Barnard Castle

Another weekend....another castle.  This past weekend we took a drive to Barnard Castle.  Located about an hour south of Newcastle in County Durham, we were out of the city in a matter of minutes and back into countryside.  Hello sheepalings! (what the kids affectionately call the sheep.)  The surrounding market town is also called Barnard Castle, which caused us a little confusion on the SatNav as we were approaching the area.  It said "You have reached your destination" but we saw no castle.  It wasn't until we parked and headed down the hill and around a corner that we actually saw it.  It sits on a hill overlooking the River Tees.  And when I say it overlooks the river, I mean it overlooks the river.  If it were any closer, it would actually be IN the river.  I wish I had taken a picture of the sheer cliff it sits on with the river straight below.  It would've been impossible to stage an attack on this castle from the river.  Good thinking on the planning commissions part!

The River Tees and County Bridge.  This is the only bridge that crosses so close to the castle and I'm sure heavily defended because of it.  It dates back to 1569.

Brief History


The castle was founded by the Normans shortly after their conquest of the area in the 12th century but it enjoyed its heyday under Barnard de Bailliol during the latter half of the 12th century.  This is where the castle gets its name.  The castle passed into the hands of the Balliol family after Barnard's death and then into the possession of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.  King Richard III inherited it through his wife, Anne Neville but it fell into ruins in the century after his death.

Outline of the grounds and all it's "wards".

Details of the Castle


The Middle Ward was also known as the "Many Gates" because it linked the other three wards of the castle.  It served as a fortified entry area through which every visitor had to pass in order to get into the Inner Ward.


The Outer Ward was the largest of the four wards and contained the 'market' gate which was the main entrance to the castle from the town.  Within the Outer Ward was the manorial farm (the kids thought this was funny as they thought I said manure-ial the first time) and the Chapel of St. Margaret. 


In the mid-14th century Barnard Castle was in the ownership of Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.  During this period most of the Outer Ward was abandoned and the Town Ward had at least one of its buildings torn down.  A large building was constructed in the Middle Ward to replace the buildings in the other wards.  This way the castle was reduced almost entirely to just the Middle and Inner Wards and therefore became smaller and cheaper to run.  I guess even the Earl had to downsize.

An artists rendering of the castle in the 14th century.

The hill coming down towards the bottom of the picture is called the Great Ditch.  If anyone actually made it through the castle walls, they'd have this hill to overcome to get to the main castle quarters.  Not an easy feat if you're weighed down by chain mail and being shot at with flaming arrows!  Of course the kids tried and failed miserably; rolling down the ditch and getting covered in mud.

Mortham Tower.  It was at least five storeys (yes, that's how they spell stories out here) high and was used as a lookout tower.  It was built in the 14th century at the same time as the final version of the Great Hall.

Second storey of the Great Hall; overlooking the River Tees.

Throwing rocks into the Great Ditch.  A favorite pastime.

I loved the way the sunlight hit this staircase in this picture from the Round Tower.

Our photographer, Jack.

In addition to the castle there is a sensory garden.  Not nearly as old as the castle, it was built in 2002... a newborn by comparison.  Although most everything was in hibernation, there were already some flowers blooming and braving the wind and chill.  We'll have to go back in the summer because then there will be marjoram, lavender and thyme growing and I'm sure it will smell wonderful.

After we left the castle we decided to venture down the streets of the town of Barnard Castle.  The town is filled with shops, pubs and boutiques.  Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, most everything was closed.  But there was a sandwich shop open so we grabbed a bite, sat on a park bench, enjoyed the sunshine and watched the people go by...even some guy on a buggy being pulled by a horse.

Some guy cruising the main drag with a horse and buggy.

And there you have it....a look see at Barnard Castle.


All the images were taken by us except for the first one.  Thanks to www.english-heritage.org.uk for the use of that image.  As you would imagine we didn't arrive to the castle in a helicopter to capture that amazing aerial shot.  But I'm sure if we did, we wouldn't have missed it like we did when we first arrived.

Shrove Tuesday

Also called Pancake Day!

What is Pancake Day?

Pancake Day is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is tradition on this day to eat pancakes.

Why are pancakes eaten on Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent.  Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent. 

When is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the commencement of Lent.  Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March.

Why is it called "Shrove"? 

  

The name "shrove" comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

Now, I'm not a religious person, but I was more than happy to partake in this particular celebration.  Thanks to the RE in the kid's school for the excerpts for this blog.  

