Posts

Breezy Knees Gardens and the Yorkshire Arboretum

Image
In Brief. Breezy Knees is a collection of varied, themed, modern gardens close to York. The themes include those based on the time of year when they are at their best, with gardens for May, June and September, and the site was densely planted and colourful in my June visit (in particular the June garden!).  This is a short drive from The Yorkshire Arboretum , in parkland adjacent to Castle Howard , which includes ancient and more recently planted trees in rolling countryside with an emphasis on open vistas. The Lawned Garden at Breezy Knees What's Here? The Breezy Knees gardens occupy over 20 acres of largely level countryside, which has been divided into a collection of gardens mostly themed by type of planting or time of year. There are various natural routes from garden to garden, including places to sit and take in the views. I had a fairly tight schedule to fit in with the guided tour at the Yorkshire Arboretum, but wished that I had taken a book and could have a lazier time ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Day Trip to Shrewsbury, Ending in Prison

Image
In Brief. Shewsbury is a sprawling market town, with a compact historic centre almost enclosed within a loop of the River Severn, the longest river in England. There is more than a day's worth of things to see and do in Shrewsbury; I took a boat trip on the Severn, made a rather brief visit to the museum, and took a tour of the prison.  However, there is also a historic town centre to explore, an abbey and a castle.  What's Here? Having parked near the Abbey, I started by walking along the riverside path towards the Quarry Park, a large open area between the town centre and the river.  This includes the Dingle, an immaculately maintained garden area, with characterful water features and colourful borders.  The Dingle in Quarry Park. My destination was a Sabrina Boat Trip , which as it turns out visited the same part of the river as I had just walked. However, with at-seat refreshments and a commentary providing historical context and humorous asides, this was both a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

Image
In Brief. The  Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a heritage railway that occupies a 5 mile branch line constructed in the 1860s to provide passenger and goods services to the towns and mills in the valley. Though 5 miles seems very short, train journeys are pleasant enough, with some countryside, some narrow valley scenery, the towns and the occasional tunnel. As a significant tourist destination, the stops include pristine restored stations, museums and an abundance of eateries, and trains are pulled by a variety of steam and diesel rolling stock. Steam engine from 1888 pulling a passenger train. What's Here? Though not originally an especially significant piece of national infrastructure, the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has been running as a heritage railway for more than 50 years, with more than 100,000 visitors a year.  As well as the regularly running heritage rolling stock, there are many event days of different forms, typically based around train types (I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beningbrough Hall - civilised, even as country houses go

Image
In brief. Though not associated with much in the way of an interesting back story, Beningbrough Hall is a refined 18th century country house near York, now run by the National Trust . Though described as Baroque , Beningbrough is quite restrained, with a balanced exterior, fine interior woodwork and a tasteful walled garden. A visit to the hall itself includes period furniture and fittings on the ground floor and changing art exhibitions on the first floor, so overall a visit provides a variety of experiences.  The hall from the back garden. What's here? Though some country houses seem designed to impress with excess, Beningbrough seems more inclined to show off through good taste. On arrival, the walled garden is an obvious first place to visit, and features  borders and fruit trees. Overall, though there are gardens surrounding the house, these are not extensive, so this is not a place to come for exercise. Commendably, there is also a modern Mediterranean garden, reflecting...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds

Image
In Brief. The Thackray Museum of Medicine is a modern museum in a former Victorian Workhouse that has also served as part of St James's Hospital, which is adjacent. The museum includes a street reconstruction that reflects on the sanitary and health challenges facing Leeds during the Industrial Revolution, and a collection of displays on the history and development of medicine. The museum is trying to target quite a broad demographic, and there should be something here for most ages. The museum entrance. What's Here? The Thackray Museum of Medicine occupies two floors of an imposing Victorian building.  The lower floor includes the cafe and exhibition spaces that focus on local history, whereas the upper floor has more of an emphasis on the development of medicine. The lower floor starts on Disease Street , a reconstruction of a Victorian street in recently industrialised Leeds, highlighting the health implications of high density city life before sewers. If that wasn't of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Peak Wildlife Park

Image
In Brief. Peak Wildlife Park is a compact Zoo in the countryside in Staffordshire. Featuring a variety of birds and mammals, most of which are small and unthreatening; a distinctive feature is that there are quite a few walkthroughs, for example allowing visitors to share a space with the penguins and the very tame wallabies (if not the Polar Bears!). A wallaby with joey. What's Here? The Peak Wildlife Park is a green space, traversed by paths that pass enclosures that host a variety of species, from Polar Bears to Tortoises. As many of the species are quite small, they often seem to be close by, whereas in some zoos with larger animals that need bigger enclosures, the animals can seem quite far away ... though I never saw the red squirrels even though you can walk through their enclosure. The animals and enclosures seem to be in good condition, and there is more information provided about the individual species than is sometimes the case. For me, the highlight of the day was the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Experiencing Barnsley

Image
In Brief. Barnsley is a market town, once surrounded by many collieries, with a grand town hall that hosts a modern local history museum,  Experience Barnsley , near to on the Cooper Gallery  that contains bequeathed art collections from various locals. Reflecting its status as a market town, Barnsley still hosts a thriving market, established as long ago as the 13th century. Town Hall and Crossing Vertical sculpture. What's Here? Though Barnsley covers a wide area, formally containing many surrounding settlements, the main features of the town centre are close together. Though the main shopping street contains a variety of more-or-less modern buildings, which tends to provide the opportunity for some to look past their prime, in fact the centre was bustling during my weekday visit, and everyplace seems well looked after.   The shopping area contains the popular market, and is adjacent to both a leisure area and the civic buildings. I first visited the Cooper Gallery , wh...
Post a Comment
Read more