The Pavement Art of Stratford upon Avon

The Pavement Art of Stratford upon Avon

Have you come across the street art in Stratford on Avon? It is an absolutely fabulous piece of art work and worthy of exploring. When I first spotted parts of it several years ago I was intrigued as to what it was, other than random phrases, some not in English, words, sounds and occasional footprints, carved (actually ,it was sandblasted) into the pavement around the area of Henley Street, Shakespeare's birthplace and trust.

Ignoring the usual tourist stuff in that area I set off to discover more and soon realised that these were all events witnessed by the artist and recorded into the stone at the spot they occurred. What a brilliant idea. As the artwork meanders through this part of town, you can image what may have been taking place at the time that the artist was watching, a type of voyeur's record.

The observer catches the frivolous, the amusing and the unremarkable but when you trace it you get the feeling that you are witnessing it yourself; the stray comment next to a cash point, the command to “stay there”, the trail of bird’s footprints wandering arbitrary along among the pedestrians, the possible rebuke to a child; you can never know for sure what was taking place at that moment but it certainly inspires the imagination and I am keen to discover more when I am next in Stratford.

When you are in Stratford next and in the Henley Street area of the town, spare a moment to look down at the pavement between the café chairs and the tourist’s feet and you may find yourself looking in on something that happened at a particular time at the very spot years before – on Saturday 18th March to be precise.

'Saturday 18th March' by Janet Hodgson
  For more information: http://www.insitearts.com/projects/stratforduponavon/

Foodie Fortnight in Kenilworth

Foodie Fortnight in Kenilworth

Food, glorious food.  Today was the last day of a new two week event held in Kenilworth and I popped along to see the activities taking place. 

A Foodie Market had been set up where the regular Thursday farmer’s market is normally held at Abbey End, by the Clock Tower. Even before we had turned the corner, enticing smells of hot food wafting from the stalls were enough to set my mouth watering.

There was plenty on offer  - chicken in wine and tarragon sauce, Cotswold roasted lamb with a Salsa Verde, artisan breads, Kenilworth honey, olives, quality meats, pies of all sorts, sausages of numerous variety with or without onions, hand-made burgers, pancakes.

The traditional Pye maker’s stall took my eye with its rabbits and pheasants hanging from the frame of the canopy and a stuffed squirrel on the counter and such a variety of home-made, hand-raised pies. There were pies of rabbit, pork,  venison, wild boar and pigeon and pea pies. He even sells squirrel and crow pies, as well as Homity ( a traditional open vegetable pie) and Fidget pie (a traditional Shropshire pie of gammon, apples, cider and cheese). I couldn’t resist some small Medieval style pastries of  pork and black pudding, pork and stilton and one of garlic and hot chilli, along with some Stilton scones and some pig's pudding.

The Taiko drums were setting an fervent rhythm, with no shortage of audience participation.

At one stand where you could place an order for your Christmas turkey or goose there were two live turkeys and further along the British Hen welfare Trust had an adopt a hen stand with a brood of hens to meet ,and some fresh eggs for sale .

At the Kenilworth honey stall they were also selling beeswax in a variety of forms, some most delicately carved and some live bees.   The Almanac were giving away tasters of their puddings and there was advice on how to go green.  Another stall selling hand made pies had a delicious looking salmon and broccoli as well as a rather meaty shepherds pie but by then the aromas meant I had to sample a sausage batch loaded with two sausages and a stack of onions which was very tasty and peppery.

In Talisman Square, a little along down into the town, there was face painting and a Make and Bake activity ,and the Talisman Theatre, who are  celebrating their 70th anniversary were in costume and had costumes for youngsters to have their photographs taken in.

Restaurants all over the town, including the old town and even the castle, had been putting on special food and wine offers for Foodie Fortnight which coincided nicely with the Oktoberfest Beer festival at the Virgins and Castle  last week, where they had 30  beers to taste, cider, food and music.  A thick booklet detailing the events and activities along with information about the restaurants and pubs taking part, and their offers, were distributed at the beginning of the fortnight, which kicked off with Kenny Bear and the Mayor and food samples and music at the Almanac on Sunday the 30th . 

This looked to be a good annual event so I will be watching out for it again this time next.

 

www.foodiefortnight.co.uk

Castle Hill, Kenilworth

 Castle Hill, Kenilworth

Coming into Kenilworth from Balsall Common, you can glimpse a charming piece of historic Warwickshire as you pass the castle as on the left. Directly opposite the castle, is Castle Hill, curving around and up to High Street above the Abbey Fields.

