Rutland Water

As the summer had been so lovely in 2016 we decided to take a trip to Rutland Water, we did stay overnight, but from Ampthill it is only just over an hour away and so can be a day trip.  As you will see from the photos we managed to catch the weather when the sun decided to hide for most of it, and the rain came on day 2...putting pay to the planned trip to Barnsdale Gardens.  so I think a re-visit is necessary.

There are car parks around the water, and you can pay one fee for the day and move around the car parks, which work out a better deal for the day.  Some areas are busy than others, one part has a 'beach' in the summer and so was much busier than the rest.

You can get a boat trip across the water:

Rutland Water - with the sun

Oakham

Oakham Museum

Oakham

Rutland water is a man made reservoir that was 'made' in the 70s, there were some people that lost their homes, but they managed to leave a peninsular village that juts out into the water.

Oakham museum was a lovely little museum and filled the gap for our rainy day, it had an exhibition that was 1966 and all that, which was excellent and well put together.

We drove there via the A1 and came back north of Bedford.

https://www.rutlandwater.org.uk/

Stockwood Mossman Collection

See more details about the centre here:
Stockwood park discovery centre
My great grandfather was a coachbuilder based in Holloway, in Marlborough Rd in the late 1800s to early 1900s, and I have some picture of coaches that he built.  It was interesting seeing some similar models in the collection, but I did not manage to see any with the 'Lugg Bros' logo on them.  We took a few photos so thought I would share them as an additional part of the days out.

Interestingly they lived in Hanley Rd, close to Hornsey Road, but I think this was only painted 'fictitiously' of the period, which was a shame, I have yet to find out any history about the business.

Discovery Hall:

The Discovery Hall has transport exhibits associated with Luton and houses The Mossman Collection.   The Mossman Carriage Collection is a collection of horse-drawn vehicles and is the largest collection of such vehicles in the United Kingdom, and includes original vehicles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.  The collection was donated to the Luton Museum Service in 1991 and has examples of horse-drawn road vehicles and carriages used in Britain dating from Roman timess up until the 1930s.  The collection includes vehicles used by tradesmen and ordinary people as well as luxury vehicles and state coaches used by the British nobility and on the large British estates. Many of the exhibits have also been used in television productions and films including Ben Hur and Carry on Dick.  I will post some of the carriages on another post.

http://www.lutonculture.com/stockwood-discovery-centre/

Stockwood Park & Discovery Centre

Last summer we decided to go to Stockwood Park, we went many years ago, so long ago that it had changed quite a bit with a new building for the Mossman Collection of carriages and a cafe.  Last summer there had been several dry weeks, so the gardens were maybe not looking their best at the end of August.

History
The park was originally the estate and grounds to Stockwood House, which was built in 1740 by John Crawley, one of Bedfordshire's leading landowners.  The enclosed walled gardens provided shelter for growing fruit and vegetables for the house. One of the walled gardens now displays a series of gardens illustrating the changing styles of gardening through the ages. During World War II the house was converted into a children's hospital. The House was eventually demolished in 1964.



Something for everyone
Gardens:
If you are a garden enthusiast there are a number of different gardens to wander around, including formal Period Gardens (Medieval, Elizabethan, Dutch and Italian) and a wartime garden. Once part of the original Stockwood House walled areas, the Period Gardens reflect the changing styles of gardening in this country. The 'Improvement Garden' is a classical garden in which the sculptures (by acclaimed artist Ian Hamilton Finlay) are an integral part of the landscape and can be seen on permanent display.  Newer areas include a contemplative Sensory Garden, a colourful World Garden, and a Medicinal Garden highlighting the usefulness of plants - designed with environmentally green and sustainable principles in mind.  This is not a complete list of the gardens that can be visited and there are also greenhouses to explore.

Galleries:
If you are keen on history, then the old stable block has a number of galleries depicting the development of the local area from pre-historic times through to the last hundred years. Located in the original stables of Stockwood House, these galleries explore the history of the region from prehistoric times to the evolution of Stockwood House and the Farley estate. The first gallery introduces Stockwood looking at its history for the last 200 years. The Landscape and People Gallery explores the changes to the local environment. The  Discover Archaeology Gallery introduces early inhabitants of the area and shows how the past is uncovered. There is a separate Roman and Anglo Saxon Gallery where you can see the legacy that these people left us. Well worth a visit is the Medieval Gallery where you can walk the streets of Luton in the 1400's. The final gallery – the Rural Trades Gallery – shows some of the craft and trade objects collected from Bedfordshire villages in the 1930's-1950's. There is a forge located next to this gallery and a collection of vintage stationary engines are also located at this end of the site.

