A Guided Coach Tour to the Real Downton Abbey

By:  Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

Arriving at Highclere Castle

My coach group were all avid fans of the television series Downton Abbey and had admitted to being glued to their television sets on Sunday evenings to watch the popular period drama, and discover the latest developments in the lives of the aristocratic family and their staff that lived there.  There was no doubt they were really looking forward to visiting the stately home used as the set of the fictional Yorkshire pile of the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their family. 
The photos of Downton Abbey, sorry - the photos of Highclere Castle, are of the ancestral home of the present 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, which has been seen in every episode of the five series of Downton Abbey. 


Familiar view of Highclere Castle as
Downton Abbey

First question was where is it?  Highclere Castle is not in Yorkshire as one would imagine but in Hampshire on the Berkshire - Hampshire border, just off the A34 south of Newbury.

A folly known as Jackdaws Castle
built 1743

We arrived at our destination early and caught a glimpse of the now very familiar tower as we drove up the mile long driveway.  We had timed tickets for entry into the house so, with an hour and a half to spare, we had the opportunity to either wander around the park designed by Capability Brown, or admire the gardens and / or visit the Egyptian Exhibition.  An earlier Earl of Carnarvon had been a very keen amateur archaeologist and along with his archaeological expert Howard Carter had spent many years exploring the ancient Valley of the Kings, where Egyptian pharaohs were buried.  They had famously discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun (1336BC - 1327BC) and the story is recounted in the cellars of the Castle, so I headed for the exhibition and found it very interesting.

Waiting at the entrance

At 12.30pm we queued at the front door to show our tickets to see the house and to look at the rooms, many of which had become very familiar through our Sunday evenings in front of the television. 

Unfortunately photography wasn't permitted inside Highclere Castle, otherwise I would have been snapping away nineteen to the dozen.  The first room that we saw was instantly recognisable as Lord Grantham's study.  It was the library which was a very large room separated by tall gilded ionic columns, surrounded by mahogany and gold bookcases with over 5,600 leather bound books.  A lot of the Castle furniture was used in the film, but a desk that had been put by the window for Lord Grantham during the series, was no longer in place - had it been antique furniture belonging to the Castle or was it a film prop?



The date of building & family motto

The soaring Neo Gothic Great Hall, around which flow the state rooms was magnificent.   It had a feature stone fireplace and arched stone walls with a decorated frieze all the way around featuring carved and painted heraldic shields of the generations of the Carnarvon family. The beautiful 17th century painted and hand tooled leather panels on the lower walls was very unusual and very rare but it softened the appearance of the room and made it look more cosy.  The whole image is even more impressive than how it appears on the television because on the screen you don't see its full height, that it has a glass roof and is surrounded by a stone carved gallery at first floor level.   The state dining room was again very familiar with the large central dining table as well as paintings, including the equestrian painting of King Charles I by Van Dyke, on the walls.  All it needed was the Crawley family to be seated around the table and you'd be back in the period drama.  We saw more state rooms and some bedrooms but not the servants quarters. 
The 'below stairs' area was created at the Ealing studios and many of the actors and actresses playing the servants hardly ever visited the castle.

Afternoon tea in the grounds of
Highclere Castle

After our self-guided tour we all agreed that it had been a lovely day, and to finish we would enjoy a cream tea in the converted stables at the back of the house, part of the original Elizabethan Manor that hadn't had the Sir Charles Barry make-over. 

We found some tables and cast our eyes round for Mr Carson, Thomas or Alfred. There wasn't a Butler or a Footman to be seen.   I reminded everyone of the lovely lines of the Dowager Countess of Grantham "It's our job to create employment.  An aristocrat with no servants is as much use to the country as a glass hammer."   We all had to pitch in and do our own fetching and carrying, which brought us quickly back into the modern world to sitting around sipping tea and discussing which way of life we would prefer.

