Scampston Hall walled garden and estate

Looking for something different to visit in our short stay in Yorkshire, we picked a renowned country house and famous Walled Garden- Scampston Hall. 

The Hall was built in the late 1600s for William Hustler. The estate was bought in the 1690s by Sir William St Quintin, 3rd Baronet, who was Receiver General for Ireland and Member of Parliament for Hull. The estate and title were inherited in 1723 by his nephew, also William, who was MP for Thirsk. He married Rebecca Thompson, a wealthy heiress, and was thus able to expand the estate and employ Capability Brown to landscape the park. The serpentine park of about 1.7 square kilometres was laid out first by Charles Bridgeman and later by Lancelot "Capability" Brown in 1772. It includes an unusual iconic "Bridge Building," concealing the end of a sheet of water and closing the view. Unfortunately, on our visit this was covered by sheets of tarpaulin and workmen! 

In 1959 Scampston passed to the Legard (or Le Gard) family as Colonel Malone's daughter Mary had married Sir Thomas Legard, 14th Baronet in 1935. The estate is now owned by their grandson Christopher, who was High Sheriff of North Yorkshire in 2018/19.

A main purpose of the visit was to visit the famous Walled Garden. To quote the sites web page:

Set within the 18th century walls of the original kitchen garden for Scampston Hall, today the Walled Garden has an exciting and unashamedly modern feel to and complements the adjacent 18th century 'Capability' Brown parkland.

The garden had been derelict for nearly fifty years when Sir Charles and Lady Legard undertook the huge renovation task. The Legards enlisted the help of leading Dutch garden designer, Piet Oudolf, and the design for the walled garden was conceived in 1999. 

Since opening to the public in 2005, it has received a great deal of international acclaim. Although Oudolf's planting ideas are now much imitated, the Walled Garden is an outstanding example of how he combines his skill as a designer with his authority and knowledge as a plantsman. It still remains his largest private commission in the UK.`

Drifts of Grass - this area changes as the year passes. In summer, when the grass is long, it must look like waves of corn.

Spring Box Borders

In the borders of the Spring Box Borders section.

Silent Garden - 24 round columns of Yew, with their square clipped bases, are allowed to reach 3 meters before the tops are leveled. A real quiet spot.

The Conservatory built in 1894. The William Richardson conservatory and the adjacent bothies have been brought back to life with a new focus thanks to the help of a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The space has now been transformed into an exhibition space and provides facilities for education & adult learning. 

The exhibition rooms in the bothies allow visitor to discover more about the history of gardening on the estate, and the characters that have worked here. There is also an exhibition which explores the modern day architectural restoration of the building which was finished in 2015 thanks to a significant donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

Also, as far as we were concerned, a place for a coffee and some lunch! 

One of the Cut Flower gardens. 

In the Perennial Meadow.

The front of the Hall, although I preferred the side views (below)

Part of the estate lake system

The Ice House (1759) has recently been restored.The walls are multi layered which used to keep the ice from the lake insulated

Old Horse Shelter, typically used for brood mares but now home to bats and owls.

This pair of Gate Posts date from around 1770s and mark the start of an avenue which was one of the early entrance routes to the Hall from the Scarborough direction

Where the fairies live. After all, they have to live somewhere on the estate!

 Index of posts

Birds of Bempton and Flamborough Head

We had wanted to return to Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire since our previous short visit. So a few days in the area seemed a good idea and Bridlington it was! 
We had not had a look at the fishing port of Bridlington, so we were `killing two birds with one stone`, as was often said.

We were booked into the Lobster Pot Inn only about 20 min drive from Bempton Cliffs, and this was our first port of call.

The Bempton Cliffs reserve, on the spectacular Yorkshire coast, is home to one of the UK's top wildlife spectacles. Around half a million seabirds gather here between March and October to raise a family on towering chalk cliffs which overlook the North Sea. Read more at RSPB

The experience is truly awe inspiring at this time of year and we could recommend this as a must if you are in the area. So to a few images of the birds swooping and diving in front of us! 

An adult Gannett

Kittiwake

Juvenile Gannet of between 2 and 3 years old, according to the wing pattern.

Razorbill viewing the scenery or protecting his space more likely!

The iconic Puffin - not so many here as there are of the bigger birds.

Who are you staring at then? - Jackdaw waiting for my sandwich

As we intended to return here the next day and spend more time, we drove a few miles south to another popular and spectacular place - Flamborough Headland.

As well as a great coastline, Flamborough has two lighthouses, one of which is still in use - and a great tea room nearby.

 Flamborough Coastline

The `New` Lighthouse 

A lighthouse was first built on the Flamborough Headland in 1669 but was never lit. The current `new` lighthouse was built in 1806 and acts as a waypoint for deep sea vessels and coastal traffic as well as marking the Flamborough Headland for vessels heading for the ports of Scarborough and Bridlington. 

The old chalk tower is set a short distance back from the sea, the 'new' one is built on the cliff edge. The chalk tower is the only surviving light tower in England. It was designed for a brushwood fire to have been burnt on top, although it is unknown whether or not it was ever lit. The octagonal tower has several windows and a ground floor fireplace so it was possible lived in. I don`t think I would have wanted to be the Keeper. 

It was 130 years before a lighthouse was built on Flamborough. The 'new' lighthouse was built after over 170 ships had been wrecked off the headland in 36 years. In 1925 it was made taller to fit a new 15 foot lens and converted from oil to electricity in 1940. 

