Museum of the Moon

A clear November day when some trees still retain their autumnal colour . Here we are on Castle Hill about to enter Lancaster Priory to see a moon.

The view on entering of our time worn natural satellite - a recreation of the surface by Luke Jerram which he calls the 'Museum of the Moon'.

Walking down the aisle to enter the chancel and look back from the 14th Century choir stalls.

which are intricately carved. It is appropriate that these wonders of woodwork by unknown medieval craftsmen have

 

an embroidered cushion celebrating the furniture making of Robert Gillow and the company he founded in the 19th Century - Gillows of Lancaster and London.  The medieval misericord of the folding seat can be seen above it.

The moon is 7 metres in diameter and there were both spiritual and cultural references to the moon scattered around in the Priory as well as an information sheet with prayers, stories and the dates of the moon's cycle through the month.  I love a pun and the leaflet uses Lancaster's river as one as it is called - By the Light of the Silvery Lune.  Moonlight on water is of course always magical.

Going up the stairs to the gallery a different perspective of the moon can be seen.

There has been a church on Castle Hill since Saxon times however Lancaster Priory dates from the 14th Century but apart from the rich medieval heritage changes have been made throughout time . The bell tower (10 bells inside) is is dated 1759 but it needs some repair and there is a sponsor a brick scheme running inside the church.

The Museum of the Moon like its celestial template is always on the move and the Light Up Lancaster festival, which it was part of, ends today so it will travel south to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff for December and the new year. (Museum of the Moon website) 
 
   

A Visual Pub Crawl

Wander along the streets of the town of Lancaster and not only are there many pubs but you are never in any doubt of what they are called. This, the Duke of Lancaster with his crown, is possibly meant to be the 14th Century John of Gaunt, a Plantagenet and brother to the Black Prince.  Lancaster lies on the River Lune

and this sign is a wonderful recreation of the 18th Century St Georges Quay and its warehousing along the banks  Of course if there are ports and ships there must be sailors

and they are rather fond of pubs. 

Photographs for the Signs, Signs meme

ABC Wednesday - Gateway

The gateway to the Kirkby Stephen Parish Church, whose byname is the Cathedral of the Dales. A sturdy, small and pretty church, the gateway was built in 1810 with money from the will of John Waller a former resident and leads through the cloisters to the entrance of the church which stands on an old Saxon site. One of the things the church is famous for is its possession of a Viking carving called

the Loki Stone. It features the horned figure of Loki who from Viking stories was sometimes on the side of the gods and sometimes he plagued them for he was a trickster.  At the end he went too far and killed the son of Odin, the result, eternal punishment, which is why this stone shows him bound. And just to add that little bit of detail is is with the entrails of one of his sons.  A serpent drips poison, which his wife collected in a bowl. When the bowl is full she had to pour it out and the poison then dripped on Loki, his pain as he writhes and cries out in pain causes earthquakes. Gosh I feel like a walk to clear my head after that thought.

maybe through this gate on a path lined with gorse. Or perhaps a walk in a country garden

 Tatton Park

with a cool archways of trees. On second thoughts although today has been spring like, no shade required yet,

the gritters are out again tonight.  Only for ice, all our snow has gone.  Wooden gates need a bit of upkeep

 Lancaster near the River Lune

not this one, the building is due for conversion into flats or redevelopment. Sometimes things have gone too far

when lichen and rain have worn away its purpose. Standing propped against the wall is its replacement.

Go to ABC Wednesday where there will be lots more words starting with the letter G

ABC Wednesday - Lancaster

The old coat of arms of the city of Lancaster when it was the administrative centre for the county of Lancashire appears on the gates of the present town hall.  This was built early in the 20th century and was funded by the 'lino king' Lord Ashton (a multi millionaire), because the city could not afford to build one itself.

 The old town hall, now a museum, the front of which is a popular meeting place when school comes out, learning done for the day, the volume of chatter is boisterously loud.

Always a display of hanging baskets.

