A few days in Somerset (and Wiltshire)

[ladyofastolat]

We spent the last few days in Somerset, staying in a B&B in a manor house, with curious lawn ornaments:



Friday was very wet, and the swelling from my insect bite went from my toes almost to my knee, so I was bit hobbly. As a result, we spent much of the day in various National Trust tea rooms in rain-drenched manor houses.

Barrington Court was first: a Tudor manor house which had become an empty shell until Colonel Lyle (of Tate & Lyle fame) restored it after WW1. (This mostly consisted of covering every inch of it with items from his extensive panelling collection.) It was used as a filming location for Wolf Hall, so many of the rooms had costumes from that series on display, and photos and videos showing how the rooms appeared on screen.



I liked this sundial, which has refused to be content with just a single gnomon, like common or garden sundials have, but has gone for as many as it can fit on. Maybe some were set for New York or Tokyo time?

Here is some panelling, uttering the grim warning: All Fish Must Die.



A random tile from a random bathroom. Well, not TOO random, since that implies that I rolled a series of dice and let fate decide which tile I was going to photograph, when actually I quite deliberately chose to photograph this one, as well as the one with the owl with apparent tadpoles buzzing confusedly round its head, and the collection of swans (or ducks) that will be added to the extensive collection of stylised and heraldic swans that pellinor has made me photograph across Europe, for future Reasons.



There were loads of pretty (but soggy) gardens, including a tennis court and pavilion that had the worrying notice warning us that bees were "active" here. We scoffed, only to see a host of honey bees making a bee-line towards us, so we fled, babbling apologies for our laughter. I think I've had a lucky escape all those times I've chuckled while walking past the notice that warns us to stay on the path because of "free range bees."

Then we went to Montacute House, which is another Tudor manor house, but this one bigger and full of furniture and Tudor and Stuart portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery. I appear to have failed to photograph its exterior at all, but have some rubbish lions instead.



I also liked this depiction of a skimmington ride, in which a husband is caught boozing when in charge of the baby. His wife whacks him on the head with a shoe, and before you know it, he's being forced to play the pipe and tabor while being carried through the village on a pole. Pellinor questioned why he's playing the music for his own punishment, but according to the great wisdom that is the Internet (a pipe and tabor site) the pipe and tabor denotes that he's playing the fool.





After Montacute, we had a lightning fast visit to Lytes Cary, which I have managed to almost completely forget just 3 days later. Have some topiary, though. I feel that the pointy bits should rise up with a mechanical sounding clicking noise, revealing invading aliens. I doubt this is what's intended, though.



Saturday was glorious weather, and I was less hobbly, so we climbed Glastonbury Tor, then went to Glastonbury Abbey.



The theme was shadows. The picture didn't come out well, but I liked the long moment in which the whole 360 degree view was bathed in sunshine, but a terrible Shadow of Darkness had fallen upon Glastonbury itself.



Shadows in the abbey:







And some Not Shadows!



The small chapel in the abbey grounds had been painted with modern wall paintings in the style of medieval ones. I particularly liked this depiction of Mary Magdalene, denoting Pride, with the other Deadly Sins around her. Unfortunately the information booklet was a bit confused about these sins, and gave us Greed and Avarice as separate ones ("Avarice" looking suspiciously slothful) as well as Wrath and Anger.



I saw this on a wall in Glastonbury, and thought it was strangely threatening.



After Glastonbury, we went to Wells, where Daleks were invading. I'm not entirely sure why.



However, we managed to avoid getting exterminated or excommunicated by a Dalek, and had a pint and some tea in the grounds of the Bishops Palace, being menaced by wasps and watched by three direwolves. Then to the Cathedral, where I got carried away with shadows again.





I didn't take any pictures inside the cathedral, since they were asking for £4 for a photo permit, and we had to rush through quite quickly since they were preparing for a service.





Yesterday we went to Stourhead, which was all very pretty (although wasp-riddled) and interesting, although I don't seem to have taken many pictures, apart from the one that everyone takes. Oh, and a view through a hole. Got to have a view through a hole.






And then to Old Wardour Castle, along a narrow maze of tiny lanes, where all the middle classes of Wiltshire were having their picnics on the lawns. The castle was based on interlocking hexagons, thus proving that war gaming had already taken off in the 14th century.