Following on the heels of Bill and Ange's family (last post), here's a taste of Droitwich Spa where they live and a little jaunt we took to see nearby Hanbury Hall, part of the National Trust.
Droitwich Spa is in Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe, and is usually shortened to just Droitwich, especially for us Shutterchancers. It's a
What I love most about it is its half-timbered architecture.
Over the years, we've heard so much about Droitwich because of Bill. Now we got to see it,
including the Acorns charity store where we found a used DVD movie I've wanted for years!
Bill's family has had a long history of charitable work there.
Bill's family has had a long history of charitable work there.
Bill and Ange knew we'd want to walk through their Vines Park along the canal...
...for more reasons than one...
...but mainly because of the narrowboats. I am so in love with the English narrowboats!
Staring at what is stored on top of them is half the fun.
The narrowboat harbor at the end reminds me of a trailer park, only better. HA!
It was a great walk for finding all kinds of weeds/flowers...something I've started paying attention to.
(Have you noticed?)
Back near city center we visited the Church of St. Andrew from 1571.
It's a Church of England parish church.
(notice the bottom-left window which is painted...not stained glass)
I love that these churches are open during the week!
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From St. Andrew's we drove to nearby Hanbury Hall and Gardens, part of the National Trust.
Lucky for us, entrance was free that day!
Can you imagine living there?
We first started with a 30-minute guided tour inside that didn't allow photos until later after the tour.
(which I discovered after I captured a handful).
But once outside, we snapped away to our heart's content.
We have no shame!
Talk about gardens!
As I so often say, "This is so English!"
Some flowers I recognized but most I didn't.
They even grow edibles for their tea room.
It was hard to leave such an idyllic place.
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But Ange had to leave for her Tuesday afternoon job...
...while Bill, Astrid and I ate lunch at this Hop Pole Pub.
Any pub that says "Hot beer, Lousy food, Bad service" has got to be good, right?
No wonder it was the Pub of the Year in 2011.
One last thing to see before leaving Droitwich was the Edward Winslow statue.
Did YOU know he sailed to America on The Mayflower in 1620??
And he's a Droitwich native. No wonder we were destined to spend two days there!
Next up: our visit with them to see the Worcester Cathedral, deserving its own post.
What I like about these posts, is that you make an over-view of what WE see, how WE experience these places. Love the many many pictures and collages. Brings back the memory of al the things we did.
ReplyDeleteDroitwich is a wonderful cozy town, with a lot of beautiful sites.
The narrow-boats are so colorful.
Hanbury Hall is a great place to visit, great gardens. I always get a kick out of these privies...
Bill once gave me a book about privies......
Another memory added, dank je wel MLS.
Thanks for your vote of confidence, MLMA. Anyone who wants to know more can read the links! HA! But yes, sometimes these collages are better than a thousand words...at least as far as I'm concerned. We're so lucky....!
Deletethe architecture is incredible. what do you call this type of architecture? i am fascinated by it.
ReplyDeleteIt's half-timbered architecture, Maria. I LOVE it! We see it in Germany and even in parts of the Netherlands, too.
DeleteWonderful stuff Ginnie. One thing though. Droitwich is not a city it is a town. Worcester is a city. We have very strict rules about what is a city! :D
ReplyDeleteAha! Thanks for the correction, Bill, which I will correct posthaste! And thanks for checking in. We had such a great time with you and Ange!
DeleteHave you ever thought about moving to England? You seem to love it so much!
ReplyDeleteIf I had to move anywhere else, Sham, I would definitely consider moving to England. But it will take me at least two more lifetimes to see everything I want in THIS country where I now live and love. The cherry on top is that I can fly back-n-forth to England almost whenever I want...just an hour's flight away. How cool is that!
DeleteI have never noticed that Privy on any of my visits to Hanbury hall!! I think Astrid has a nose for them ;-)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA! It obviously was way in the back somewhere, Cherry, but it was definitely there. :) Astrid does seem to find them, now that you mention it. LOL.
DeleteTo say my jaw dropped at those gardens is an understatement...you always capture the gorgeous colors perfectly...here it is the amazing green.
ReplyDeleteI always think of you, now, Donna, whenever I'm around gardens/flowers. I'm amazed by all the work you put into yours. You deserve another gold star in your crown. :)
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