UK – Bamburgh and Lindisfarne
The small town of Bamburgh sits on the Northumbrian coast
near Lindisfarne. Bamburgh has an impressive castle, privately owned by the
Armstrong family but open to the public. Armstrong was a Victorian
industrialist, scientist and engineer who was part of Armstrong Siddely, Avro
and other companies that made industrial machinery and later became well known
for aircraft making, including engines and equipment. The castle is suitably
impressive, commanding a view over the coastal channels.
Lindisfarne Island is famous as the first stronghold of
Christianity in Britain, which eventually replaced the existing Saxon religion.
The stone ruins of the old abbey sit on the site of the original wooden
building from 673 AD. The island is accessible by road via a causeway which is
only passable at low tide, so visits must be planned around the tide to avoid a watery demise. It also
has a castle which is not quite as impressive in size, but was at one time
owned by the owner of House and Garden magazine, with the interior refurbished
to do duty as a country weekender. The islanders have an excellent trick of making storage sheds out of old boat hulls, sawn in half.
Additional Notes from Pen
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| Angels of the North |
After a week of settled existence, we left the Bay heading
for Bamburgh north of Newcastle. A
couple of necessary side trips in the way: Durham cathedral and the Angel of
the North. Durham is a nice city with a lot of arts redevelopment near the
Cathedral. Another great cathedral, this
one special for holding St Cuthbert's remains, as well as the Venerable Bede.
Then on the edge of Newcastle, there is a special car park for the viewing of
the Angel of the North the biggest sculpture in Europe, by Penny’s favourite
sculptor, Anthony Gormley. About 60 ft high, with foundations the same depth to
keep it stable. Really impressive and very evocative - a human body shape with
aircraft-like wings. Then onto The Lord Crewe hotel in Bamburgh, with views
over the castle.
Lindisfarne (Holy Island) just north of Bamburgh was the
reason for this stop. This is where Aiden and then Cuthbert established a
priory in 635 AD. The island is only accessible at low tide, so a matter of
timing access. This meant we had time to walk around the island while waiting
for the second low tide. It also meant we got back to the town at 2.10 pm.
Therefore no food - pubs stop serving food at 2 pm. Crab sandwiches from the
general store were the best on offer.
The priory is naturally a ruin, with one major arch still in
place and a good outline of the stone buildings. The original priory was
wooden. Cuthbert spent a lot of his time in retreat, first on a close by
island, then later on one of the Farne Islands off Bamburgh. St Mary s church
aligned to the priory, has a life-sized statue of monks carrying St
Cuthbert's body to Durham to protect it
from Viking raids. Another of the same
statue stands outside Durham Cathedral, marking the path of St. Cuthbert's way.
We left when the tide dropped again, and dinner was
compensation for our poor lunch - cheese soufflés for entree. Great food at the
Lord Crewe hotel in Bamburgh.
Still in Bamburgh, we visited St Aidan's church where Grace
Darling is buried. Opposite is a Grace Darling museum, a small volunteer run
place but with a good coverage of the story. Grace actually rowed with her
father in a heavy wooden boat, for hours to rescue a group from the wreck of a
steam ship which ran aground on the Farne Islands during a storm. Queen Victoria and the press made her famous.
She died 4 years later of TB.
Also visited Bamburgh castle, another impressive place full
of antiquities and porcelain. If anyone ever decided to clear out any of these
places, the market in porcelain would be flooded. This is still a family residence for the
Armstrongs, who include the major engineer/ inventor of the 19th Century.
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