Day 13: From the ridiculous to the sublime...

We awoke this morning to a howling wind (just like in Wuthering Heights!) and heavy rain which limited our options for outings, so we had to think about under-cover activities.  While doing so we watched a couple of 1966 episodes of Gunsmoke, which was a better choice than the wall-to-wall Snooker tournaments that feature on BBC 1 and BBC2.  With a general election less than a week away, I'd have thought some sort of political commentary program might be in order on BBC1 at least, but nah. 

With no sign of the rain and wind letting up, we laughed danger in the face and drove to Castle Howard, the seat of the aristocratic Howard family for over 300 years and the setting for both the 1981 TV series and 2008 movie of Evelyn Waugh's book "Brideshead Revisited".  The Howards way back were related to the Tudors - Henry VII and VIII, Elizabeth I etc. 


The Howard bloodlines may be impeccable but successive generations seemed desperate to
show off their wealth with the most ostentatious
of goods and chattels. There were constant refurbishments of various wings of their huge pile, and the many acres of gardens were continually dug up and replanted, with many hideous statues added and subtracted.







 

Needless to say, several of the 18th and 19th century earls were big on artifacts and so looted ancient sites in the Mediterranean for all they were worth. There is a whole colonnade devoted to Roman and Greek antiquities and many others dotted around the property.

I did see a half-apologetic sign saying that almost all the artifacts had been buried for almost 2,000 years before being brought to light by archaeologists and then shipped to England to adorn the several hundred Howard mantelpieces.











Even though the Howards of yesteryear were special (unlike the riff raff) they still needed to splash the boots occasionally.  This portable dunny, that actually has a flushing mechanism, dates from 1825.  We saw it in a dining room. I expect it was located elsewhere back in the day.                              







The gardens are huge. I'm sure one of the guides said the Howards originally had 200,000 acres, now reduced to 9,000.  They have fallen on hard times it seems!  We also learned that their ancestors have fought in various battles, starting with The Battle of Something (it may have had 'Frog' in it) in the 1400s.  Two sons of the then Earl died in World War 1. So they did their bit for King and Country.





After our wander through the public bits of the property, we had lunch in a rather nice Castle Howard café . We were surprised that most people seemed to be having a roast with three veg.  We had a sandwich and sausage roll between us with a cup of Yorkshire tea, which is the best tea ever. It was certainly an interesting visit, the guides were helpful and the property a fascinating insight into the lives of the rich and privileged in times past. 

  

Then it was off down another 10 miles of boggy lanes to Rievaulx Abbey, founded by Cistercian monks in 1132.

The Cistercians were meant to live frugally but actually became quite wealthy through their industriousness - wool, textiles, agriculture plus the largesse of a few wealthy locals looking to ensure their place in heaven. 






It is a beautiful, serene place even now, but of course, the fat bastard (Henry VIII) ordered it destroyed during his dissolution of the monasteries rampage in the late 1530s. The monks had already been reduced in numbers due to the plague, so it then became a ruin. The town of Rievaulx is right next door, and presumably sprang up when the abbey was first established, as heaps of lay people worked there. It's interesting to think that for nearly 500 years, the locals have lived next door to this extraordinarily peaceful and magnificent ruin.  We thought it was excellent!  

That's almost it from me for this evening. About to hand over to Geoffy for beer news and other bloke stuff. But before I do, I must say he is an excellent driver and much braver than me. This morning's driving conditions were terrible but he got us there and back, safe and sound. Top work, G Skillen, 4B!  xxxx       


Anne's title for today is most appropriate.  Castle Howard is definitely worth a visit, but is really no more than a monument to the obscene riches of the British aristocracy. Exacerbated of course by the provenance of many of the contents (a polite way of saying they were looted).  I asked one of the guides how the Howards came into their money and was told they married into it.  How nice for them.

By contrast, the Cistercian monks who were responsible for the magnificent Rievaulx Abbey were scrupulous disciples of the teachings of St Benedict who, while admittedly a bit dogmatic, seemed to be motivated by selflessness and the best possible intentions.  In case you're hanging out for some more ruined abbey photos, here's another:

The setting, in a misty valley, is pretty magical, and highly recommended.

The satnav behaved pretty well today, and contributed significantly to our successfully reaching today's destinations (down numerous country roads).  But it still has some oddities that I'm going to have to come to terms with.  But hey, the Tour de Yorkshire is now over, so moosn't groomble.

Also, the rain and wind have let up and we have just watched two 1963 episodes of Bonanza on some satellite station we found by accident. All is right in our neck of the woods! Till anon. A and G xxx