Herefordshire Doors

Whether you're a "toff", a horse or a tea room

you can certainly have a door to be proud of in Herefordshire, UK.

Joining Louis La Vache for Monday Doorways.

Why not fly over to beautiful San Fran and check out more doorways from around the world.

Alphabe-Thursday - H is for Hellens Manor

Joining Jenny @ off on my tangent

for

With a visit to Hellens Manor. Much Marcle.

Hellens Manor and the famous knot garden.

In 1096 Hellens Manor, a beautiful historical house, situated in the lovely Herefordshire village of Much Marcle, became the property of the de Balun family who were witnesses to the signing of the Magna Carta by King John.

In the Spring of 2011 the Senior Partner and I spent an enjoyable afternoon touring the house and gardens.

This door leads into the medieval part of the house.

This post is really all about the photo's that we took that day, with just a little bit of info gleaned from the tour guide and the brochure we were handed as the tour began.

The Stone Hall has a Minstrel's Gallery and a great fireplace which bears the crest of the Black prince.

In the 14th century the house was the property of the Earl Of Gloucester.
His nephew James, a companion to the Black Prince, rented Hellens Manor in exchange for a pair of silver spurs.
He later leased the house to Walter Helyon, who gave his name to the Manor.

The great fireplace in the Stone Hall bears the crest of the Black Prince.

His descendants have lived at Hellens ever since and it has always remained a home and not a museum.

In the 16th century Hetty Walwyn, a daughter of the house, ran away with her lover.
She returned years later, destitute apart from a diamond ring. She was imprisoned in a locked room with iron bars at the windows, for the rest of her life.
She used a small bell as her only means of communication with the rest of the household.
It is believed that she haunts the house, still ringing a bell.

This case contains the family coronet and some items said to have belonged to Anne Boleyn.

The rooms are filled with inherited paintings, furniture and decorations, most are family heirlooms.
Some belonged to Anne Boleyn, Mary Tudor, the Earl of Essex (a favourite of Elizabeth I) and Charles I.

Bloody Mary's chamber.

At great expense to the family a room was prepared for Bloody Mary and her tutor Featherstone, it is also said to be haunted.

In the early part of the 20th century Hellens passed into the hands of Lady Helena Gleichen one of Queen Victoria's neices.
Her decendants, the Munthe family, have created a charitable trust in order to keep the house running.
The richly panelled Music Room, which is used by the family when in residence, has a large stone fireplace, on the mantel above are family photographs.

I hope you've enjoyed my virtual guided tour of Hellens Manor and if you would like to learn more about Hellens then click here to go to the website.

Home for Christmas.

Back home again after a wonderful time in the UK, although not all went to plan.
There was a bit of a hiccup when the Senior Partner needed to pay an emergency visit to the dentist because of a wobbly crown and a couple of things slipped off the agenda, but we thoroughly enjoyed everything else.
The ferry crossing on Thursday wasn't as bad as we had expected and we made it to our hotel without mishap.
On Saturday morning there was some snow on the ground but it didn't impede our onward journey to Hereford Cathedral for the Advent Market and Carols for Shoppers at midday.

Hereford Cathedral

We estimated that there were over a thousand souls gathered together inside this magnificent place of worship.
The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford made us all welcome and informed us that in the ten years of Carols for Shoppers services this was the biggest congregation yet.

Life size wire mesh sculptures of the
Three Wise Men
part of a Nativity scene inside Hereford Cathedral

So many in fact that the overflow from the nave had filled the side aisles and the transept too!

The Hereford Church Singers opened the festivities by singing "Ding Dong Merrily On High" which was swiftly followed by the Congregational Carol "Once In Royal David's City".

We also sang "O Little Town Of Bethelem"; "Whilst Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night"; "O Come All Ye Faithfull"; "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" and concluded with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".
The  Hereford Church Singers and the Herefordshire Junior Singing Club also sang several lesser known Carols which were interspersed by Bible Readings recounting the story of Jesus' birth.

After the Carol Service we headed to Ledbury to the apartment that we had rented for two nights.