Here are the pancakes (two sweet, one savory) I made for dinner.....

Shredded chicken, cabbage and carrot stir fry with hoisin sauce

Homestyle....pure and simple

Peanut butter pancakes with homemade blackberry sauce

Grainger Market

In the never ending quest to find things to do with the kids while they were on half term, we found our way to Grainger Market in downtown Newcastle on Thursday.  Of course the adventure started, as it always does, with the drive.  Although I'm getting better at tooling around town, downtown is completely different.  With it's one way streets, bus access only streets, pedestrian only streets and hidden parking garages, just getting to our destination is an adventure in itself.  I have to remember to dress lightly as I always seem to break a sweat trying to find my way around.

As is with any city, you can't just really pull up and park right in front of the building you want to go to; parking is limited.  The market is situated right smack in the middle of a part of the city that is pedestrian only.  When the SatNav says "You have arrived at your destination" you are actually just slowly driving by in front of the building trying not to blink for fear of missing it.  What it should say is "You have arrived at your destination...good luck getting parking because there ain't any here lady."

Grey's Monument

So, after circling the area and I think driving down a bus only street at one point where everyone seemed to be shooting me daggers, I finally found parking on the outskirts of the square.  It's at this point that you can take in all the scenery and enjoy the walk to your destination passing all the boutiques, cafes, flower shops, monuments, and yes...chocolate shops.  But with two kids running amuck, the fairy tale bubble quickly burst as I seemed to constantly yell "Watch where you're going!" and "Don't climb on that sacred WWII memorial!" and "Stop picking up trash!"

With the help of two locals, we found the market.  Grainger Market is the City's largest traditional market.  It's in a classically styled building (meaning lots of iron work) near Grey's Monument.  The indoor market was the largest in Europe when it was first build in 1835.  Some of the characteristics of the original market are still there.  Such as the weigh house.  It was once used to weigh hunks of meat, but now the shoppers can line (or queue) up to be weighed.  I passed on this offer as I don't want to be considered just a hunk of meat.  It sells mainly meat and produce, but we came across many stalls that sold baked goods, teas, pastries, flowers, cards, clothing, music and books....just to name a few things.

Everywhere I turned there was meat.  All sorts of cuts from all sorts of animals.  From cows, to pigs, to chickens, to lambs, to fish (is that classified as meat?)  Anyway, there was meat 

pie, meat on a stick, rolled meat, minced meat, meat on the bone, meat stuffed in casings...I could go on. 

 

I asked one of the butchers, when I saw that they offered brisket, if they could cut a piece that was flat (they had theirs rolled).  He said they get the whole cow and I could have whatever cut I wanted however I wanted it.  When I asked out of curiosity how they cooked the rolled brisket, they said they steam it for corned beef and rolling it just helps keep it together.  He asked how I would prepare one that was laid flat as he's never heard of that method and I said I smoke it.  Cue laughter...he thought that was the funniest thing!  He actually held his fingers up to his mouth, motioning like he was holding a cigarette.  Once the weather warms up and we get a grill, I'm going to go back to him to buy my brisket and offer to bring him a sample with some good ol' fashioned homemade BBQ sauce.  Who will be laughing then?!  

Then there were all the fruit/veg stalls.  Every kind of fruit from quince to bramble berries (like blackberries) to currents.  And no less than ten types of potatoes?

 

I wanted to pick something up for dinner but comparison shopping, as I always do for things, is not only difficult because there are so many stalls that sell the same thing, but really not necessary because the pricing is all very competitive.  I guess you just end up going to the one with the nicest people?  Which is what I did for our fish.  It appeared that it was run by just a husband and wife and they were very knowledgeable about their offerings.  I got two trout that where caught the night before.  They gutted them, but had them leave the heads and tails on.  

  

The kids flipped..."You're making us eat the heads?!?!"  My response..."I will if you don't behave on the walk back."  The horror!  I love messing with them sometimes.  But it worked...they walked nicely beside me all the way from the market back to the parking garage. :)

It was a great day at the market.  I will return again, but next time I will take the bus!

A place for everything and everything in it's place...

...at least until I find a better place for it.  The hardest thing about moving is finding just the right spot for all the little things.  Sure, a sofa or bed is easy....just put it up against the biggest wall.  But cutlery, office supplies, plug adapters, the vacuum?  Those get moved pretty much every day.  Which prompts the question by Steve of "Where did the (insert random object here) go?  It was just here yesterday."

