A-Z Challenge 2017 - Houses, some real, some not - 'V'

V - The Vyne

I first I heard about this 16th century country house at Sherborne St John, near Basingstoke was on a very recent 'Flog It' TV show on the BBC.

The Vyne
(30 June 2015 - By Martinv - CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Vyne was built originally for Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlain.The portico on the north front was added in 1854.

Sir Charles Chute bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1956 and each year it now hosts concerts, plays and family events.

It houses The Vyne Ring or Ring of Silvianus, a gold ring probably dating from the 4th century found in a ploughed field in 1785. The property of the Roman Silvianus, it was stolen by a person named Senicianus.

Decades later, and miles away at Lydney in Gloucestershire, a tablet was found at the Roman site known as Dwarf's Hill. This contains an inscribed curse. Silvianus tells the god Nodens that his ring has been stolen and he knows who by; he wants Nodens to sort him out, "Among those who bear the name of Senicianus to none grant health until he bring back the ring to the temple of Nodens."

In 1929, archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler called in J R R Tolkien to advise on the name of the God. Days later Tolkien apparently  began writing "Lord of the Rings".

A-Z Challenge 2017 - Houses, some real, some not - 'Q'

Q - Quarry Bank House

The Irish born industrial entrepreneur Samuel Greg built this house for his family in 1800.

Quarry Bank House
(Styal, Cheshire - 8 August 2013, ex geograph.org.uk, by David Dixon - CC BY-SA 2.0)

This year will be the first time the public will be able to explore the house.

In 1783 Samuel Greg had built a cotton mill, Quarry Bank Mill, on the River Bollin in Cheshire.

Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, Cheshire
(18 April 2015 by Francis Franklin - CC BY-SA 4.)

Quarry Bank Mill is one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites which shows how a complete industrial community lived.

A recent Channel 4 TV series entitled 'The Mill' was inspired by the Gregs and Quarry Bank.

The estate, Quarry Bank House and the Mill are now National Trust properties and open to the public.

A-Z Challenge 2017 - Houses, some real, some not - 'I'

I - Ickworth House

For a while I thought that I would have to resort to an igloo to cool down after the usual hectic start to the Challenge.

Then I discovered:

Ickworth House, near Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk
(16 June 2004; ex geograph.org.uk - by Chris Downer - CC BY-SA 2.0)

Round the building, modelled on the Pantheon in Rome, below its 100 ft high dome is a finely carved frieze of scenes from Homer.

The rotunda and its pavilions for his art treasures was designed by Frederick Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol in the late 18th century. Unfortunately for him, while he was in Rome, Napoleon occupied the city and seized his art collection. Frederick died in 1803 before the house was finished.

The layout of the house may be seen in this plan:

Ickworth House - ground floor plan
(Plan drawn by user Giano - in Public Domain)

1 Library 2 Drawing Room 3 Dining Room 4 Entrance & inner Staircase Hall 5 Smoking Room 6 Pompeian Room 7 Orangery & West Wing 8 East Family Wing 9 Portico 10 Topiary Garden

The West wing remained unfinished until early in the 21st century - it is now an hotel and conference centre. The house is owned by the National Trust and  open to the public.

Haunted Castles - The Grey Man of Bellister

Bellister Castle is on the A69, 16 miles west of Hexham in Northumberland .

Bellister Castle
(By Anthony Parkes, 20June 2011 - CC BY-SA 2.0)

A Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument the castle is now a private residence owned by the National Trust.  Although the castle may not be visited, the public may use the footpaths through its woods.

Bellister's series of fortifications on the south bank of the River Tyne date from the 11th century. The mound on which the property stands may have been the motte of an early motte and bailey castle.

In the 14th century a substantial tower was added to a moated half house which had existed on the site in the 13th century. A rebuild in the 19th century created the impressive castellated east front. Following fire damage early in the 20th century the older parts of the property were allowed to fall into decay and remain in ruins.

1541 survey records show the tower house was then occupied by Lord Blenkinsop.

The legend of the Grey Man of Bellister arises from that time; a wandering minstrel was given food and lodgings for the night in return for some tales and songs. However Lord Blenkinsop decided the minstrel was up to no good and could even be a spy.

When the minstrel slipped outside instead of retiring for the night, this only confirmed the lord's fears. Pursued by the servants and the lord's hounds the minstrel ran for his life. The dogs caught up with him on the banks of the river and tore him to pieces.

The ghost of the minstrel, The Grey Man of Bellister, haunted lord Blenkinsop for the rest of his life.

Bellister Castle
(By Mike Quinn - 14 September 201 - CC BY-SA 2.0)

Locals insist they hear the baying of hounds at night - and the shrieks of an old man!

Geological Giants - Sunday Stamps

My favourite market stall has come up trumps again. This week it was an envelope that caught my eye with five stamps that meet our geology theme.

National Trust - Leicester Centre - FDC Staunton Harold Appeal 24 June 1981

These stamps were issued on 24 June 1981 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Trust in Scotland. However only two of the five stamps are covering places there - Glenfinnan and St Kilda.

You can spend quite a time studying the geology associated with the stamps. But if you don't subscribe to science you could walk in the footsteps of giants when you visit Antrim's UNESCO World Heritage Site - the basalt columns that make up the Giant Causeway in Northern Ireland. A simple explanation of how they were created from lava flows can be viewed by following the links to the National Trust  slideshow here

I'll leave you to check out the other stamps  - along with those at Viridian's Sunday Stamps