From Winchester to Steventon

| The bright and beautiful place where Jane Austen grew up: Steventon |

England 2015 Trip Journal
Saturday, April 11

     Going from Winchester to Steventon feels like seeing Jane Austen's entire life in a single day. I've always had what amounted to almost a fear of going to Winchester, where Jane died. In my mind it only has sad associations with her life, so I never thought I could really face seeing her grave or the place where she spent the last moments of this life. But, although it was sad, it was a reminder that the real Jane, her spirit, is not buried under Winchester Cathedral – so seeing her grave actually became a comfort. The elegant gold plaque on the wall was added in 1870 by her nephew and biographer James Edward Austen-Leigh, and the stained glass window in 1900 by public subscription. But the actual marker given to her at her death in 1817 is much simpler, and lies in the floor below the other two. It was composed by her brother Henry, and reads:

In memory of

JANE AUSTEN,

youngest daughter of the late

Revd GEORGE AUSTEN

formerly Rector of Steventon in this County.

She departed from this Life on the 18th of July, 1817,

aged 41, after a long illness supported with

the patience and the hope of a Christian.

The benevolence of her heart,

the sweetness of her temper, and

the extraordinary endowments of her mind

obtained the regard of all who knew her, and

the warmest love of her intimate connections.

Their grief is in proportion to their affection

they know their loss to be irreparable

but in their deepest affliction they are consoled

by a firm though humble hope that her charity,

devotion, faith and purity have rendered

her soul acceptable in the sight of her

REDEEMER

The window and plaque to mark where Jane was buried.

Remembering our Jane.

      The cathedral itself was magnificent! As well it might be, since Winchester was the capital of the Anglo Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and home to Alfred the Great – who is presented quite majestically in statue form near the Eastgate/Broadway roundabout, one of the busiest intersections of the city. The admission was quite reasonable at £8 for each of us. It includes a guided tour, or you can get an audio tour for £3 extra, but we decided to go it on our own. There are traces of the Old Minster on the lawn outside, but the current structure was built by William the Conqueror after his invasion in 1066. I don't think I will ever outlive the wonder of those soaring ceilings that end in the iconic fan vaulting that you have to crane your neck to see – they literally lift your eyes to heaven and remind you of the unearthly glory of God! If the architects were going for that effect, they certainly achieved it.

Approaching Winchester Cathedral on the sunniest of spring days!
(From the Colebrook Street car park.)

 

A chorus of Handel's Messiah wouldn't go amiss right now...

     Besides seeing Jane's grave, there were many unexpected surprises tucked away inside the cathedral. The choir stalls were magnificent, but the most exciting discovery was the stone coffin of King Canute seemingly tucked away behind it. I think my jaw dropped. To see the spot where that infamous Danish invader was actually buried in 1035 – 1035, mind you – was unreal. Seriously unreal.

(Alas, I somehow managed to take zero pictures of this exciting sight.)

Just standing in some 14th century choir stalls. No big deal...

More of those head-tilting fan vaults.

It's a sunny day in England, therefore
I must eat ice cream.

     When you're done with a bit of sightseeing the next thing to do is to look for the nearest place serving tea – which is almost always right on the premises when you're in England – so we walked over to the Cathedral Refectory. The prices were reasonable, so we grabbed a sausage roll, but to me the most obvious choice on the menu had to be the Hampshire ice cream. It seems to be almost obligatory in England on a sunny day. Practically everyone you see is enjoying ice cream when the sun comes out, as if in celebration, and I wholeheartedly admit to being in favor of this trend. I had to try something especially British, so I chose the blackcurrant flavor, and Mom chose the fail-proof of all flavors: chocolate. It was quite cheering to sit in that bright room filled with people enjoying cakes and tea, salads and sausage rolls. A cafe on the premises of any attraction seems to have become a British institution, and hardly any experience feels more British than that of sitting in one.


