Castle Acre Castle & Priory

One of the best (I know I have said that a lot on this blog, but there are a lot of amazing things) about living in England is that historical fiction can so easily come to life if you find the right site to visit. Such was the case today when we visited the quaint town of Castle Acre in Norfolk (about a half hour drive from home). Two sites of interest exist in the town: the Castle and the Priory, both interesting and notable for different reasons. It was at the Priory where the book I'm currently reading came to life. More on that in a moment.

THE CASTLE

The Castle in Castle Acre was a three story (or in British-English, a two story) home protected by some of the largest ramparts found in the country. It was fun to climb the hills and valleys, and to see the ruins.

Adam and Tanka (It's great to be in such a dog friendly country; Tanka can come everywhere with us)

The ruins of the Castle

The Ramparts

The Boys

The Ramparts & Land

The Castle Gate

The Castle Foundation- The building would have risen three stories

The Backside of the Castle

THE PRIORY

I am currently reading the book Dissolution by C. J. Sansom. It takes place at the end of King Henry VIII's rule and addresses the dissolution of monasteries all over England. It takes place in a priory (or monastery) that has a huge church, dorms, a cloister, outhouses, the Prior's house, and lots of land. Because all of the monasteries in England were destroyed, it is difficult to get a real understanding of how these buildings really looked and how they felt. Until today. (I realize you may not find this as interesting as I did, but I was like a kid at Disney World).  Welcome to one of the most complete Priories in England: Castle Acre Priory.

This is a drawing presented on site of what the priory would have looked like in its day.

This is what the pirory looks like today.

The Priory's land.

The entrance to the church, connected to the Prior's House (which was turned into a farm house after the majority of the Priory was dismantled).

The Prior's House

Examples of flint work on buildings.

More flint work.

Walking into property under Prior's House.

Just past the iron gate is a very narrow spiral staircase (that was pitch dark in the middle). Tanka did a great job climbing and descending it.

The stone walls and vaulted ceiling on the first floor of the Prior's House.

View of the Cloisters where the monk's would walk, study, and meditate.

The fireplace the last Prior had added to the chapel in his house so he could stay warm during services (this helps to substantiate claims that the monks became soft, and lived lives that were too luxurious).

The altar in the chapel in the Prior's House. Can you see the painting on the wall?

The boys.

The Outhouses.

Inside the Outhouses. There were 24 toilets along the sides. A river ran below to carry the waste away. There were two entrances: one on the ground floor, one on the second for entry during the night by the monks.

The inside of the church. Each pillar had unique decorations.

The altar in the church. It's always amazing to stand in places that were once so holy.

See the pillars? It is so unique to see the outer stone that made the pillars aesthetically pleasing. Often (across the country) we only get to see the stones that comprised the inside of the pillars.

The boys walking what what have been the aisle of the church.

Flooring that remains intact inside the church.

A Walk in the Park

There is nothing like spending a beautiful fall day in England (which means there was a bit of sunshine, and no rain) walking through the forest. On this particular day, I was walking Thetford Forest with one of my favorite kiddos (an 18th month old) and his Mom. We also had a borrowed pup for the day named Toby. It was such a great day.

We were in Brandon Country Park, a park that is a half mile from my house that has miles and miles of trails. It also has a tea house where we had tea and scones with clotted cream (of course!) before we headed home for the day.

One of my favorite things about wandering the English Countryside is that you never know what you might stumble upon by way of buidings, churches, monastaries, etc. Today we stumbled upon a beautiful mausoleum located in the middle of the forest. Although it is large enough to house 12 coffins (!) it no longer houses a single one. It is a gorgeous building, and is a great example of the flint work you will find all over Suffolk County.

Welcome Home, Tanka!

After a long (8 month in total) quarantine process, a 4 month separation, and some quick puppy-proofing in our current home, Tatanka Wildfire Walker joined us in England! Adam flew home to the States to finish the process (what a LONG process-- more on that later in this post for those of you who are interested) and fly with him home on a non-stop flight from Denver. It has been amazing to have him home again.

Before we move along with this post, a HUGE THANK YOU is owed to my wonderful parents-in-law who took Tanka in like he was their own. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It meant the world to know he was with you while we were getting settled here in the UK. We will never be able to show our appreciation enough.

Tatanka Wildfire Walker, 18 month old Golden Retriever

Jet lag

 Like Pup, like Master.

Since there have been so many questions about the quarantine process, here is a quick rundown:

• The UK is a rabies free country. Consequently, they are (very reasonably) concerned about animals bringing the disease with them when they enter the country. To prevent this, they have instituted a 6 month quarantine process to ensure the animal is healthy.
• There are two ways to complete the process: in the UK or Stateside. If you opt to complete the process in the UK, the pup will live at a kennel in the UK for six months upon arrival. If you opt to complete the process Stateside, the pup must spend 6 months in the US after a negative rabies titre (or blood test). This process requires a lot paperwork, particular players, etc.  Our advice: be sure to work with vet(s) who are familiar with the process; it may be the only way to ensure all the details are known and appropriately accomplished.
• The irony: As of January, 2012 all of the rules will be different. And from what I understand, there will only be a 3 week (!) quarantine instead of a 6 month quarantine. Oh, life is ironic.

Hobbies? Who has time for hobbies?

One of the beautiful things about having free time (a new concept to both me and Adam since we moved across the pond) is the ability to spend time cultivating hobbies. Over these past few weeks, I have discovered the joy in knitting again. Not only did I finish an afghan that I had started over two years ago (that I moved twice in Albany and once across the pond- unfinished), but I have been able to finish a couple of other projects. It has been so much fun!

I have to say, it has been an amazing thing to have time to cook, to bake, to knit, to play my cello (even venturing into a banjo/cello duet with Adam), to read, and to do various other things that I didn't have a chance to do over the past few years, except in a rush (if they happened at all). Thank God for time!

New hat made with yarn sent to my by my lovely SIL-- thank you, Sarah!

An ear warmer (the construction of which pushed my knitting/crocheting skills to a new level!)

Tea Time

While Adam was away, I took the opportunity to visit every famed tea shop in Suffolk County. Each visit was with a different girl friend, and each visit consisted of fine china, cucumber sandwiches, fresh scones with clotted cream, and cake. It was all so delicious. There is something about tea and scones served on a tiered silver tray; every girls' dream.

Tea at Harriet's Tearoom in Bury St. Edmunds

No Place Like Home

Adam returned to South Dakota to do what is very hard to do here in England (unless you are an Earl, or a Duke, or someone with a few thousand pounds to lose in an afternoon), and what is best (according to many enthusiasts) at home, in South Dakota: pheasant hunt. And this time was special for two reasons:

1. It was the first time out for our 18 month old Golden Retriever (who was bred to bird hunt and who has been trained-- at great expense-- to bird hunt)
2. He went out with his Dad and his brother, the first time just the three of them had some Q.T. in the field with some rifles.

The pictures speak for themselves.