All these things, that force me to make the rounds of the house everyday and move piles from one drawer/shelf to another, arrived last Tuesday.  I was so excited to see everything.  It was like Christmas.  And figuring that our last one was lacking a bit because we were in mid-move, it made for opening all the boxes very exciting.  And emotional....I actually cried when I opened the first box that made it's way into the house and discovered that it contained all my cookbooks.  The smell of our old fabric softener on my clothes, the chip on one of our wine glasses from our old dishwasher, the red Georgia clay on my old pair of running shoes.  Even the last minute box, whose contents were haphazardly thrown together (ice pack, pair of socks, lid to our milk carafe because I found it after the actual carafe was packed away in another box) as the movers yelled out in our old house, "Anything else?!  The truck is leaving!"  Every box, bittersweet.
 
The morning began with the container showing up.  The actual container that was on the ship!  For some reason I thought it would be trucked to the house like it was trucked from our old one.  But what do I know?  When I only saw one mover, I began to wonder...they only sent one guy?  Sure he looked strong, and sure we didn't have that much stuff, but really?  Only one...this I gotta see.  But he sensed my worry and said he was only delivering the container and the movers would be arriving in a few minutes separately.

At the same time, as if all the planets aligned, the rental company showed up to pack up the house of our temporary furnishings.  Good bye rock hard mattress, crappy kitchen knives, tiny sofa, itchy sheets, vacuum that sucked (and not in a good way) and bath towels that just kind of moved the water around your body and didn't actually absorb it.  The incoming moving crew helped the outgoing moving crew to get the house emptied as soon as possible.

And then the moment of truth; the opening of the container.  Would water come gushing out once the doors were opened?  Would it contain only one box which passed customs when everything else had been confiscated?  Would it even be our stuff?

The doors opened...no water.  I see many boxes!  And they all say Grover!  Relief!!

Steve stayed outside and as each box was unload the movers called out the inventory number which he then checked against the the master list.  I stayed inside and started unpacking as they said they would take whatever boxes and packing material was ready once the container was emptied.  I began feverishly emptying boxes and just putting stuff wherever there was empty counter space and floor space.  I could not get over how much packing material they used.  I can see going overboard on dishes and glassware.  But wrapping a flashlight in four sheets of paper that put together would be about the size of the footprint of our car was funny.   There's "safe", then there's "overkill".  But nothing was broken so I guess they knew what they were doing.  Good thing I don't run a relocation company.

So for now, the kitchen and family room are 98% set up.  The bedrooms are a work in progress.  We have wardrobes to put together before they can be done.  Bedrooms don't come with built in closets so we still have clothing in boxes.  Mostly summer stuff, which I laugh at even sending.  Even if I change outfits three times a day I think I'll only get about a months use out of them here.  But I venture to say that I'd rather have that, than change outfits three times a day that I've sweat through because it's so hot and humid!

People have asked for pictures and I've given a couple of Skype video tours on the laptop.  But as I said, I like to have a place for everything and everything in it's place.... so y'all will have to wait!

Things I miss...Things I'm loving

Let me preface this post by saying above all else I miss my family and friends the most.  I am so grateful for Facebook, Skype, texting and all other things electronic that have enabled us all to stay in touch.  What a remarkable age we live in!

That being said, as of today we've been here a month and have come to really love it here.  But, with leaving a lifestyle that you've become accustomed to for so long (not that I'm THAT old) there are some things that I miss.  They are, in no particular order, the following:

1. Salad.  People just don't each a lot of it here.  Every restaurant back home I would know exactly which salads they offered.  I even brought my own dressing to make it healthier.  My salad friends...you know what I'm talking about!  Even fast food places had awesome and (at times) healthy ones.  You can buy all sorts of leaf (that's what they call lettuce here) at the markets, so obviously people make them at home.  I guess restaurants figure when people go out they don't want to eat salad because they've eaten them all week?

2. My pantry.  My pantry was home to not just food, but also all my appliances, kids craft supplies, etc.  Right now most of our food fits in the 2-door, under counter cabinet, but I haven't really stocked up on essentials yet.  I do have extra bags of crisps, a bag of potatoes and a couple of cases of Diet Coke already shelved in the garage...so I guess that's always an option to set up a pantry there. 

