Day 12: Kendal 1

Windermere was shrouded in mist this morning and there was what the Scots used to (and may still) call 'a wee soft' - light misty rain.

I was hoping to see the pheasant. I caught a glimpse earlier in the week but he moved too quickly for my camera.  No pheasant this morning, but there was a grey partridge below my window.

and then a group of magpies arrived to feed.
Everyone was packing, having breakfast and leaving. My taxi arrived early and I found myself in Kendal well before 11 am. Kay, my driver gave me many hints on what to see and do in Kendal.

My room at the Riverside Hotel was serviced and vacant so I moved straight in. This is the view from my window.



My main motivation in coming to Kendal was to see the Quaker Tapestries. The Museum is also worth seeing. Unfortunately it is closed today, tomorrow and Monday- the three days I am here.

As the Quaker Tapestries are not open to the public on Sunday, I thought I'd go straight there - and probably return again on Monday. The Quaker Meeting House is a five minute walk from my hotel, over the bridge and a block down the road. It takes a bit longer, of course, when you are stopping to take photos!

The tapestries (they are, of course, embroideries, not tapestries, but I can't- won't- fight common usage!). I spent about 4 hours there - talking to the knowledgable, friendly women in charge, examining the panels, listening to the audio commentary, watching videos - and having a bowl of delicious celeriac and apple soup in the cafe.

I knew very little of Quaker history.  This is a wonderful way to learn. The idea for the panels came from a Sunday School child who asked if the children could embroider stories of Quaker history rather than colouring in - and a teacher who knew a good idea when she heard it. I loved the way many of the panels include components of children's work illustrating the particular story.

Perhaps not surprisingly, my favourite panel was the one illustrating the quilt work of Elizabeth Fry, who equipped convict women for their journey, with bags of fabric pieces, needles, thread and spectacles to enable them to make a quilt to sell on arrival.











I love the movement and texture in the clothing, the facial expressions achieved with minimal stitching













the depiction of the one resulting quilt still extant (in the NLA)















the stool, and most of all, the children's work along the bottom depicting "each woman was given a bag of useful things".


There are wonderful details, like the curly hair of Judge Fell.




















I was really interested in the history of trade and Quakers - the Cadbury, Clark's Shoe, Mining, railways, wool, and worker conditions panels.

My granddaughter, Niamh, who has learnt the table of elements, might be interested in this detail.

I looked hard at the detail of the buildings - lovely depiction of lighted windows, lintels and architecture.
















Stance, faces, the fold of cloth and the tilt of a head conveys such a sense of relationship, conviction and connection.







Finally, the New Zealand panels had a wonderful sense of native flora and the connection between Maori and white settlers.

This is all linked together by the prism symbol - light shining through, splitting and unifying.


I could take no more in. I shall return for another visit on Monday and write a little of the Barrett Counterpane, the background fabric (I bought a piece) and the lettering. I managed to buy a book of the stitches -  including Quaker stitch.

Outside the sun was just beginning to leak through the clouds. I returned to the hotel and finished reading my book - Bruce Beckham's Murder at the School, set around Windermere- had dinner and am ready for sleep.

Daylight saving begins tonight. Luckily I do not have an early morning commitment so can afford a little confusion!

Day 11: Dove Cottage, Grasmere and Exhibition!

As I went down to breakfast this morning the local food deliveries were arriving - including Cumbrian wild game.

Less wild, but nevertheless game, we set off for Dove Cottage, where we gathered in what was the kitchen when William and Dorothy Wordsworth lived there. The window, though small, is larger than it was in their day.





















Hazel, the head guide, once again painted an evocative picture for us of the  daily lives of the Wordsworths.

I paid particular attention to the hooked rag rugs - very similar to the ones I grew up with as a child, made by my grandmother.

I liked the portrait of Mary Wordsworth as an older woman.  She was 32 when she had the first of their 5 children.

The best thing about the house is the glimpses of the garden from the windows.

The kitchen still holds their coffee grinder - coffee being a luxury that would have been eeked out.

We paid particular attention to the textiles that were the inspiration for Nicola's sampler, the knee rug knitted by Wordsworth's daughter, Dorothy's tartan cushion,

and the patchwork bedspread.
































I like this portrait of William Wordsworth - less flattering than younger, more posed ones, but remarkably modern.


It is sad - and telling-that this silouette is the only portrait of Dorothy.

We were treated to tea, coffee and delicious shortbread biscuits in the old kitchen. The shortbread is made in Grasmere to a secret recipe. I love both the taste and texture.





We had much discussion about where three adults, five children and guests managed to sleep in this house. This small bedroom, used mostly for the children, was papered by Dorothy in newspaper to save money.










Thanks to Carrie, I discovered a couple of new Lakes District authors whose books are held in the shop.

After a visit to the Museum and shop, we were driven to Grasmere for lunch and a wander. The weather, however, was cold and wet. I had just decided to spend my two hours in the cafe of the Heaton Cooper Gallery and had two scones & coffee served, when Phillipa arrived to say the bus would take some of us back early if we wished, so I got the cafe to pack up my scones and came back on the bus in the rain. The hotel, as usual, rose to the occasion and produced soup and a mountain of sandwiches for four of us.

The Exhibition
While we were enjoying ourselves in the morning, the Museum Curator, Jenny and Nicola were mounting the exhibition at The Wordsworth Museum.- a really professional job.

At 5.30 we headed off in two buses for the opening of the exhibition   Jeff Cowton, the Curator made a quite moving speech .











There were  local stitchers there who had also worked on Dorothy's mailbag.




The samplers were mounted as an entrance - a really interesting variation and contrast.

 There are really interesting examples from the collection.  I was particularly interested in the rag hooking component. My grandmother did a lot of this when I was a child.

There were sewing boxes and tools belonging to Dora & Dorothy Wordsworth, and samples of the work of their circle of friends, including Edith May Southey.

 Jenny's project was beautifully displayed, along with the original harp. It attracted a lot of interest.

 The postbag was perhaps the piece de resistance - so interesting to see the variety of interpretations.

Back at the hotel we had a celebratory prosecco and thanks all around.


Tomorrow we head for home - or continue our travel. It has been an amazingly successful and satisfying week.We are so privileged to have such a community of teachers and students - kindred spirits. No wonder we try very hard to maintain the connections.