Discovering History in Paintings:

   A  visit to Hever Castle in Kent, is a must for any fans of English History. The small castle with it's beautiful gardens and lake was the home of the Boleyn family whose daughter Anne became the second wife of Henry V111. Anne was the catalyst for Henry's break from the church and his divorce from his wife - Catherine of Aragon. The King's Great Matter ushered in a cataclysmic change in England's history. In order to marry Anne, he needed a divorce from his current wife. The church was unwilling to give him one, so he broke from the church and set up the protestant "Church of England". The dissolution of the Monasteries came next and left many ruined and plundered abbeys across England.

      The marriage however, was short lived as Anne gave him a daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth 1, but no son which was deemed imperative in those days. Charges of adultery were trumped up against Anne to validate his desire to rid himself of yet another wife and this resulted in charges of treason leveled against Anne and her so-called liaisons. Anne met her end on the clock, beheaded by a swordsman from France while her "lovers" met a similar fate. 

       Above is the Lake at Hever Castle where Henry, in happier times, courted Anne.

    My original painting was sold but I liked it so I had a giclee made to remember it by. Lanhydrock is a stately home administered by National Trust and located south of Bodmin in Cornwall. 

    We have visited Lanhydrock many, many times and never tire of discovering new things about the site. The grounds are extensive and the home itself, set up as a Victorian residence, is spacious and fascinating. On one visit, while browsing in the museum, I learned that a writer I had been reading, Anita Burgh, had been evacuated there from London during the last war. This was an interesting fact of history. Many children were taken from their homes during the Blitz, and relocated far far from the bombing, often in country homes such as Lanhydrock. Years later, while watching Foyle's War, this fact of history was one of the themes touched upon in the story. Most interesting.

Jerveaux Abbey is located in the Yorkshire Dales just west of the town of Middleham. We discovered Jerveaux Abbey on a day trip to visit Middleham Castle, the home of Richard 111 when he was Lord of the North - while his brother, Edward 1V was king. We had walked from the castle along an attractive river path when we came upon the Abbey. The perspectives were amazing. You glance through an arch only to see another arch which leads still further into the ruined remains of the Abbey. Flowers adorned the stone walls which put me in mind of the poem "Flowers in a crannied wall" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. This is one of the casualties of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and another bit of history on the landscape which is so much fun to discover.

This Moorland Cottage is typical of ones you could find on your rambles around the United Kingdom. We actually saw this one in Ireland when we were there in 2018. The stone walls on the property were an  interesting feature and the misty background is reminiscent of the sometimes changeable weather in the U.K. It is a picture of times past when people lived close to the land and close to the sheep which dotted the landscape all around here when we visited.

This Manor Door is reminiscent of the many manors we have explored during our travels to England. Heavy, wooden, in a fortified stone building and nestled behind a stone wall. The Manor Houses were once the homes of the wealthy and privileged ruling class and were definitely "off limits" to visitors from another class or another world. Things changed after the last war. Heavy death duties made maintaining these old homes not financially viable and many of them were sold or donated in lieu of taxes to the "National Trust" which has continued to maintain them and open them up to the general public. We have been members of the National Trust organization for many years and through our membership, we have been able to explore these fascinating old manor houses and get a glimpse into the lives lived within their walls. The knowledge gleaned gives you an appreciation for the history of different time periods and is infinitely fascinating.

We fist became aware of Old Wardour Castle after having seen the movie, "Prince of Thieves" with Kevin Costner. One of the historic locations used for this movie was Old Wardour Castle.

     Old Wardour is a 14th Century Castle which today is administered by English Heritage. It is located in Wiltshire east of the town of Shaftsbury and west of the town of Salisbury.

      We find it interested to search out locations where movies have been filmed to give a reality to our experience. When Robin Hood returns to his family home, he discovers his father hanging in a gibbit in the courtyard of his home (Old Wardour Castle) and seeks to find those responsible. 

    In my painting, I have added grazing sheep to the landscape where the parking lot was. Sheep are a common feature in ruined historical buildings and add something to the landscape. Parking lots don't. When we visited, the local ladies were having a flower show in the grounds of the castle, and were using all the nooks and crannies to display creative flower arrangements. Quite an enjoyable visit and a creative use of space in this historic building.