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The charming garden of Tintinhull Hall, designed by an amateur gardener, Phyllis Reiss, who lived there from 1933 to 1961. The garden is divided into a series of 'rooms', each with its own character. Don't miss the swing!
The hall is not generally open to the public, but can be hired for self-catering breaks.
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was first held in 1970, the day after Jimi Hendrix died, when the headlining act was T Rex (who replaced the Kinks). It was the brainchild of farmer Michael Eavis and is now a regular event, the largest of its kind in the world. Though best known for its music (as well as its mud and awful toilets), the festival, as its name implies, covers all performing arts - such as dance, cabaret and comedy. For 5 days during June, Worthy Farm is transformed into a major conurbation of 175,000 people - it is a masterpiece of logistics and organisation. Headline acts over the years have included the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Adele and Dolly Parton.
Attendance is ONLY possible by allocated ticket obtained via the festival website.
Pilton
Shepton Mallet
Part-ruined home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for 800 years, the palace dates from 13th century and is surrounded by a moat, upon which swans glide gracefully; they are trained to ring a bell when they're hungry. Croquet is played on the lawn. The highlight, though, is the gardens. These are a delight to wander in and include the well pools that give the city its name.
Vicars’ Close is a cobbled medieval street adjacent to and north of Wells Cathedral. It is believed to be the only complete medieval street still surviving in England – some say in Europe. The houses were ordered to be built in the 14th century by Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury to provide accommodation for the ‘Vicars Choral’ – cathedral priests whose duties included singing divine services. Chimneys were added later, in the 15th century and (no doubt) other improvements have been made since. Originally, there were 42 houses, one per priest, but some were combined after the Reformation when vicars were allowed to marry. Today, there are 27 residences in Vicars’ Close, as well as a chapel, library, treasury and muniment room. There is also a dining hall connected to the Cathedral by a covered walkway, the Chain Gate Bridge. All of the buildings are Grade I listed. The current occupants still include the Vicars Choral, plus the organists and virgers. Vicars’ Close has, unsurprisingly, been used as a film location.
Wells, the second-smallest city in England (after the City of London) is often missed in favour of larger attractions. Bamber Gascoigne once referred to it being renowned for “the unspoilt perfection of a range of ecclesiastical buildings” – and he was right. Wells’ crowning glory is probably its extraordinary cathedral, with its amazing west front depicting the hierarchy of heaven with some 300 individual statues, and the astonishingly modern-looking scissor arches added to the nave in the 14th C to strengthen the tower. On the north transept is a 24-hour astronomical clock, also 14th C, with knights striking the hours; and the octagonal chapter house is stunning. Outside is Vicars Close, an entire street of 14th C houses. The nearby moated Bishop’s Palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens; swans on the moat ring a bell when they think it’s time for food.
Wells is England's smallest city. The Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, or Wells Cathedral, is dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle and is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. There has been a church on the site since 705AD, but the Cathedral itself was built between the 12th and 15th centuries. The astonishing west front displays the hierarchy of heaven - originally, it would have been painted in bright colours. Inside, the grace of the nave is enhanced by the beautiful scissor arches (pictured), installed to prevent a tower collapsing in the 14th century. Then there's the famous Wells Clock - said to be the oldest clock mechanism in Britain.
Outside, don't miss the Bishop's palace next door (especially the garden) and Vicars Close, a 15th century street - said to be the only original medieval street left in England.
Wells
The Chalice Well is a natural spring, with a red hue to the water, now surrounded by peaceful gardens, at the foot of Glastonbury Tor. The spring has been in use for at least 2,000 years and, inevitably, has mystical and religious associations; it is popular with pilgrims of all sorts (remember, this is Glastonbury). According to one legend, Joseph of Arimathea hid the chalice that had caught the blood of Christ at the crucifixion in the Chalice Well.
There is no parking at the Chalice Well - park nearby and walk. It is on the A361 Chilkwell Street junction with Wellhouse Lane.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury Tor is a magical place, with links to Celtic mythology and the legend of King Arthur. Some say this conical hill, rising from the Somerset levels, is the Isle of Avalon. Now topped with the roofless tower of 14th century St Michael's church, there is evidence of other structures on the site since at least the 5th century and it has been used by man since prehistoric times. The Tor has distinctive, but unexplained, terracing on it. The last abbot of Glastonbury Abbey and two of his fellow monks were executed on the summit in 1539.
Post code is approximate. It is a walk to the top and there are no facilities. Parking in Glastonbury, cross the A361 and follow the path from either Dod Lane or the bottom of Wellhouse Lane. You can take a circular route.
The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey are associated with two famous legends: firstly that Joseph of Arimathea visited Glastonbury in the 1st century AD, planting his staff which grew into a thorn tree and, secondly, that Glastonbury is Avalon and the burial place of King Arthur and his Queen, Guinevere. There is a thorn tree on the site that, it is claimed, descends from Joseph's staff. And there is a grave that purports to be that of Arthur and Guinevere. The abbey is said to date from 7th century; by 1086, it was allegedly the richest monastery in England and, in the 14th century, only Westminster was wealthier. The community was dissolved on the orders of Henry VIII in 1539 and the last abbot, Richard Whiting, was hanged, drawn and quartered on nearby Glastonbury Tor.
Glastonbury
Gawthorpe Hall is a compact estate house, built between 1600 and 1605 around the site of a medieval pele tower. It boasts original architecture, plasterwork and oak panelling from that period. The dining room includes a minstrels' gallery and twin doors suitable for performers to enter and exit. But it is mostly a Victorian creation, and if you think it looks similar to Highclere House or the Houses of Parliament, it is because Gawthorpe was redesigned by the same architect, Sir Charles Barry, in the 1850s. The house even includes furniture and wallpaper designed by Pugin. The interiors are lovely. Charlotte Brontë came and stayed at the Hall. It now houses an extraordinary display of portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery and a textile collection, said to be the most important outside London, assembled by the last resident, Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, who died in 1967. Pleasant, but not extensive, gardens and grounds.
Padiham
Nr Burnley
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