Henry IV and V, at Shakespeare's Globe

Months ago, my friend A suggested that we see the Globe Theatre's trilogy of History plays - Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II and Henry V. They are all on as part of the Globe's summer season, and if one is particularly keen or, some might suggest, masochistic, one can book to see all 3 plays in a day, with the first at noon, the second at 4 and the third at 8, meaning one spends around 7 hours in total sitting on the Globe's rather unforgiving wooden benches! 

The cast is relatively small  - 11 people for Henry IV Part 1, and 10 for Part 2 and Henry V, so most play more than one role. 

Henry IV Pt 1 was excellent  - Michelle Terry, who is the Globe's Artistic Director, played Hotspur (see amazing photo here ) and hers was a stand-out performance - her Hotspur was wonderfully angry, fiery, vibrant and funny, and her scenes, both with Hal (Sarah Amankwah) and with The Douglas (Nina Bowers) were highlights of the evening, and her scenes with Lady Percy (Leaphia Darko) were poignant, as Hotspur ignores her love and concern.

Pt 2 was a little less fun - partly as it isn't (in my view) as strong a play as either of the others, plus it has an awful lot of Falstaff in it, and for me, a little Falstaff goes a very long way! And in this case, I was still missing Hotspur!  

Then, that evening, we returned for Henry V.The flags of all the factions had been taken down, and replaced with the royal standard, 

And we were off to Agincourt!

I always enjoy Henry V, and this time was no exception. Sarah Amankwah was excellent - although her 'Upon the King' soliloquy was much angrier and less pensive than in many productions. 

Colin Hurley is not the obvious choice for Katherine, being a balding, middle aged man, but the casting worked surprisingly well, and he seemed to be having a lot of fun with the role (including giving Michelle Terry, who had joined the groundlings to watch this performance, a Very Hard Stare when she kicked a plastic cup someone had dropped, during  a quiet moment in the wooing scene...!)

I enjoyed all three plays, and seeing them all in one day was a really good experience.And I did enjoy how much of the humour (as opposed to the often rather laboured jokes) came through.

I think if I were only able to see one, I  would pick Henry IV Pt 1.

The plays are on as part of the Globe's season until 11th October .   

Gainsborough Old Hall, The Moon, and the Red Arrows (And some knitted churches)

One of the things I wanted to see while we were in Lincolnshire was artist Luke Jerram's  'Museum of the Moon' , which is a  1:500,000 scale representation of the Moon, 7 metres in diameter, made using NASA imagery of the Moon's surface.

Luke Jerram's 'The Museum of the Moon'

It's rather impressive, although it must be even more so when presented in some of the other venues it has visited, such as Tintern Abbey and Liverpool Cathedral ! But  I was happy to have seen it! 

We also looked around the rest of the museum, which has various Roman and Viking artefacts discovered in the locality, and more up to date exhibits, including a Robot guide , which,  in response to  opinions chosen form its touch-screen, will lead museum visitors to a particular exhibit and provide information about it.

Lindsey the Robot

 After a visit to a second hand bookshop (always a high point for my family!) we the went to Sleaford, where we spent some time visiting a watermill and going for a walk by the river, where we found lots of adorable ducklings. I also spotted a water rat!.

We also went to the National Centre for Craft and Design, which was, we found, between exhibitions, but did have a small collection of knitted churches, which were rather appealing.

The knitted churches are a community project called 'Woolly Spires', which was based on the fact that the building of many of the impressive churches in Lincolnshire was funded by wealthy land owners who make their fortunes wholly or in part by wool, from a local breed, the Lincoln Long Wool. The models were made from that same wool, and are of local churches, and were knitted by groups of people from the respective parishes.

The following day, we went to  Gainsborough, to visit Gainsborough Old Hall, a wonderful survival of a medieval manor house

It was built in 1460, and was sold once, in 1596, then remained in the same family until it was given to English Heritage in the 1970s!  

It was visited by Richard III in 1483, and later by Henry VIII, (together with his 5th wife, Katherine Howard), in 1541. It also has connection with the Mayflower pilgrims, as the Hickman family, the second to own the hall, included Puritans and was a base for the Separatists, who went on to become the Mayflower pilgrims. 

The Great Hall - Gainsborough Old Hall

The Hall remains largely unchanged, and includes the magnificent Great Hall (where, while we were visiting, there was a school group enjoying dressing up and re-enacting a Tudor Royal visit) . There are also rooms with original panelling,and huge and very impressive kitchens. 

It's a stunning place, and I am surprised it isn't better known.

It was our last touristy outing, but not the last event of stay. 

