Yorkshire Lavender

Second stop of our mini-break was the Yorkshire Lavender farm at Terrington, its elevated position giving lovely views over the Vale of York. 

It has pretty gardens with flowers and herbs, a café and a gift shop. Unfortunately the lavender was barely in flower. Apparently it peaks in early August. I was a bit surprised as the pot of lavender on my balcony is in full bloom, but it seems there are many varieties and most flower a bit later on. Those that were just coming into flower seemed to be Lavandula augustifolia (English Lavender), which is what my pot contains too. 

It seems to be a good year for lupins and these were a gorgeous colour. 

I liked the spiky fractals of this umbelliferous plant, which I think may be angelica. 

 

Ampleforth Abbey's stained glass

This window in Ampleforth Abbey Church's South Transept is inspired by the abstract designs of medieval Cistercian windows. It is by the celebrated stained glass artist Patrick Reyntiens (1925-2021), who was a former pupil of the College. His work, much of it hand-painted, is among some of the most important of the late 20th and early 21st century, including windows in Coventry Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. 

There are several other more figurative designs in the church, also by Reyntiens and his son, John. Those in the Lady Chapel, commissioned for the Abbey's 200th anniversary, include: the Wedding Feast at Cana:

Our Lady's Assumption into Heaven: 

and the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost:

Ampleforth Abbey

A friend recently treated me to a mini-break in North Yorkshire, to celebrate my birthday. The first stop was at Ampleforth Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery founded in 1802, and linked to a (now) co-educational boarding school, Ampleforth College. It's a long, rambling site on a hillside, with beautiful views. It has a newly-opened tea room (very nice!) and visitor centre, with displays about the history and explanations of Benedictine monastic life. 

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in the 1500s, the English Benedictines were banished to France, and then forced to return in 1792 owing to the French Revolution. They were invited to use a lodge that had been gifted by Lady Anne Fairfax to her chaplain Fr Anselm Bolton, which then became the new monastery and a school was opened in 1803 that became one of the country's leading Catholic boarding schools. Sadly the school was embroiled in a historic child sexual abuse scandal and seems to have struggled to meet safeguarding requirements in recent years, though this now appears to be resolved, after a clearer separation has been made between the College and the Abbey. 

Although it didn't say, I assume this statue outside the Abbey Church is St Benedict, though it may be St Lawrence after whom the church is named. 

The Abbey Church is a Grade 1 listed building designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, whose other notable creations include Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Battersea Power Station - and red telephone boxes. It was constructed in two phases in 1922 and 1961. 

I'm afraid I didn't really like Ampleforth Abbey Church. I found it very austere and very heavy looking. It felt cold and unspiritual to me. However, it is always interesting to explore new places. I liked some of its modern stained glass rather more, which I will show tomorrow.