     We then made our way around to the other side of the Cathedral, past some Tudor houses and a medieval looking wall, took a left on Dome Alley, another left onto Kingsgate, and one more left onto College Street. Seeing #8 College Street, where Jane was staying during her illness, was also surprisingly calming rather than depressing. It is neither a deserted nor a busy place, just a quiet street with a steady stream of pedestrians walking past the blossoming trees and the pale yellow house. I still could not help tearing up for a moment thinking of how much Cassandra must have felt she had lost – "...the gilder of every pleasure" is how she described Jane. But it is comforting to actually see the place and to know that it is a pleasant one.

Jane's last home.

The peaceful park that Jane could have seen out of her windows.

Looking the other way down College Street.

     There were quite a few stalls set up on High Street, the historic, pedestrian-only street that now merges into Broadway, so we took a few minutes to browse. We can't resist a bit of food and shopping! Mom was able to find the crepe stand, of course, and kindly shared her delicious discovery with me. The Tourist Information center is also on the High Street, and it is always a good idea to pop inside these places because they will have information (that's their job, right?) on things to do and how to get around.  

Crepes!

     It was getting on in the afternoon, which meant it was time to head to our next destination. We parked in the Colebrook Street Car Park, just off of Broadway and across the street from the Cathedral, so we didn't have to rush back (and we'd paid for four hours). Then we whisked ourselves off to Steventon and Jane's beginning!

     Steventon is just under half an hour north of Winchester, and, using our satnav (a.k.a. GPS), we found it easily. We have now walked and have now driven to get to Steventon from the main road, and I definitely prefer driving. The only place to park is at the church, so we started there.

     As during our first visit, the entire area was deserted, making it perfectly peaceful. Everything was the brightest, freshest green! The grass was practically glowing in the Spring sunshine, and the air was crisp and clear from the chilly wind, making every view brilliantly clear.

St. Nicholas Church in Steventon – a place Jane knew and loved.

The 1,000 year-old yew tree outside of St. Nicholas.

Where the Austen family gathered every Sunday for the first 25 years of Jane Austen's life.

     We were able to find a couple of gaps in the hedges to get good shots of where the house had been. I walked down the hill while Mom drove down slowly to avoid being cold. :) I get such a sense of a youthful, happy, lively existence when I'm in Steventon as I imagine Jane and Cassandara traipsing about the country to visit friends and go to balls, walking and giggling arm in arm.

Where the rectory, the home of the Austen family, once stood.

This is a more precise look at where the house would have stood.
The lime tree was planted by Jane's brother James before the Rectory was demolished.

The happiest of times!

     On the way back to our own little cottage in Alresford we tried to find Manydown, the home of Jane's friends Alethea, Elizabeth and Catherine Bigg, on a little side road with a farm of that name. We couldn't locate the house, but I remembered that The Vyne was also nearby (the house and estate belonging to friends of Jane's brother James). I tried putting The Vyne in our satnav search, and, lo and behold, it was there, and only 4.4 miles away! As we drove down the road toward the house I could just put myself back into 1793 or so and see Jane and Cassandra in a coach coming to one of the balls held there. I was wishing so much I could have gone with them! It was nearly 5:00 so the estate was about to close, of course, but we could see the front of the house from the road, and I was able to stick my camera lens through the gate to get a perfect shot.

     Instead of touring The Vyne, we came home to our little cottage in the little English village to eat our delicious dinner of curried chicken and veg. Alresford is such an English village: tidy, old, picturesque, and a community. It's lovely. Even our cottage couldn't be more English! Situated just off of the high street with it's perfectly quaint brick exterior, it comprises the middle and upper floors, and is a beautiful, creaky, timbered place filled with charming touches like old rugs and landscape paintings. And a tea kettle (which is perhaps the most important and English touch of all).
 

© 2017 Anna Morton

Baking with The Great British Bake Off Season 7!

Raspberry and Rhubarb Drizzle Cake

     I have been obsessed with trying recipes from The Great British Bake Off after we saw all of the delicious drama unfold on the BBC during our last trip to England in September. As usual, watching every episode made me wish very much for some dessert, but unfortunately on our trip we had no kitchen, so the only thing to do was to wait until we got home to try my favorites! There were many techniques, flavors and pastries that I had never tried before, so there were many adventures to be had.

     One recipe that caught my eye was the Raspberry and Rhubarb Drizzle Cake with Custard, made by Candice for the drizzle cake signature challenge during cake week (week one). I mean, really, raspberry and rhubarb – with custard? How could I not try it?

You can find the recipe here.

     The outcome of my attempt was not worthy to be seen by Mary Berry and especially Paul Hollywood, but I was pleased with the taste. It is made with ground pistachios, almonds and polenta so it will be gluten free and very moist – but the batter was very moist – so moist that my cake rather fell apart during the transfer from pan to plate. I'm not sure why. I was still getting used to our new oven, so perhaps it needed to bake a little longer. The pan also might have needed a bit more greasing before I poured the batter in. I used a slightly larger bundt pan than the one Candice used on the show, so the batter only came to about 1 1/2 inches below the edge of the pan. I don't think this affected the baking (if anything, it should have made the cake bake more quickly).

     It is nearly impossible to find fresh rhubarb in the stores at any time other than spring in California. Frozen rhubarb, however, does occasionally lurk in the freezer section! Sprouts is my source for the frozen stuff. I only had about two thirds of the rhubarb I needed for the recipe, but there was still a nice rhubarb flavor coming through, so if you find yourself short of this amazing ingredient, don't panic.

     As to the custard... I don't have a fabulous track record with making custard. For one thing, I always have to stand there stirring it over low heat on the stove for two to three times as long as the recipe says is necessary for it to thicken. This attempt was no exception. I always end up turning the heat almost to medium after about ten minutes, and so far I haven't burnt or seriously curdled any custard. It wasn't quite perfectly creamy, but it still had the delicious taste that custard should. I tell you so that you will not despair in your own custard attempts.

     The result was marvelously, fabulously beyond delicious! The tartness of the rhubarb with the mild sweetness of the custard may be one of the best flavor combinations ever attempted. I also liked the slightly grainier texture that the ground nuts added to the cake, especially because the cake is so moist with all of the fruit, custard and syrup. Because it is made of nuts the cake doesn't turn to mush in your mouth.

     I certainly wouldn't mind having an excuse to make this again, perhaps when we have fresh rhubarb in season. I'm always looking for an excuse to make rhubarb desserts! (Well, any dessert, really...)



© Anna Morton 2017

Back to the Most Pleasant Place in the World

| Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton |

2015 England Trip Journal
April 10

      Ah, our first day in Hampshire, where we can just drive over to Jane Austen's house if we feel like it. This may be why I consider it to be the pleasantest place in the world. Of course I had to face using a bath instead of a shower before we could do so... It wasn't bad, to be honest. Using the detachable shower head was actually fun! Except that I discovered I'd sprayed water all over the outside of the tub behind me – including the old wooden chair we were using to erect a temporary wall so that the other person could use the sink while someone's in the tub. Thankfully there was no harm done, and I didn't ruin a priceless antique.

     We had our usual breakfast of a sausage, two eggs and yogurt with fruit while we watched BBC news. I prefer British strawberries with Weetabix, and Mom takes tangerines with cottage cheese. I love our little kitchen. It's small, but fully equipped with fresh, modern appliances, and the light streams in from the windows on three sides of the room. Pleasant is just the perfect word.

     We went to Alton first, and were able to park in the Sainsbury's lot for free with a 2-hour limit. Marks & Spencer had an inexpensive parking lot, too, but we were planning to get to Chawton soon, so the Sainsbury's lot gave us plenty of time. We wandered around, popping in some shops before at last reaching our truly desired destination: Alton Secondhand Books.

     To find it: if you're coming from Chawton, it is past the second roundabout on High Street (which technically turns into Normandy St.) and across the road from the cinema. From Alton Station: go left out of the door, then when you run into a road, turn right (this is Paper Mill Lane) and you will run into Normandy St. (that will turn into High Street farther down); turn left on Normandy, and the bookshop is only just over a block down the road on your left.