The cottage we rented was very close to RAF Scampton, which is the home of the Red Arrows. 

While they clearly had some time off over the Easter weekend, they were back again, and rehearsing their performances, for the final 4 days of our break, which meant that we had a front row seat to watch their displays, from the kitchen window of the cottage.!



I imagine that permanent residents may find them rather noisy neighbours, but as visitors, they certianly added to our trip!

Castles and Memorials and Planes

Not all the family was able to stay beyond Easter Weekend, so we were a smaller party by Tuesday

We started with a visit to the International Bomber Command Memorial, which is just outside Lincoln. 

During WW2, Lincolnshire was the home of  most of the air force's bombers, including 617 Squadron (The Dambusters), and the Bomber Command Centre, where the memorial stands, includes a small museum and details of all of the airfields.

The memorial itself references the planes which flew then -  it's height is 102', which is the wingspan of a Lancaster .

Surrounding it are walls of remembrance, recording the names of all of the airmen and ground and support staff staff who were killed during the war - almost 58,000 of them.  

It's austerely beautiful, and very moving.

From the site, there are excellent views over Lincoln, including the cathedral, and we also got to see the Red Arrows in the distance over the city. 

After visiting the memorial, we visited Tattersall Castle which is owned by the National Trust, having been acquired by Lord Curzon in 1910, to prevent it being torn down and sold to America, and passed on by him to the Trust on his death. (There was not a great amount left, much of the castle was destroyed in the Civil War, so all that is left is the main tower and the gate house) 

The Castle dates back to 1231, the current one was built in around 1440. It is unusual in being built of brick rather than stone.

Tattersall Castle

It was a ruin when Lord Curzon bought it, and he arranged for renovations and installed a lot of stained glass, showing the coats of arms of various families associated with the castle.

It has a good deal of graffiti, showing that people have been writing their names on walls for hundreds of years! 

As well as the castle, Tattersall has a set of Bedeshouses (Almshouses,connected to a church, whose inhabitants would be expected to pray for the souls of the benefactor) the original almshouses were built in the 15th Century by Lord Cromwell, who also built the Castle.(According to the information boards, he decided to erect them in thankfulness for having returned safely from Agincourt)

There is also a rather beautiful church, which was built between 1465 and 1485, and which is tall and light and airy. (apparently it is an excellent example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture, for those who are into such things)

Most of the windows are now plain glass (which enhances the lightness of the church) but there is some medieval glass in the chancel, although it isn't in its original configuration.

Tattersall Church - Stained Glass

The church also features the grave of Tom Thumb, who was a resident of the town and died in 1620 at the age of 101. 

Having watched a number of  Typhoon planes flying upside down, and flying loops and things, we then went to the viewing area of RAF Conigsby and watched them taking off for a little while, then went off to Old Bolingbroke Castle,    which is a proper ruin! 

As the name suggests, it was owned by John f Gaunt and was the birthplace of Henry Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV - it  then fell into disrepair, was re-fortified during the Civil War, as a Royalist Stronghold, and was destroyed during a siege and never repaired.  

Now, it's a peaceful site, with bits of the moat remaining, full of rushes and  (currently) ducklings!

More Travels in Lincolnshire

On Bank Holiday Monday we took a  trip down memory lane, visiting the village where my mother grew up, and the church there where she and my father were married, which was nice. 

We then went to Gunby Hall, a property now owned by the National Trust, nearby.

The estate was owned by the Massingberd family, and the current house was built in 1700, (Now with a Victorian extension),

Gunby Hall 

It has quite extensive gardens, with orchards and beehives, and a wood with lots of bluebells

Bluebell Wood

Tulips

Inside the house, there was a small exhibit about one of the last of the Massingberds to live there, a successful soldier who was friends with Rudyard Kipling - the exhibition included studies for 'The cat who walked by itself' drawn by Kipling, which was nice.
 ,

After leaving the Hall, we then took a trip to the beach, because really, there are some things that you really have to do on a Bank Holiday Monday. Although in a break with tradition, it was warm and sunny, whereas of course traditionally, a Bank Holiday visit to the seaside includes rain, wind, and mild hypothermia!

It was a good day

Lincoln - Castle and Cathedral

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this spring, so we booked a cottage near Lincoln so that the whole family could spend some time together, as they wanted that, rather than a big party. 

We were very lucky with the weather, with Easter weekend being gloriously sunny.

We spent one day in Lincoln itself , where we visited the castle. 