This is a great attraction provided by Luton Council that amazingly has free entry. Away from the formal displays there are plenty of open spaces to sit and relax.  There is a children's play area, a cafe and a gift small shop. A great place to spend a few hours browsing and to return to for future visits at different times of the year to fully appreciate the variety of gardens.  There are also regular events and special exhibitions at different times during the year and the annual Country Fair on the Easter weekend.

Discovery Hall:

The Discovery Hall has transport exhibits associated with Luton and houses The Mossman Collection.   The Mossman Carriage Collection is a collection of horse-drawn vehicles and is the largest collection of such vehicles in the United Kingdom, and includes original vehicles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.  The collection was donated to the Luton Museum Service in 1991 and has examples of horse-drawn road vehicles and carriages used in Britain dating from Roman timess up until the 1930s.  The collection includes vehicles used by tradesmen and ordinary people as well as luxury vehicles and state coaches used by the British nobility and on the large British estates. Many of the exhibits have also been used in television productions and films including Ben Hur and Carry on Dick.  I will post some of the carriages on another post.

They have a 'long term' project to restore the last surviving Luton tram.....

How to get there:
Leave Ampthill heading south along Dunstable Street, carry on through Flitwick and Westoning and join the southbound M1 at junction 12. Keep on M1 until junction 10 and exit towards A1081/Luton Airport. Stay on A1081 and at the big roundabout take the second exit onto London Road. In less than half a mile turn left  onto Cutenhoe Road, keep left and you will shortly see the signs for the Discovery Centre and car parks. The satnav postcode is LU1 4LX – jouney time is about 30 mins (17 miles) depending on traffic.

On arrival
There is plenty of parking only a short walk from the entrance. There are also large grassed areas next to the car park where you could have a picnic or the kids could run around and play ball (ball games not allowed in the Centre), there is seating around the park and plenty of space to eat a picnic or use the cafe.

http://www.lutonculture.com/stockwood-discovery-centre/

Days out from Ampthill (Cambridge)

Now that we have some nice sunny days, and Easter is just around the corner, I thought I would remind you that there ideas for day trips from Ampthill, they are all less than 1 hour and 10 minutes away....

I have added them all to a page here
Days out from Ampthill

I thought I would share some pictures of Cambridge, which is a nice easy drive, and has loads to offer, walks, views, river, punting, food, Fitzwilliam Museum, shops, market just to name a few.

It also has a fabric shop, homemade fudge, chocolate making, and of course a Country Market stall.

...and of course if you are around in the Easter break don't forget to visit the Ampthill Country Market stall on Thursday morning - we are there until 12

Higgins Museum, Bedford

A few weeks back we decided to pop along to the The Higgins, Bedford, and can honestly say it was a good couple of hours, as the entrance is free, definitely worth the visit.  It was also mentioned in the Standard recently too :standard top 10 places to visit

History
The Higgins now houses three attractions, Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford Museum and Bedford Gallery in one building in Castle Lane, dating back 200 years. Charles Higgins and his family moved to Bedford in the 1820s, founding a brewery at Castle Lane and building the family home next to it. The family business was very successful and they were important, influential figures within the town for over a hundred years. The brewery remained in the Higgins family until the late 1920s when Cecil Higgins, then over seventy, decided to sell it to Wells & Winch Ltd. in order to focus on his ambition to found a museum. Cecil, who had run the family business for many years, devoted his later life to collecting fine and decorative arts with the aim of founding a museum. The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery opened in 1949 in the house that had been Cecil's family home. Bedford Museum moved into the former Higgins & Sons Brewery building in 1981. The Art Gallery housed the family collection of ceramics, glass and objets d’art. Cecil Higgins left a trust fund to be used for museum purposes, but principally for acquiring works of art ranging from decorative arts to watercolours, furniture and prints.

The Bedford Museum was formed in the 1960s from the collections of Bedford Modern School and Bedford Borough Council and was originally housed in in a former garage and showroom on the Embankment. In the 1970s the former Higgins & Sons Castle Brewery buildings became available. John Turner was appointed Curator in 1974 and he led the transformation of the brewery buildings into the new town museum, which opened its doors to the public in 1981. The museum was merged with the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery in 2005, but both buildings remained essentially separate until the museum closed for redevelopment. The original home of the Higgins family has been developed into The Higgins Bedford. The building, following its recent redevelopment, now contains both the art gallery and museum, which house both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Museum contains displays of social history, archaeology, natural history and ethnography collections telling the stories of the people and places that have shaped Bedford, and its relationship with the wider world, from prehistory to the present day.

