We were a little bit late setting off and picking mum up for her holiday adventure. This led us to have lunch at Stokesay Castle tearoom before continuing our journey to Hampton Court Castle. We enjoyed lunch sitting outside with views over the fields and the occasional train passing by.

In addition to the gardens, the Hampton Court castle is now open on a self guided tour basis. To our delight the maze was also open. It had been closed on our between lockdowns visit last year. Mum was a little bit nonplussed by the maze and especially the delightful surprise exit into the sunken garden.

After our garden visit, we continued on our journey to the Cotford Hotel, booked in and chilled out in the room until it was time for a pre-dinner drink in the residents lounge. We enjoyed our evening meal, in my case Brie and Walnut Tart and then retired to the residents lounge for a nightcap.

We had an afternoon jaunt that ended up with a visit to Stokesay Castle.

After our visit we enjoyed afternoon refreshments (including lemon drizzle cake) from the tea shop. I am so out of touch with ‘almost normal’ days that I forgot to take a photograph of the tasty indulgence.

Every time I visit Stokesay Castle it takes me by surprise. One look at the gatehouse which was built in 1640-41 makes me feel that I have stepped back in time. The gatehouse as it stands now, probably replaces an original stone structure of which little is known.

The detailing on the gatehouse is quite elaborate with stars, moons, angels, dragons, Adam, Eve and more incorporated into the design:

The biblical story of the fall of man is carved along the lintel above the entrance, with the trees of life and of the knowledge of good and evil at each end, and Adam, the serpent and Eve between them. Adam and Eve appear again on the brackets flanking the entrance, while the brackets to the south are carved as acanthus leaves and those to the north as a pair of dragons. Angels top the wooden pilasters set on either side of the window above.

The inner side of the gatehouse repeats the exterior design, with the addition of two doors, but the carving is even more flamboyant. Dragons grasp a shield over the doorway and on the brackets on either side are a man and woman in Jacobean dress, accompanied respectively by a nude woman, half-hidden, and a nude man. More human figures support the low arches beneath the window above.*

*From the Stokesay Castle guidebook.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE GOODWILL TOWARDS MEN

For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out Whistlestop PhotoHunt.

Steven Weinberg (B 1933)