Ely Cathedral

The Ship of the Fens, Ely Cathedral is one of those beautifully melded Norman and Gothic structures.  

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral has these massive Norman columns.  There are 3 different patterns used on the columns, carved at the quarry and assembled on site.  After the lightness of the Gothic Cathedrals, the Norman structure is pleasing to the eye.   

Desperately Seeking Rebus

Wayne and I both read the Ian Rankin's Rebus series, which is set in Edinburgh.  So, we set out one afternoon to find the Oxford Bar where Rebus regularly soothes his malt yearnings.  It was a small, small bar area with a few locals quietly scrutinizing our entrance. A small ante room offer reprieve from the glares and a spot to have a pint and laugh about life.  

Yorke Arms Cottage

The Yorke Arms is a Michelin starred restaurant and an inn located in Yorkshiredales.  We stayed there one night.  Behind the Arms and across a wonderfully coffee colored brook (from the peat and heather) sits this quintessential ivy covered English cottage.  Behind it the hills roll in hues of green segmented by stone walls corralling sheep.  Can you stand it?  The yard of the cottage falls down toward the brook where fern and flora bloom.  

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral is the most uniform of the English Gothic churches having been completed in just 38 years.  It also boasts the tallest spire in the UK and one of 4 copies of the Magna Carta.  It was built without the constraints of older churches preceding it, too.  While we were visiting the choir was practicing for Evensong.  These structures are so massive and tall that it is difficult to choose a point of view.  And I'm working without an eraser.  Excuses, excuses!

Prior to visiting Salisbury, we stopped at Stonehenge, another reverent place.  The similarities in how man sought to create a sacred space is interested.  Both offer inner spaces surrounded by narrower ambulatory spaces.  It was wonderful to sit and draw Stonehenge; to etch it into my memory.

Communing with Will

The Garrick Pub is a timber framed building dating back to the 1400's. It is reputed to be the oldest pub in Stratford-Upon-Avon.  It has nice curved walls and tables.  We enjoyed a pint while Mr. Shakespeare's likeness watched over us.

Christopher Wren

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has a wonderful collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.  I chose to draw a 1630 bust of Christopher Wren by Edward Pearce because Wren is responsible for some of the most beautiful architecture in England and the world.  He rebuilt 52 churches after the Great Fire including St. Paul's and the south front one of my favorite, Hampton Court.  Plus, he was educated in Oxford.