Studying in Southwell, Shakespeare in Stratford

On February 28th, everyone was divided into two large groups based on when they have British Studies, and ushered either onto coaches or into the long gallery for the first part of our "Victorian Archiecture: How buildings can reinforce the ideas of class and gender."  That was not the actual name of our trip, but that was idea. As I was in the first group to visit Southwell, I bundled up and headed out.

 This is Southwell workhouse.  It is the first and last of its kind, as the rest have been torn down or turned into apartments.  It is divided into six sections: Able bodied men and women, old and infirm men and women, children, and the master/martron areas.  The only time they mixed was Sunday worship and families could meet Sunday evening if everyone was good during the week.

 This is the room where Sunday service was held, along with where the Committee met to make sure the workhouse was serving its purpose.

 This is the girls' bedroom, where they were locked in at night.  Everyone was locked in at night to prevent people from wandering around and getting into mischief.

 These are not the actual beds, but they would have been this size and everyone slept double to allow for more room.

The cellar where the women worked preparing and storing all the food.  It was cold, and aparently during the rainy winters they were stuck standing in ice cold water up to their ankles. 

After we returned from the workhouse for lunch it was time to analyze the place we all currently call home: Harlaxton.

Alright, so there was no fog or snow that day, but I didn't want to reuse any pictures.

 The governess had a fairly nice room.  Shame there was never a governess.

 This is the old library, where the professors can go have a stiff drink and talk about the students.  At one point this room was used for séances by Mrs. Van der Elst because she wanted to contact her dead husband,

 This is one of the state bedrooms, taken as the housekeepers were cleaning.  This is why you should always carry a camera at Harlaxton.

 A better picture of the Ante room.

I wonder what it says about us that our library is where the kitchens used to be. 

The weekend rolled around and it was time for me to visit Stratford, the place of Shakespeare's birth.  It was nice, but it lacked the magic I was expecting.  Certainly the seven hours we had to do what we pleased was a little much.  But we made due.

 The coolest part about his birthplace was the inside, which I could not take pictures of.

 My inner geek liked this little shop because it connected Shakespeare with Harry Potter.

 Look, a pretty garden.  Actually has very little to do with Shakespeare. 

Shakespeare's grave with a sign so that people can see what he had inscribed on his tomb.  "Good friend, for Jesus sake forbare, / to dig the dust enclosed here. / Blest be the man that spares these stones, / and curst be that moves my bones."

Of course no trip to Stratford is complete without watching a play.  From the back row of the third level I watched a rather interesting take on Measure for Measure.

Although I still have one weekend to review before I am caught up, I shall leave this post as it is.  After all, with every picture worth a thousand words this post is just slightly over 16000 words long.

JClark. 

Learning in Lincoln

On Wednesday, we had a fist school required fieldtrip, one to a decently sized city about an hour away.  We stayed mostly on the top of the hill where the castle and the cathedral were built in the 11^th century after the Norman invasion.

I started off in the Castle area where we were supposed to see the Manga Carta but our guide decided we needed to remain outside and pointed out several slightly interesting places (but I was really too cold to care).

The Observatory Tower in the southeast corner of the keep.

Cobb Hall in the northeast corner of the Bailey, a former prison and where the once stood the gallows.

The crown court of 1826, it is still used as a courthouse today.  In fact, court was in session when we were there.

The ceremonial East Gate, used only for important functions.  

Lucy Tower on the south side, on its motte (that's how it is spelled in my text book).

Next, I went on to the cathedral and began learning about the different styles of gothic architecture, and the interesting carvings normally overlooked.  We only stayed outside long enough to get a good idea of the carvings there before my tour guide (also my British Studies professor Dr. Bujak) took us inside to show us the more interesting things in the slightly warmer cathedral.  Good news is, pictures were allowed inside, so I took plenty.

Large picture from below

Instead of a row of saints, there is a row of kings to emphasize the connection between the Church and the State.

Carvings around the main door to the cathedral.

Stain glass light on the floor

The stone pillar that marks where the old church was, which means the cathedral is not symmetrical.

Prime example of the problems caused by not getting the measurements right.

Really detailed carvings, and those flowers are not shallow either.

Destroyed pilgrimage spot from the Reformation.

The Chapter House where Edward I declared his son Edward (eventually Edward II) Prince of Wales, not a good tourist destination for the Welsh.

After the Cathedral, it was lunch and then the roman walks, which covered more than just the Roman occupation.

Part of the East Gate, once again it was more ceremonial than functional.

Part of the Roman Water Tank right in someone's back yard.

Wrong side of the Newport arch, or the north arch, the functional roman gate.

The well they used before the water tank.

Finally, I was allowed to take off on my own (they had a path all laid out in our booklets).  I would have followed the booklet but I came upon a discount bookstore and began my quest to find a book for my oldest sister.  No luck, but I did find the Hunger Games Trilogy on a table that said “2 for £3” which made me very happy (but I didn’t buy them). 

Found the other large church in this town.

Looking back after climbing the worst part of Steep Hill, and seeing the church spire in-between the tree branches.

Shortly after, we left Lincoln to return to our own house on a hill, Harlaxton.

J. Clark.