Tag: Castles

HEBDEN BRIDGE to KIRKBY STEPHEN – 2023

We say good-bye to Hebden Bridge and make our way to another Bridge – Haydon Bridge via a couple of interesting Market Towns, Kettlewell, Hawes & Kirkby Stephen. A few interesting sights/sites along the way.

As always, click on an image to open it in a new tab/window.

Worth Valley, West Yorkshire, England UKKettlewell Village, Upper Wharfdale, North Yorkshire, England UK

River Wharfe, Kettlewell, North Yorkshire, England UK

Racehorse Hotel & Blue Bell Inn, Middle Lane, Kettlewell, North Yorkshire, England UK

Colour Image <<<<<>>>>>Black & White Image

Kettlewell Beck, Kettlewell, North Yorkshire, England UK

CoColour Image <<<<<>>>>>Black & White Image

River Wharfe, Deepdale, Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, England UK

Bridge over Gayle Beck, Hawes, North Yorkshire, England UK

The bridge is a Grade II Listed Building

Cascades, Gayle Beck, Hawes, North Yorkshire, England UK

Old Town Signs, Gayle Lane, Hawes, North Yorkshire, England UK

Waterfalls, Aisgill, Mallerstang, Cumbria, England UK

This creeper is growing all over the ruins.

A bit of maintenance to strengthen the foundation.

Pendragon Castle, Mallerstang Dale, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England UKBlack Hill from Pendragon Castle, Mallerstang Dale, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England UK

ENGLAND 2023 – IX – The (Last of) Cotswolds (V)

We have had our wonderful stay in The Cotswolds and now head onward….. passing through Cirencester again and on to Wales.

Doorway, Castle Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

War Memorial, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Tower, Church of St John the Baptist, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Door, Church of St John the Baptist, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Stone Cross, Church of St John the Baptist, Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

The church is a Grade I Listed Building and originates from the 12th century

The Gallery at The Crown, Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

10 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Cowley House, 12 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

A Grade II Listed Building

Door, 15 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

12 Park Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

View Along Silver Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Bathurst Estate, Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

The Bathurst family originate from Sussex where, in the 13th Century, they owned extensive lands and a castle. The castle was subsequently demolished, but the name lives on in Bathurst Wood, where its ruins can still be discovered.

In 1695, Sir Benjamin Bathurst, a kindly and generous gentleman, purchased the current estate, known then as Oakley Grove. It was a gift for his eldest son, Allen, who became the 1st Earl Bathurst.

It was under his care that Cirencester Park became one of the greatest privately-owned parks of the 18th century and the finest forest landscape in England. It is still amongst the most beautiful in the country today. Having remained in the same family, its main advantage has been continuity.

Since the 1st Earl’s time the Bathurst Estate has been carefully stewarded by many generations. Following the 8th Earl’s death in October 2011, his eldest son Allen succeeded to the title. He presently runs and oversees the estate for future generations, supported by The Countess Bathurst.

The Park sits within the town of Cirencester, screened from it by the tallest yew hedge in the world. This remarkable feature has been much recorded in local and international history, especially when it comes to its annual trim – a job that takes two men two weeks to complete. Clippings have been used to further the research of the use of ‘taxol’ to treat cancer.

See beyond the wall:-

“Dunstall House”, 27 Park Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

17th century, re-fronted in 18th century. Mishearing a suggestion by Earl Bathurst in the 1920s, that the house should be called after the Gumstool Brook which flows at the rear, a tenant called it Dunstall House, which has endured.

8-16 Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Grade II Listed Building,which is 5 houses built in the early 1800s

The Old Grammar School Forecourt Wall & Gate, Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Former Grammar School, now house. Late mediaeval, 1534-60, 1640s and 1760s with C20 alterations and repairs.

Rear Yard Entrance, Old Police Station & Courts, 2 Park Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

The Old Museum, Tetbury Road, Cirencester. Gloucestershire, England UK

Henry George, the 4th Earl Bathurst (1790-1866), funded the building of Cirencester’s first museum in Tetbury Road. It was built to house the Hunting Dogs and Four Seasons Mosaics found in 1849 in Dyer Street, Cirencester, now on display in the Corinium Museum.

