The Devil's Washtub: From, Letters to Jessica

PREAMBLE

In the year 2000 when we were travelling in China, and in particular sailing on the Yangtze River, we met Li Jie, (otherwise known as Jessica), who at that time was studying at university in Chongquing. After graduation she taught for three or so years in Guangzhou; before joining her boyfriend, "Big Guy," who had earlier emigrated to Canada. Now married and settled in Toronto, they have a son Ethan. Following our visit to China, myself and Jessica exchanged many letters, a few in the conventional letter format, but most as e-mail letters. The letters that I am publishing here are from the "conventional" collection, and are to do with travel, in the broadest sense, and with aspects of English and Irish life, rather than with things personal. In writing them, I was conscious of the fact that Jessica had an (unspoken thirst,) for knowledge of the world beyond China, so it gave me great pleasure to share with her, experiences of life, and views of the world, that were beyond the reach of most young people in China. So you will understand, when I recall receiving an excited e-mail from Toronto. It was Jessica, wanting me to know that she had been accepted to study for a Masters Degree at the University of Toronto. And not withstanding her obvious joy, that was also the moment at which she choose to thank me, for her new view of the world.

At some point in the future, I might want to publish a series of blogs using the e-mail letters, but as these are a mix of the personal, as well as the general, they would require some editing, and above all else, Jessica's permission. But for now, subsequent letters will be on Amsterdam and Morocco.
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Jessica

As I look at this picture of York Minster, taken from the Internet, I am reminded of a saying attributed to King George VI, that, “The history of York is the history of England.” This is a simple but almost magical observation, as it embodies the idea that the sum of human experience can be captured in one place. So let me invite you to come on a journey, back in time, and forward to the present day, not just in York, but also in the surrounding countryside of Northumbria.

Popularly known as York Minster, this great cathedral is dedicated to St Peter, and this fact alone, takes us back to 627 AD, when a small wooden church stood on this site. In that year, the pagan king, Edwin of Northumbria, who some years earlier had married the Christian queen Ethelburga from Kent, (in the south of England,) converted to Christianity, and was baptised. But imagine now Jessica that you are standing on this same spot in 71AD. Then, instead of a church, you would be looking at the construction of a Roman fort, a garrison for 6,000 men. And the spot for this construction had been carefully chosen, for it marked the junction of the rivers Ooze and Foss. And it was here on this spot also, that in 306 AD, Constantine the Great, (who later founded Constantinople, and became the first Christian Emperor of Rome,) was declared Emperor; and who, in 312AD issued his edict of toleration for the Christian Church. So what we have here is a cathedral built on a site of immense historical importance; and later, when we go down into the crypt, we will be able to see what the archaeologists have been doing there.

As you can see, the cathedral is built in the shape of a cross, with the towers facing west and the transepts on either side of the central tower, or lantern, consequently identified as North or South. And if you look closely, the Rose window, (a large circular and intricate shape between the eaves,) is just visible above the entrance to the south transept. The central part of the cathedral between the towers and the lantern is the nave, and that portion behind the lantern and the large East window, is the choir. The circular building to the right is the Chapter House, or parliament, where the clergy of the diocese meet to conduct church business, and the acoustics are such, that they can talk across its considerable space to the people opposite, without having to raise their voice.

This remarkable edifice, Jessica, took 250 years to complete, through the years 1220 to 1475; and in that story, there are yet more remarkable discoveries to be made. But I think you will enjoy and understand them best, if you can see the emergence of York Minster in the context of the early development of York, at first under the Romans, then the Anglo-Saxons, then the Vikings, and lastly, in the era of the Norman occupation of England.

The Romans
The Romans invaded Britain in 43AD, and when the 9th Roman legion encamped and founded the fort of Eboracum, (out of which the town of York emerged,) their goal was to subdue the Brigantes, or northern region of Britain. In one translation, the word Eboracum is “the place of yew trees,” but another suggests that the word is derived from Eboracus: a King in this region in 10 BC, hence (Eboracu(m).

The Anglo-Saxons
During the Anglo-Saxon occupation (that began in the 5th C,) Eboracum was corrupted and became Eoforwick, meaning, “wild boar settlement.” They confused the Celtic word Ebor(acum) “yew tree,” with their own word for wild boar “Eofor.”