The art gallery and museum are situated in a complex set of historic buildings. As well as the Higgins family home and the Higgins Brewery buildings, there is the Hexagonal Gallery which is the oldest part of the site, and Bedford Gallery, a Grade II listed building. The Hexagonal Gallery was built around 1804 upon the foundations of earthworks from Bedford Castle. The Bedord Gallery was built in the early 1840s. It was originally designed as a club known as the Castle Rooms, for members and supporters of the Whig Party. From 1848, the building was used for various religious gatherings In the early part of the 20th Century it became a billiard hall. For some time during World War Two, the BBC Music Department is believed to have used Bedford Gallery as a rehearsal room and recording studio.

Things to see
Check out the temporary exhibitions, as well as the permanent one, all are on the web site.

One of the temporary exhibitions was Bedford's War Machines and there was a lovely miniature scene created by Bedfrod's U3A, I just could resist taking a couple of photos.

The Higgins Bedford was refitted throughout during the redevelopment. Visitors can now enjoy watercolour, print and decorative art collections of international significance, including major collections of works by William Burges and Edward Bawden.  More local collections tell the story of Bedford and its people through archaeological finds, natural history, geology and social history.

The William Burges Collection’s can be found in the high-ceilinged hexagonal gallery. Burges, one of the most imaginative architects of the 19th Century, filled his buildings with richly-painted furniture, metalwork, ceramics and stained glass, all with his unique take on medieval style. One of the showpieces of the redevelopment, the William Burges Gallery features the art gallery and museum's world-renowned collection of painted furniture designed by Burges for his own use.

The artist designer Edward Bawden was one of the most influential artists of his generation. For the first time the Higgins’ collection of murals, prints, illustrations, wallpapers, textiles and watercolours, which made up the contents of Bawden’s studio, are housed together in this new gallery. There are regular changing exhibitions providing an insight into this artist’s work.

Other exhibits on display include items from the Higgins' collections including textiles, furniture, metalwork and glassware. The Higgins’ home remained in the family for almost a hundred years and contains displays that introduce the family and explore Cecil Higgins’ collection in terms of how the objects might have originally been used.

There is a gallery devoted to the Settlement of the local area. This gallery highlights the human journey through time. Objects, collections and people tell their own story about Bedford, its rivers and its countryside. The journey begins millions of years ago when the land was covered by ancient seas, inhabited by strange creatures, and reveals the forces of nature that have shaped the landscape. When the seas receded, new creatures including early humans began to inhabit the area. Through the objects on display it is possible to gain an understanding of how people worked, lived, played and worshipped from the earliest times up to the Middle Ages. Intertwined within this thread are invaders from now lost empires, seafarers who came to raid and trade, powerful religious houses and vanishing castles. The gallery focuses on some of the most important stories drawn from the Museum's archaeological collections.

A further gallery continues the story of Bedfordshire and its people's history. It explores Bedford and its growth from a small but busy medieval market town to a centre of industry and business today. Bedfordshire's agricultural and engineering heritage is celebrated with a focus on J. & F. Howard's Britannia Ironworks, W. H. Allen's Queen's Engineering Works, and the brickworks. The town and countryside and the people who live in Bedfordshire have all changed significantly over the centuries. The displays feature local people and show how they have responded to events, including the Agricultural Revolution, the coming of the railways, the growth of Victorian Bedford, the Second World War, newcomers looking for work and modern commercial and technology industries.

How to get there:  Leave Ampthill on B530 heading north up Bedford Street. Carry on the B530 until you eventually come to a set of traffic lights on the outskirts of Bedford – at the lights turn left into Ampthill Road (A5141) and drive straight along the A5141 until you reach a roundabout. Take the second exit onto Rope Walk. At the next roundabout, take the second exit onto Longholme Way – after a short distance you will cross the river, take the next left into The Embankment. Keep going along The Embankment until you reach the junction with Newham Road (on your right) – turn at the mini-roundabout into Newham Road. You will come to a junction, turn left into Castle Lane – follow this road round to the left and you will find The Higgins on your left.  The Sat Nav postcode is MK40 3XD but there are brown signs if you don't have a sat nav. It takes about half an hour (9  miles) depending on traffic conditions.

Arrival: There are 4 car parking spaces at the entrance of The Higgins for visitors with Blue Badges.  There is pay and display parking spaces along the Embankment (max. stay 2 hours) and the nearest public car park is at Lurke Street, just 5 minutes walk from The Higgins.  Alternatively, there is a Park and Ride service from Elstow, with frequent buses into the Town Centre.  On Saturdays 2 hours are free in Council owned car parks.
Parking in Bedford

Thaxted, Essex

After our visit to Audley End, we popped into Thaxted, this is a pretty Essex village that has a Windmill and a Guildhall.  It isn't somewhere to make a special visit from Ampthill, but worth stopping by if you are in the area.

