Eton College

We picked up my Mum and set off on our journey to Windsor which took rather longer than expected due to the volume of traffic on the bank holiday weekend. Whilst we were driving around Windsor struggling to find a place to park we spotted my nephew and his lady friend outside Windsor Castle and Mr C heckled them.

Once we had found a parking space and met up with them we made our way to lunch in a quaintly named cafe Madame POSH. It is a delightful patisserie and home emporium. We sat on elegant chairs amongst pottery, glasses, linen, silk flowers and other similar items. The food was good, I had chosen a waffle and by the time we had sat down and the food had arrived it was 3 o’clock and we were flagging a little because it was a long time since breakfast. We chatted over lunch and then walked along the River Thames and across the bridge into Eton to see the college.

Ye Olde Bell

We then returned to the car so to make our way to Ye Olde Bell where we were staying for the weekend. We detoured on the way so that we could drop my nephew off and he could show us around his flat. The flat, which he shares with others, is nice and cosy. When we checked into the hotel we found out that my Mum’s room was in a separate building even though we had been assured when we made the booking that the rooms would be in the same building. Ye Olde Bell has several buildings with accommodation and also a barn suitable for weddings and other events.

After freshening up we caught a taxi back into Windsor and met up with my nephew and his lady for dinner in The Boatman restaurant. We sat outside in an open top conservatory with large, open windows. The roof was slowly rolled shut in stages as the sun went down. It was a perfect setting for a warm summer’s evening. Before the roof was finally closed we were able to watch the aeroplanes taking off from nearby Heathrow Airport. Apart from being a nice place to dine it was a plane spotter’s paradise.

The company was delightful and the food was good although there was a bit of a challenge in finding vegan options. The waitress however was extremely helpful and gave suggestions that she then went and asked the chef to prepare.

After we had dined the taxi returned to take us back to Ye Olde Bell. Mum went to bed after the long day whilst Mr C and I had a nightcap. We had a bit of a banter with the foreign bartender, after which he proclaimed ‘I Manuel’ meaning in the style of Fawlty Towers.

Unfortunately our peace and tranquility was disturbed by Mr C’s phone ringing… Someone was unrealistically for that time of night (and distance) expecting his logistical problem to be solved immediately…

12 Comments CherryPie on Aug 30th 2017

Ye Olde Bell

I have returned from my weekend break, which was arranged so that we could meet up with one of my nephews. We had a lovely weekend and the weather was kind to us putting its sunny hat on for the weekend.

On our return the weather was still favourable allowing us to  enjoy an al fresco (fine dining) experience on our patio.

Fine Dining

Garden Views

The Sky at Night

More on the weekend break soon… When I have gathered my photographs and thoughts together ;-)

18 Comments CherryPie on Aug 28th 2017

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence, Until you come and sit awhile with me.

Brendan Graham

Rest A While With Me

8 Comments CherryPie on Aug 27th 2017

Entrance

The walled garden on the south side of the Castle, known as the Ladies’ Garden, was established in the 1880s by Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox during the period when her family rented the castle.

The existing planting was developed by the present Lord and Lady Saye & Sele and is based on advice given by the garden designer Lanning Roper in 1970.*

Walled Garden

The garden is within the walls of what was the 16th century kitchen before it was relocated. You can still see the windows and doors located in the wall.

Walled Garden

Walled Garden

Shown below are borders to the side of the castle.

Garden Border

Garden Border

*From the Broughton Castle handbook

12 Comments CherryPie on Aug 26th 2017

Chapel

A licence was granted in 1331 to John de Broughton ‘for Divine service in his oratory at Broughton’. It is a rare example of a 14th century private chapel. The fixed stone altar slab supported on three solid brackets and the encaustic tiles on the floor are all of the original date.*

Chapel

Chapel

The chapel can be viewed through a squint in the corner of Queen Anne’s Room.

Chapel

*From the Broughton Castle guidebook

8 Comments CherryPie on Aug 25th 2017

The Great Hall

The Dining Room

The Groined Passage

Queen Anne's Room

The Bury Lodge Room

The King's Chamber

The Great Parlour

The Library

The Oak Room

The Oak Room

4 Comments CherryPie on Aug 24th 2017

Broughton Castle

John de Broughton built the house and surrounded it by a moat in around 1300. William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England, bought the house in 1377 and it has been in continuous ownership by the same family ever since. The licence to crenellate was granted in 1406 allowing the house to be called a castle.

Broughton Castle

The unusual compound title of Saye & Sele dates from the original creation of the Barony in 1447. It is partly personal, from the connection with the family’s French ancestors in Normandy, the Lords Say, and partly territorial,, through ownership of land at Seal (now on the outskirts of Sevenoaks) in Kent.  The family name Fiennes (pronounced Fines) is from a village in Artois in northern France. Giles Fiennes had emigrated to England in the 13th century, following in the train of his cousin Queen Eleanor of Castile when she came to England to marry the future Edward I.*

Broughton Castle

The 16th Lord Saye & Sele changed the family surname in 1849 to Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes. The present-day, 21st Lord Saye & Sele reversed the process in the mid 1960, so the current family name is simply Fiennes.

Broughton Castle


*From the Broughton Castle hand book

10 Comments CherryPie on Aug 23rd 2017

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