It has a long and varied history. The original castle was one of those put up by William the Conqueror, to make the point that he was, in fact, the conqueror, and intended to stay that way. Later, King Stephen was captured here, and the Castle was  in the midst of battles between those loyal to Richard I, and those to King John, and it now holds one of the remaining copies of Magna Carta, (Which was signed in 1215, and has remained in Lincoln ever since, mostly in the Cathedral but more recently in the Castle) and it also saw action during the Civil War, when it was successfully besieged and over run by Parliamentarian forces in 1644.

More recently, in the 1840s, a 'modern' prison was built within the castle walls, and some of the cells remain, as does the chapel, which followed the 'Separate System', where the priosoners were prevented from seeing or contacting one another, so in the chapel each had an individual box, allowing them to see the vicar, but not one another. 

It's a depressing place. 

Although very little of the original castle buildings remain, other than the gate house, the walls remain, and you can walk round them, and from them, see excellent views across the city, to the cathedral and beyond. 

The  West Front of the cathedral is covered with scaffolding at present, but it is still pretty impressive.

The cathedral was another Norman construction, originally completed in 1092, although subsequent fires and earthquakes in the 1100s resulted in lots of rebuilding. Bishop (later Saint) Hugh of Avalon, oversaw the new cathedral in  1192, and it has remained much the same since, albeit with some changes or decor and addition of lots of stained glass.

There is a wonderful vaulted ceiling, and some glorious stained glass, including some beautiful Rose Windows.

There is also modern glass -  the cathedral is home to chapels for each of the 3 services, with appropriate stained glass in each.

Detail from Air Force window

I was glad to have visited. 

Wells, and Glastonbury Abbey

A friend of mine, C, is visiting the UK, from the USA, with her daughter, and was staying not far from here, so we arranged to meet up so I could show her around a little.

It didn't start quite as well as I'd hoped, as it turned out that not only was there a road closure on the route to their holiday home, but it seemed that the specific point where it was closed had changed, so none of the diversion signs were correct, which meant that it took me over an hour and a half to do a  40 minute journey...However, when I arrived, and met with C and T, things started to get much better!

Initially, we went to Wells,  where we wandered around the market, and then visited Vicars' Close, and the Cathedral, and briefly visited the Bishop's Palace.     

Bishop's Palace

It was a lovely sunny day, so wandering around the city and the cathedral green was enjoyable, and I think C and T enjoyed, it, too.

The Cathedral, from the Bishop's Palace

After lunch, we then drove to Glastonbury (with a brief stop en route to visit the Hot Fuzz swan, which lives at the police station), where we  visited the Abbey.

I do enjoy visiting the Abbey - all the ruined grandeur, and the tranquility of the site.  

It was a good day, and fun to meet up with friends who I previously only knew online.

Wonderful food, and A Visit to the National Gallery

I recently had a day in London, and took the opportunity to revisit Mere, Monica Galetti's restaurant, for lunch. 

I'd been once before, with my friend A, a little over a year ago, and had been looking for an opportunity to go back! 

Starter - Asparagus and Morels - Ragout, Broad Beans, Marmite
Mushroom Puree, Madeira Sauce

It was well worth it! They've just changed to their Spring menu, which meant lots of lovely fresh flavours.  I was only there for lunch, and didn't feel I had time for the full tasting menu, but as it turned out, since I was given 2 amuse-bouches as well as the courses I actually ordered. All of which were delicious!

Main - Herdwick Lamb - Cannon, Sweetbread & Tongue,
Black Garlic, Courgette & Basil, Lemon Thyme

   
It was all glorious, and, as you can see, beautiful to look at as well! I also got to try sweetbreads for the first time (my verdict is that I like them, or at least I like them if they have been cooked by Monica Galetti.)

Dessert - Yuzu and Rhubarb
Yuzu Posset, Rhubarb Compote, Ginger Shortbread, Rhubarb Sorbet

Well worth a visit if you are in London, (and while it isn't cheap, they do do a fixed price lunch menu during the week, as well as the tasting menu and a la carte).

After lunch, I went to the theatre (to see Betrayal again), then, as I had time to kill before my train home, I went the National Gallery,  as I am always happy to spend time there.

I usually tend to head to the Sainsbury wing, where they keep one of my favourites, the Wilton Diptych, and the Uccello George and the (rather sad) Dragon,  or alternatively to the opposite end of the gallery, where they keep another of my favourites, Henri Rousseau's Surprised!  

Details from Rubens' 'The Lion Hunt' 

This time, however, I decided to give those a miss, and to spend some time with some of the other artworks. 

I rather enjoyed Rubens' sketch, ' The Lion Hunt', particularly the worried horse batting its eyelashes at us.