On one side of the road, leading up from the castle, is a row of quaint bow fronted cottages dating back to the 17^th century, which includes the Clarendon Arms pub, Harrington’s bistro restaurant, Time for Tea tea room and a fashion shop – all worth a visit.

 Just set back from the other side of the road is a group of quaint timber-framed thatched cottages, which were originally built for the builders and stone masons who worked on the castle. This is the restored hamlet of Little Virginia and is purported to be where the first potatoes were planted in England by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Taking a gentle stroll, you can see some interesting detail and enjoy well-kept architecture of the area; ending with a panoramic view over the Abbey Fields. Taking the steep path down into the fields and turning right around the edge of the lake will eventually bring you back to the castle via the ford.

Castle Hill is equally charming in the evenings when the businesses and cottages are illuminated to great effect and the sounds of people enjoying themselves filters outside.

Those visiting the castle will find that crossing the road can be tricky as there are no crossing places but there are wide footpaths once you have crossed over. You can glimpse the cottages and shops of Castle Hill and Castle Green from the Great Keep, when looking out over the Elizabethan Gardens.  For those travelling through the area, there is limited parking along Castle Hill and in the Abbey Fields car park further along and the area is not far from the town centre if you are up for a moderate walk.

Festival of Motoring at Stoneleigh Park

Festival of Motoring at Stoneleigh Park - 25^th and 26^th August

The Festival of Motoring last weekend seemed to be a great success.  Even those that were not ardent classic car enthusiasts must have enjoyed the spectacular range of cars that were displayed by their proud owners. The clubs each had their designated area where you could browse at your leisure; of particular interest to myself were the Triumph Spitfires, as I owned a Mark III many years ago, and I was surprised at how many there were and looking so well preserved, although sadly most were the later Mark IV.  A lot of cars were from the 60s and 70s so the time flew by as we enjoyed reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ and the cars that were around when we were young.
Mid-morning, many of the cars set off for a historic run around Warwickshire, first passing through the arena where a very knowledgeable commentator provided an informative background to many of the makes and models.

As well as cars there were other vehicles and a great collection of motorcycles, as well as regular shows in the Wall of Death, and in the arena amazing displays by the Bolddog motorbike display team with some very hairy stunts.

Hall 2 housed concept vehicles and the future of transport and something less static was the Range Rover 4x4 experience where people could feel what it is like to ride in a 4x4 over an obstacle course that literally lifted the wheels off the ground.

The Sporting Bears Dream Rides provided rides in their members’ classic cars for a modest donation to charity.

For those that wanted a break from the automobilia there was also a craft fair and stalls selling non-motoring items in hall 1 and fairground rides while the Jaguar Band provided the musical distraction.

By mid-afternoon the cars were back in their club areas to welcome more inspections and praise. It is clear how much work and care has gone into presenting these motor cars and bikes and I was pleased that the rain kept away so that their efforts were not spoiled.

Just after 3:30 on the Sunday, a different type of Spitfire provided a fly past, this one being a Mk 2, and one of the few remaining from WWII. It circled several times before heading back, giving everyone the chance to see this marvellous sight, which I always appreciate.

Thanks to the Coventry Transport Museum for putting it on; well worth visiting it again next time it's on.

www.festival-of-motoring,co.uk

 

 

 

 

An Alpaca Day Out

Alpapca Day, Dunchurch

Open day at Toft Alpaca Farm and Studio, Dunchurch

Yesterday was an Open Day at Toft Alpacas and a chance to get up close to these lovely, placid animals.  There are 250 alpacas and one Llama at Toft’s, which also has a shop and a studio where they hold workshops in a variety of alpaca-related crafts.

For open day, the workshops and tours were free and included wet felting, crochet, knitting and talks on how the alpaca’s fibre is used.  Some events needed to be booked and a ‘booking booth’ had been set up in the studio while outside bails of straw made some effective seating.  Drinks, cakes and scones with jam and cream were available and there was a good crowd attending throughout the day.

Unlike the llama, which is used as a pack animal in Peru, the alpaca is a herd animal, bred at Tofts for their fine fibre; they also sell them on – they make good guard animals apparently, as well as being used at petting farms and for stud. 

