How could I resist? I love history, I love towers and I suspected it was part of a house I'd longed to see inside for ages.
My suspicions were correct - it was part of Clifton House. It was just coming up to the end of their opening time, but this worked in my favour.
Each floor of the tower has one room and some of them were set out as they might have been during the tower's history. This room was set out for a merchants' diner - the painted walls are partly restored and are beautiful.
The view from the top was amazing.
Over the historic town centre to the church of St Margarets with its twin towers
and also over the river to where the merchant ships would originally have docked.
When I came down I was the only visitor still there and I was offered a guided tour of the house by its now owner, Simon Thurley - how could I resist? A free, personal, tour by an eminent historian who lives in the house? Yes please!
He showed me the restoration work that they'd been doing and work they still needed to do - I didn't take many photos as I was too busy listening. But I did take pictures of the delicately restored plasterwork on the stairs,
and in the 14th century vaulted undercroft which was originally used to store the wine that was imported by the merchants.
It was a lovely afternoon - if you ever get a chance to visit it's well worth it.
I did get to the antiques warehouse too - so a pretty perfect afternoon really!
7 comments:
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. How lovely to get a personal tour by the owner, it must have been really interesting.
Oh, that was lucky, right time, right place. Looks like a fascinating place - the view from the top was amazing.
I must look out for that tower next time I am in KL. Round by the KL Arts Centre there is an undercroft open as a restaurant - rather interesting. Lovely restoration, lucky you to get a guide.
Su, what great luck to have been heading to the antiques warehouse on that particular day and hour.
The tower looks like a fascinating place and your opportunity for the additional tour surely added to the good fortune. Glad you were also able to visit the antiques warehouse. Yes, we do have lots of places to visit here in NYC, but nothing quite like what you saw on one summer afternoon.
Wow! xo
The perfect way to spend some quality time. Lucky you!
This is actually not far from us, so I shall now have to go ... to both, of course! Funny how we still go into Norwich, rather than the other way, to Lynn! xCathy
Lovely post.
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