The Vikings
In turn the Vikings (9th C) interpreted Eoforwick as Jorvik from which the word York is derived.

As you can see from the map below, Jessica, Northumbria was an extensive area along the north east coast of England, and all this activity centered around “Deira”. And today, the past is evident in the place or street names of York. Stone(gate) for example, that follows the course of an old Roman road, is derived from the Old Norse “gata” meaning a road or way, while Goodram(gate) is named after the Viking leader Guthrum. So “gata” Jessica, is not to be confused with the English word gate. The historic gates in the Roman walls around York are to this day known as “bars.” Hence, Monkgate Bar, which presumably was the entrance to the monks road or way.

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It was 10:13 and on route from the hotel to York Minster, we passed through Micklegate Bar, the great gate through which the road from London and consequently all notables passed, and from which, in later centuries, the heads of traitors were displayed.

10:17 and looking back now that we are within the city walls

It was within these ancient walls Jessica, that the present York Minster emerged. Under Anglo-Saxon occupation, the original Minster was rebuilt in 664, and again in 741 after it was destroyed by fire, but this time it was a much larger church, built in stone, and dedicated to St Peter. By modern standards this (dedication of the church to St Peter,) was high politics, symbolising as it did, the link between the early Christian church in the north of England, and the Pope in Rome, a link that was already well established in the south. As with all cathedrals, the history surrounding the present York Minster is carved in stone, hence the statue of St Peter holding his symbolic key that stands by the western entrance. Little remains of Saxon York because the wooden buildings of that era have not survived. It was though a period of relative peace, in which York, in terms of trade, prospered, and there is evidence form archaeological discoveries, that pottery and mosaics were imported from Europe. Likewise, and under Egbert, the Minster prospered. As it’s first Archbishop, Egbert established a school and a library that was renowned in Europe.

In 866 Anglo-Saxon rule came to an end in “Eoforwich,” when the forces led by Ivor the Boneless entered the city and made it the capitol of their new territory in northern England. Eoforwick was now to become “Jorvik” and the Viking era had begun. As mentioned before, the Viking influence can be seen in today’s place names; and some of these names paint a picture of the daily life of Jorvik.”Coppergate” comes from the Viking “kopparigat”, which was the street of joiners or turners, and interestingly, remnants of this street have been found and preserved in the Jorvik Museum. And how about “Skeldergate”, a Viking name for the shield makers street. But in this context Jessica, the most famous area of York is "The Shambles.” In the minds of most people, the name applies to one street, but in fact it applies to a network of Medieval streets. Today "The Shambles" is admired, not just for its over hanging timber-framed houses, and consequent feeling of intimacy, but for its contemporary use: its gift shops and tea rooms. Originally it was the Flesh Shambles, which were benches or stalls from which meat was sold.

So now Jessica, it is time for the first of two virtual tours around York. - The Walk from Micklegate Bar to York Minster.

10:16 The pedestrian passage through Micklegate Bar

10:43 Note the intriguing shapes and sag

10:44 The Teddy Bear Tea Rooms

10:48 A first glimpse of York Minster

10:48 The Rose Window above the entrance to the South Transept

10:51 A majestic inheritance – York Minster

If you go down into the under croft of this cathedral Jessica, you can walk with a portable audio commentary and view the excavations. Visible, in places, are the walls of the original Minster that was built after the Norman invasion; and as today's great cathedral was being constructed, over two centuries, the original Norman Minster was gradually demolished. And below the original Norman excavations, you can see remnants of walls and a roadway constructed by the Romans, a physical record of a remarkable past, which is what makes York such a special place.