3. My closet.  I really miss my walk-in closet.  And it's not really that I'm a clothes horse or anything, but I used it for storage of suitcases (which we now have 12 of, remember?), Christmas wrapping paper, all our linens, etc.  Plus sharing one with Steve reminds me of how untidy the fella is.  Back in our old house I could just shut his closet door and pretend it was clean.

4. A garbage disposal.  I really, really miss a garbage disposal.  Having to scoop food bits out of the sink strainer into the garbage is nasty.

5. A downstairs bathroom.  I have ADD (not doctor diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure) and when I come downstairs from doing something upstairs and realize that I forgot to use the bathroom, it's annoying to have to trudge back up.  Not that I really have far to go...but still.

6. No outlets in the bathrooms.  It's actually against code here to have electrical outlets in the bathroom.  Even the light switches have to be placed on the wall outside the bathroom.  So now I have a "dressing area" in our bedroom where I can do my hair.  How very 1950's of me!  Pretty soon I'll be drinking a gin and tonic while I'm putting hot rollers in my hair.

7. Having packages, if they are too big to fit in the mailbox, left at my front door.  Here I have to trek to the central post office to pick them up...after a two day waiting period.

Things I'm loving....

1. Having a house that's so small it only takes me a couple hours to clean top to bottom instead of a few days like our old one.

2.  Being able to walk 20 minutes into town to get to the gym, library, hardware store, grocery store, bank, post office, etc.  This makes eating all the chocolate possible.

3. Depending on which direction, traveling by car will get us to the coast, downtown Newcastle and countryside....in only about 15 minutes.

4. Polite people. 

5. Polite people.  I had to say it again because everyone seems to be so nice here.

6. The accents.  I've always been a sucker for a Scottish accent and being so close to Scotland is great.  I could listen to a Scot talk all day (mostly because it would take me that long to actually understand what the heck they're saying.)

7. No traffic.  Morning radio news blurbs are practically void of traffic accident/road congestion notices.  These roundabouts are scary, but I really do think they help with the flow of traffic.

8.  Getting my mail delivered right through the slot in the front door.  Scared the bejeezus out of me the first day though...I thought someone was trying to break in!

I'm sure both lists will grow the longer we stay and the more we experience/do without.  I'll update them when I can.

Warkworth Castle

A couple of weeks ago we ventured up the coast to Warkworth Castle.  Steve had been there on his business trip back in November and said the kids would love it because was a ruin and they could run around the open area and not risk breaking anything.  Um, apparently he has not met Mark yet.

When we got there, we noticed that they were closing in an hour so we didn't have too much time.  But as we were buying our tickets we were asked about joining the English Heritage society.  This membership would entitled us to free access so numerous historical sites around the UK.  And with a 12 month membership paid upfront we received an extra 3 months for free.  It was a deal that we couldn't pass up and we can't wait to travel to each location.  It was windy and freezing that afternoon, so having only an hour to visit suited us just fine.  Plus we knew we could come back anytime for free. 

The first thing we came across upon entering from the parking lot was of course the drawbridge over the (now dry) moat and the gates. 

 

Immediately after entering the gatehouse, the kids saw the sections where the guards were able to keep watch over who was coming to the castle.  I explained that the cutouts in the stone or machicolations (no I didn't know that word, I came across it on Wikipedia) were so they could shoot their arrows at intruders.  Of course they thought that was cool.  "Unless you were the one getting shot at" said Jack.



The area in front of the actual castle (or keep) is called the bailey.  Basically it's the little village that supported the castle and it's inhabitants.  The curtain wall, which surrounds the bailey dates back to the early 13th century.  The bailey contained a stable, chapel, kitchen, pantry, great hall and withdrawing chambers.  Of course just the exterior walls and some stairs remained so they had artist renderings of what it looked like with the roof and interior walls still intact.  It was truly awe inspiring.  The image above shows the actual castle at the top and bailey below.  Everything, with exception to the actual castle which was on a hill, was surrounded by the moat.

The Lion Tower (shown to the right) was the entrance to the north end of the great hall.  Above the archway through the tower are symbols of the Percy earls' power. The lion at the bottom was the emblem of the earls.  Above the lion (but severely damaged) were the ancient arms of the family and the arms of the Lucy family, whose property the Percys had inherited in the 1380s.

