Friday Five (or even Six): another local walk

I had to take the book I was reading on loan back to the library.  I couldn't renew it because it was on hold for other readers, but the walk in the park was still an opportunity for some fresh air and exercise. 

The mansion, now council offices and a library hub was built in the Adam style of architecture and opened in 1779 whereas the pavilion for the bowling green club based in the park was completed in 2006.

Sometimes I walk to the lake where there are coots, geese and ducks swimming around and now-and- again gulls that have flown inland away from a stormy coast, but I didn't go right down to the water on this occasion.  

Neither did I go in the walled garden that day as it's closed at certain times usually when the gardeners are busy working there.  However, there are plants in the formal flower beds to appreciate even in the Winter months ....

.... and the trees sustain different forms of wildlife.

A good surprise was this decorated pebble that had been left on a low stone pillar for another person to enjoy.  The lily-of the valley is my birthday flower so I felt I was meant to see it.  I photographed it and left it there for someone else to see.  Decorating pebbles or stones and leaving them for others to find is a lovely idea.

Thank you once more for coming by.  Have a good day!

Edensor, Derbyshire

Although we didn't have a lot of time to visit Edensor I was pleased that we were able to park in the shade of a walled bank by St. Peter's Church and take a look around.

This small estate village which is pronounced 'Ensor' is set in parkland owned by the Devonshire family and the stately Chatsworth House is only a short walk away.  The original village was located elsewhere, between the river and the road through the park.  The sixth Duke of Devonshire decided to rebuild and remodel it within a gated and walled enclosure where thirty-three houses could accommodate mainly Chatsworth staff and pensioners.  Joseph Paxton who remodelled and landscaped the gardens at Chatsworth chose the site for the new village and John Robertson of Derby provided the designs which he had in a book of house plans. It's thought that the Duke looked through the book and chose designs ranging from Norman to Jacobean, Swiss-style to Italian villas.  The 14th century church was retained, but only about 30 years after the completion of the model village it was replaced by a much larger church designed by George Gilbert Scott. It was built on high ground and the tall spire can be seen from many directions when walking nearby in Chatsworth Estate.

the entrance to the village

The village green looking back towards the entrance to the village

 and the parkland of Chatsworth.

one of the houses by the entrance gate

a view of one of the houses from the top of the bank

by the flight of steps to the north entrance porch of the church

detail of one of the entrance porches of a house

the back entrance to the churchyard

Joseph Paxton and Kathleen Kennedy, the sister of the late US President Kennedy who was married to the eldest son of the 10th Duke, are buried in the churchyard, but again there wasn't time to look for them on this occasion. The interior of the church and the Cavendish monuments must be interesting to see. Here is a link to read more - St Peter's Church, Edensor.

Leaving Chatsworth Estate I hope that we can return sometime.

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of Edensor and some of the houses there.  Have a good day!

Rome: the historic centre (1)

Our trips to Italy wouldn't be complete without spending some time in Rome's historic centre.

Porta Maggiore - a city gate formed by the aqueduct built by Emperor Claudius in AD 52

The photos were taken from the train window as we travelled in from our provincial town.  When we pass through the countryside near the Alban Hills and see towns such as Colonna, the remains of Roman aqueducts and other ruins we know that we're not far from the city.  Before coming into the station the train slows down and usually stops next to Porta Maggiore and I remember the first time we lived in Rome in an apartment a few tram stops away from this area. 

Via Casilina

a tram in the Via Casilina area

Every time we've been into Rome in the past couple of years we've noticed the makeover to the major monuments in the historic centre (which is a ENESCO World Heritage Site).  This has meant that many of them have been covered in scaffolding, tarpaulin or wooden boards. Some fountains have been drained of water in order that the marble and stonework could be cleaned.  Construction work is also being done on the infrastructure of the city. Some of these projects are being funded by private companies; Tod's is financing works at the Colosseum, Fendi has refurbished the Trevi Fountain and Bulgari is working on the Spanish Steps. There's a rush to complete these projects, at least by Spring 2016, in time for many of the Vatican's Jubilee Year events, although the official date for the beginning of this special year starts next month on the 8th December.  Of course, there's so much else to experience in this fascinating city, but everyone wants to see the iconic major sites when visiting Rome for the first time.

Whilst we were in Rome in September we made our way to the Trevi Fountain to see what was taking place there regarding the project to clean the sculptures and water bowl surrounding this magnificent structure.

                                                                                       

A perspex wall had been placed around the fountain and the water drained from the basin so, of course, there was no opportunity to throw those coins into it as has been the tradition for many years.

The site of the Trevi Fountain originally marked the end of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct built in 19 BC although the fountain was only constructed in 1762.  The central figure is Neptune with two Tritons on either side each with a horse. One horse strikes a wild pose and the other looks more docile symbolising the two contrasting moods of the sea.

