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ventaOn Sunday, ChrisC and I went lolloping up to Stratford to hear Just a Minute recorded. Which means I can claim to have been to the theatre in Stratford, but without having to have any of that tiresome culture nonsense. Since we had most of an afternoon to get there, we thought we'd take a picnic and meander.
The meandering began by heading up A roads instead of the motorway, at which point I demanded that something "interesting" be found on the map. A small village named Deddington claimed to have a castle, so we headed that way. Turning off the main road, the sign said Castle (Site Only), so we figured that some ruins were all that could be hoped for. Parking up in the village, we headed off down a little footpath, optimistically following an English Heritage brown sign which claimed a Castle.
It might be the site of a castle. If you carefully removed all traces of stonework, put scrubby grass over it, and goal posts at each end. It doesn't have so much as an information board with dubious artistic recreations of fanciful historic scenes. ChrisC did obligingly provide me with an account of the castle layout based on the available evidence, but at the point at which he claimed the Lord of the Manor had lived in a tree I started to fear that his heart wasn't really in it.
In fact, for a place worthy of a brown sign it was a dismal failure. I think it'd take a fairly hardened (or well-informed) academic to summon any interest in the place. Or someone who wanted a game of football. They'd probably be quite interested.
I'd like to claim that Deddington Castle is a site for eyesores, because I think it's clever, but really I don't think that's fair. The place is just not that interesting.
On the road again, we headed to Adderbury which I claimed had a morris team. It does - two, in fact. And one of them and all their friends were out in force, dancing all over the roads. I think I only ran a few of them over as I scorched away. When I'm not in rapper kit, I don't have to pretend I like Cotswold morris.
And then, nothing daunted, we sped off to Broughton... because the map said it had a castle. By this time, I'd dug out the Oxfordshire A-Z and thus we could see that there was at least a moat to be had. And, as anyone knows, a field with a moat beats a field with goal posts any day. Though if there were fields with both I might be a lot more interested in football. Once in Broughton, we found all kinds of optimistic things like signs with opening times on them, a car park, and eventually... a castle!
Well, OK, it's more of a moated manor with pretensions. But it's medieval and it's got some crenolated bits.
It's still lived in by its owners, Lord and Lady Saye and Sele, though large chunks are open to the public. You enter into the Great Hall, which is appropriately lofty, draughty, full of suits of armous, decked with imposing potraits and with more sofas than you expect.
I really enjoyed wandering round thehouse castle. Although there's a "route" round the house, and occasional ropes to block your way, you're allowed to wander into the rooms. I hate standing in doorways peering and craning my neck. I also approve of the almost complete lack of 'Do Not Touch' signs; there are stewards around who'd probably bounce you if you did, but it's nice to be trusted to be on your best behaviour.
Unlike many of the NT's vast, rambling piles Broughton Castle is a nice, bite size sort of visit. We ambled round reasonably slowly and probably spent about an hour and a half there. Of particular interest to civil war buffs is the collection of documents relating to the mumbleth owner, who was a little too Parliamentarian for Charles I (or II)'s liking, but managed to retain his head, his title and his office in the aftermath. The castle is also big on elaborate doors, scary handpainted wallpaper, unexpected curios, formal gardens and sofas.
Trivia fans may be interested to note that Broughton Castle was Gwyneth Paltrow's character's home in Shakespeare in Love, although it's her co-star who's a not-too-distant cousin of the family. The first Viscount Saye and Sele was a Fiennes, and all the Fiennes (Joseph, Ralph, Ranulph, Loch, etc) seem to be related somehow.
The meandering began by heading up A roads instead of the motorway, at which point I demanded that something "interesting" be found on the map. A small village named Deddington claimed to have a castle, so we headed that way. Turning off the main road, the sign said Castle (Site Only), so we figured that some ruins were all that could be hoped for. Parking up in the village, we headed off down a little footpath, optimistically following an English Heritage brown sign which claimed a Castle.
It might be the site of a castle. If you carefully removed all traces of stonework, put scrubby grass over it, and goal posts at each end. It doesn't have so much as an information board with dubious artistic recreations of fanciful historic scenes. ChrisC did obligingly provide me with an account of the castle layout based on the available evidence, but at the point at which he claimed the Lord of the Manor had lived in a tree I started to fear that his heart wasn't really in it.
In fact, for a place worthy of a brown sign it was a dismal failure. I think it'd take a fairly hardened (or well-informed) academic to summon any interest in the place. Or someone who wanted a game of football. They'd probably be quite interested.
I'd like to claim that Deddington Castle is a site for eyesores, because I think it's clever, but really I don't think that's fair. The place is just not that interesting.
On the road again, we headed to Adderbury which I claimed had a morris team. It does - two, in fact. And one of them and all their friends were out in force, dancing all over the roads. I think I only ran a few of them over as I scorched away. When I'm not in rapper kit, I don't have to pretend I like Cotswold morris.
And then, nothing daunted, we sped off to Broughton... because the map said it had a castle. By this time, I'd dug out the Oxfordshire A-Z and thus we could see that there was at least a moat to be had. And, as anyone knows, a field with a moat beats a field with goal posts any day. Though if there were fields with both I might be a lot more interested in football. Once in Broughton, we found all kinds of optimistic things like signs with opening times on them, a car park, and eventually... a castle!
Well, OK, it's more of a moated manor with pretensions. But it's medieval and it's got some crenolated bits.
It's still lived in by its owners, Lord and Lady Saye and Sele, though large chunks are open to the public. You enter into the Great Hall, which is appropriately lofty, draughty, full of suits of armous, decked with imposing potraits and with more sofas than you expect.
I really enjoyed wandering round the
Unlike many of the NT's vast, rambling piles Broughton Castle is a nice, bite size sort of visit. We ambled round reasonably slowly and probably spent about an hour and a half there. Of particular interest to civil war buffs is the collection of documents relating to the mumbleth owner, who was a little too Parliamentarian for Charles I (or II)'s liking, but managed to retain his head, his title and his office in the aftermath. The castle is also big on elaborate doors, scary handpainted wallpaper, unexpected curios, formal gardens and sofas.
Trivia fans may be interested to note that Broughton Castle was Gwyneth Paltrow's character's home in Shakespeare in Love, although it's her co-star who's a not-too-distant cousin of the family. The first Viscount Saye and Sele was a Fiennes, and all the Fiennes (Joseph, Ralph, Ranulph, Loch, etc) seem to be related somehow.
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Date: 2007-09-12 06:41 am (UTC)I hate standing in doorways peering and craning my neck. I also approve of the almost complete lack of 'Do Not Touch' signs; there are stewards around who'd probably bounce you if you did, but it's nice to be trusted to be on your best behaviour.
I remember you saying something similar about New Zealand trains assuming that their passengers had common sense. I agree - I much prefer this approach.
Trivia fans
Wow - I'm a trivia fan (I remember Shakespeare in Love well)!
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 11:37 am (UTC)(You don't think my reconstruction of Avebury's fanciful, do you?)
Yours,
The megalithic erection team.
(no subject)
From: