The Chairman Looks Back: Part 3
Nostell Priory
Sunday, 26th September 2021
Coach tours
Much can be gained by staying local – to see the familiar from a new perspective. On other occasions we need a coach – where we can also get to know one another (and have the occasional snooze). Some days are left largely free for us to explore, as much or as little as we wish. An example was Kedleston in 2012; the report for that year comments on ‘the extraordinary scenes at Kedleston where we shared the park (thankfully not the house) with muddy crowds of campers (once, that is, the driver had managed to get his coach through a very small gate and the National Trust guide had finally decided that the mud didn’t constitute an insuperable Health and Safety hazard)’. Once checked into such a place there is much that can be explored individually – the house, exhibitions, gardens, and parkland; and there’s always the communal tea experience in the cafe. Other examples are Lyme Park and Nostell Priory (both in 2012) and Belton in 2014.
Sometimes we hire a coach to explore a geographical area, such as Jean Howard’s tours of Lincolnshire (2012, 2013 and 2015) and Carol Osgerby’s guided tours of Holderness (2018) and Driffield (2019), the guide explaining and interpreting the landscape as we drive through it.
As must be apparent, the visits include a much-enjoyed element of socializing – as with the tea generously provided by ex-member of our committee, Digby Harris, at his home in Humbleton, after an afternoon looking at churches in Holderness in 2019. The social evening in the autumn, resumed in 2012 (with a lecture on Georgian theatre); now held at Kavanagh’s in Beverley this has become a popular annual event. Here’s to more memories
These reflections are based on a selection of my own memories - impressionistic, not intended as a summary. They are reminders of what we have missed in 2020 but also expect to experience again as lockdown is relaxed.
We hope first to return to our 2020 plans: a special interior tour of Beverley Minster; Watton Abbey and Beswick Hall (two private houses not normally accessible to the public), Driffield (a guided walk), Goole, Saltmarshe and Howden (walking tours, access to unusual buildings, a talk, a buffet); Leeds Minster and the Leeds Library (talks and guided tours); the autumn lecture on Withernsea
What are your outstanding memories? What makes up a successful visit for you? We are always interested to have your views and comments.
