built in 1701 but refurbished in the mid-1800s. The interior retains the mid-1800s style. 

The chapel appears to be a farmyard barn to conceal it since Baptists were not permitted to worship at this time. The first Baptist church was locatd in Spitalfields in London in 1612, and this religion spread to Lincolnshire in the mid-1600s. Before the building was constructed, they met in the open air underneath a tree to listen but kept watch.

Near the entrance to the chapel is a war memorial. This memorial is for a 1944 accident involving a bomb exploding as it was being loaded into a Lancaster bomber. All of the men were killed.  

I had a quick look around the buildings, and the ones at the closest point were not open but held some information panels inside the window.

I was able to look inside the chapl, and it had a central room heater on tiled floor and a balcony area.

There is also a graveyard.

This is a peaceful setting with a lot of local history and an interesting chapel disguised.

Bolingbroke Castle was a 13th century castle built in a hexagonal style in Lincolnshire, and only the ruins of some of the outer wall foundations and earthworks remain. The castle is where Henry of Bolingbroke (who became King Henry IV) was born. The castle was siezed in 1643, and it was damaged. The castle ruins are surrounded by a moat, which are now ponds. It is managed by English Heritage but free to visit.

The grass is very dry, so it is easier to make out some of the structures compared to my first visit to this castle ten years ago.

There are some earthworks in the field on the other side of the moat near the castle, and these would have been buildings as well and appear to be surrounded by a ditch. 

I went to take a look, but the rams were a little too needy to follow me. 

You can read about my first visit to Bolingbroke Castle here:

http://almostafternoon.com/blog/2016/09/a-visit-to-bolingbroke-castle.html

This was my second visit to the National Trust property known as Gunby Hall and Estate; my first visit had been during the lockdown, and I could only visit the gardens on the first visit. Gunby Estate has Gunby Hall, gardens, and countryside walks. The hall was built in 1700 for the Massingberd family, and there is an attractive Victorian walled garden with dovecote. I found this to be a beautiful property with well-kept gardens and several resident cats, although I did not see any cats on this visit. I visited at the end of last month.

This was my first visit of the morning, and I first went to explore the house before crowds of people.

We were told some of the history of the house upon entry as the entry were timed slots. After the basic history, we could explore the rooms on our own with other guides being available to give us more information when required. We were told that the house narrowly missed being demolished in World War II because they wanted to build an airfield nearby, and the house was in the way of the flight path. Because they could not tear down a house donated to the National Trust, they decided to donate it to the National Trust. This has saved the estate and hall.

The rooms are modest in size and do have a nice feeling.

After visiting the house, I went to explore the gardens. The dovecote reminds me of Eastcote House Gardens as the positioning inside a walled garden is the same.

I loved wandering around the colourful blooms.

The late July and early August flowers were in bloom. I would love to see the gardens at a different time of the year.

My previous visit to Gunby in the summer (at the same time of the year) can be seen here: http://almostafternoon.com/blog/2020/09/gunby-estate-lockdown-edition.html

I visited Salisbury last month with a friend, and it is one of my favourite places in the country. I particularly enjoy the water meadows as there are nice walks and views over the cathedral and meadows. On this visit, I walked through the Harnham Water Meadows, and there was a special day taking places to celebrate them with some guided tours and walks. I managed to join one of the walks a few minutes in, and we set across the open meadows to learn a little bit about this place. 

These water meadows have man-made ditches connecting to the rivers, and the ditches provide water to the meadows to get the grass to grow for grazing sheep. We were shown some of the channels dug and the brick work and told some history of the area.

The park with the river running through it is always popular with families and children who often go into th shallow water.

After the walk through the water meadows, Rose Cottage was open. This is a little museum dedicated to the water meadows and had some additional information about them and items found in them. After a quick look inside at the information, we went to the mill pub here. We did not stay for the end of the tour.

The river by the mill pub is also always popular with children, and the water is deeper here.

I also explored Salisbury and got photographs of the city. I walked around the market too as it was market day.

We had some cocktails at Charlie's before leaving.

I always enjoy a visit to Salisbury.

Juniper and Vine is a cafe specialising in lunches, wine, and pairing snacks and located in Fordingbridge in the New Forest. My friend lives in Fordingbridge, and we visited the cafe for a working lunch on a Friday. We both had a sandwich for lunch, and I had a vegetarian one with mozzarella and peppers, and it was very tasty. We also ordered the cheese board to graze on, and this came with a selection of meats and cheeses and other items - pickles, onions, olives, tomato, figs, apples, bread, crackers, and blueberries. It was really good.

I had a glass of wine.

We also tried the cocktails - the passionfruit martini.

It's a cute little place on the High Street with large windows facing out to the street.

The food was delicious, and I would definitely return.

Grantham House is at 14th century home located in the town of of the same name (Grantham) in Lincolnshire, and it serves the community as a place to meet and relax. The rooms in the house can be hired for different community events, and there are large outdoor and garden areas to enjoy with outdoor games and a walled garden. The property has a very community-oriented feeling, and it is one of the National Trust's free places to visit for well-being. 

The rooms in the house are set up with games, and the main room has a small cafe with hot drinks, ice cream, and a selection of cold drinks and sweets. 

I had an ice cream. The ice cream is from a local supplier, and I had cherry.

Outside in the garden are various games to play.

I also went to check out the walled garden.

There is also a little part of the garden with different decorated butterflies called "Garden of Hope", and it symbolises lives lost to difficulties in mental health.

I had a wander around the walled garden, which was very quiet during my morning visit.

I visited at the end of July, and the apples were ripening on the trees.

I loved the colour of this maple in the walled garden.

This house, situated in the middle of Grantham, is special as it provides a green space to relax and enjoy with the community.