Here's where I digress a little, bear with me please!
I announced in this blog post in early January that my word for 2011 was "de-clutter" and that is why all of this

found it's way to here.

The St Michael's Hospice Charity Shop, conveniently located two floors beneath the apartment in Ledbury's Homend, I'd call that serendipity!

The comfortable apartment living room,
 complete with
a very pretty Christmas tree and a
challenging thought!

As there was no wifi available at the apartment I was unable to visit all my favourite blogs but just as soon as everything is back to normal around here, hopefully tomorrow at the latest, I'll be calling round to catch up with everyone during the final run up to Christmas Eve.
ho ho ho!!!

Christmas Open House Tour Part 2 – Festive.

Welcome to the second and final part of the Presbytère house tour.

In the library the tree is finally decorated and the dining room table is looking festive.

I began with a pair of table runners overlaid with silver and gold chargers.
The china is Rosenthal "Classic Rose".

The red napkins were a TJ Maxx purchase the last time we visited Hilton Head, SC. and the white napkins are from the Spode Christmas Tree range, as are the coasters beneath the stemware.

The stemware is vintage Baccarat, bought at auction in Bayeux several years ago. I think the pattern is Harcourt.

The green English pressed glass dishes are vintage too, I’ll serve one of our favourite appetizers in these; avocado prawn cocktails with Marie Rose sauce, very 1970’s!

I kept the centrepiece simple, a large white candle inside a plain glass hurricane surrounded by a faux wreath embellished with faux white poinsettias and gold accents.

I love Christmas Carols, singing along to them when playing CD's at home or, even better, going to a Carol concert and lending my voice (not good!) to all the others, an opportunity that I rarely have living as we do in deepest rural Normandy.

When our house & pet sitter called to let me know that she was available for a few days due to a cancellation, the Senior Partner and I quickly agreed that a long weekend back in the U.K. was just the pick me up we both needed.
Herefordshire is a favourite place of ours to visit and so we decided to head back there and experience it during the festive season.
I saw on line that the Goodrich Village Choir the “Roaring Megs” would be appearing at the Hostellerie in Goodrich on Friday evening. There was mention of open braziers, hot chestnuts, mulled wine, sausage rolls and mince pies whilst the lovely choir entertain us and bring the whole spirit of Christmas to our doorstep.
I booked a room and dinner for two, tout suite.
Then I read in the December issue of "Herefordshire Life" magazine that an Advent market and Carols for Shoppers would be taking place Saturday morning in the grounds of Hereford Cathedral, and that the Ledbury Community Choir would be performing at a Carol Concert in Ledbury on Saturday evening.
After a few minutes spent on google I'd found a lovely apartment for two in the centre of Ledbury, a beautiful little town steeped in history, and booked it for Saturday and Sunday.
So, there will be carols, shopping, good food and wine, carols, a seasonal client meeting for the Senior Partner, did I mention carols, and a rare opportunity for retail therapy with a friend for me.
As we’ll be on the overnight ferry back to Normandy late Monday, a cosy cabin to ensure a good night’s sleep in case of a choppy Channel crossing has also been reserved!

Isn't that enough to make anyone feel Festive?

Joining Jenny @ off on my tangent

for Alphabe-Thursday

I'm sure there will be lots of festivity happening this week in blogland

 as we celebrate the letter "F"!

Scenic Sunday in Herefordshire

I've finally found the time to look through the dozens of shots which I took during our recent stay in Herefordshire and thought you might enjoy seeing some of the interesting black and white architecture which abounds there.

You will find these pretty cottages in many of the small villages, down twisty country lanes.

Of course there are plenty of Public Houses (pubs) on the Black and White Trail too.

Weobley, Dilwyn, Sarsfield, Eardisley, Kington and Pembridge are just some of the villages which we enjoyed visiting. You can usually find a pretty little teashop where you can have a refreshing cuppa and a cake (or two) before continuing along the route. We particularly enjoyed the Old Forge in Weobley which is a gift shop too!

Joining in with Scenic Sunday this week , click on the link to see more of the beautiful world in which we live.