 

A Cruise along the River Thames at Lechlade in Gloucestershire

By:  Blue Badge Tour guide - Anne Bartlett
Recorded for BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Saturday Breakfast Show with Tom Lowe

The other day we stopped in Lechlade and had a walk along the River Thames.  I was delighted to see that the Cotswold Canals Trust had started boat trips as far as Inglesham Lock to see the start of the derelict Thames and Severn Canal which, in the 19th century, linked the two great rivers of our country, so I was keen to have a look.

For Gloucestershire people the restoration of the Cotswold Canals is a major development with funding from the Heritage Lottery, the South West Regional Development Agency, The Cotswold Canals Trust and many hours of labour from keen volunteers.  A great deal of building work is happening at the moment in Stroud itself. 

I have taken a number of guided walks along parts of the tow path and seen some interesting canal architecture and enjoyed the countryside but in many places the canal banks are overgrown, the lock gates missing or broken and the canal basin empty of water, which is not surprising since it was abandoned about 50 years ago as the railways took trade away and delivered more cargo faster.

The Cotswold canals have a future and will be used by leisure boats rather than trading boats. The tow paths will provide enjoyable walks for all the family.  I recommend this half -hour boat trip, not only is it enjoyable but the money goes towards a very exciting project. For further information on the boat trips run by the Cotswold Canals Trust call 07787 485 294 or look at their website http://www.lechladetripboat.co.uk/

For organised group guided  coach tours  around the East Cotswolds contact anne@tourandexplore.com 

Hailes Abbey, Gloucestershire

By:  Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

An artists impression of Hailes Abbey
before its dissolution in 1539

A place which I find very special and interesting, are the ruins of Hailes Abbey between Winchcombe and Stanway in the north Cotswolds.

It was in 1242 when Richard Earl of Cornwall nearly drowned whilst crossing a stormy sea in a foundering ship on his voyage back from fighting in the Crusades.  He vowed that he would build an Abbey if he got back to England safely.

He kept his vow and was given land by his brother King Henry III and by the middle of the 13th century the Abbey buildings were well underway. The church and living quarters alongside, were for the Cistercian order of monks often known as white monks, because they wore habits of undyed wool.  Cistercian monks liked remote places away from all human contact, they were self sufficient, and farming was their means of survival.  At Hailes they were isolated and were able to devote their life to God.

However after the Abbey was built, Edmund, Earl Richard's son, bought a phial containing some of Christ's Blood. It had a guarantee that it was genuine from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who later became Pope.

A beautiful chapel and sacred shrine were built behind the high altar in the abbey church for the phial, and it was ceremoniously presented to the monks. The hugely important relic, known as the 'Holy Blood of Hailes' was to make the Abbey one of the great pilgrimage centres of England and many miracles were said to have taken place there.

In the 16th century Henry VIII became king of England

The Abbey along with many other religious houses around the country was destroyed in the 1530's on the orders of King Henry VIII.  The wealth and treasures at Hailes were appropriated for the Crown.  The phial of blood was tested and was proclaimed to be a fake.

King Henry VIII, having been excommunicated by the Pope in Rome over his divorce had made himself Supreme Head of the Church in England. He now had powerful enemies abroad and needed money quickly to build up his navy to fight wars on the continent.  He therefore sold a lot of monastic land which was bought by leading nobles and ambitious gentry who were keen to extend their family position and status.  There is a Kip's drawing of a magnificent house and formal gardens entitled 'Hailes Abbey the seat of the Lord Tracy'. All this has disappeared now but the beautifully maintained site around the foundations, remaining walls and arches are now in the care of English Heritage.

There's an interesting museum, and a free audio tour as well as information boards around the site.  You can take a picnic and spend the day there, or drive further up the road to Hailes fruit farm, where you can pick fresh fruit, shop or enjoy something to eat and drink in their cafe.

After an enjoyable time at Hailes Abbey we travelled to Stanway to look around the village and this is what we discovered...

Recycled stone - said to be from Hailes Abbey!