And this study of Saints Christina and Ottilia. 

Particularly St. Ottilia, who is carrying a tasteful , if slightly startled, pair of eyeballs. 

It turns out that St Ottilia wasn't, as you might think, martyred by having her eyes removed but rather was miraculously cured of blindness.(The label by the painting is silent on whether this was before or after she formed the habit of wandering around with her eyeballs balanced on a book..!)

 I did also make time to go and visit The Ambassadors , and Whistlejacket.

Then I took a walk back to the station, through Hyde Park, where I spotted some of the resident parakeets ( They apparently descend from a small number of pets which escaped or were released, 3 years ago or so, and now there are literally thousands of them living wild)   

I also saw a pair of jays, which made me happy. I haven't seen one for years, so it was a lovely surprise, even if they were not very cooperative about posing for photos!

Altogether an enjoyable day.

Leonardo 500 in Bristol (and some other art)

It's 500 years since Leonard da Vinci died, and as part of recognising that and celebrating his life and genius, the Queen's collection is lending some of her collection of his drawings to 12 museums or galleries around the UK, one of which is the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery,which has been loaned 12 of the pictures, and on Sunday, on a whim, I went to see it .

It is a small exhibit (12 pictures! ) but well worth seeing. You were not allowed to take pictures in the exhibition, but there are photos on the Royal Collection's website (here)

My favourite was a little sketch of cats (and  one random dragon)

After seeing the Leonardos, I looked around the rest of the museum, which has a small section of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including a child's tunic, which is around 1,500 years old!

The tunic was a shroud - apparently ancient Egyptian children mostly went naked, in day to day life.


There is an aeroplane hanging in the main hall - it's a replica of a Bristol Boxkite, which were built in in Biostol between 1910 and 1914 . The replica was one of several built for the making of the film ' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'  , in 1965.

The museum also includes a small but well stocked art gallery, with a Gainsborough, Stubbs,a BurneJones, Alma-Tadema and a Damien Hurst.

The Garden Court, Edward Burne Jones

La Belle Dame Sans Merci  - Frnak Dicksee

  

Unconcious Rivals - Alma Tadema

Beautiful Hours - Damien Hurst 

I enjoyed my visit.

'Betrayal' at the Pinter

The Harold Pinter Theatre in London has been doing a season of all of Pinter's short plays. I went, in October, to the first production, 'Pinter 1', and last weekend I went, with friends, to the final production, a performance of 'Betrayal', Pinter's semi-autobiographical play, based on his affair with Joan Bakewell. 

This production has a small, but very impressive cast  Tom Hiddleston as 'Robert' , Zawe Ashton as 'Emma', Robert's wife, and Charlie Cox as 'Jerry', Robert's best friend, and Emma's lover. 

There is a beautifully minimalist set  -a slightly marbled effect backdrop which changes  with lighting between subtle pinks, greys  and blues in different scenes , and then just a couple of chairs, and at times a folding table. The stage has a revolve, which is used sparingly, and effectively!    

It's very good. The minimalism of the set means that the focus is really on the characters, and their relationships, and the actors portray these extremely well. The betrayals are, of course, not  just the obvious ones of Emma's adultery, but also Robert's betrayal of her, through his own adultery (which we learn of at the start of the play, and Emma, due to the reverse chronology, learns of  after the end of her affair with Jerry) , Emma's betrayal of Jerry, in lying to her about what, and when, Robert knows of their relationship, and the ways in which Robert and Jerry betray their friendships with one another.

Photo (c) The Jamie Lloyd Company, via Facebook

There are moments of comedy - Jerry's panic as he tries, in speaking with Robert, to remember what he is supposed to know, and what he only knows from Emma's clandestine letters, about Robert and Emma's trip to Venice, and Robert stabs viciously at his melon, and knowingly, and maliciously comments to watch Jerry squirm, however, in the same scene, Hiddleston manages to portray Roberts grief and loss, as he appears close to tears.

Programme

All of the characters are on stage all of the time, so their presence is felt in every interaction between the other two  - every time Jerry and Emma are together, Robert is in the background, not present in body, but there in their, and our, consciousness.

In short, i was impressed. It's well worth seeing, and I'd have to admit that while it does nothing to change my view that Pinter probably wasn't a very nice person, I have to admit he was a pretty good playwright! 

And Tom Hiddleston is undoubtedly an excellent actor . Both Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox are also excellent in this, but I  think of the three characters, Robert is central, and so Hiddleston's role is central.  

The play is on until 1st June, and tickets are still available (although mostly, not cheap). If you have a chance, it is well worth seeing.