Now when I wondered what have I could use for ABC Wednesday's L and thought at the back of my mind, oh yes I've taken a few pictures in Lancaster, what I did not realise, until today, was I'd never taken the things that are usually associated with Lancaster, its many Georgian buildings, the Priory and the 12th Century castle so perhaps this tour

 is of the other corners of the city, the canal

by the side of which lie a couple of pubs, the Water Witch and the White Cross, where you can sit outside on a sunny day.  I suppose you could call this

a back street tour of Lancaster.  Going up the hill from here there is another pub,

which gives you an indication that just further on up the hill is

 the large Williamson Park

and its Butterfly House, closed the day this photograph was taken, but when open

 its tropical butterflies can be admired in lush foliage.

While a storm brews outside.  The other waterway that runs through Lancaster, the River Lune and the new Millennium Bridge, the Ashton Memorial on the skyline.  I have a least taken pictures of that, but used it before, in the last round for the letter S;  but there is another fine building I have not taken a photograph and is behind me as I took this photograph, the 18th Century Custom House which is now a Maritime Museum. How lamentable lax I have been, however luckily I might squeeze another letter out of this city for another round of ABC when I get round to taking the photographs.

Leap over to ABC Wednesday to see other words beginning with the Letter L

ABC Wednesday - Steps

T

I will start with rustic steps, at the moment the bracken is just unfurling ,but here in this image it is forever July and the foxgloves just coming to an end. The steps lead from the car park at Tilberthwaite where some go to laze by the stream but for the more energetic the steps warm up the tendons and lead past the old slate mines, whose walls are now scaled by rock climbers,

and on to the fell-side towards Wetherlam and the Coniston range. Tilberthwaite Gill is out of sight running below the trees

Stylish steps

leading to the Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park which is Lancaster's most visible monument, it perches on top of a hill.  In the 19th Century Lancaster became the national centre for the manufacture of linoleum and the leading manufacturer was James Williamson who gave the site of the park to the town and his son, James Williamson Jnr, who later became Lord Ashton, continued the development.

This enormous baroque confection was prompted by the death of his second wife Jessie in 1904 and was designed by John Belcher.  Construction commenced in 1906 and was completed, using some of the most advanced building techniques of the day, in 1909.  The stonework reflects the sun and can be seen in different hues depending on the light and time of day  It comes complete with a fountain

which on a sunny day is super to splash around in. This carefree twosome were soaked but simply satisfied. 

The monument is a great setting for the promenade performances put on by the Duke Theatre every year in July. A few years ago I saw a performance of Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' on a warm summer's evening. We were taken through the woods and dells and ended up at the monument, a magical experience. This year the play is Peter Pan so Never Never Land comes to Williamson Park.

and Peter Pan can swoop down these balustered stairs, perhaps Wendy will lay a hand on the top but

not  on the handrail on these steps further round Morecambe Bay which is probably only held together by gravity.

Some steps are a little steeper, leading up to the road at Llangottock from the Brecon Canal, and can be tricky, notice the length of the gap from the top step to the  top of the wall, this one is not  built for small people, stretchy legs would be useful.

Saunter over to the ABC Wednesday meme where there are more words beginning with the letter S

Town & Country

Travelling to Lancaster by train I cracked open 'The Good Husband of Zebra Drive' to settle down to the journey and then realised that I knew the end, it was one of the episodes the BBC made of  McCall Smith's books. No matter, this series set in a bucolic Botswana where there might be a few deaths and matters to be investigated but ultimately nothing bad is going to happen, a cosy read and a pleasant way to pass a journey.

This weekend has had some wonderfully hot weather so after visiting the town we headed for the canal and then to Williamson Park whose view from the first photo is over the town.

But the best way to spend days with glorious blue skies is either by the beach or a river

so back to home ground and a walk over to the Eskdale Valley. The water by Doctor Bridge was very inviting and the crowds were out by the Duddon and the Esk.  Well when I say crowds I really mean a couple of dozen people.

After an unusually dry May the River Esk is quite low but the gorse

and broom are in full yellowy blaze.

And the lambs, well I never can resist a picture of them. They always lamb late in this valley because of its hight above sea level.