Wednesday - May 11, 2011

a day out last week

I’ve been working on a bunch of photos reducing and cropping etc. so I can share em here. Takes more time then I think when I start.
And my damn brand new chair is not comfortable, but I doubt they’ll allow me to bring it back and exchange it. Felt great in the store and does have back support. Anyway ....

I became a year older (and feel it) last week.  The wife was due to see her aged auntie who we adore, and suggested we all go to lunch and also take in a tea room and museum she’s been after me to see for a long time.  So, I caved and gave up the computer for a day and I’m glad I did. But I need to go back there again to finish off other photos I didn’t get right or missed. This place has so much history ...

Over the river and thru the woods to Auntie Joan’s we go. And some damn narrow cart tracks which is what this road actually was. There are these tiny cuts in the side called laybys every so often. If a car is coming your way and there’s a place to pull over, you do and let em by. Unless they get to one after you’ve already passed one before they came on the scene.  One of you will have to back up to the last layby, unless as happened to us, there was a sudden grouping of cars behind. Really tight squeezes and this is nothing compared to other carts tracks we’ve been on.

And over the river .................

I would love to live in a setting like this. Couldn’t afford the upkeep let alone the house. And not much for camping out.

We picked up our Aunt Joan, who turns 88 in June. She’s still bawdy and spry and drives quite a bit. She was one heck of an artist until a few years ago. Hasn’t painted anything in a couple years. 

KING JOHN’S HOUSE AND GARDEN (except it wasn’t his)

The house and property were part of an early medieval and major complex.  It was called King John’s House because the original historian thought they had found the king’s hunting lodge (c1206 - known from royal records). They now know it dates from the mid 13th century.

There are markings and ancient heraldic graffiti on some walls in the museum upstairs, but I wasn’t able to catch the images on camera.
Something I’d never heard of before is on display in the downstairs.  A tiny portion of the remains of a floor made from animal bones. They date before the 18th century.

There’s a small but comfortable outdoor tea garden, nothing fancy and the weather this May 4th could not have been better.  However, we went inside to the tea room which is plain but nice. Unfortunately, the coffee was more ink then coffee and the tea that was brought to us in a large pot was more water then tea. Undrinkable even with an extra bag, and expensive too.  Snacks and cakes and such didn’t look very appetizing, which is not to say they’re bad as other people seemed happy with them. 

The House known as King John’s House

In 1927, the bldg. now called King John’s House was owned by Miss Mabel Moody.

Located at 13 Church Street in Romsey, she asked a local antiquarian, a Mr. Walter Andrew, to study the property deeds and to investigate the roof space. It was only then that evidence was discovered of the great age of the house. People had over the many years, just lost sight of the fact that the building was noteworthy.
An architect to Winchester Cathedral was brought in to carry out further investigations which then revealed other medieval features behind partitions, plaster and centuries of alterations and concealments.

In the excitment of the discoveries, the property was identified (mistakenly) as
King John’s hunting lodge.  It wasn’t until years later that through carbon dating and other measures, the error was found.  But by then the king became identified with the building and the surrounding property, and became part of Romsey folklore.  The building does however date to the mid 1200s.
Today, there is no clear idea of it’s original ownership or purpose. There are now a small grouping of buildings, all ancient, that are attached. 

Mr. Charles Moody (1846 - 1927) introduced the gun-smithing element into his family, who till then had been cutlers. He was apprenticed at a young age to Henry Drew, a gun maker and ironmonger as well as a cutler.
The family lived on this street throughout the 19th century, and occupied these premises for generations. First as renters and finally as owners. The family is known to have lived in the (then village) since the 1700s.
Most of the display here comes from original shop stock, counters and cases as well. This looks as it did then, in the late 1800s. The only difference is that the shop which was immediately downstairs, has been recreated on the second floor of number 13 Church Street.

Went to dinner afterwards, really nice place and good food. After which Aunt Joan wanted to see an art exhibition at Broadlands. That’s the old estate of the late Lord Mountbatten.  The exhibit was somewhat interesting if frustrating. There were things there I’d have actually bought in different circumstances.
But the treat for me was this old house still in use. An Elizabethan house. Wow.

And so back home late in the day and back over that old narrow road, over which some idiots drive way too fast.

Posted by peiper     on 05/11/2011 at 10:39 AM   
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