Once you have parked in the public car park, walk a little way back up Margaret Street and turn left into Bell Lane which will bring you to the main street (Watling Street). The parish church is almost opposite you and John Webb's Windmill is beyond the church (walk through the churchyard and past the Almshouses). Alternatively, the Guildhall can be found by turning left onto Watling Street after a short walk down the hill.

So her is a littel bit about the place:

History
Thaxted is an ancient town that was mentioned in the Domesday Book. It developed from then and became a busy town in Saxon times and continued to develop until a market was granted to the town in 1205. The town continued to develop for a number of centuries and was involved in the cutlery trade.

The earliest record of a church was in 981, this being replaced with money from cutlery in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Town Street (Watling Street today) runs down hill from the church in a south-easterly direction but has changed significantly from its original design. However, the Guildhall still survives, but certainly not the original building.In the sixteenth century it is known that weaving made an appearance, and an attempt was made to establish a Guild of Clothiers in 1583. Other street names such as Fishmarket Street and Mill Row may give indications of the town's history. Surprisingly, given the size of the town, there are still six places of worship in Thaxted, which is a legacy of its past Nonconformist history. Quakers were also known to have met in the town.

Almshouses

Explore Thaxted
Town Street (at the bottom of the Watling Street hill) is a good starting point for any exploration of Thaxted. The Guildhall is the first place of interest that you will see. Once the administrative centre of the town, it is thought it was built sometime between 1462 and 1475. It is believed it was not really a Guildhall as the design is more of a moote or mote hall, i.e. a civic meeting place.

There was a thriving cutlery industry in Thaxted at the time the Guildhall was built, so it is likely this contributed financially to its construction. At one time it is known that over a third of the working population were involved in the cutlery trade in some way. However, it was when the cutlery trade began to decline that Thaxted was granted a Charter and became a Borough. In 1686, the Charter was revoked and during the years that followed the Guildhall fell into disrepair. A number of attempts at restoration of the Guildhall have taken place over the centuries, including being used as the town's Grammar School at one point and samples of childrens' work can be seen in the Guildhall. The most recent restoration was carried out by Essex County Council in the 1970's and the Guildhall continues to represent the civic life of the town, and is in active daily use. Regular meetings are held there, and it is also used for exhibitions of local crafts and interests at frequently throughout the year. Thaxted Guildhall has limited opening times so check before visiting.

Seen from Town Street, the Parish Church towers behind the Guildhall and is probably the next stop on your exploration.Thaxted Church is one of the most impressive churches in Essex and is often called the “Cathedral of Essex”. The Church stands on a hill and dominates the town, so from whichever direction you approach, it can be seen many miles away. It has been described as the finest parish church in the county. The building began in 1340  and was completed in 1510. The large church is definitely worth a visit. As well as many things of architectural interest, it also has two organs, eight bells hanging in the 15th Century West Tower and lots of stained glass windows. The large bells are housed in the upper part of the tower which is 80 feet high. It is claimed if the wind is in a certain direction, the bells have been heard as far as Great Dunmow, which is 7 miles away. Particularly impressive is the stone spire, claimed to be the only mediaeval stone spire in Essex – it rises to a height of more than 55 metres. It has twice been destroyed by lightning and each time has been built up again to the original design – who said lightning doesn't strike twice?




The other main place of interest in Thaxted is the John Webb Windmill. A short walk through the churchyard, between the Almshouses and along picturesque Mill Row brings you to the Windmill which stands out above the local landscape. It has been fully restored to working order over recent decades after falling into disrepair and it is a well worth a climb up the winding steps to see the workings inside and the view outside.Unfortunately, it only has limited opening hours so check before you visit. Built in 1804, John Webb's Windmill is a tower mill and is the only remaining windmill in Thaxted. This windmill was the largest and most advanced of all the Thaxted mills and it worked for a hundred years. It was built to satisfy a growing demand for flour at a time of agricultural expansion and was constructed from local materials.  John Webb owned the farmland on which the mill was built. The gallery, which can be seen at first floor level surrounded the mill and was used for loading and unloading from carts and wagons. There is a picnic area surrounding the Windmill, along with benches to sit and look at the surrounding countryside.

