Our day started by visiting the Delabole Slate Quarry, the oldest working slate quarry in England. It has been in operation for around 1000 years and over 10 million tons of slate has been quarried since it was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Normans would have required the slate for their castle and estate building program across the south of England. The quarry supplied slate for roofs in all of England. In the 1850’s, over 1000 men, women and boys worked at the quarry. Today the work of 1000 quarrymen can be done with just a few large machines operated by 5 quarrymen. The quarry is now almost 500 feet deep and over 1.5 miles around. Once the largest man-made hole in Europe, it is an amazing sight to see.
There is a path that goes around the upper ledge of the quarry which we walked around and had various views of the slate quarry.
We had a lovely drive over to the small village of Altarnun, It was coffee and cake time. This quaint coffee cafe seats maybe 12 people! The homemade cakes and freshly made coffee were superb. The owner talked with us as she prepared our order. She and her husband had just opened the cafe a month ago as an addition to their coffee and food truck that they service the beach community. She was proud to show us pictures on the wall that included guest Gordan Ramsay enjoying her family recipe homemade cakes.
Across the road from the cafe was a beautiful little public garden that we walked through and enjoyed all of the flowers and blooms.
Leaving the car parked by the cafe, we strolled through the village passing all sorts of interesting sights on our way to St. Nonna's Church.
We passed the old Wesleyan Methodist Church which is no longer in use. A local lady who was a customer at the Coffee Cafe when we were there, told us where this church was located. We had quite a conversation with her! We walked around the church grounds and cemetery letting our imaginations soar! It still is a spectacular building even in its unkept state. What it must have been in its heyday!
As we continued our walk there were little gardens with glorious flowers. I especially like this one with the old red phone booth just sitting there for all to enjoy!
In this tiny village, I was not expecting to see such a glorious large private home. Where do they work? There seems not be any job places here!
We approached St. Nonna's Church which is the showcase of Atlarnun. Even from the outside it is spectacular! A small stream runs at the edge of a property with a footbridge crossing onto the grounds.
As the largest parish church on Bodmin Moor, the Church of St. Nonna is known as the Cathedral of the Moor. It was built largely in the 15th century with its bell tower standing 109 feet high.
St. Nonna is known for a fine Norman font and old woodwork, including the screen, bench-ends and communion rails which date to 1684.
A historic letter is kept in St. Nonna's Church, King Charles's Letter of Thanks to the Cornish People.
Every church we went into, no matter how small or how large, each had a tribute table to honor the Coronation of the United Kingdom's new King Charles III with that ceremony happening May 6th, just two days before we landed in England for this marvelous holiday with Ray & Sandra.
Thanks to our friendly local who we talked with at the coffee cafe, with her helpful directions we continued to the Wesley Cottage in Trewint, a couple of miles away. Mary Anne and I were raised as Methodist and we could relate to John Wesley, his teaching and the theological lessons we learned in our young years. On the outside of the cottage hangs a plaque stating: "Digory Isbell's cottage where John Wesley preached and rested." The cottage is now the property of the Methodist Church.
"The Story of Trewint - the first Methodist Visitors" hangs inside of the cottage. It is a most interesting article that I will enlarge on the computer screen to read over again in the weeks, months and years to come. Wesley Cottage provides a unique visitor experience set in an 18th Century Cottage and Chapel which is thought to be the smallest Methodist Preaching place in the world. We enjoyed visiting the cottage and hearing the story of the first Methodist Preachers visiting Cornwall and calling at Wesley Cottage. The upper floor has the ‘Wesley Room’ where John Wesley prayed and slept. There is a display of 18th Century artefacts and a time to enjoy a peaceful reflection in the tiny Chapel.
Today we had a lady pastor (whose name now escapes me!) in charge of the cottage. The cottage was closed, but seeing us she opened the door and welcomed us in. We were offered water, tea or coffee and cookies, but we declined. She told us that they still uphold John Wesley's teachings to offer hospitality to all who stop at the cottage. John Wesley often visited Trewint, lodging in Digory Isbell's home which is now a museum of Wesley and Methodism.
This is the same porch that John Wesley preached from to the people.
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." --- John Wesley
Again the gardens were so lovely!!!
Our evening meal was at The Agricultural Inn outside of Exeter. It was another fantastic meal. The menu had spam fritters as an appetizer. We had not seen spam on a menu since Hawaii so could not pass up ordering one for the table to split. Quite a treat!
Wednesday was a day in Exeter. We were able to walk some of the downtown streets and take in the ambience of the shops.
Ray had arranged for the four of us to have a private tour of The Exeter Guildhall. What a great gift to have. The guide met us and locked the doors of the building so that she could give us her complete attention. The Exeter Guildhall has been the center of civic government for the city for at least six-hundred years. Much of the fabric of the building is medieval, though the elaborate frontage was added in the 1590s and the interior was extensively restored in the 19th century.
The Guildhall is a building of outstanding architectural interest, an ancient monument and a busy working building. It is still used regularly for civic functions, full meetings of the City Council, official receptions, mayoral banquets and exhibitions. Our tour covered the history of the Hall, Jury Room, Mayor’s Parlor, Paintings, Regalia and more and even included coffee and biscuits (cookies in the US!)!
Queen Victoria
Princess Henrietta (daughter of Charles I) - she was born in Exeter
1st Duke of Albermarle
The seat for The Lord Mayor of Exeter to preside over city council
Ceremonial and collectable silver
Precious sword of Maintenance - A Long Sword and Cap of Maintenance that were said to have been presented to Exeter by Henry VII, after Perkin Warbeck tried to usurp the throne in 1497.
The tour was great .... seeing so much that generally is not open to the public, the explanation from the guide, the interaction as we discussed various pieces and so much more!
The Guildhall has functioned as a prison, a courthouse, a police station, a place for civic functions and celebrations, a city archive store, a woolen market hall, and as the meeting place for the City Chamber and Council. The Guildhall also contains the Mayor’s Parlor, where Mayors, ancient and modern, have entertained guests of the city. It is known there was a Guild in Exeter by 1000 AD, and the site of the Guildhall may have been in use as a hall from then. Parts of the Guildhall can be traced back to 1160, although in common with many ancient buildings, it has undergone “makeovers” through the ages, creating a patchwork of styles and additions.
We walked to the canals where Ray's rowing club is located. It's always fun for us to be in this area. We found a nice place for lunch and enjoyed relaxing and having great conversation.
Sandra had booked our hotel at the Bristol Airport for tonight. We gathered our luggage and headed over to Bristol to check-in. We stopped at a car wash and rode through. Some fun pictures from inside the car!!!
The airport was about a seven-minute walk from our hotel! Can't ask for any better convenience! We booked dinner at The Langford Inn, the same place that we had eaten the night of our arrival. The food was so good and the staff so accommodating, staying open for us that night to get there, that we really wanted to end our holiday here. We had a excellent dinner to wrap -up the holiday!
The airport was about a seven-minute walk from our hotel! Can't ask for any better convenience! We booked dinner at The Langford Inn, the same place that we had eaten the night of our arrival. The food was so good and the staff so accommodating, staying open for us that night to get there, that we really wanted to end our holiday here. We had a excellent dinner to wrap -up the holiday!
We were up for our 8:30 AM flight grabbing a quick breakfast at the hotel before taking that short walk over to the airport and having to say so-long for now to Ray and Sandra. It was another holiday dream come true. We had so much fun and saw so much. There is no one that we would rather holiday with than Ray and Sandra. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts and love them dearly.
And we're off!!!
Photo album link here.
Photo album link here.
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