2018 – July/August
Cambridge
After a winter that has brought more than its fair share of wild, wet and windy weather here in New Zealand it feels very fitting to spend time remembering and writing a little more about our glorious summer outings in Cambridgeshire England at a similar time of year during 2018.
Wimpole Estate
I (Liz) was particularly keen to visit Wimpole Hall. One reason being that the most recent person to live in the house was Elsie Bambridge who was Rudyard Kipling’s (famous author) daughter.
The library at Wimpole Hall is home to one of the largest (with over 6,000 books) and most varied libraries belonging to the National Trust which also includes Rudyard’s Kipling’s collection. There seems to be an extra element of interest in visiting a place that has a personal connection in someway to me. The Jungle Book, written by Rudyard Kipling, was certainly an enjoyable part of my childhood story times.
The colour and detail in the design and decoration of each room at Wimpole Hall is stunning. Then to go down to the lower level where the servants lived and worked is equally as fascinating, especially to see the ‘bell’ system which alert servants to their masters requests. Quite a different world to anything Peter and I have ever seen before.
Not only is Wimpole Hall massive and magnificent the grounds and gardens are very extensive and beautiful too so we made a point of going there on more than one occasion to wander through the woodland and garden areas. From almost every angle of the estate grounds there are great views looking towards the stately home. You can certainly while away countless hours here as we did.
Anglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey and Lodge Mill was another place we thoroughly enjoyed as we wandered along the canal and through the gardens with grand displays of Dahlias and Roses.
As you step through the door at Anglesey Abbey (which isn’t really an Abbey at all) you feel as if you have stepped back in time to the year of 1938 when Lord Fairhaven was in residence there. Everything is laid out just as it was while he was living there. With a grand library and upper gallery displaying much of Lord Fairhaven’s array of fine clothing, it really brings to life what it was like living in a different era. The most interesting room within the Abbey is the dining room with its vaulted ceiling.
It was very interesting to climb up inside to the top level of the mill and see first hand how everything works. Lode Mill dates back as far as 1086 and although the current building is not original, it is still very old. After a full restoration of the waterwheel the mill is in working order producing freshly ground flour that is sold onsite.
newmarket
One highlight of our time spent in Cambridgeshire was our visit to Newmarket, the heart of England’s horse racing country. We had a personally guided tour by a very good friend of ours, who was brought up in Newmarket and was closely associated with the horse training industry as her father worked for a local trainer years ago.
We drove past many prestigious trainers’ estates, stopped at the gallops to see horses in training (which we find rather fascinating), and visited racecourses, all the while hearing stories of growing up in Newmarket. It was a perfect way for us to see and learn about an area that we were both keen to visit. Once again, Dick Francis comes to life!
duxford – Pete & Planes
Imperial War Museum Duxford – Planes, planes & more planes. Pete on his own – a boys day out. The airfield that was home to the first RAF squadron to fly the Spitfire now houses a huge display of mainly military aircraft spread across a number of hangars. Boyhood dreams were realised as I walked through a Concorde in the AirSpace hangar and drooled over Spitfires & Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain display.
As I walked toward the American hangar there was an airworthy B17 Flying Fortress on the Tarmac. Inside the hangar was a B29 Superfortress, a B52 Stratofortress (it’s massive!), an SR71 Blackbird, a P51 Mustang, etc etc etc. I don’t have the words to do justice to how it felt standing beside aircraft that for a boy who grew up in the 70’s are the stuff of legend. Funny thing too – also inside the American hangar amongst the crowd of visitors was a total stranger who talked to me, in a Kiwi accent, who was ex-RNZAF and who used to work with Air Force guys I know. What were the chances? It’s a small world…
And the final hangar I visited, the Land Battle display with its tanks and armoured cars, brought home the reality of a World War. A sobering finale that emphasised the ugliness of war & the very real human cost of conflict.
Wow, what a day! I walked out the gate right on closing time (or maybe just after) knowing that one day wasn’t enough to see it all. Knowing too that somehow I have to find a way to come back on a day when the Spitfires take to the skies!
And Other Places…
Bury St Edmonds and Peterborough were two other towns we spent time mooching around. Most places we visit have old buildings, castles, an abbey or cathedral and beautiful gardens that interest us as much as ambling along cobbled streets and around town squares where the shops and market stalls are found. Each town has something different to see and do. Our visit to Peterborough coincided with a celebration of 900 years of Peterborough Cathedral & an amazing display of British astronaut Tim Peake’s Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Many towns and villages have market stalls on certain days of the week so we do try to visit a town on a market day when we can. Bury St Edmunds being a prime example. With mountains of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and baked goods plus a myriad of crafts and just about anything else you can imagine makes market day mooching an event to look forward to at any time.