For me, the highlight was Halter Training, which involved taking an alpaca for a walk around an obstacle course. The staff have an interesting way of herding them using a length of rope; the alpacas interpret the horizontal rope as a solid object and naturally walk away from it towards their pens without any bother or need for a sheep dog. The obstacle course was not too grueling and our alpaca seemed happy to be led around with his friends in a slow procession between fences, over tubes and around buckets.  The session ended with a very informative talk on the introduction of the alpaca to the UK and their characteristics which was enormously interesting.

The farm tour was slightly blighted by this year’s usual showers but took us out to see some of the farm’s fields and more alpaca, including cria, (baby alpacas), with their mothers. The tour included lovely views of Draycote water and the surrounding Warwickshire countryside despite the greying clouds.

The alpaca are sheared annually, leaving a tuft on the top of their head for cuteness, and the resulting fibre that contains hardly any oils only needs one wash during its processing.  Unfortunately, alpacas don’t produce vast quantities of their best ‘wool’ which accounts for its cost but after carding and spinning the resulting yarn is very fine and silky. The shop has a range of items for sale as well as craft kits and patterns.

Tofts are open six days a week and run workshops and tours. There is a wealth of information about alpacas plus Tofts and events and on their web site: www.toft-alpacas.co.uk  and their shop and studio website: www.thetoftalpacashop.co.uk

 Tofts Alpacas – Dunchurch, North Warwickshire, nr Rugby. CV22 6NR

Wellesbourne Airfield Café

Wellesbourne Airfield Café

If you fancy having breakfast in an unusual location, try the Touchdown Café at Wellesbourne Airfield on Loxley Lane.

Located just outside Wellesbourne, going towards Stratford, the café offers a good value breakfast with thick slices of bacon, cooked to order, and served on a decked terrace beside the airfield’s runway where you can enjoy your breakfast while watching the small civil aircraft take-off and land. Helicopters hover at the far end of the field and at the other is a Vulcan bomber. 

The café has a distinct aviation theme with flight maps under the glass tops of the tables and models planes suspended from the ceiling. Alongside a framed collection of cigarette cards depicting planes from the past, the noticeboard advertises headsets for sale and opportunities to ‘share an aircraft’ or organise a flight to Egypt.

If the breakfast is not your cup of tea, the rest of the menu is also good value and tea and coffee are reasonably priced. 

It is great to be able to watch the small planes up close but it does get busy. It is popular with bikers and families who come to see the planes, as well as the occasional pilot or passenger who has just flown in.

7 days in Kenilworth

A busy start to July

There was plenty going on during the first week of July in Kenilworth. On Sunday the 1^st there was the Olympic Torch going from Stratford on Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth before heading off to Coventry.

In Kenilworth, a steel band was playing in the town during the day and sporting activities were put on across the Abbey Fields. By late afternoon, crowds were lining the route through Kenilworth town centre and a great cheer and sounding of horns greeted the convoy of support vehicles and the bearer as he made his way past the clock tower and around to the Castle where another bearer took the torch on between the cottages on Castle Hill and down High Street, accompanied by the church bells, and followed by a mass of youngsters. 

The following Saturday saw Kenilworth’s 80^th Carnival which, despite the on-off showers, was great to watch, as always.  I had watched several of the floats making their way to the Castle for the start, zipping along at a brisk pace through the morning traffic with everyone onboard already in full swing.  It was quite a sight to see members of the Royal Family dancing on the back of one lorry as it headed along the same part of town that I had seen the Olympic torch travel only six days before. Weather forecasts were not optimistic but it did not deter those that gathered along the route, armed with umbrellas and picnic chairs, to see the brightly decorated floats, excited youngsters, comical costumes and marching bands - what fun. 

From Thursday, the annual fair was in the fields next to the car park, to coincide with the carnival, along with stalls and displays around the tennis courts on the Saturday.  St Nicholas church put on tea and homemade cakes and then at dusk there was a firework display to complete the celebration. 

What a busy week.

Morris Dancers in Stratford

Morris Dancers in Stratford - jingling bells, colourful costumes and lots of  energy.

Ribbons on their clothes, flowers around their hats and bells on their legs, – this was the mass of Morris dancers who descended on Stratford on Avon this Saturday.

Everywhere was the sound of jingling bells, accordions playing their merry tunes and sticks clacking together; on street corners, beer gardens and outside the Shakespeare Theatre, troops of Morris dancers from all of the country were performing with such enthusiasm it was a real treat to watch.