For group guided coach tours around the North Cotswolds see my website:  http://www.tourandexplore.com/

The Regency Town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire

By: Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

The Promenade, Cheltenham

Cheltenham is considered one of the most complete Regency towns in England.
The Regency period is part of the late Georgian times. It was when King George III became insane in 1811, but lived until 1820. So his eldest son George became the Prince Regent, and ruled for nine years in the King's stead. Then when his father died George became King George IV and reigned in his own right from 1820-1830. Because of the Prince Regent’s huge influence on fashion, this is known as The Regency Period. Regency architecture was classical in nature. It used the traditional style of building of ancient Greece and Rome. And the typical Regency upper or middle-class houses were built in brick and covered in stucco or painted plaster with fluted Greek columns or pilasters, and carefully moulded cornices with beautiful decorative ironwork. So the building style is best described as "refined elegance".

How did Cheltenham develop from an insignificant medieval village to what you see today? Well surprisingly it’s thanks to a flock of pigeons and a very poorly king George III.

Back in 1716 a farmer called William Mason had bought a field in Bayshill (which is where the Ladies College now stands) and had the intention of farming it, but he noticed that pigeons were continually pecking near a trickle of mineral water running at the edge of the field. Spa towns such as Bath and Tunbridge Wells were becoming increasingly popular as health resorts for the wealthy. With this in mind, Mason developed the spring, fenced it, and built a thatched hut over it. He sold glasses of the mineral water to the public and his business venture was moderately successful.

William Mason retired and the estate passed to his daughter and son in law, Henry Skillicorne, a sea captain. Henry had a good eye for business and developed the potential of the Bayshill site turning it into a profitable enterprise.

In 1788 King George III had a nasty bilious attack and was recommended the Cheltenham waters by his doctor. So, leaving Windsor castle on 12th July 1788 he arrived in Cheltenham with his family to stay with Lord Fauconberg at his Bayshill House. The Royal family were here for five weeks.

The accounts show that it was a relaxed informal visit. The King would rise early and visit the well at 6 o’clock in the morning to drink the waters. He’d go off on his own riding out to the Cotswolds or he would walk around the town talking to shop keepers or passers by. It was a happy successful visit and by the time the royal party were to leave on the 16th August all Cheltenham came out to see them off – the gentles on one side and the commons on the other, and a band played God Save the King.

Pittville Pump Rooms, Cheltenham

Following the visit of King George III, Cheltenham was on the map, it was a Spa town to be visited. Arthur Welesley, later to become the Duke of Wellington, visited Cheltenham four times, and found relief for his liver complaint caused by a long period of service in India and he recommended the waters to his officers.

Visitors to the town increased and accommodation was needed. Speculators came and lodging houses went up at a great rate. There was a search to find more springs and new wells were opened.

Montpellier Pump Rooms, Cheltenham

After the first, named Royal Well, there was Montpellier Spa, Sherbourne Spa (where the Queen’s Hotel now stands) Vittoria Spa, Cambray Spa, Alstone Spa and Pittville Spa; business was booming. Assembly rooms were built for balls, concerts, card games and billiards. Theatres developed. Gardens were laid out with bandstands and, walks and rides so the fashionable people could promenade with their friends and see and be seen. Here was an opportunity for new friendships to develop, a chance to flirt, to find an aristocratic husband or a wealthy wife, to flaunt new clothes, to frequent the coffee houses and tea rooms, visit bookshops and complain about the extortionate prices.

This was now the Regency period, visiting a spa had become an established social custom. Cheltenham became the Merriest Sick Resort on Earth and probably in most cases the benefits to health were coincidental.

Gustav Holst's statue, Imperial Gardens,
Cheltenham

Cheltenham has two famous sons. Gustav Holst was born here on 21st September 1874 and his birthplace 4, Clarence Street, is a typical Victorian terraced house and a delightful museum which honours his life and tells the story of the man and his music. Some of his personal belongings including his piano are on display. There is a bronze statue of him in Imperial gardens facing the town hall where he attended a 2 hour festival of music in his honour in 1927. He was invited to conduct Somerset Rhapsody and his most celebrated work The Planets. (d 1934).