These are the photos I took through the perspex wall.

Thankfully the water was turned back on recently and the Trevi opened again to the public and I'm looking forward, hopefully, to returning next year to see the results of the cleaning and to compare the before and after look. (Photos below were taken in 2011)

On the corner of one of the streets that leads into the Piazza di Trevi there's a strine on the wall of the building. These sacred pictures of the Madonna have been placed here and there in the narrow thoroughfares throughout the old city and are called Madonelle by the Romans.  The icons have a long history and originate from the custom of placing small pagan altars in honour of the deities that were important to wayfarers at the intersection of streets.  These pagan images were then replaced by Christian ones.  The oldest ones appeared in the 15th century and over the centuries were embellished with elaborate frames, canopies and other decorations. Below is another in the same area along Via Pilotta where Via San Vincenzo leads into Piazza di Trevi.

Via Pilotta is a beautiful street.  On one side is Palazzo Colonna with its 17th century art gallery which is open to the public and contains some fine paintings and on the other are the gardens of one of the villas on the Quirinale Hill.  Each section of Palazzo Colonna has a private walkway across the street into the Quirinale grounds.

Further along this street is the Gregorian University whose entrance faces Piazza della Pilotta.

Piazza della Pilotta

As you can imagine there's a lot to see as a visitor wanders around just a few of the back streets and piazzas in one area without even going into any of the churches, art galleries or museums.  As I study the guide books dedicated to the rich history of Rome I begin to appreciate the finer details of architecture, sculptures, street furniture and the ancient stones beneath my feet.   

I'll continue with our walk around Rome when we went to the Roman Forums, the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the churches on the Quirinal Hill before returning to the main train station another time.

The Gardens at Chatsworth (3)

Chatsworth is well known for its water features. The flow cycle is powered not by pumps but by gravity alone and the water system has been used in the house and gardens for over three hundred years when the 1st Duke of Devonshire devised and installed it.

Rain that falls on the moors above the estate drains into man-made conduits and then into the Swiss Lake, the Emperor Lake and the Ring Pond. The water then flows down and over an aqueduct and then underground to the Cascade Pond above the Cascade. At the bottom of the Cascade a pipe feeds other fountains and ponds in the garden. It also carries water to the house and stables.

From the Emperor Lake a direct underground pipe feeds into the Canal Pond and the water then flows away down another cascade, the Quebec Cascade, into the River Derwent.  The Emperor Fountain in the Canal Pond can reach heights of up to 90 metres without a pump because of the pressure of the water which drops down through a narrow pipe for some 100+ metres. The Emperor pipe also feeds water-powered turbines and since 1893 the house has had a supply of electricity.

One of the features of 17th, 18th and 19th century gardens in grand estates was the use of water to create drama and even playfulness.  At Chatsworth one of these is the Willow Tree Fountain which was made for the 1st Duke, William Cavendish, (1640-1707). It was an artificial tree of brass which squirted water from the branches. When Queen Victoria, aged thirteen, visited Chatsworth she called it 'the squirting tree'.  A 19th century copy of the original can still be seen in the gardens. The Cascade Temple also has the capacity to squirt water up through holes in the floor which might or might not amuse unsuspecting guests!

The present Duke continues the tradition of installing kinetic sculptural art as well as displaying other works of art as exhibition pieces. There's always something new to discover in the gardens.

The above piece of permanent art was installed in 1999. The stainless steel and resin flower sculpture is called 'Revelation' and was created by Angela Connor.

'Moved by the weight of water and gravity from the lakes above, the inner sphere is filled with water causing it to descend.  This makes the outer leaves close over it as if protectively holding a secret.  A syphon then discharges the water. The lightened sphere rises. The leaves open out to reveal the preciously held secret before the cycle begins again'. (information taken from a plaque by the sculpture).

The Temple and Cascade

The Canal Pond can be viewed from the south side of the House.

The Emperor Fountain

The South-East corner of the House.

The Ring Pond was originally part of an area designed as one of the 1st Duke's formal 'wildernesses'.  

The sculptures around the Ring Pond and along the walk leading to the Rockery are in the style of ancient Greek 'herms'.  They were made for Lord Burlington's garden in Chiswick in 1700.

Water channels lead to Strid Pond in the Rockery. You can read about my previous visit to see the Rockery here.

The Trout Stream is a narrow rill that also channels water from the moor above into the garden, meandering down to a rocky waterfall from where it feeds the lower formal ponds. On its way it passes through narrow stone channels and down shallow water falls.

I followed along by the stream as it flowed through meadow grasses where there were wild flowers and moisture loving plants growing beside the water.