Once you have visited these main sites, make sure you still wander wander around the centre of the town and see other buildings that have something of interest. For example, Clarance House, opposite the Church is an excellent example of an early eighteenth century Queen Anne building. Then there is Stoney Lane,  part of an ancient highway leading to Saffron Walden and containing a number of timber-framed houses. The houses near the Guildhall have the timber exposed, while on others it is hidden beneath the render which in many cases has “pargetting”, the traditional local decoration. If you are a fan of Gustav Holst then make sure you see the building called “The Manse”, but originally called “The Steps”, where the Holst family lived.

How to get there:  Leave Ampthill on A507 heading east towards the A1. Drive through Baldock and follow the A505 in the direction of Royston. Stay on the A505 and by-pass Royston and after about 5 miles you will need to turn right onto B1383 in the direction of Saffron Walden. Stay on the B1383 until you reach the B184 and then you head south and will shortly arrive in Thaxted. There is free public car park (with toilets) at the bottom of Margaret Street (postcode CM6 2QN). Margaret Street is a small turning on your left with a pub car park on the corner, when you drive into Thaxted from the north on the B184.  The journey from Ampthill takes about an hour and a quarter (46 miles) depending on traffic conditions.

Gt Barford walk along the river

We had a lovely sunny Saturday afternoon recently so we decided to take a drive over to Gt Barford and take a walk along the river.  We searched around the internet and found a walk:

great barford walk

We parked in the road just by the church in New Road, you will immediately see Barford's fifteenth-century bridge is a popular mooring.  We walked back towards the Anchor Inn, Great Barford crossed the road and walked along the river.    It starts with a cut lawn I guess maintained by the beautiful house just above.  We then followed the river along for a while following the footpath until we reached a bridge.  We crossed the river on to an island and then cross another small bridge and pass a lock-keeper s cottage on the left. The overgrown cottage is really interesting. We were interested to see an old cottage, that looks as though it was recently abandoned, but couldn't find out much about it on the internet. Would love to hear a bit more about the history.

It was a lovely peaceful walk.  And we even saw a goose creche, never noticed this before 2 geese look after all of the little'uns whilst the rest go for a graze!

We turned around and waked back to where we parked and went on the other side of the river to see the lock and weir.  But you can continue and cross the lock and eventually arrive at Willington Lock and then on to the Danish Camp and Bedford or just turn back and return to Great Barford.  



So here are a few pictures of the walk and a bit about Gt Barford that I picked up from the internet:

Great Barford is a village in Bedfordshire,  a few miles north-east of Bedford. It lies on the north bank of the River Great Ouse. Great Barford was mentioned in the Domesday Book as an important site, probably as a means of crossing the river that skirts the village.   Although the area of the original ford was dug up in 1973, the bridge has existed since at least the 15th century. The village is nowadays by-passed by the busy A421 road on the way between Bedford and St Neots, the by-pass opened in 2006 and has improved the quality of village life with much less traffic. The village has two contrasting areas, the more sprawling less attractive newer part that is situated to the north of the more picturesque older and original village, which lies beside the River and has a large variety of buildings some dating to the 17th century.  The older part of the village is known for its All Saints Church, with a 15th-century tower, and its similarly ancient bridge. The surroundings and historic buildings make it a favoured destination for canoeing, angling and picnics.  There is also a popular scout camp by the river in the village near the church, which offers 1.25 acres of camping field together with a slipway and landing stage with access to the River Great Ouse.

Facilities

The Anchor Inn is situated by the river Great Ouse at the picturesque village of Great Barford, with view of the river and the famous bridge with its 17 arches, first built in 1427.  The pub serves a selection of cask ales, lagers and beers and has a comprehensive wine list. It also has a restaurant that seats 40 guests and does bar meals.  The more informal dining area is in the main bar, that is very popular with a good choice of a snacks, main menu and daily specials boards. All food is prepared on the premises, from locally sourced produce with an aim to provide good, wholesome, traditional fare. There is another pub in the newer part of the village, the Golden Cross Pub & Chinese Restaurant is situated in the centre of the village at the cross roads of  High Street, Roxton Road, Bedford Road & Green End Road. it has an ample parking area, and is adjacent the main east-west X5 bus stop. Not just a Local Pub serving fine cask ales, lagers, wines and spirits, run by the owners in the same building is a first class Chinese Restaurant seating up to 60 people with a full menu take away service.  Moving north up the High street from the bridge, you pass many interesting buildings some of them listed, and will also find the village shop and post office.

Local Area

Starting from the bridge there is a public footpath which follows the banks of the river to Bedford. There are also other footpaths that pass through farmland and pastures to neighbouring villages.  Over the road from The Anchor is the village green, a beautiful spot to sit and watch the many boats that pass through Great Barford during the summer months.