Dr Edward Wilson the Antarctic Explorer who died with Captain Scott on his return from the South Pole in March 1912 was born in Montpellier Terrace on 23rd July 1872. (So, just 2 years difference in their ages.) Wilson went to Cheltenham College before going to Cambridge to read Natural Science and medicine. There is a statue to him in the Promenade which was sculptured by Lady Scott and there is also a gallery dedicated to him in the museum nearby.

Cheltenham is the Headquarters of the National Hunt (horse racing over hurdles) which culminates in the Gold Cup Festival from 15th – 18th March next year. The crowds, over 200,000 people attend over the 4 days, and over £500 million pounds will be bet on the results of just 26 races. The Race Course, set in the lee of the Cotswold Hills attracts royalty, celebrities, the great, the good and the fashionable. The carnival atmosphere gives residents a sense of occasion whether they are involved or not.  There is so much more to see in Cheltenham....

For a group guided tour of Cheltenham and the surrounding area as part of a coach tour or a special guided walk of Cheltenham's historic town centre. Contact anne@tourandexplore.com

Gruesome tales at Berkeley Castle

By: Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

Recorded for: BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Saturday Breakfast Show

Berkeley Castle from the gardens

The other day I took a group of tourists to Berkeley in Gloucestershire to look around the oldest inhabited castle in the country. I was taking a guided coach tour around the South Cotswolds. The weather was absolutely glorious and, as we travelled down the Cotswold escarpment towards the castle, we enjoyed glorious views across to The Forest of Dean with landmark -May Hill and its distinctive top knot trees, clearly visible in the distance. We could make out the River Severn as it made its way out to the estuary.

The solid stone castle we were to visit guards the Severn estuary. Generations of the Berkeley family have lived there for over 850 year. In Medieval times they were noble knights who kept and trained a private army to fight for their king when needed.

When we arrived at Berkeley castle we were warmly welcomed and shown into the inner courtyard, which is completely surrounded by fortified buildings. The oldest part, the Keep dates back to 1117.

It was in the very first room of the Keep that we heard the gruesome story of how King Edward II met his early death. We looked down into a dungeon dropping 28 feet below us. This was where some prisoners were kept, but King Edward probably had more comfortable quarters in a small cell in the corner of the room. Legend has it that the king was held down in his cell, and a red hot poker inserted so that it went deep into his bowels, until his internal burns killed him. It is said that Edward’s screams were heard for miles around - hardly a good idea for those wanting to claim, as they did, that Edward had died a natural death. In actual fact, he was probably smothered, but why let a good story get in the way of the truth? Edward was killed on the orders of his wife Isabella and her lover, Roger Mortimer a very powerful and ambitious Marcher Lord who wanted to rule England.

Berkeley castle was involved in the Civil War in the 1640's when it endured a three-day siege and was captured by Parliamentary forces. A breach was made in the walling of the Keep which is still there today. In fact, the owners are forbidden by law even now to repair the damage!

The 14th century Great Hall with its lofty ceiling is typical for a medieval castle. It was where everyone who lived in the castle met and ate their meals. Pages and servants waited on table. Entertainment was a major feature of life in a medieval castle with music, dancing, jugglers, jesters, plays and masques.

We enjoyed our guided tour through all the state rooms, hearing about the Berkeley family through the centuries.

Outside, we enjoyed strolling around the well kept gardens before we got on the coach and headed back to Gloucester.

For a group guided coach tour to include Berkeley Castle contact anne@tourandexplore.com

A Restored Tudor House to explore in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

By: Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett
Recorded for: BBC Radio Gloucestershire

Tourist Information Centre, Tewkesbury

I recommend a visit to Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire during the summer months. The town has a wealth of medieval buildings, and is so well preserved that it is considered to be one of the most important gem towns in Great Britain. This means that it is recommended for preservation by the state as part of our national heritage.