Currently there is some debate about the teaching of history in schools: as to whether or not in an age of much superficial television, and computer games, and a perceived short attention span, the young are as well informed as they should be about the past. In that context, it was interesting that our official Minster guide felt it necessary to begin by explaining that at the time of the building of this great cathedral, England was a Catholic country. And in that context as we gazed along the length of its majestic nave, he drew a direct comparison between the Minster as it would have looked in pre-Reformation times, as compared to how it looks now. Then, in keeping with the ritual and ceremonial of Catholic worship, it would have been richly painted and adorned. He explained too that York Minster has the largest collection of medieval stained glass in Europe, and of how it was saved from destruction during the English Civil War. At that time, (17c,) York sided with the Parliamentarians against King Charles 1; an era when the “Puritans” sacked churches and burned or destroyed anything that smacked of “popery.” Fortunately for posterity, the leader of the Parliamentarians in this region of England was from York, and if our tour guide is to be believed, and notwithstanding what was going on elsewhere, he threatened to execute anyone who attacked the windows of York Minster. And no less remarkable is the fact that during both World War1 and the Second World War, these great windows were removed and kept safe until the conflict was over. And a last, very interesting detail. In those times, the craftsmen who could neither read nor write, used their skills to incorporate into their work the contemporary world around them, which is why, in a side panel of one huge stained glass window, there is depicted a funeral procession of monkeys burying a monkey. At that time, there were monkeys in York that had escaped from ships. So at this window Jessica you can speculate not just about the sacred, but the secular, and as to what these craftsmen though of their contemporaries.

11:38 I don’t know how I managed it, but a lop-sided view of the Nave - looking west.

11:39 (1) A different perspective

This picture( below) was taken at an angle deliberately, so as to capture not just the window, but the ceiling and arches, but though it is out of focus you can still get a sense of it. This is the “Five Sisters” widow in the North transept, and the glass is coloured grey. This window goes back to the time when York Minster was part of a Cistercian monastery, (an austere and contemplative order of monks,) but if you look at the bottom of the middle panel you will see some colour. That is where a repair was carried out. I can’t recall why this window is called Five Sisters. And a further point that I should make Jessica, against myself, is this. I brought a tripod with me on the trip intending to carry it around and use it to avoid taking unsteady pictures. That would have been ideal at this point, where there were lots of people milling around. It stayed in the boot of the car for the duration of the holiday, which was a mistake, not just for this picture, but also for the pictures that I took of the choir screen. However, out of 122 pictures, about 4 to 6 at most were spoiled.

11:39 The Five Sisters Window – North transept.

11:40 Below, the Rose Window in the South Transept. And here there is an interesting story to be told. In the 1980’s this part of the cathedral was struck by lightning, and in the fire that followed, the ceiling was extensively damaged and the glass in the Rose Window cracked. This lead to a search for craftsmen with the skills necessary to carry out a restoration, and a part of this task involved incorporating into the restored transept, things or emblems from the present. So high up in this restored transept Neil Armstrong’s landing on the Moon is commemorated, as is a very popular children’s television programme at that time, called “Blue Peter.” I cannot recall all the detail, but I think I am right in suggesting that it was the young viewers from this TV programme, who decided what it was from the 20^th C that would be incorporated into this restoration. As for the Rose Window, the original glass is now preserved, sandwiched between layers of modern glass.

[And if you would like to know how inadequate a piece of photography this is, view the Rose Window - here ]

11:48 The Choir and East Window.

Here Jessica there are several stories to be told. The first is that the wooden choir stalls are Victorian, and not generally in keeping with the cathedral. As the story goes, in the late 19c, a man (who subsequently turned out to be mad,) hid in the cathedral until after it was locked, when he set fire to and destroyed the original choir stalls. And the second interesting point is, that the east window is out of line by 4 feet from top to bottom, but in the recent reinforcing of the cathedral structures, this window has been secured.

12 07 Beauty in Stone and Stained Glass – Strange as it might seem, this Jessica is my favourite picture because compared to the splendour of the central portions of the cathedral, this was not an obvious picture to take. It is a side isle in which everything seemed to combine to make it beautiful

12:14 Architectural Splendour – Notwithstanding the title for the picture, this is a last painful example of where I went wrong in not using the tripod. Given the contrasts and shapes, this could have been a fantastic picture What I wanted was to capture the Choir screen with its carvings and the organ pipes above as well as the myriad of competing shapes. Perhaps I will go back one day and picture this scene again.

12:15 Looking into the Lantern or central tower

13:53 Leaving York Minster – here we are looking towards the West towers and main ceremonial entrance.

14:01 The Passage of Time.

