The east front entrance to Powis Castle has been closed to the public since the castle was donated to the National Trust in 1952. In more recent years the stairs had started to crumble and one of the retaining walls in the terrace was in danger of collapse which could have undermined the structural stability of the entire east side of the castle.
In 2015 the National Trust launched a public appeal try and raise funds so that repair work could be undertaken. It hoped that £300,00 of the £500,00 needed for the project would be raised and that grants could be arranged for the remainder of the funding. In the event all the funding that was needed for the project was raised from the appeal. In addition the National Trust applied for additional funding from conservation trusts.
Following the completion of the conservation work, the donors were invited to an opening ceremony that took place today. Inviting donors was a first and Powis Castle was pleased to be able to do so.
Guests assembled at the top of the east front stairs where the property manager, Emma Thompson, explained about the project and pointed out key members of the restoration project team who were present for the opening ceremony. Following her address the ribbon was cut by one of the donors allowing members of the public to walk on the steps and stand on the terrace for the first time in more than 50 years.
The east front entrance has seen King George V, Queen Mary and Queen Victoria (as Princess Victoria) walk up the grand staircase and stand on the high terrace to enjoy the magnificent view over the Breidden hills.
After the opening ceremony, afternoon tea was served inside the castle. We were treated to daintily portioned cakes and scones with jam and cream, topped with strawberries, all accompanied by a glass of bucks fizz; what a delight!
A few years ago in December 2013 when the castle was only partially open to visitors, the door to the east front which was not normally open, was opened for visitors to step through to enjoy the view over the staircase and terrace to the Breidden hills beyond. I took some photos which I share with you so that you can see the extent of the repair work’s transformation.
Tags: Celebration, East Front Project, National Trust, Powis Castle, Restoration Project
…after a weekend away
The few photos I took are organised and ready but I don’t want to start posting about the weekend until after another expedition that we are due to go on tomorrow. More on that later…
PS: there is also a blog post pending on this mornings unsatisfactory attempt to fix the shoddy workmanship on our backdoor 
Tags: Kent, Leeds Castle, Lenham, Life, Weekend away
For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right,since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life – the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.
Claude Monet
Tags: Change, Cherie's Place Thought, Landscape
Banbury Cross
In the middle ages three crosses stood in different locations around the town. All three, The White Cross in West Bar, The Bread Cross near Butchers Row and High Street and finally The High or Market Cross in Cornhill were destroyed by puritans at the star of the 1600’s. The puritans disliked religious imagery and the superstitions associated with it.
There are no remains of these crosses visible today but plaques mark their likely locations.
The current cross which was erected in 1859 to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria to Prince Frederic of Prussia, reaches a height of 16 metres.
The carvings on the lower section of the cross display the arms of the Town at different times and include the Town’s motto ‘Dominus sol et scutum’ – which translates into ‘God our sun and shield.
The statues of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V were added in 1914 to mark the coronation of George V.
On the upper sections are the coats of arms of people who have a strong connection with the town.*
The Fine Lady Upon a White Horse Statue
This statue was funded and erected by the people of Banbury to commemorate the nursery rhyme which has made Banbury famous throughout the English speaking world.
Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.
The rhyme contains three essential elements Banbury Cross, the ‘cock horse’ and a Fine Lady Upon a White Horse.
One explanation of the ‘Cock Horse’ is the children’s hobby horse and Banbury holds a Hobby Horse Festival in the first weekend of July each year, with a parade of hobby horse ‘beasts’ through the town and Hobby Horse Races held in People’s Park.
The statue of the Fine Lady upon the White Horse now brings the rhyme to life all year round.
The statue was designed by Artcycle Ltd, cast in bronze and mounted on a plinth of local Hornton Stone.
The horse, which was sculpted by Denise Dutton is modeled on a Welsh Cob. The Fine Lady is depicted as the ‘Queen of May’ and incorporates many symbols of spring.
She wears a crown of thirteen spring flowers, alternating daffodils and wild roses, symbolising the thirteen ancient calendar months. A butterfly has landed among the flowers and a moth has settled on her hood.
The bells on her feet are interpreted as both musical bells and by seven bluebells representing the days of the week. She drops petals from her raised left hand to bring us prosperity. The rings represent power.
The frog represents metamorphosis, the cycle of nature and community.
The other symbol to look for is the Sun, which has been the symbol of Banbury since the sixteenth century.*
*From a sign board next to the statue
Tags: Banbury, Banbury Cross, Statue
Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.
On sunday we set off to Banbury, albeit taking a rather more conventional method of transport than a horse for a family gathering. Banbury was the chosen location because it was more or less central for for everyone to meet. The excuse was the return of a jacket to the owner who had left it in our house over Christmas (as if we ever really need an excuse to meet up 
). The Shropshire travellers stopped off to see Banbury Cross and the fine lady on her white horse, although she was looking bronze rather than white…
The family gathering was in the Saye & Sele Arms in Broughton just outside Banbury. The owners and staff were warm and welcoming and we had a wonderful afternoon chatting and catching up with each other which was enhanced by lovely food and service.
Whilst we were there Mr C and I noticed a sign to Broughton Castle and we just had to do a detour before we left for home. Unfortunately we could not see the castle from the roadside so out of curiosity I looked it up on the internet. It piqued my interest and we hope to return later in the year when it is open for visitors.
When we return to visit Broughton Castle we might call in to sample some pancakes in the delightful Little Amsterdam Cafe where we stopped for a refreshing drink in Banbury before making our way to the Saye & Sele for lunch.
Tags: Banbury, Family, Fun, Life
On Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending a candlelit concert in the Wrekin College’s Chapel. The performance was by; Wrekin College Combined Choirs and Orchestra, The Old Hall School Chapel Choir with Piano and Choral Soloists.*
As we approached the chapel it was very atmospheric because the outer porch window sills were illuminated with tealights. Once inside the chapel I found it quite delightful, a place I would love to explore and photograph. Every window sill was covered in tealights and as the lights dimmed at the beginning of the performance the sight, sound and atmosphere was quite stunning.
The opening piece was Overture to the Opera Idomeneo by Mozart, this was followed by Howard Blake’s If (A setting of the Poem by Rudyard Kipling); the Chapel choir pupils filed in and lined the walls their hair glowing in the candlelight as they sung the poem.
After the pupils had filed out Yuki Kagajo took her place at the piano and treated us to a stunning performance Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major accompanied by the orchestra. After this it was time for the interval and refreshments in the Memorial Hall. This meant a short walk across the campus over one of the roads that divides it, thankfully the wind and rain from earlier in the day had subsided. On arrival we were pleasantly surprised to find that refreshments were fruit juice or wine rather than the expected tea and coffee.
We returned to the chapel for the second half of the concert; Mozart Requiem. This was performed by the combined choirs and orchestra, accompanied by choral soloists: Lucy Gibbs, Ruth Theobald, Themba Mvula and Robert Tilson. The Requiem was performed wonderfully. It is a powerful score and to hear the orchestra and so many voices performing it whilst the candles flickered around us was very moving.
* All photos and videos are from practice sessions posted on the Wrekin College Twitter account
Tags: Combined Choirs, Concert, Mozart Requiem, Music, Old Hall School Chapel Choir, Orchestra, Simon Platford, Wrekin College, Wrekin College Chapel
Just as a fire is covered by smoke and a mirror is obscured by dust… wisdom is hidden by selfish desire.
The Bhagavad Gita
Tags: Cherie's Place Thought, Mist, Shropshire, Sunny Glow