The museum opened in 1856 and received 1740 visitors in the first year. It was staffed by honorary curators and a resident custodian lived in the adjacent lodge. The Earl’s museum soon began to benefit from donations from other local collectors. By the 1930’s, when the Bathurst collection was given to the town, it numbered nearly 3000 objects.

Street Sign, Sheep Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

Old Town Station, Sheep Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England UK

That’s it for The Cotswolds and Cirencester. We then travelled to Hay-on-Wye in Wales where we once spent a week back in 2016. We even stayed at the same place and in the same room as back then.

The Butter Market, Market Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Hay Butter Market was erected by a local entrepreneur by the name of William Enoch in 1830. It replaced a very old open market in order to provide a covered market area for the use of local traders and farmers on market days which have always been a Thursday. It is situated right in the centre of town by Hay Castle Square.

The building had been walled up since just after the second World War but was opened up and restored by Hay Warren Trustees in 1985.

The Trustees won a “Prince of Wales Award” for this restoration. It is now used again every Thursday and also by other traders and charity organisations on most Saturdays and holiday weekends.

It is a Grade II Listed Building.

A Wet Street, High Town, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Butter Market is on the left.

Clock Tower, Jcn Lion & Broad Streets, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Built 1884 by J C Haddon of Hereford. It originated in a legacy by Captain Brown for a clock for the church tower. This idea was expanded by the executors to include the town clock, public hall and corn exchange but only the former was built; cost £600.

It is a Grade II Listed Building

The Rose & Crown (Centre) & The Old Electric Shop, Broad Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Rose & Crown is a 17th century building.

It is a Grade II Listed Building

“Rest For The Tired”, Laneway off Broad Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Heritage Residence, Jcn Broad Street & Belmont Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

St Joseph’s Church, Belmont Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Property Entrance, Belmont Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Blue Boar, Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

We had dinner here as we did back in 2016.

Late Georgian architecture (shown on 1847 Tithe map) with 17th century origins to rear.

A Grade II Listed Building

“Radnor House”, Oxford Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

A Grade II Listed Building

Heritage Residence and Adjoining Buildings, Church Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Building Attached to Heritage Residence, Church Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Oxford Road, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

“Rounded”, Llys Brewys (Off Church Street), Hay=On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Cheese Market, Market Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The Cheese Market in Hay-on-Wye (Welsh: Marchnad gaws Y Gelli Gandryll), formerly Hay-on-Wye Town Hall, (Welsh: Neuadd y Dref Y Gelli Gandryll), is a municipal building in Market Street, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales. The structure, which has been restored with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund so that the first floor can be let out for residential use, is a Grade II Listed Building. Built in 1835 and statue on the higher part of the wall is Henry VII.

Hay Castle, Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Probably built by Bernard de Newmarch and once surrounded by a moat. The castle is traditionally thought to have been rebuilt by Maude de St Valerie; was burnt by King John in 1216, rebuilt by Henry III in 1233, burnt by Prince Edward in 1263 and later suffered further damage under Owain Glyndwr. The double pile Castle House was begun by James Boyle ca 1660; divided up after 1702 and in 1844 sold to Sir Joseph Bailey. Major restoration by W D Caroe ca 1910; major fires in 1934 (E half) and 1977 (W half).

A Grade I Listed Building

War Memorial, Jcn Castle Lane and Castle Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

The memorial was unveiled in the centre of the Market Square in 1920. After 1945 it was moved to an enclosure set into the boundary wall of the castle grounds, which allowed for additional plaques to be set up commemorating the dead of World War II.

It became a Grade II Listed Building in June 2020.

Kilvert’s Country Hotel, Cnr Bull Ring & Bear Street, Hay-On-Wye, Powys, Wales UK

Grade II Listed Building described as a Late Georgian remodelling of a 17th century structure.

This was where we stayed in Hay-On-Wye.

We stopped for lunch at this lovely country pub on our way from Hay-On-Wye.

Dining, The Brigand’s Inn, Mallwyd, Machynlleth , Powys, Wales UK

This pub is also a Grade II Listed Building

Just a Few Pints

SPAIN 2023 – IX

After Zaragoza we headed to Madrid but the place was an absolure nightmare so we proceeded to Toledo instead.