Below is a layout of the ground floor of the castle.  The left most room is facing North over the town of Warkworth.

1. Vestibule

2. Hall

3. Chapel

4. Great chamber

5. Kitchens

6. Pantry and buttery (yes, the buttery...I think I would've spent most of my free time in this room)

The second floor contained all the bedrooms and withdrawing chambers.

A brief history of the castle

(thanks to the brochure, castle signs and the web)

Warkworth Castle is located in Warkworth less than a mile from England's north-east coast.  The exact date the castle was founded is unknown.  Most notably it has been referred to by Prince Henry of Scotland in the mid 12th century, although it may have been built by King Henry II of England when he took control of England's northern counties. Warkworth Castle was first documented in a charter of 1157–1164 when Henry II granted it to Roger fitz Richard. The mostly wooden castle was considered feeble (I'm sure the person who built it took offense), and was left undefended when the Scots invaded in 1173.

Roger's son Robert inherited and improved the castle.  The castle remained in the family line for the next couple of centuries.  Twice in 1327, the Scots tried to invade the castle without success.  In 1345, Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy, took control of Warkworth Castle.  The fourth Percy earl remodelled the buildings in the bailey.  The last Percy earl died in 1670, and the castle found its way into the hands of Hugh Smithson who adopted the name "Percy" and founded the dynasty of the Dukes of Northumberland.  Ownership of the castle descended this route.

In the late 19th century, the dukes refurbished Warkworth Castle and Anthony Salvin was commissioned to restore the keep. Custody of the castle was given to the Office of Works in 1922.  Since 1984 English Heritage has taken care of the property.

In the fireplace of the Great Hall

 


The fireplaces in the kitchen 
I can almost smell the wild boar roasting away




Medieval loo
I'm assuming the grate was added as a safety measure for visitors and not actively
used when the castle was in commission; otherwise that would be gross

 

We can't wait to come back to the castle on a warmer day.  Maybe pack a picnic lunch and let the kids explore more.  I'll be in the Buttery if anyone needs me.

The gym really is a "Leisure Centre"

Today I went the the gym, that I joined on Friday, for the first time.  I decided to go for a swim just to see how rusty I was after not stepping into water (other than a shower) since the Half Ironman in September.  After about 15 minutes there, I knew it was worth much more than just a Facebook "check in" post and that I needed to dedicate a blog entry to it.

First off, I walked to the gym.  It's only about 20 minutes away and thought it would be a good way to burn off all this chocolate.  Once I got there I was told by the front desk that an water aerobics class was about to start, but not to worry because they only block off the shallow end of the pool.  The pool was 25 meters, so I lost about 10 meters with the class in session.  It would still give me enough room though, but I was bummed that I wouldn't get that "push off" from both sides that I've been accustomed to.

I found my way into the locker room and starting seeing more and more pensioners (that's what they call seniors here) arrive.  I thought to myself that's going to be one big class.  I made it to the pool and was surprised to see that there were no lane markers.  No biggie I thought, I would just follow the tiled lines at the bottom of the pool.  As I started swimming it got busier and busier with only a handful of people actually taking the class.  And it became really clear, really fast to me why they call this a leisure centre....outside of the class everyone just, well, leisured.  After speaking to another swimmer, who has been visiting this particular pool since she was "a wee child" (not kidding...those were her exact words) she informed me to try and stay to the ladies side otherwise the men might begin to wonder. ???  As I looked around it occured to me that all the ladies seemed to congregate to one side of the pool and all the gents stayed to the other.

With no lane markers in place it was really difficult to find my way through the crowd.  Not only were people swimming all over the place with no regard to the lanes tiled at the bottom of the pool, but some were even swimming the width of the pool.  What?  I actually felt like I was in a race where I had to dodge people to either side.  But I had to be sure not to splash too much with my strokes/kicking so as not the wet the hair of the ladies to either side of me who didn't dare go under the water.  If they go under the water, then how are they going to catch up with each other on the weeks events?

And the lifeguards?  They looked like they were just taking space up in a chair.  They were fully clothed and wearing shoes!  I guess with no one really exerting themselves and just floating about, there was no real need to rescue anyone?

After about 30 minutes of this, I gave up.  I was laughing so hard inside I couldn't keep a straight face.  But I was frustrated at the same time.  I guess I need to find a better time to go.  Maybe at 4...when they'll are having dinner.