After our tour, Jessica, and wanting to make the most of the day, we went for an hours cruise on the rive Ooze before returning to the Mount Royale Hotel, to the Garden Suite, something that wasn’t there at the time of our honeymoon.

08:40 Before Breakfast - From the Garden Suite

09.52 Jenny Colour Coordinated

The following morning, (Saturday 29th,) we spent in York, returning to the city centre, to stroll around the Shambles and to visit the Jorvik (Viking Centre) museum.)

11:00 The Three Tuns

When Jenny suggested that we visit the Jorvik museum, I though that we were going to look at displays of Viking artefacts in glass cases, so it was something of a surprise to find myself in a time machine, in which, and together with zapping, shakings and changed appearances, we were transported back to Jorvik. Then, having emerged from the time machine, but in 20th c style, we toured those noisy primitive streets, (a smooth ride in small cars suspended from overhead rails,) and as we moved along the exhibits, the cars turned gently right, or left as needed, so that we could get a full view as we passed through primitive markets, houses, craftsmen’s stalls, fishermen’s wharves, and streets and houses under construction. As for the Vikings themselves, it seems that we were looking at the real thing, as the reconstructions were based on the forensic study of skeleton excavations aided by the best in computer graphics. The tour ended in the more conventional museum by which time, both parents and children were excited, and especially where gathered around the “hands on exhibits” and where they were talking with staff dressed as Vikings.

So now Jessica here is your chance to meet a few of the citizens of Jorvik

One of the Residents of Jorvik

A typical busy day in the market at Jorvik

A domestic scene - within a house of Jorvik

A Coppergate street seller at his food stall in Jorvik

Old and newly-constructed timber houses standing side by side

And this is the point in our journey, where we head unmistakably into the 21st c, but as you will see, we never quite manage to leave the past behind. We are heading north east, (about 180 kilometres) to Lee Farm at Rothbury in Northumbria, and the final stages of this journey takes us off the motorway into narrow and leafy country lanes that twist and climb high into the hills. And as I looked around me at Lee Farm, it was hard to comprehend that the world could be overpopulated, or that there were hundreds of millions of people in China. Yes, there was a sizable population around us, but of sheep, because that is what these hills are best suited to, besides being a magnet for hill-walkers.

The two things that we most wanted to do in this area, were to visit the new water gardens at Alnwick (pronounced Annick,) and the country house known as Cragside. We had been to Cragside many years ago, and Jenny wanted to see it again at this time of year, when the Rhododendrons are in bloom. To enjoy these visits to the full we needed good weather, and as you will see, we were lucky.

Lee Farm – with Jenny, yet again, colour coordinated. In size it is 1,100 acres. and it has been owned by the same family for 125 years.

Garden views – Lee Farm

The sculpted water-garden at Alnwick, [that at the time of our visit, was] still under construction, was the brainchild of the Duchess of Northumberland. The central feature is the Grand Cascade with the water tumbling down a series of weirs, and with the water shapes changing in a half hour cycles. And a nice feature of this cascade is the play area at its base. This is where the children dash back and forth screaming with excitement as the jets of water pass over their heads. So here Jessica are a few pictures of the Grand Cascade.

Just visible at the head of the Grand Cascade are a series of arches that lead into an established ornamental garden. You can climb up to these arches either via the open stairway on either side of the Grand Cascade, or alternatively through the pagodas on either side, and as you go, there are more restful areas from which to contemplate the view, but the water theme is everywhere. As here at the circular fountain.

The circular fountain and Fastigated Oaks – one of those restful places. The characteristic of these Fastigated oaks is, that they grow in a straight column rather than spreading.

Having passed through the arches we are in the Ornamental Garden “A symmetrical structured garden with a strong European influence.” Such an enclosures is popularly known as a walled garden, and in this enclosure there are some 15,000 plants.

As I mentioned Jessica, these gardens are still under construction, and among the new areas being developed are the “Serpent Garden” with yet more water sculptures, that will explain “how it, (water,) looks and moves, using gravity and the natural topography of the land,” and the sculptures will be placed around a serpent formed from holly. The features will include, a water-ball in a reflective pool, and a “Roll Wave,” a pattern on two steel monoliths, which you will be able to walk through. There will also be the Poison Garden. Here we are told, plants will be displayed in ”flame shaped beds” and a part of the purpose of this garden will be “educational;” a safe place in which to learn about the dangers and benefits of these plants. And lastly The Labyrinth, a maze constructed from bamboo.