I’m therefore going to suggest that you include a beautifully restored early 16th century timber framed property on your itinerary. The building, which is of both architectural and historical importance, is on Church Street right by The Cross, and is distinctive as it has a large black Beadles Hat, an ancient trade sign, hanging from the first floor.

Inside the front door as you enter, there’s an Information Centre. The staff there are extremely helpful and they will provide booklets and a very good 'state of the art' hand held audio visual guide to help you with the interpretation of all the restoration work, as well as telling you about the interesting discoveries that were found during the process. You can then go through and explore the building in your own time.

During the restoration work, a huge amount of research was made on one of the owners, a Bartholomew Read, a prosperous glove maker, who lived through the Civil War, and Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth period, dying in 1680 during the reign of King Charles II. So, during a period of huge political and religious upheaval. The audio visual guide gives an account of Read, whose status and lifestyle is reflected in the light, spacious rooms on show in this Medieval property. Contrary to popular belief the typical Puritan household enjoyed alcohol as well as music, and domestic life was lived to the full with religion being an important influence on their daily lives.

A further large room upstairs on the second floor gives an account of the history and development of Tewkesbury from the Anglo Saxon Period through to the present day. A highlight of the display, are pictures and a description of the Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place in 1471.

Besides the permanent displays there is a special Summer Exhibition which is on at the moment and its called “The Art of Theatrical Costume” and has stunning outfits on loan from the Royal Shakespeare Company from productions put on by The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

100, Church Street or “Out of the Hat” as it is called is open throughout the year and opens 7 days a week during school holidays.

Children are made very welcome, and there are special museum trails, activities, interactive displays, quizzes and dressing up clothes available for them. Also during the school holidays there will be workshops and special events organised. Entry, for Adults is £3.50 and children £2.50. A family ticket is £10.00

For more information about visits to the restored Tudor property in Tewkesbury, the website is http://www.outofthehat.org.uk/ and the telephone number is 01684 855040.

For group guided tours around Tewkesbury either as part of a coach tour of the area, or a special walking tour of the town contact: anne@tourandexplore.com

A Guided Tour of the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

By: Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

A few weeks ago I went with a group on a guided tour of the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham.

We were greeted in the foyer by members of the theatre staff, and then shown into the auditorium where we were seated. Looking around, with the lights on, we could see that this much loved historic building was in need of restoration work and decoration. We were told about a £3m fund raising efforts to secure money for essential maintainance work. We were given a fascinating introductory talk about the history of the Theatre in Cheltenham.

The first theatre, was on a different site, and goes back to the 18th century. It was during King George III's visit to Cheltenham in 1788 that he made several visits to the theatre, enjoying performances by famous actresses such as Sarah Siddons as well as Dorothea Jordon. The theatre was very fashionable, however fifty years later it was in decline and the building was eventually destroyed by fire.

In 1891 a new theatre including opera house was built, to a design by Frank Matcham, one of the greatest theatre architects of the Victorian Age. We admired the intricate detail around the walls and balconies of the auditorium with its Rococo plaster work, its carvings and its painted ceilings, which, we were told, was the oldest surviving example of Matcham’s work still in use as a theatre today, so the decoration is very rare and very special.

We were given a look around behind the scenes and learnt so much about what went on. It was a very enjoyable tour.

Yesterday, we received great news. £500,000 has been granted to the Everyman Theatre by the Heritage Lottery fund which means that £2,750,000 of funding is now in place and the restoration work to the paintings and plasterwork followed by redecoration of the auditorium should begin in May 2011.

Guided tours of the Everyman Theatre are available still, but must be booked in advance. So do look on the website wwweverymantheatre.org.uk. Or telephone 01242 695574

For group guided coach tours of Cheltenham and the surrounding area or walking tours of the town contact anne@tourandexplore.com