Snowshill Manor - Part II

Phew, it is finally pouring with rain - just what was needed here to clear the muggy air and encourage my veg plot and flowers (but sadly also the weeds too, which I've pulled an entire wheelbarrow full from just from a very discrete area this afternoon.  I have also been mucking out the back place, which hadn't been done for a goodly while and there were a lot of baskets and boxes of rubbish . . . . stuff we'd forgotten even having.  I have been on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor and it look a lot better though more work still needs doing out there - a fresh coat of paint wouldn't go amiss either.  There's always something for me to paint!

Now for some more photos from Snowshill:

There was a lovely collection of various spinning wheels - some for linen, some for wool.

This is a silk warping mill.  Silk threads were taken from the bobbin frames and threaded through the heck block.  This LINK tells you more.

This is known as Ann's Room, as is was where Ann Parsons secretly married Anthony Palmer on St Valentine's eve, 1604.  The magnificent bed is of a similar date (1630).  There are five hole in the side rails to hold candles during the vigil before a burial and the rope base under the mattress would have been tightened before use - which is where the expression "Sleep tight" comes from.  (One of my mum's much-used expressions was "Sleep tight, mind the bugs don't bite!" . . .)

Two photos from the Music Room, showing some splendid old examples of musical instruments, the like of which would have been familiar to Thomas Hardy's father who played the fiddle - as did his son - as one of the Church musicians who sat in the gallery of Stinsford church (Thomas Hardy's grandfather  played the Cello).  

This appears to be something similar to the Iron Age Carnyx.

Gosh, hard to get away from Hardy today - this bonnet would have been worn in the fields (I have one in my collection) and you may remember Tess wearing one in the various films of Tess of the D'Urbervilles.  As it is laid on a bedspread, I imagine the NT implied it being worn in bed?)

Part of the rooms known as Salamander and Dragon, where Charles Wade entertained guests and his collection of armour and weapons were used as theatrical props.

I particularly liked the fireplace which holds all manner of old fireplace implements, and the table simply set with pewter and old earthenware jugs and containers.

Another of my favourite pieces, which was in the adjoining cottage where Charles Wade chose to live.  The house was purely for housing and displaying his collection.  This is a set of wonderful old Belfry wagon/cart bells, used by the heavy horse teams in the 1800s - each set would have a different timbre/pitch and so the drivers of other wagons would recognize who was coming towards them.

On a dark windowsill, a collection of various metal implements.

Above and below - two different views of Charles Wades' kitchen in the cottage, with items from his collection proudly on display.  The leather Porter's Chair beside the fire was his favourite seat.

Below: you can see another, larger, set of Bellfry wagon bells. 

The kitchen table set out for a meal.

The old box bed in the corner was where Charles Wade slept each night.  He married relatively late in life (he was 63 and his wife 44) and they lived together in the cottage for 5 years before moving to St Kitts in 1951.  He came back to England in 1956, but was taken ill and died at Evesham.  His wife survived him and lived to the ripe old age of 96.