Now something that I did not mention is, that these gardens at Alnwick are a part of Alnwick Castle. The castle has been a family home since 1309, and it was built to defend England’s borders from the Scottish armies. It has to be among the best-preserved castles in England. The “State rooms are beautifully decorated and are open to the public to view, and while many of these rooms were built for a past age, the present Duke and Duchess of Northumbria have carefully placed current family photographs in among past splendour; and something of the quality of the state rooms is reflected in the exhibited works of art, paintings by Camaletto, Van Dyck, and Titian. You are not allowed to photograph the rooms as you go around, but I hope that you will enjoy these pictures taken by me, and get a sense of what it might be like to be there.

These pictures Jessica were taken on the Sunday, and on Monday 31^st of May, we went to Cragside. As we arrived before opening time, we went for a short drive and came across something quite unexpected: a small country church built in the 11^th c. With the hills in the distance it would seem that this church is in the middle of Nowhere, but clearly there is both enough worshippers and money within the farming community to keep it open and well maintained.

If the great cathedral at York, and Alnwick castle draw attention to the religious and aristocratic history of England, Cragside Jessica draws attention to the inventiveness that brought about the Industrial Revolution in England. Formerly the home of the Armstrong family, Cragside today is managed and preserved for the nation by the National Trust. They are what we call a “charitable trust” which means that they are exempt from paying tax on the funds that they raise, and fully paid up members of this Trust can ask for the tax that they have paid at source, on the money paid to the trust, to be covenanted to them. This is their way (supported by the government,) of receiving additional income. Or put it another way. If the National Trust receives £1m in membership subscriptions, and provided the money has been covenanted, the government will pass on to the Trust the tax that it has received on that money. As the trust manages properties and large tracts of land considered to be of “outstanding natural beauty,” they clearly need a full time staff of paid employees. But a nice feature of these country houses, such as Cragside, is, that they are staffed by volunteers. There is always someone, usually an elderly retired person, standing discretely in each room. Without doubt a part of their task is to safeguard the exhibits, and make sure that the public follow the laid out path through the room, but their other function is to answer the visitors questions, and they are invariably well informed.

Cragside - Northumbria

This great country house goes back to 1880, and was built as a weekend retreat for the industrialist Lord William Armstrong. And the name Cragside has a literal significance, because both he and his wife Margaret, transformed this once rugged hill above Rothbury, into a 1,700 acre estate of exotic trees and plants. Some seven million trees and bushes were planted, and man-made lakes built; and as you will see from this next picture taken with the house behind me, there are vast rockeries of plants and flowers running down past the house to the Debdun Burn, (a small stream,) in the valley below.

By The Front Door

Besides being a lawyer and industrialist, Lord Armstrong was an inventor, which also helps to explain why this house is so remarkable. It was the first house in the world to have electricity provided by hydro electric power, it had a passenger lift, and its own in house telephone system, and a rotating spit in the kitchen, (all in the 1880’s) and powered by the hydro electric machinery that he designed and linked into his system of lakes. Lord Armstrong died in 1900 age 90.

And here are some other reasons why we were keen to return to Cragside.

Seclusion

Landscapes

Colour

I hope Jessica that you have enjoyed this journey and that it helps to give you some sense of the roots of English society and of what a beautiful place it can be, (if the weather is right.) And here is a nice note to end on.

One of the most popular television programmes in this country was, “One Man and His Dog.” It was about the relationship between shepherds and working dogs. In the television programmes they had to work with their dog, or in some instances dogs, against the clock, and over predefined courses, - to steer sheep over and around obstacles and get them into pens, or perform other challenging tasks, such as isolating a particular sheep from a flock for inspection or treatment, or splitting a flock and penning them in different areas of the field.. This simple programme set in open rolling countryside captured the imagination of the millions of us who love dogs but live in towns, and who are separated from nature at its most basic. At Lee Farm they had three sheepdogs, one of which had a first littler of ten pups. Here they are:-

Nature’s way