We awoke to yet another glorious, sunny day. We were sorry to leave
our accommodation, the Woodlands, as it had been so comfortable and
pleasant. Today, we took a total of only 281 photos so it
was easier to sort, select and publish them.
Our last breakfast at
"The Woodlands".
The lounge area in "The Woodlands"
Farewell "Woodlands"!
Our first stop for the day was Richmond Castle about
an hour and a half drive from Windermere. When we arrived at
Richmond, we found a carpark but it was difficult to understand the
system. The signs mentioned "discs" and we didn’t know what that
meant. Satoshi went off in the car to find somewhere else to park
and I went to see what I could find out about "discs". I learned
that some of shops hand out a cardboard disk which one turns until
the arrow points to the time that one has arrived. You then display
this on the dashboard of your vehicle. You can stay for two hours
for free. If you stay longer than two hours, you are in danger of an
£80 fine. Once we knew the system, it was easy to park, and we
headed across to the castle.
When driving in England, there are many
things which are quite disconcerting. One of them is
approaching cars which are parked on the "wrong" side of the
road, giving rise to concerns that one has driven down a
one-way street!
The views while driving to Richmnond were spectacular!
The castle is mostly in ruins, but its keep is largely intact. We we
found that it was possible to climb stairs to go right to the top of
the keep. There were many stairs and some of them were uneven. It
took me quite a while to get up to the top, but I was rewarded by
magnificent 360° views of Richmond and the surrounding countryside.
Leaving Richmond, we headed towards Easby Church and Abbey. The Parish
Church of St Agatha of Easby is within the grounds of the Abbey.
Some parts of this church were completed in the late 12th century.
There are remnants of some paintings which are dated to the 13th
century. Although there is not really much left of the abbey, it is
still worth a visit.
Easby Parish Church
The Lectern (I thought it looked rather like a dovecote!)
These words are Isaiah
56:4-7. I'm not certain as to why someone chose those
particular verses for the wall!
"For thus says the LORD, “To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
and choose what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant, To them
I will give in my house and within my walls a memorial, and a
name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them
an everlasting name which will not be cut off."
We could not have asked for better weather!
This, and all the windows of the abbey,
would have been filled with wonderful stained-glass. So much
was lost because of Henry VIII's dissolution of the
monasteries.
There were a few architectural embellishments left for us to
see.
We were due to visit Jervaulx Abbey next
but, reluctantly, we decided to cancel that expedition in order to
have time to explore Fountains Abbey
properly. This abbey is one of the largest, best preserved and, in
my opinion, most beautiful abbeys in England. For these reasons,
although we visited the abbey as part of our trip in 2016, we went again today. We
were not disappointed. The ruins looked magnificent in the late
afternoon sun and we had the place almost to ourselves.
Fountains Hall was built between 1598 and 1604. Some of
the stonework was taken from the abbey.
Only three rooms of Fountains Hall were open to the public.
The West Door of the Abbey Church
This is an aisle in the Abbey Church.
This is where
the High Altar would have been. The sky is
almost as magnificant as the ruins!
A few of the
architectural decorations escaped destruction.
The ruins of the abbey are in a magnificent garden which has
been given "World Heritage" listing.
This is the Muniment Room in which all the abbey's important
documents and deeds were kept. It is directly above "The
Warming Room" which, as the name suggests, kept this room
warm. Note the floor tiles. These are original.
An inhabitant of
the Abbey
A view of the Cloisters
Another view of the Cloisters
The Cellarium was where food and supplies were kept.
The tower was obe of the last parts of the abbey to be built.
This can be seen high up on the tower.
Another of the locals
A last look
We spotted this pheasant by the path as were leaving the Abbey
After
we checked in to our accommodation, The George Carvery, we
enjoyed a hearty roast meal in the restaurant before
returning to our room for the night.