It has a range of 24 nautical miles and is one of only 72 lighthouses still in use around Britain's coast today. Now it is fully automated. 

The coast near Flamborough

So, another trip to Bempton, and more bird photos. Just all minding their own business.

I love this bird, the Razorbill.

Kittiwake

Just checking out the burrow after a time at sea.

In love, while the neighbours watch! It was quite touching to see their bonding behaviour.

A study of a Jackdaw - again waiting for lunch.

Juvenile Gannet probably only one year old as he is still mostly black.

Filey Brigg is a long narrow peninsula situated about a mile north of Filey, North Yorkshire.

Its steep cliffs are 15 metres high and consist of a variety of material, from pure sandstone to pure limestone. The landward end of the peninsula of Filey Brigg is known as Carr Naze, whilst the long neck of rock at the seaward end is called the Brigg. 

Close to the cliff edge at Carr Naze (Filey Brigg) at the north-eastern side of Filey and near to the Country Park is the “site of” some faint rectangular earthworks of Filey Roman Signal Station. This was the southernmost signal station of five along the Yorkshire coast, and was in use from roughly 375-410 AD; it was manned by a small garrison of soldiers, with the rocky ‘spittal’ (mooring place) below the cliffs being used as a natural harbour for Roman sailing vessels. Filey’s Roman signal station, along with the four others, would have formed a defense against attacks by sea-borne invaders from across the north sea. The beacon on top of the tower would be lit when invading ships were spotted on the horizon, acting as a warning to the other stations along the coast so that evasive action could be taken. In a recent landslip part of the earthwork (two thirds) at the eastern edge disappeared over the cliff and the rest of the site is in ever constant danger of going the same way.

We walked from the lovely Country Park out along to the end of the Brigg and back to find I had forgotten to pay to park! Oh dear! - that was an expensive (£25) visit.

This way mark grabbed our attention as it is somewhat different. It marks the coastal path - The Cleveland Way.

The Flamborough coast at sunset.

.... and with the tide at a low ebb.

 Index of posts

The Anglo-Saxon Village at West Stow

The Anglo-Saxon Village at West Stow is both a living museum and an archaeological site, surrounded by a popular country park. Some time around AD 450 a small settlement grew up at West Stow, on the banks of the River Lark. The village was built on a low hill, now overwhelmed by a sand dune.

The settlement lasted until about AD 600 and evidence has been uncovered for around 70 buildings on the site. These buildings have described as 'sunken-featured', a style formerly known as pit houses. At its height there were at least 8 timber halls and over 60 other buildings.

In 1849 an Anglo-Saxon cemetery was uncovered, and archaeologists began to explore the area. They found evidence of habitation as early as the Mesolithic period, but the major finds related to the Anglo-Saxon settlement. Aside from the timber halls, archaeologists discovered animal pens, pits, and boundary ditches. There was no sign of a fortification of any kind, suggesting that the inhabitants felt safe from attack.

The view of the village as you approach it. One of England’s great archaeological sites, West Stow has extensive indoor galleries and a stunning recreation of an Anglo-Saxon village surrounded by 125 acres of unspoilt countryside.

In 1976 the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village Trust was formally established to manage the site, at that stage there were three reconstructed houses within the village. The reconstructed village now consists of eight buildings: craft building, farmers house, hall building, living house, oldest house, sunken house, weaving house, workshop. Some of these are shown below in the images that follow.

The Sunken House

The oldest house

The Weavers House

The Hall

The Living House

The Workshop

The layout of all but one of the halls was on an east-west axis. Most halls were simple rectangular buildings, but one, dubbed Hall No. 2, had an internal division and was supported o double posts along its length. The most clearly defined hut remains showed evidence of a doorway in both the north and south walls. There was no hearth, but evidence of burnt sand was discovered in the centre of the hut.

Several Roman bronze coins were found on the site, as well as brooches, a bone comb, and Roman glass pieces.

The truly fascinating thing about the West Stow site, and the thing makes it so intriguing to visit today, is what the archaeologists did after they had investigated the Saxon remains. From 1977 they embarked on an ongoing project of recreating the huts they had discovered, using Anglo-Saxon hand tools and building techniques. They wanted to learn more about Anglo-Saxon architecture, and discover if they could, how and why buildings were constructed. This kind of experimental archaeology goes beyond simply recording historical artefacts, and also helps educate visitors about the Anglo-Saxon period.

Each of the reconstructed huts takes a slightly different approach, using different material, to see what materials work best and what techniques make for a longer lasting building. The Anglo-Saxons built in timber, so their buildings did not last. Archaeologists can use experiments like the West Stow Village to understand what kind of building techniques would account for the remains they excavate, and hope to learn more about how the people of West Stow lived.

Each of the huts is slightly different inside as well. The weaving House, built in 1984, is filled with hand-weaving looms and tools. The Living House, made in 1987, is furnished as a dwelling. Then there is a Workshop, laid out for woodworking. One of the huts is sunken well into the ground, while others have a plank floor raised up off the soil.

Even the pig huts are made with traditional Saxon techniques. There are several demonstration areas where you can see examples of traditional crafts such as woodturning on a foot-powered lathe.

The modern visitor centre holds a museum of artefacts, and is where you can watch a video on the archaeology of the site.

 Index of posts