Autovia Mudéjar Viaduct, Carretera de Alicante a Francia por Zaragoza, Paniza, Aragón, Spain

Abandoned House, Carretera de Alicante a Francia por Zaragoza, Villarreal De Huerva, Aragón, Spain

Puerta Baja (Low Gate), Paseo de la Constitución, Daroca, Aragón, Spain

The Puerta Baja is one of the most imposing monumental entrances in the entire country. Great in the entire extension of the term, it has huge towers flanking a vast arch of unequaled width and that makes sense to give way to the waters of storms that periodically hover over the city.

The Gate was originally, perhaps in the 13th century, a simple arch defended by a tower. In the fourteenth century the entrance was modified, raising a simple tower with pointed openings (it is the inner half of the tower on the left seen from inside the enclosure).
In the XV century, around 1451, the two towers that flank the arch were erected; in a case, the left tower, adding a body to the existing one, in the one in the tower on the right, always seen from the inside, building it on a new floor; the two towers were crowned with staggered merlons. At this time the central body of the door was modified, opening a gallery of arches. Already in the 16th century the access arch was lowered and the imperial shield of Carlos V was placed

It was rehabilitated between 1987 and 1988 by the Daroca Workshop School to locate the Darocenses Studies Center.

Fuente de los Veinte Caños, Paseo de la Constitución, Daroca, Aragón, Spain

Built in 1638 to enhance the town gate.

Planter, Puerta Baja (Low Gate), Calle Mayor, Daroca, Aragón, Spain

Childrens Park, Paseo de la Constitución, Daroca, Aragón, Spain

Calle Arrabal, Paseo de la Constitución, Daroca, Aragón, Spain

Calle Mayor, Daroca, Aragón, Spain


Castillo de Embid, Embid, Guadalajara, Castilla – La Mancha, Spain

c.1340

Castillo de Molina de Aragón, Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The castle was inhabited uninterruptedly from the 12th century to the mid-19th century.It originated as a Moorish fortress (10th-11th century), built over a pre-existing Celtiberian castle. The fortress was used as residence of the lords of the taifa of Molina. El Cid resided here when he was exiled from Castile. In 1129 it was conquered from the Moors by Alfonso I of Aragon.

Bell Tower, Calle de San Felipe, Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Rocky Outcrop, Ventorro del Chato, Taravilla, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Parque de La Vega, Calle Cardenal Tavera, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The park dates to medieval times and has always been used for all kinds of social events, including mass prayers.

Casa de Corcho, Parque de la Vega, Calle del Cardenal Tavera, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The traditional rersidence and warehouse for the park guardian. Built in late 19th century.

Monument to Al Maestro Guerrero, Parque de la Vega, Calle de Alfonso VI, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

A musician and composer

River Tagus, Puente de Azarquiel, Avenida de Rio Guadiana, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

The longest river on the Iberian Peninsula at over 1000 km

Puerta de Bisagra, Calle Real del Arrabal, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Constructed in the 10th century, in the time of the Moorish Taifa of Toledo in Islamic Al-Andalus. It is also called ‘Bisagra Antigua’ to distinguish it from the Puerta de Bisagra Nueva which was built in 1559. The gate was the main entrance to the city and dates from the Moorish period.

Old City Walls, Calle de Alfonso VI, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Parroquia de Santiago del Arrabal, Calle Real del Arrabal, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

aka; Parroquia de Santiago el Mayor

Santiago del Arrabal is a church in Toledo, Spain, built in 1245–48, at the orders of Sancho II, on the site of an earlier building, possibly a mosque.Many characteristics of Islamic architecture, such as the horseshoe arch, have remained in the present building which is built in the Mudéjar style.

 

Tower on Old City Wall, Calle de la Carrera, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Puerta del Sol, Calle Carretas, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Built in the late 14th century by the Knights Hospitaller.

Diputación Provincial de Toledo, Subida de la Granja, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Diputación Provincial de Toledo – Provincial Council of Toledo

Church Doorway, Ermita de la Virgen de la Estrella, Calle Real del Arrabal, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain