Searching for Mr. Darcy in Bath

Sadly I did not find him, nor did I find my beloved Colonel Brandon.

But, as a certified Janeite (a Jane Austen enthusiast), I certainly tried! I did, however enjoy exploring the city which Jane Austen spent time in during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and incorporated into many of her novels. While none of her Bath residences are open to the public (several no longer exist), The Jane Austen Centre is housed in a Georgian townhouse just doors down from one she lived in and is almost identical. It was interesting to learn more about the author, her family, and the role Bath played in the social lives of its visitors during the Regency period -- dancing, socializing, gossiping, card games, tea drinking, and of course taking the waters at The Pump Rooms.

Before I even began exploring the Bath of the Romans (the next post), there was so much else to see in Bath. Here are some of the highlights.

Built in 1767, the magnificent Royal Crescent is made up of 30 Georgian townhouses.

No. 1, out of the picture on the far right, is preserved as a museum,

but was sadly closed while we were visiting for renovations.

 

The Parade Gardens are a lovely Victorian public garden and park, overlooking the a river Avon and Pulteney Bridge.

What would an English park be without a bandstand and band concert?

And a proper floral tribute to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Long may she reign!

 

Pulteney Bridge is often compared to Florence's Ponte Vecchio. Crossing the Avon, it beautifully connects the city.

 

A view of the bridge, and...

 

...from the bridge of the weir.

 

 

Bath Abbey, completed in 1611, is on a site that has been occupied by various cathedrals and churches since 757 AD.

 

The Abbey was built in 1499, but lay in ruins for many years. The current exterior dates to 1616 and the interior to 1864.

The minute you walk through the door of the abbey, your eyes are drawn up to the beautiful fan vaulting of the nave ceiling.

 

The stunning Gothic nave.

Many battle-worn flags hang from the rafters. If only they could tell us their stories.

 

Fashionable members of Georgian society would come to the Assembly Rooms, completed in 1771, to socialize.

 

You might arrive in this, or...

 

...one of these.

The Card Room

The Great Octagon

The Tea Room

The Ball Room

 

We were fortunate that while we were there, Jubilee: Dressing the Monarchy on Stage and Screen had just opened in the Ball Room, featuring costumes from television, movie and stage productions featuring royalty.

 

Who can forget Helen Mirren...

as Queen Elizabeth I.

Here's a very young Kenneth Branagh as...

... Henry V.

and Mrs. Wyman as ...?

 

Located in the oldest house in Bath (c. 1482), afternoon tea at Sally Lunn's was a real treat. Instead of finger sandwiches, world famous Sally Lunn Bath Buns are served. I loved that Roman ruins were excavated on the site and are preserved and displayed in the basement museum.

Sally Lunn was a French Huguenot refugee, who settled in England in 1680. I've recently begun exploring my Hugenot ancestry in upstate New York, so I was interested by this connection.

Sally Lunn brioche-type buns are massive!

For afternoon tea, they are served with salmon.

What is afternoon tea without scones, jam, and clotted cream,

which Jennie and I elevated into its own food group!

At the end of a long day of walking all over this very hilly city, and having passed on lunch, we felt we had earned this gastronomic treat!

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From Blenheim to Bach

After a short 8-mile bus ride out of Oxford into the nearby countryside, we had a gorgeous day exploring Blenheim Palace. School had just let out the day before, and it was the first official day of the British summer holidays, so it was mobbed!

Still the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Blenheim was designed by Vanbrugh (whom you might remember from a previous post also designed Castle Howard) and remodeled by Capability Brown. It is most famously known as the accidental birthplace of Winston Churchill in 1874, while his parents were visiting his grandfather, the 7th Duke. Blenheim was given as a gift from Queen Anne to the 1st Duke, John Churchill, in thanks for his victory over the French at The Battle of Blindheim (Blenheim) in 1704. In turn, he made sure it honored her, as well.

 

The 9th Duke, a very close friend of Churchill's, is responsible for the stunning grounds and gardens established in the 1920s. He had over half a million trees planted!

 

It is here, in the water terraces, that Winston proposed to his beloved Clementine.

The Rose Garden

The view to the Main Lake from within the Rose Garden.

 

The private Italian Garden

Vanbrugh's Grand Bridge across the lake.

A visit to Blenheim isn't complete without a stroll through the Woodstock Gate, and...

...into the village of Woodstock itself.

Referred to in the Domesday Book, Woodstock is one of the most picturesque villages I've seen thus far.

 

 

The Bear Hotel dates to the 13th century.

Behave, while in the village, or you'll end up in the stocks!

After a long day of walking, our tired feet clambered onto the bus back to Oxford. We hopped off and dashed back to our hotel to prepare for an exciting event that evening. My husband had surprised us by booking tickets to a performance of Bach's glorious Magnificat sung by the choir and choiristers of New College at the Sheldonian Theatre.

Before the concert, we decided to do one last bit of college peeping in the Sheldonian's neighborhood. The Porter at Wadham College saw us peering in through the gate and invited us in to take a quick picture. We've stayed out of trouble on the trip until this point, but...

