December and January Frost

One of the things I have noted for this winter is the frequent occurrence of frosts and the picturesque scenery created by them. Just wandering around the village provided some lovely images. Here are a few of them.

Around the playing field area with even the spider's webs looking beautiful covered in frost. Not sure what the spiders think.

Then a couple of images of the river Brett partly froze.

Frozen leaf on the frozen ground.

Then a couple of images across the fields to Shelley

Then onto Sudbury where these three images were taken on Sudbury meadows where the previous rutted field was now solid in ice.

All very picturesque and well worth the cold fingers and toes!

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Woolverstone Hall and St Michael`s Church

I had often thought to visit Woolverstone Hall which is now an Ipswich Girls school, so when I did, I was able to enjoy a pleasant wander around the outer grounds of the magnificent Hall and onto the church of St Michael and all Angels, which was at one time the estate church. In fact, a very pleasant walk this sunny morning. This trip was actually in April this year, but I have only just realized that I had not recorded it!

Built in 1776, Woolverstone Hall is a Grade I listed building set in 80 acres of parkland on the banks of the river Orwell. It is widely thought of as one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in England.

William Berners (10 July 1709 - 13 September 1783) was an English property developer and slave owner in the 18th century. He is particularly associated with the development of the Fitzrovia area north of Oxford Street in central London; Berners Street was named after him.

Berners purchased the estate in 1773 and engaged architect John Johnson to build his gentleman's country residence. The site of the hall is typical of the 18th Century interest in the surrounding landscape and appreciation of beautiful views and vistas. A grand driveway leads guests to the front of the hall, while the rear of the building overlooks the river Orwell, with views both down and upstream towards Ipswich, thanks to the curved structure.

Unlike many other 18th Century houses of note, Woolverstone Hall is as attractive from the back, as it is from the front, perhaps owing to the classic Palladian design; consisting of a central block which originally housed the main living quarters, flanked by two smaller wings which were added in 1823.

In the 1930s, the Woolverstone estate was sold to Lord Nuffield, as an investment for Oxford University. Then, during the Second World War it was requisitioned as a naval training establishment. Becoming HMS Woolverstone, a shore-based naval station. Dummy landing crafts were made there as part of the deceptions that went on around D-Day.

After the war, in 1950, the London County Council took it over as a boys' boarding School thus beginning Woolverstone’s heritage as a school. In 1992 it was sold to Ipswich High School who moved to Woolverstone from central Ipswich. With the move to Woolverstone Hall, upgrades to the facilities followed, with the opening of both a new sports hall and a new theatre complex in June 1993.

To this day, Woolverstone Hall continues to be a fantastic day and boarding school, stunning venue for theatre and sports and one of the finest country house wedding venues Suffolk has to offer.

The long drive from the main road to the Hall itself. Today it was lined with daffodils

A closer view of Woolverstone Hall

Woolverstone’s 14th century church of St Michael and All Angels, sits in the pleasant surroundings of Woolverstone Park.

The tower peeps above the Irish yews and the well-trimmed bushes with fine pinnacles pointing skyward. It was restored by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1862 but in 1888 was almost totally remodelled. The church progressed northwards; what was the nave became the south aisle and a new nave and chancel were constructed while the tower and 13th century porch remained in situ. The design followed the example of the earlier structure. A piscina and sedilia were made new and set, as is customary, in the south wall. The tower was given a parapet, battlements, and pinnacles to complete the restoration. The work was paid for by Captain Berners who resided at Woolverstone Hall which was built in 1783 by his forefathers.

Late 13th and early 14th C porch with little alteration apparently, during all the other modifications!

Sedilia

Sedilia are the ceremonial seats of the priest, deacon, and subdeacon placed to the south of the altar, as in the above photo. In Gothic church architecture, they typically take the form of three deep niches, recessed into the thickness of the wall, surmounted by arches, and separated by shafts. These types of sedilia are most well-known from English churches of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

There are several plaques in the church to the Berners family who were Lords of the Hall and held various positions in the Church for many years. For example, in the 1880s, Henry Denny Berners, LL. B., Archdeacon of Suffolk, resided at Woolverstone Hall. His son John became the next owner, followed in 1886 by John's brother, Hugh Berners (died 1891), a Royal Navy captain.

Some Victorian stained glass

More stained glass, but not sure of its age, as some in the church glass was replaced after a German V-1 exploded nearby in 1941, smashing some windows. It was replaced in 1947 I believe.

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The Abbey - Celebrating 1000 years in sculpture

One of the things attracting me to the gardens today was the sculpture in the ruined Crypt where the coffin of St Edmund would have been originally kept. So, a visit and photo were a must! I was expecting more than just one sculpture, but I guess I just mis-read it! - only to discover they are changing monthly for six months.

MAY - The first sculpture in the 6 months, is a 2.3m (7ft 6in) tall sculpture, The Monk, designed by Nigel Kaines and made by blacksmith Kevin Baldwin. The 2mm thick steel monk, weighing 250kg (550lb), was "certainly the most unusual project I have worked on" and "quite tricky", Mr. Baldwin said.

