Lessons Learned in Durham

This was a day of learning things. I used a new app on my British phone to book us tickets from Newcastle to Durham. We caught the metro from Tynemouth to Newcastle and made our way through the streets to the station. When I tried to open the app to get our tickets, the screen was very dark. I navigated to settings, increased the brightness, then saw that the reason it had gone dark was because I had 1% battery life left. Oops. By the time we got to the track the phone had died.

Lesson #1: - Either make sure your phone is charged or carry your portable battery charger with you. (I failed on both counts.)

Durham is only 11 minutes by train, so we had to hope that the conductor didn't come around to inspect our tickets. If we couldn't produce them, there would be a hefty fine. Our luck held and we arrived at Durham station. The next potential issue was that at a lot of stations you have to scan your ticket to exit the station. Again, we were lucky because Durham doesn't have exit gates. The train ride was a bit noisier than usual because a northern team, the Sunderland Black Cats, had made the playoffs and were playing at Wembley stadium on Saturday. All the trains were fully booked on Saturday so loads of people were traveling to London on Friday. Good luck, lads. Everyone on our train is rooting for you!

We made our way from the station down a leafy path and set of stairs toward the National Trust property, Crook Hill Gardens. Google maps sent us to a spot where we had to cross a very busy four lane road and we met another couple who had obviously been sent the same way. We introduced ourselves and established that, yes, we were all headed for Crook Hall. Originally from the Newcastle area, the couple now lived in New Zealand and were here visiting their daughter who is in school at Newcastle University. We found a crossing a bit further down the road and walked the rest of the way to the gardens. At one point we wondered if we were on the right road because the signage is a bit scarce, but the driveway, hidden by trees, was there on the left. We went up to the admissions stand, showed our Royal Oak membership cards, and were told that we were just in time to join a tour that had just started. This turned out to be serendipitous timing, because the tour was brilliant. Our guide, Clive, was a former professor of botany and had received his training at Kew Gardens. He explained that the gardens were compartmentalized and that we would see what he meant as we went.

Our first stop was the maze and meadow garden.

Clive said that he was very much "anti-grass" and was pressing the head gardener here to eliminate all the grassy areas. He's had a little success, as the meadow gardens showed but, being a volunteer, he could only suggest, not insist. The head gardener, he said, was "bonkers." He then explained that what that really meant was that she was passionate about the garden to the point of obsession. During COVID she had slept in a garden shed on the property so that she could continue her work. That's dedication.

We stopped at a wall that borders the walled garden and Clive pointed out the various plants that made up the border. He talked about which plants would grow in the average British garden and which plants would normally be better suited to a Mediterranean climate but which survived because of the heat radiating from the wall.

Our next stop was the cathedral lawn. On one side were small gardens designed to mimic the arches of Durham Cathedral.

Along another side of the garden was a bank of Cardinal Richelieu roses in a deep shade of purple, the color associated with senior members of the church. He told us to come back in a couple of weeks because there would be a riot of color here. One rose was in bloom, but my photograph doesn't do it justice, The color was much deeper and more purple than pink.

From there we moved on to the Shakespeare Garden which was in the process of being revamped. The new planting scheme involved including all 125 flowers named in Shakespeare's plays. Some were names of his characters, like Viola; others were flowers actually named in his text.

The Orchard was our next stop. Apple trees were in the majority, but there were two Damson trees as well. We don't really grow damson in the US, but when you can find them they're known as damson plums. Clive pointed out that the herbaceous border on one side of the garden was there to attract pollinators. Pollinating these trees by hand would be virtually impossible.

He also pointed out that the meadow to the right of the garden was privately owned. Because the Durham Council was partnering with the National Trust on a number of efforts, they had specified to the owners of the other property that any plans they had would need to be vetted by both the Council and the National Trust. This will insure that whatever development occurs will be in keeping with the area around the gardens and won't include high-rise apartments blocking the sun. Clive pointed out the statue at the bottom of the garden which he used to tell visitors was a naked woman holding a cricket ball. I guess some people took him seriously because he was told not to do that anymore.

We made a brief stop at the composting area. where Clive explained their composting program and how all the National Trust gardens were eliminating peat from their soil enrichment efforts. One of their compost bins is layered in such a way as to reach heat levels so high that if you stuck your hand in, you'd get burned. It's quite a program.

The moat garden was next. Originally this was a dry moat used for defense of the house. It is now a lovely little pond surrounded by aquatic plants. Birds now frequent the pond as do dragonflies. This would be such a lovely place to just sit and relax in the summer months.

On our way to the nursery and greenhouse, we passed the newest resident of Crook Hill. I love the fly sticking out of his mouth!

A lot of the propagation of plants is done on site. Trees and shrubs are grafted and seeds collected from plants in the garden but, occasionally, plants are purchased.

