The Bowes Collection

The Bowes Collection in Barnard Castle in County Durham is the product of a couple of rich Victorian collectors, John & Josephine Bowes. Being in County Durham, not exactly convenient for a Londoner. I hadn't previously visited it, which I cured in my latest visit to Newcastle. And it was well worth the wait. All housed in what I would describe as a Victorian chateau.

 The collection is totally eclectic. It just has all sorts, so there is an archaeological collection next to a gallery of childrens toys. But it also has so many examples of things that it allows odd comparisons. So, for example here is a Chinese Palanquin, and an English Hansom cab

 There are excellent collections of furniture, especially of the Empire style.

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 There is a wonderful gallery using various interiors, usually rescued from about to be demolished houses, which allows one to trace in one room English tastes in interior decor over the centuries, and in the next gallery you get the same for English dress.

But the real star turn of the museum is the silver swan which sits in the picture gallery. It has over 3000 parts and is an example of tremendous 18th century workmanship and technology. This automaton is only wound up once a day, whereupon for 30 seconds you get the music of church bells, while the swan moves its head from side to side then dips down and appears to have collected a silver fish in its beak. What is so remarkable is the naturalness of its movement. No wonder it draws a crowd.

 The picture galleries are very interesting although there are few well known artists represented, an exception being two comparatively recently acquired Canalettos.

The hanging is in the traditional manner with paintings being placed above one another high on the room, meaning one has to get forward to read blurb and then well back to appreciate the higher hung works.

 

Bust of Napoleon

 Where it falls down compared to most country houses is the lack of grounds. A walk around them is truly a five-minute job.

Newcastle

This weekend I popped up to Newcastle to see my best mate from university. I went up Friday afternoon, so before meeting Mike at his office I had a little time to wander around the station area, which is surrounded by big Victorian buildings.

 And the cathedral.

 And behind the cathedral there is the old gatehouse and beyond that the castle keep.

 

 The castle keep was my target sight, since I looked it up one the internet and it was open until 5pm. Ah, but not today. A scrappy bit of paper on the door had scrawled on it that they were closing 4pm with last entry at 3:30. I wonder if the live game at 5pm had anything to do with the early finish.

 So I wander on a bit further. There are some nice contrasts of old and new.

 But the best part of this area is the river scenery. Here is the Tyne Bridge.

 So I crossed the High Level Bridge, a steel bridge built by Robert Stephenson

It allows one to take in some great views over the Tyne, if you can avoid all the Samaritans adverts .

 I then wandered along the Gateshead side of the river and crossed back over the Tyne Bridge

Grey Street is the posh Georgian street

And Mike's offices are in the Art Nouveau Milburn House. No soulless office modern block.

But after that, the highlight of the evening - a few beers watching France slaughter Switzerland, followed by a curry. Can a man ask for more?

Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies

The dramatization of the two Hilary Mantel novels Wolf Ha;; and Bring Up the Bodies is just brilliant. No other word for it. As is I think well known, its a faction of the life of Thomas Cromwell, a very clever and able man who has to work for the erratic desires of Henry VIII. This has everything. So lets look at the surprises rather than the obvious of being well-acted. And impressive as they are acting in two different long plays on consecutive nights.

Firstly its amazingly fast-paced. The plot speeds on relentlessly never letting you get bored with any unnecessary dialogue. Then its terrifically funny. There are so many lovely acerbic lines. And I loved a play set in Tudor England actually in Tudor dress, after all those modern Shakespeare adaptations. The stage set's brilliance was in its simplicity. It never distracted from the action.

Basically I can't praise it enough, nor my three companions. Only fault of our first night was being in the Grand Circle, an almost dizzying height from which to look down on the cast. Unsurprisingly, even on a Monday and Tuesday, the theatre was full.