The Monk

Castle Acre and Massingham

Day two on our stay in Happy Valley, and we headed to Massingham and had a lovely lunch at the Dabbling Duck, before moving on the Castle Acre to see the massive ruins of the Norman Castle (which gives its name to the town)

The castle was built by William de Warenne soon after William the Conquer gave him the land. It was lived in by his family until the early 14th century, when it fell into ruin. Considering how old the ruins are, a fair amount has survived.

You can get a sense of the scale of this castle from these images, I hope.

Some history of the site

The Bailey Gate is one of two stone gatehouses added to the settlement's massive earthwork defences in about 1200. The main road into the village still runs between its towers.
Adjoining the castle grounds are the ruins of one of the largest and best-preserved monastic sites in England dating back to 1090. It was the home of the first Cluniac order of monks to England and the Cluniac love of decoration is everywhere reflected in the extensive ruins. It was the castle we came to see so we did not visit this site.

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Glamping in King Nutkins, Happy Valley, Grimston

 This year we celebrated 50 years of marriage (how time flies!) and beside celebration meals, we were given a holiday in Norfolk by our wonderful family. Rather than waste the day we were travelling up there, we went early in the day and detoured to Sandringham - see the previous post, before a short journey to King Nutkins, where we would spend the next two nights.

It was a magical site in the woods, with only 6 vans on site, but where the owners had converted their farm building to a fabulous wedding site overlooking a lake surrounded by beautiful gardens. The Vans looked down over the venue but discreetly placed.

King Nutkins amongst the trees.

Rosey enjoying a drink on the veranda area. Behind and below was a campfire / barbecue area, not that that weather was quite warm enough.

Two views of the wedding area with hall, kitchen, bar, and outdoor seating.

 

Two more views of the grounds

Wooden carved wings in the grounds by the lake

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Sandringham - the Royal residence

Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a 20,000-acre (8,100 ha) estate in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house is listed as Grade II* and the landscaped gardens, park and woodlands are on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The site has been occupied since Elizabethan times, when a large manor house was constructed. This was replaced in 1771 by a Georgian mansion for the owners, the Hoste Henleys. In 1836 Sandringham was bought by John Motteux, a London merchant, who already owned property in Norfolk and Surrey. Motteux had no direct heir, and on his death in 1843, his entire estate was left to Charles Spencer Cowper, the son of Motteux's close friend Emily Temple, Viscountess Palmerston. Cowper sold the Norfolk and the Surrey estates and embarked on rebuilding at Sandringham. He led an extravagant life, and by the early 1860s, the estate was mortgaged, and he and his wife spent most of their time on the Continent.

In 1862 Sandringham and just under 8,000 acres of land were purchased for £220,000 for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, as a country home for him and his future wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Between 1870 and 1900, the house was almost completely rebuilt in a style described by Pevsner as "frenetic Jacobean". Albert Edward also developed the estate, creating one of the finest shoots in England. Following his death in 1910, the estate passed to Edward's son and heir, George V, who described the house as "dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere else in the world".[2] It was the setting for the first Christmas broadcast in 1932. George died at the house on 20 January 1936. The estate passed to his son Edward VIII and, at his abdication, as the private property of the monarch, it was purchased by Edward's brother, George VI. George was as devoted to the house as his father, writing to his mother Queen Mary, "I have always been so happy here and I love the place". He died at Sandringham on 6 February 1952.

On the King's death, Sandringham passed to his daughter Elizabeth II. The Queen spent about two months each winter on the Sandringham Estate, including the anniversary of her father's death and of her own accession in early February. In 1957, she broadcast her first televised Christmas message from Sandringham. In the 1960s, plans were drawn up to demolish the house and replace it with a modern building, but these were not carried out. In 1977, to mark her Silver Jubilee, the Queen opened the house and grounds to the public for the first time. Unlike the royal palaces owned by the Crown, such as Buckingham Palace, Holyrood Palace and Windsor Castle, the monarch personally owns Sandringham (along with Balmoral Castle in Scotland).

Now, since the death of our beloved Queen, the house has passed to her son Charles III.

Our trip to Sandringham was greatly anticipated, having read about the place over the years and often thought about paying a visit. Making our way around the outlying grounds, we saw some autumn colours, but not too many. The one below stood out well I thought.

One of our first views of the house.

Another, closer view at this magnificent property.

Some more views around the beautiful grounds. It certainly sits on a great estate.

Most Christmases, we are used to seeing the monarch greeting the locals at Sandringham Church, so obviously we had to go there. 

The parish church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, has held memorials to many members and relations of the Royal Family from Queen Victoria onwards. It is used regularly as a place of worship by the Royal Family and Estate staff.

Sandringham Church is considered to be one of the finest carrstone buildings in existence and dates back in its present form to the 16th century. 

Other notable features include a Florentine marble font, a Greek 9th-century font and stained glass from the 16th-century onwards. If you are wondering what Carrstone is, I had to look it up and found: Carrstone (or carstone, also known as Silsoe, heathstone, ironstone or gingerbread) is a sedimentary sandstone conglomerate formed during the Cretaceous period. It varies in colour from light to dark rusty ginger. Used as a building stone, it can be found in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and extensively in the historic buildings of northwest Norfolk.

The sumptuously decorated chancel with its carved angels frames the silver altar and reredos presented to Queen Alexandra by the American Rodman Wanamaker as a tribute to King Edward VII. He also presented her with the silver pulpit (below)

The grand silver pulpit.

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