A Very English May Day Tradition - Dilwyn Village Show.

This year we celebrated the May Day holiday by visiting the Dilwyn Village Show which took place in Fields Place Meadow.

We really enjoyed watching the shows in the main arena, especially the "Paws For Thought" dog display team (click here to see more about them) and also the Birds of Prey Falconry show.

The vintage and classic car show was a big draw, the old farm tractors were very popular.

We browsed the craft tent and tasted samples from local food and drink producers, bought lots of second hand books and finally ended up in the WI (Womens Institute) tea tent for sandwiches, tea and home made cake.

After lunch we wandered over to watch the young riders taking part in the horse show, very Jilly Cooper with a touch of Thelwell (the unofficial artist of the British countryside) thrown in for good measure!
If you don't know Thelwell's cartoons click here to see why he was so well loved.
Later that afternoon we bagged ringside seats on the grass, Senior Partner fetched a blanket from the car so we wouldn't get damp, to watch the Companion Dog show.

These were the categories:
Pedigree Classes as defined by the Kennel Club
1 Any Variety Gundog Dog or Bitch
2 Any Variety Hound Dog or Bitch
3 Any Variety Pastoral/Working Dog or Bitch
4 Any Variety Toy and Utility Dog or Bitch
5 Any Variety Terrier Dog or Bitch
6 Any Variety Open Dog or Bitch
7 Any Variety Veteran Dog or Bitch (7 years and over)
8 Any Variety Puppy Dog or Bitch (aged 6 to 12 months)
Rosettes for Best in Show from classes 1- 8, Reserve Best in Show
Best Puppy in Show and Reserve Best Puppy in Show
After the Kennel Club business was over it was time for the Novelty Classes
9 Local Class: Best Dog or Bitch living within 5 mile radius of show
10 Best Crossbred Dog or Bitch
11 Dog or Bitch with the ‘waggiest’ tail
12 Handsomest Dog
13 Prettiest Bitch
14 Best veteran Dog or Bitch (non-pedigree) aged 7 years or over
15 Best Dog or Bitch handled by a child 6-12 years
It was so much fun watching the dogs and their owners prance around the show ring and I could tell that if we had not left Ben & Fleur at home the SP would have been in that ring showing of M'selle Fleur and probably bringing home one or two rosettes.
Of course my Ben would have easily won classes 11 and 12!
It was a wonderful day out and has started me dreaming about returning "home" to Herefordshire one day.

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays and

Mary @the little red house for Mosaic Monday.

Click on these links or on the sidebar buttons to join the fun.

Meeting Martha from Lines From Linderhof.

The ornamental gardens at Little Quebb Farm.

Shortly before we left for our two week visit to the UK I received an email from Martha, you may know her blog -  Lines From Linderhof.

Martha mentioned that she and her husband Jim had been visiting Normandy earlier that week, I thought "now she tells me"!
If I had known I could have easily driven to the coast to meet up with them.

Little Quebb Farmhouse

All was not lost however as Martha went on to to tell me that they were spending a few weeks in the Cotswolds, not very far away from where the Senior Partner and I had rented a holiday cottage.

A tranquil place to sit
outside our back door.

Emails flew back and forth and finally we had a plan to meet at the Bear & Ragged Staff Country Pub in Bransford, Warwickshire for a traditional Sunday Lunch.

Bear and Ragged Staff

Almost equidistant from both of our places, it proved to be an excellent choice and I highly recommend the puddings.

Kansas meets Normandy at last!

Needless to say Martha and her husband Jim are delightful and the time just flew by as we got to know each other better.

Lunch was enjoyed by all

Check out Marthas blog Lines From Linderhof to read how much these two Anglophiles are enjoying "living" in the UK.
All too soon it was time to say farewell and make our way back to our cottages.
Us to The Granary at Little Quebb Farm, Eardisley Herefordshire and M&J to Blue Row Cottage in Swerford, Oxfordshire.

The Granary our
Home Away From Home

Bye Martha, hope to see you again one day!

Au revoir!
Joining the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
with this very Traditional English Sunday Experience!