We had an evening in Chipping Campden to explore the city and find dinner on our own. First, the town was founded around 680! The Saxon Kings used it as a meeting place to discuss the war against the Britons. By the 1400s it was the principal wool market in England. The city is still just one major street lined with connecting houses. In the photo below, look at the stone stairs. The centers are concave from hundreds of years of feet.
Another fun thing with these old houses is that many of them had little inserts by the door, about the size of a bread box. Closer inspection revealed they were boot/shoe scrapers. You can imagine when the roads were dirt or mud and tracking it inside was not acceptable. I have many photos of different styles of shoe scrapers. Some were quite fancy, others very plain.
This scraper with the lovely head came in two versions.
Another historical artifact that charmed me were the bell pulls.
Back before electric doorbells, an actual bell was in the foyer with a pull outside the front door. Many of these were beautifully made. You can see on the right, where the metal goes through the lintel above the door.
The doors are very short. I would have to duck to get through one. Here's Amy for scale. I am probably six inches taller than she is. Even the gates were small. This tiny arched entry leads to a secret garden off the main street. It is a little public garden and was just lovely.
Another English quirk I loved were the house names. On the street above, almost every doorway had a plaque with the name of the house. Makes me want to name my house, but I haven't a clue what it would be. My grandmother always called her home Safe Harbor.
I also loved that most of these homes have plant holders outside their doors. And better yet, people use them.
I was also quite taken with the phone booths and the mail boxes. I really wanted to get in and call someone...anyone!
People watching, one of my favorite pastimes, was a hoot. I particularly liked these two cute alligator wannabes.
While I was admiring these very fine tails, the Queen's Horse Guard was passing behind us. Every day was an adventure.
And this was one of my favorite fashion statements. A wild hat, sparkly shoes, over-sized glasses...what else do you need?
There was a time when chimney tiles from England were all the rage at U.S. antique shows. People would snap them up for their gardens. I haven't seen one in ages, and when I did find the occasional chimney tile, it was not even close to my price range. Nevertheless, I think they are wonderful. I was drooling over all the fabulous chimneys we saw: from ornate brickwork to the fired clay versions that often made it to the U.S.
One of the things I learned is that you can tell how many rooms are in a house or castle by counting the chimneys, as every room had a fireplace for heat. Just look at this exquisite brickwork on Hampton Court Castle. Amazing.
These ornate chimneys almost look Middle Eastern.
These plainer chimneys are the type imported into the U.S. for antique shows. And I would like one. Or several.
On our first day in London, Amy and I took off exploring. We wandered through Kensington and Hyde Parks and toured Kensington Palace. Outside of the palace is a gorgeous and very large statue of Queen Victoria. The surprise was finding out Princess Louise, Victoria's fourth of nine children, was an artist and sculptor. This sculpture was designed by Princess Louise. The drape and flow of the fabric was beautifully done.
I started this post by saying we were on our own for dinner. I opted for duck. Amy decided she couldn't leave England without having fish and chips. When her plate arrived she exclaimed. "This isn't fish and chips, it's a whale and chips."
It is hard to parse this experience down into cohesive elements, and even harder not to add too many photos. I'll stop here for now.
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