Yesterday we went to Towneley Hall and its large park situated on the edge of Burnley. A large space that the council of Burnley had bought in the early 20th century and kept in immaculate condition for its citiziens. Over the years wealthy burghers of the town have donated paintings and old furniture to the house. I spied an Alma Tadema and Burne Jones paintings hanging on the wall.
The exterior of the house looks like a 'pretend' castle but it has style and grace, inside lots of dark wood, especially wood panelling. The usual dressing up of the kitchen with the many pots and strange things used for cooking, small guest bedrooms off the long gallery. As I talked to the volunteers it sounded a much loved place, a couple of volunteers were hanging what looked like oxen bells and the chimes reminded me of Switzerland in the upper pastures as the cows moved around.
As with so many of these large estates, the Normans had had the countryside parcelled out and a house had always stood somewhere in the park. One had burnt down in 1600, and this house, built of four blocks around a court yard, though now missing one side had been renovated over the centuries.
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| As soon as you leave Todmorden you are in Lancaster. I still feel it is an alien landscape |
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| Looking at the creeper infested wall of the house |
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| Wealth often has taste! |
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| I love chairs. Note holly to stop you sitting down. |
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| I find it ugly but the workmanship wow |
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| The small chapel |
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| Cabinets full of glass, vases and dead animals |
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| Nude nymphs by Burne Jones |
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| The long corridor |
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| typical bedroom |
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| The kitchen |
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| The road home, wind turbines stretch for miles along the moors. They remind me of Triffids waiting to gather their strength and march on the valleys below. |
What I saw at the great park showed that the council had made a very good choice for the citiziens of Burnley. People with children wandered round the parks, sometime playing football, scooting along with bikes and scooters. Dog walkers everywhere, small dumplings of dog in all kind of breeds, happy to be out.
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I always feel that Lancashire is a foreign country too. The grass is a different colour.
ReplyDeleteBit of a different direction from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park you said you had planned. Less than 10 miles from here. It didn't rain except for a very short shower.
We were worried about the weather at the Yorkshire Sculpture place Tasker but of course it was a decent day and warm for picnicking. We are doing that trip in October, my daughter is off to Switzerland next week.
DeleteSounds like you had a lovely day out.
ReplyDeleteYes we all enjoyed it, very relaxing for my hardworking daughter.
DeleteThere were some lovely chairs there. The rooms look dark because of the panelling etc, so I imagine it is very gloomy on a February day. Glad that it was saved for posterity and for the use of the locals.
ReplyDeleteThere is a room full of beautiful, well polished marquetry furniture which I'm sure was given by others Jennie.
DeleteI always imagine the tons of worker it must have required to keep a place that clean and functioning! Wow!
ReplyDeleteThe volunteers keep it spick and span nowadays Ellen but you have only to imagine Downton Abbey, upstairs and downstairs to know there were plenty of people to work.
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