Random thoughts and photos of my journey through life…
The Little Stair Tower has a rather distinctive spire. The tower was a secondary porch to the fourth earl’s residence in the bailey:
It served the great chamber much as the Lion Tower served the great hall. It was heavily reconsolidated and partly rebuilt in the 1920s.*
*From the English Heritage guide book.
6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 25th 2011
On becoming a lady of a certain age it was nice to celebrate with family and friends 
For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.
34 Comments CherryPie on Jun 24th 2011
The great tower was commissioned by Henry Percy after he was made the first earl of Northumberland in 1377. The building is styled in the shape of a Greek cross, with four polygonal wings radiating from a central block. *
*Information from the English Heritage guidebook.
6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 23rd 2011
The Lion Tower was built by the fourth earl of Northumberland in about 1480 and was the main porch to the new bailey residence.
Its spectacular display of heraldic sculpture celebrated his dynastic prowess. Symbolic of the Percy family is the great lion over the door. Above this helm with a ‘cap of estate’ and crest, respectively expressing the rank and identity of the wearer. Around the helms are representations of mantling, or decorative swathes of cloth. One of the badges at the top of the tower has tentatively been identified as the padlock of fetterlock of the house of York. If so, this would date the porch to before the Tudor victory at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The third picture shows the Percy Lion whose collar displays the family war-cry. ‘Espurance’, meaning ‘ hope’. Above the lion to the left is depicted, the arms of Percy ‘ancient’, abandoned by the family in 1343, when the seal bearing these arms was smashed at Warkworth. Above the lion to the right are the three ‘luces’, or fishes, of the arms of the Lucy family which are a play on their name. The Percys inherited substantial estates from the Lucys in the 1380s.*
*Information taken from the English Heritage guidebook.
15 Comments CherryPie on Jun 22nd 2011
A brief overview of the castle from the English Heritage guide book:
The castle was probably laid out in its present form by Roger fitz Roger in about 1200 and was developed by its subsequent owners, the Percy family, the earls (and later dukes) of Northumberland. The scale and ambition of this great building embody the power and pretensions of this noble family, among the greatest landowners in northern England.
6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 21st 2011
I have just finished sorting out the photographs that I took during my holiday in Northumberland. As usual it took me a while because there are around 400 of them. Surprisingly the weather was mostly sunny it only rained on one afternoon, with a very brief shower on another day. That being said the journey there last Sunday was awful, the rain poured down making motorway driving very difficult!
The Coach House where I always stay when I visit Northumberland was just as good as usual, very welcoming and relaxing with delicious breakfasts and evening meals. After the evening meal tea and coffee was served in the guest lounge where guests can sit and chat and get to know each other. One of the guests that was staying on the first night only lives a few miles away from me. The room I always choose to stay in (Orchard View) is situated next to the guest lounge. It used to be two bedrooms with a shared bathroom and was the first to be used by guests in the 1970’s. You can view pictures of the room here and if you click on the ‘little changes‘ link you can see how the room has changed over the years.
During my stay I managed to visit some of my old favourites such as the Alnwick Garden, Alnwick, Barter Books, Cragside, Norham Castle and Flodden. I also got to visit many places I have not been before; Warkworth Castle, Belsay Hall Castle and Gardens, Floors Castle, Kelso, Rothbury, Chain Bridge Honey Farm, The Union Chain Bridge and Paxton House.
Once again I was sad when I had to leave and say my goodbyes…
15 Comments CherryPie on Jun 20th 2011
There is no safety this side of the grave.
Robert A. Heinlein
6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 19th 2011
