Leaving Harry & his friends behind, we headed to another iconic British spot -
Bletchley Park. We knew the patterns behind codebreaking would fascinate Seb and its WWII history would entice Sophie. They watched
The Imitation Game too, just to put them in the picture. And it was a captivating place - made all the better by the digital guides.
And then after a mind-filling afternoon, we drove on to our canal side apartment in Warwick.
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| The ribbon weaving trade that Coventry was renowned for. |
The first day, we actually spent exploring Coventry (which has a terrific local museum which is free) - so, three cheers for the fact that Auntie R has worked the summer session there for 2 years.
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| Remembering the "chain mail" that his nana knit him years ago |
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| some plane engine thingy that intrigued Seb |
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| ditto - except it was a wheel from the Concorde |
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| Coventry is a very run-down, depressed/depressing sort of town sadly. But we would have gone to this if we could have stayed on longer. Sadly we didn't get any shots of the cathedrals - bombed or rebuilt. |
We also spent a few hours in Warwick - saw its tiny Saturday market and the small but wonderful independent bookshop. It too has a terrific museum of local history and culture.
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| Breaking precious artefacts.... |
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| Can you spot her at the camera obscura? |
We ventured on to
Compton Verney - once more a fabulous day out that we knew nothing about 2 months ago. It's an art gallery with wonderful British portraits, but also an astonishing collection of Folk Art. And it just happened to have a terrific
temporary exhibit on automata
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| M's favourite painting? A Still Life with Cheese, Bread and Beer - JB Higginson |
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| Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Ting-Tong Chang |
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| Mark Hearld - Hare & Partridges |
However, while you may head to Compton Verney for the art, you don't go for the building - which is lovely - but for the grounds, which were laid out by
"Capability" Brown. So we had a great picnic and a wander too.
Now, I said that one doesn't go for the architecture (though there are some stunning features); however, it turns out that one room - a library - is newly opened to the public.
And what a space it is! The women's library was restful and thought-provoking at once. Well done!
And over the 3 days, we shared many meals with Roberta - especially at our apartment
On Sunday, before we left for the Lake District, M & I managed to slip away for a rainy walk along the canal. Summer in England!