 

...two very "jolly" men (they'd been at a wedding reception, so need I say more!) out of nowhere ran in, grabbed Jennie, and hoisted her up while standing on the grass (a very big no no in Oxford college courtyards!) and we were promptly asked to leave.

 

After laughing hysterically around the corner, we regained our composure and moved on to the Sheldonian.

 

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1664, the Sheldonian serves as the main assembly room of the University.

 

The ceiling fresco is made up of 32 oil on canvas panels, depicting Truth descending on the Arts and Sciences.

When we first saw the choiristers, they were goofing around with one another, making silly faces, and waving to their families.

Then, after robing and being joined by their university-aged colleagues, they miraculously turned into the angelic choir of New College, Oxford.

The choir was accompanied by the Oxford Philomusica.

And then, with it barely dark at 10:00pm, we wandered back to our hotel and our very long day came to a triumphant end.

 

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Oxford, "the city of dreaming spires"

Our train arrived in Oxford with just enough time to find our hotel, throw our bags down, and dash back into town for me to make my first museum appointment at the Ashmolean.

The Ashmolean, Oxford University's amazing museum of art and archeology.

During my meeting with Clare Coleman, the Education Officer at the Ashmolean, we shared our common beliefs about the power of objects and the critical importance of encouraging children to think. We use similar techniques when working with objects unfamiliar to children, asking them questions about what they see, think, and wonder, without giving away too much information up front. As they share their thoughts, we ask questions which lead them either further down the correct path or encouragingly redirecting them, if necessary. I enjoyed hearing about the inspiring learning opportunities provided for students during their visits to the museum and having hands-on time with some of the objects (real artifacts!) she uses during her sessions on ancient Egypt and Roman Britain. It was thrilling to touch an Egyptian mirror and makeup kit (after being forced to guess what they were, of course), Roman pottery, and many other objects. Before making our way out to the museum floor, I got to see some preschool-aged children excitedly digging for hidden "treasure" with spoons in kiddie pools filled with sand! They begin training their archeologists at an early age! All of this left me inspired to expand my work with objects further upon my return.

While at the museum, Jennie and I took in the wonderful touring "Capture of the Westmorland" exhibit. The "Westmorland," an armed British merchant sailing ship was captured on its way back to London from Europe in 1779. Filled with the many antiques, works of art, books, and even 32 wheels of treasured Parmesan cheese, purchased by the wealthy experiencing "the Grand Tour," the ship's contents were declared a prize of war and were then scattered all over Europe, finding homes in museums as far away as St. Petersburg. It wasn't until 1990 when researchers began to discover clues about the missing objects and their whereabouts. 120 of the objects have now been assembled, along with the stories of their British owners, in this fascinating exhibit.

After our time at the museum, we made our way to Oxford Town Hall, a gorgeous Gothic Revival building dating to 1893, which is a meeting place for local government and houses the Museum of Oxford. Here we were to meet a friend of some dear English family friends of mine. Helen, who serves as Reminiscence Officer for the museum's Reminiscence project, uses objects in her work, but in a very different way and with an older population. She shares familiar objects from the museum with older citizens to encourage their remembrances of times past and inspire communication and story-telling. Inspiring and heartwarming work, I believe. After chatting about her work, she took us on a tour of several special areas in this vast building.

Helen ordered us to climb onstage before telling us why. David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, in addition to others, have performed on this stage! She insisted we have our picture taken onstage. No argument from us!

After sharing with Helen that I was a diehard Inspector Morse and Lewis fan, which everyone knows is still filmed in Oxford, she knew just the place to take us. This courtroom has been used in the series over the years. Again, she insisted we pose, and we happily complied! (We later learned an episode of Lewis was being filmed while we were in town and a fellow hotel guest's daughter, a student at Exeter College, was an extra.)

After our tour of the building, we made the requisite visit to The Bear, the oldest pub in Oxford, dating to 1242. It's covered with a collection of ties, snipped from the neck's of visitors.

In our last few moments together, before Helen had to catch her train home, we looked around Christ Church, one of Oxford's largest college, which was founded in 1546. In the summer most colleges keep revenue flowing in by hosting programs for high school students.

The grounds of Christ Church are spectacular.

We had a wonderful visit with new friend, Helen.

Visiting Oxford was the most bittersweet and difficult time of the trip for me. My husband had so been looking forward to visiting his beloved St Peter's College, where he spent 6 wonderful years doing his graduate work. It was devastating when we learned in the spring he would be sidelined from the trip because of his delayed recovery from his hip replacement in April. A second blow was dealt when I learned, shortly after arriving in Oxford, that he would need follow-up surgery immediately upon my return to the US. It would have been easy to hop on the next plane, but both my husband and father told me to...

So I did.

After a delicious meal sitting at High Table in the college dining hall (Internet picture. Not cool to snap a photo while eating!), we toured the chapel, library, and gorgeous grounds.

The college's chapel.

The library at St Peter's, where my husband spent many hours with his nose in a book or two while working on his MPhil and DPhil.

The Master's house, on the grounds of St Peter's.

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