Yesterday...A day in Harrogate

Sofia and I had a day off in Harrogate, a lovely Victorian spa-town, just west of York with our American friend Elizabeth, who is also completing her Masters in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management. We did a little shopping at Primark, the only store in England we can afford to shop at, and then took Sofia to the original Betty's Tea Room for a pre-birthday lunch.

Even here I can stumble across beautiful stained glass.

Silver service and the best table awaited us as we took our seats

 in the front corner of the cafe.

A great spot for people watching, lucky to be out of the rain. We couldn't

really complain though as its the first rain we've seen in weeks!

Everywhere you go, gorgeous flowers await your every turn.

Our lunch... and of course tea!

Betty's famous staff in their traditional uniforms.

A teapot collage.

The cutest petit-fours you've ever seen.

And of course the best tea.

Betty's grand facade.

Betty's first opened in 1910.

Betty's

The worst wedding souveniers I've seen...

until I saw this!

Back in York walking home from the train station,

we are greeted by more stunning flowers!

and more.

And a Cricket match on the Knavesmire.

This was in someone's front garden!?

Sofia dutifully carrying home the shopping.

Don't worry its not all clothes; some of its just groceries!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Half term break was last week, for Sofia. (which means the kids have been in school for longer than 3 weeks and therefore need a week off to recuperate!) So we decided a day trip was in order. Not wanting to bore my teenager to death, we settled on Liverpool, which Sofia actually chose, because she wanted to go to the Beatles Exhibit.  Liverpool was fantastic! What a great city! Liverpool has had its ups and downs over the years, and is definitely on an up.

We caught the train from York, and arrived directly in 2 1/2 hours. The walk from the train station, not surprisingly, takes you right through the heart of the sparkling shopping and restaurant district. I had to drag Sofia through it kicking and screaming, to get to our destination the Beatles Exhibition; she would have happily shopped all day. But here's a few photos to give you the idea.

Super high heels and platform fronts are all the rage, and it is so funny to watch someone try to walk in them! Not easy unless you are a super-model!

Urban Outfitters was on the ground floor of this building.

The city center is visually super-stimulating as you'll see.

We moved on to the Albert Dock area, which has several Museums; The Merseyside Maritime Museum, The Slavery Museum, and The Beatles Exhibition. Liverpool was a center of slave trading activity, and has been a port since Roman times. It was also the home port of the Titanic, and of course the Beatles!

There was so much to see here, we decided to just do the Beatles Exhibit, and come again to see the rest. But here are a few photos of the Albert Dock area, which reminded us a lot of home, being on the water. It felt like a reallllly big Annapolis or Baltimore with as quirky an accent.

On the subject of accents. I love all the variation in English accents. Over here they like to make fun of each other's accents, but I think they are all great! You'd be surprised how different one can be from  the other in such a small geographic area. I think my love of all accents comes from having a Grandfather who was a London Cockney, a Granny who was born a Campbell (Scottish) and lived in Yorkshire, my Maternal Grandparents from Suffolk, parents who grew up in Essex, Aunts Uncles and cousins who still live in Essex, and a close life-long friend in Basingstoke, whose parents originated in Kent and Cornwall! You just can't make fun of the people you love!

We thought they had a really strong accent in Liverpool! We couldn't understand a word people around us were saying, and then we realized it was because they were mostly from Prague, in town for the big football match against Liverpool United!

Here are some photos of the dock area:

Albert Dock and Merseyside Museum in the old Warehouses

Me on Albert Dock with new buidlings in the background

The Beatles Exhibition is in one of the old Warehouses here at Albert Dock, so after walking along the waterfront we made our way there. Having grown up listening to the Beatles with my parents and surrogate parents, the Brunts, as huge fans, it was with anticipation that I headed into the exhibit. The entrance fee included an audio tour, so we proceded to learn everything there is to know about the Beatles and their rise to fame. I few tidbits that I learned? I had always thought that frontman Paul was the band's leader, but it was actually John who started it all. Of course they did go on to become the best songwriting team of all time, so its irrelevant in the end. I did not know they were just teenagers when they started the band. Having grown up with them around, I never realized they broke up before I was born. What a great band. Here are some more photos...

 



The Cavern Club (Recreation)





Beatlemania Sets In



 

From a Movie Set



Ahh the 60's

In the Yellow Submarine

And After the Beatles...

John and Yoko Ono

 Imagine

We will definitely be going back to Liverpool!

Summer Placements!!!

Just a quick post to fill you in on my next big adventure: The Summer Placement!  although called the summer placement, it actually starts in the beginning of May and will last for 18 weeks. I will be sharing 2 placements with another student, Paul, who also has a family and needs to stay in the York area. (other students are going to Wells, Glasgow, New York, Belgium, and Germany) We will do 9 weeks each at the York Glaziers Trust and The National Railway Museum.

I am particularly excited about the York Glaziers Trust. I have longed to work with the "YGT" for over 8 years. In 2003 when we were visiting York Minster, I asked myself  "how does a person get to work there?!" Well, here I am 8 years later fulfilling that dream! At the time, the program that I am in didn't actually exist; it's only in its third year.  It pays to be persistent!

The York Glaziers Trust cares for the glass in York Minster, (see photo of Chapter House above) which spans 800 years of glass-making, beginning in the early 13th century. Their current main project is the conservation of the Great East Window, which was made by the Master Glazier John Thornton and his workshop in the early 15th century. It is well documented that the window was originally completed in three years, however the current restoration is expected to take ten! The Great East Window is the largest expanse of Medieval stained glass in the world! I will be lucky to get an up close look at it, and maybe they'll let me watch while they work on it. I wouldn't expect to personally work on it at this stage in my education. But I do hope to learn alot from the team at YGT. I have met a few of the staff before, and in fact, Nancy who was my lecturer for Basic Glass Handling from last term, is now working there. I start May 3rd!! Here's a few more photos of the Chapter House at York Minster...

Beautiful, hand painted Chapter House floor tiles

                                          Chapter House Painted Ceiling

Gilded Ceiling Boss

Colored Narrative Bands alternating with Bands of Grisaille Glass

Eight Hundred-year old glass

More amazing floor tiles...

OK, so I think you get the idea. I am soooo excited to be working with the YGT this summer!

Although surprised to be also working with the National Railway Museum, I feel like I will be getting a bonus for my resume and experience; other students will only be at one workshop or museum, so I am lucky to be getting more than one experience. You may be wondering what the National Railway Museum has to do with glass? I was thinking the same thing. As I discovered, the National Railway Museum in York houses all of the memorabilia associated with Britain's long railway history, in addition to the wonderful collection of trains. The collection goes back to the great days of rail travel. Prior to the World Wars, the rail system in Great Britain was a multitude of private companies, vying for the public's attention and business. The competition meant that they tried to out-do each other in luxurious boardrooms, trains, and platform amenities, like tea rooms and restaurants. The stained glass collection comes from this era.  After the World Wars, the whole system was brought into the fold of the national government.  While at the museum, I will be focusing on collections management, which will be a great thing to have on my resume. (think Walters Art Gallery, Smithsonian...) Here are a few pictures from the museum. These are from a quick trip that Sofia and I made, before I knew about my placement, hence no glass...

Door handle from a Royal train

The Royal tassles!

Sofia and Thomas the Tank Engine

I'll end there, but stay tuned for more happenings. I promise to write more, and more often!
xo Clare