Many National Trust gardens sell plants, but not Crook Hill. The National Trust only took ownership of Crook Hall in 2022, so they are still in the process of redesigning the site to suit their needs. Since she worked in the garden all through COVID, I have to conclude that the gardener came along with the property.

One area of the greenhouse garden is dedicated to food propagation. It is also planted with plants that repel insects.

As we walked toward the walled garden we passed two dead apple trees. Clive told us that they're not cutting them down, but have planted clematis all around the base and will train the vines around the branches of the trees. I'll bet that will be spectacular.

We passed a grand old copper leaf beech with a canopy so thick that you can stand under it during a rain storm and stay dry. That is, unless there's a bird in the tree...

Before entering the walled garden, we passed the two wings of Crook Hall, One Georgian and one Jacobean. Clive told us that the National Trust has no plans to refurbish them. Apparently the National Trust has decided that restoring old buildings is no longer in its mission. It now wants to be known for serving the community and serving as a place for families to bring their children. I was not terribly happy to hear that, since visiting restored historic houses is the main reason we support the Trust. I understand their reasoning, however, since the majority of the people we see at Nat Trust properties are oldies like me. If these properties are to survive, they'll need the revenue streams that are literally dying off. Children that love the properties will, they hope, become adults who will support them.

The walled garden is spectacular.

Here again we see Mediterranean plants that thrive due to the heat being reflected by the stone walls. It's a stunning sight and Clive says that it's planted for all-season interest.

Lesson #2: Whenever possible, tour a property with a volunteer guide. This was especially true on this day. We wouldn't have learned a fraction as much if we had toured the gardens on our own.

We enjoyed a quick bite at the on-site cafe. I had my usual, a Cornish pasty filled with curried cauliflower. I was lucky to get the last one; though it was only 1:00pm, they had run out of almost everything except scones.

We then walked across the bridge over the River Wear toward Durham Castle and Cathedral.

I loved the shiny heron sculpture on the bank.

We were treated (?) to a rather long walk up a rather steep hill but finally ended up in the center of the old town

which contained a statue of Neptune

a memorial dedicated to the Durham Light Infantry

and a statue of Charles William Vane Stewart.

It made me think of Washington DC where the joke is that there's a statue of a horse's ass on a horse's ass every three blocks.

On we plodded through the charming old town

until we reached Durham Castle and Cathedral. The Castle website offered the choice of a docent guided tour or self-guided tour. Once we got there, we discovered that no one was allowed on the property unless on a docent led tour. The next tour was sold out, and the one after that was two hours later.

Lesson #3: Be aware that websites are not always updated with relevant information.

Disappointed though we were, we walked over to the Cathedral.

Once inside, we were told we could come in, but would need to leave the Cathedral proper in 15 minutes because a special school service was about to be held. Sure. There can't be too much to see in a cathedral that dates back to 1133.

Lesson# 4: If a cathedral is near a university, there are better than average odds that a school will be holding a service of some sort and the cathedral will be closed to visitors.

This is especially true as the school tern draws to a close.

We took a quick walk down the side aisle of the cathedral and got a couple of photos of its impressive interior,

the shrine of St. Cuthbert (which was roped off)

the transfiguration window

the beautiful pipes of the cathedral organ,

the miner's memorial,

and the Hatfield Tomb.

This is the tomb of Prince Bishop Thomas Hatfield who held office from 1345 till 1381. The role of Prince Bishop was to maintain a buffer between England and the Scottish border. They held authority over the County Palatine of Durham and their power here was comparable to the authority of the King in the rest of England. Hatfield wanted his tomb to be built as close to the high alter as possible. Known for his arrogance, but also for his sense of humor, not long before he died he apparently said, "The next Bishop of Durham will be enthroned over my dead body."

We were allowed to spend time in the Galilee Chapel with its Norman stone work.

The walls of medieval churches were often decorated with brightly colored murals telling religious stories. In the Galilee Chapel there were small examples dating back as far as the 12th century.

We were also allowed into the cloisters.

We declined the opportunity to visit the room that held the Lego model of the cathedral.

On the way out, we saw the sanctuary knocker which adorned the north door for centuries. It gets its name from the fact that in the middle ages, people who had committed a great offence could touch the knocker and would be granted sanctuary for 37 days, during which time the person had to choose between trial and voluntary exile.

The hideousness of the monster's features were designed to ward off evil from the place of sanctuary.

Bruce went off in search of pubs, I continued on to the Market Hall. My high hopes were dashed when I discovered it's full of stores designed to appeal mostly to students.

It was late afternoon, so I opted for the train home to Tynemouth.

It was a day of lessons, but I hope to return someday and take in the sights that I missed.