This was by far the most impressive Morris dancing I have ever witnessed as no sooner had I seen one troop perform with gusto than another would take their place, each group different in their colourful costumes and style dancing to such music as the Stick Song.
Milling among the crowds of visitors, the dancers made their way through the streets of the town in their distinguishing garb, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of jingles, a beat of the drum and the sound of clogs on the pavement everywhere you went.

It is a shame that they are not invited to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games - but perhaps Morris dancers don't really fit in with their English village theme.

Joint Morris Organisations Day of Dance, Stratford on Avon, 30^th June 2012

And riverside fun ...

At the same time as the Morris dancers performing in the town, the Stratford’s River Festival was taking place on the opposite bank.  Stalls of all types were assembled along the river bank and around the bandstand. The river was filled with boats of all sizes, including some carefully crafted model boats and dozens of colourful narrow boats adorned with fluttering bunting.

This is a two day event so I hope the weather stays good for the Sunday and the planned fireworks on the river tonight.

What a great way to spend the day in Shakespeare's Stratford :-) 

Explore the Abbey ruins, Kenilworth

Explore the Abbey ruins, Kenilworth

Good fun can be had searching for the ruins of the 12^th century St Mary’s Abbey, in the Abbey Fields, Kenilworth, close to St Nicholas’ Church; a sort of archaeological hide and seek.

Plaques have been placed around the ruins indicating whereabouts in the abbey you are standing and what that part of the ruin would have been used for, such as the storerooms, the cloisters or the chancel.  The plaques also show which parts of the ruins are visible above ground and gives those gifted with good imagination an impression of what the abbey would have looked like.   

 At the entrances to the fields and outside the barn, which is still standing and houses a small museum, are informative boards including a drawing of the Abbey as it may have looked.  Some parts of the ruins are easy to work out, such as the barn and the gatehouse, while others are only patterns of remaining walls or steps but they are still interesting to discover. You can find the plaques on the ruin walls and set into the grass but they take some finding as they are scattered across the whole site.  The plan indicates all of the parts of the abbey, from which you can calculate how many plaques there are approximately where they will be. Once you have found a couple you can work out the clues to the next , and to make it more of a challenge, there is a mistake if you can spot it - but I will leave that for you to discover for yourselves.

 The barn museum opens on Sunday afternoons during the summer months and is staffed by local volunteers, who can provide more information about the Abbey of St Mary.

Thanks to the Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society for their work

Supercar Sunday

Held during the Kenilworth Festival in May. A great free event held at Abbey End, by the Clock Tower, Kenilworth, with an amazing variety of interesting cars on view and, for a very reasonable donation to Macmillan’s Cancer Support, the chance to ride in your favourite, whether a 1926 yellow Rolls Royce, a Bullnose Morris or even a Model T Ford; or for those looking for something more recent there was a James Bond Jaguar, complete with rear mounted machine gun, Dodge Viper or a new McLaren MP4-12C,  to name but a few.

I chose a spin in a 1947 Bentley Roadster which roared away down the town, and out onto the A46 towards Warwick, passing others having trips in their chosen vehicles, accompanied by waves and blasts of horns. I began to realise why a pair of goggles they offered me would have been useful as there was little protection from the elements as we flew along at 50mph. I’ve always wanted a drive in a car like this; traditional racing green with the gears on the outside and a step to climb in – no doors and a token windscreen but surprisingly comfortable seats. Bit of an effort climbing back out at the end after we had travelled back via Leek Wootton. A great ‘adventure’ that leaves me to wonder, which car should I choose the next time?

1940's Tea room in Stratford

1940's Tea room in Stratford

Great find a couple of weeks ago, down Union Street in Stratford, not far from the main road and Shakespeare's birthplace. A 1940's themed tea room with ration book covers to the menus, decoration and staff dressed appropriate to wartime Britain (including their hair tied up in headscarves) and a large china pot of real tea that comes with its own sand-timer to tell you when the tea is ready and you can take out the large infuser.  Scones, jam and cream went down well and the staff were friendly, despite all eight of us turning up just as they were closing. 


This is worth a visit, especially if you have friends visiting the town, or you just fancy something different from the Bard. I will definitely be going back, if only to have another pot of their very pleasant blend of 'real' tea.

Fourteas Tearoom, Union Street, Stratford on Avon

Welcome

Welcome to my blog on Warwickshire.


Ramblings about  some of the things that I have stumbled across when I am out and about in the Shire - places to eat, places to visit, things to do, events to look out for ...


If you have found somewhere or something that may be of interest, please let me know.


Enjoy