The façade of that unparalleled institution for bound paper volumes: Alton Secondhand Books

     I can honestly say it is my favorite bookstore. On this particular visit, as soon as I saw it it was as if I had been in a wilderness without food (insert books) and at last there stands before me a Costco (insert Alton Secondhand Books), just ready to be enjoyed! It is an oasis of British literature and old, old books that I could simply never find in any California used book shop – possibly all the shops in California combined.

     I soon found the pile of Georgette Heyer hardbacks to rifle through for my favorite titles. I didn't see The Reluctant Widow, but Regency Buck was there – a 1938 edition for £5. It became the first of a rapidly growing pile I began to carry around. In the cookbooks, next to what looked like original Mrs. Beeton cookbooks, I found a brand new edition with "The Best" of her recipes. Meaning that I now have dozens of traditional English recipes in printed form! Next on the pile was a 3x4-inch volume of Cowper's poems from 1853. 1853! And the last of my plunder to carry away was Cassandra and Jane, which just happened to be in the Jane Austen section at the counter right inside the front door  – which I've been wanting to read for a long time!


     Then we had to rush back to the car to go to Chawton, as our two hours in the Sainsbury's lot were almost up. You do not want to test the road rules and regulations over here because the punishment will be quick and merciless. Plus, there are cameras everywhere. I don't resent it – far from it – because I see it as encouraging people to be courteous in a place where the lack of space for cars would quickly send society into chaos if it wasn't for time limits and designated parking areas. I'm just putting a warning out there for anyone daring enough to drive in this endearing country.

     We made it back to our car in time, and headed straight to Chawton Cottage – technically called Jane Austen's House Museum – where we discovered their used book table. Another oasis for book lovers! I tell you, this country is an earthly paradise for book addicts. All books on that table were £1, £2 or £3. I found several more scholarly volumes from past contributors to the academia on Jane Austen, but our most exciting finds were four Jane Austen Regency World magazines and a 1941 edition of Jane Austen and Lyme Regis - all for £1 each! We had actually seen the latter in a second Alton used bookshop that the owner priced for us at £15! So we felt rather smart. (More thankful, really.)

Back at last: Jane Austen's House Museum

     We decided to skip the intro film this time, as we'd already seen it, and go straight to the garden for pictures. It was nearly empty, so we had fun using the benches to take pictures of ourselves using the camera's timer and my purse for a legless - albeit rather low - sort of tripod. That was the third time we've had our picture taken in that lovely garden in front of that lovely house, and it was exciting to see the garden at a time of year when we've never seen it, with the early spring blooms like daffodils brightening up the flower beds and the rather bare hedges.

     After we had soaked up some afternoon Chawton sunshine it was time to go inside!

Enjoying the spring garden at Chawton Cottage.

  

  

     At one point I found myself alone in the dining room with Jane's little table, which could only mean one thing: I had to sneak a touch behind the plastic partition. For good or ill it is done, and I can't say I feel guilty. :) There a sort of power in touching historic objects connected to your favorite author who you admire and are fond of that can make the centuries disappear – Jane, my Jane, who wrote her masterpieces here, left a part of herself and her life on this table, and I can be a part of it with just a brush of my finger. The opportunity is irresistible. It must be done at least once.

The table that can dissolve 200 years...

     After wandering up the amazingly creaky stairs to the equally creaky upper story Mom struck up a conversation with a lady volunteer. During the course of their chat Mom mentioned my wanting to volunteer there myself. This very nice lady (whose name we neglected to ask) kindly offered to go write down the contact information from the volunteer coordinator. Lord willing one day it will be a reality for me to spend my days in this unequivocally pleasant place!

The drawing room with Mr. Austen's original bookcase flooded with glorious spring sunshine!

The most pleasant room in the world.

     There was a slight change in the exhibit room, with a 'new' dress made from a fabric with a print believed to have been around in Jane's lifetime. So she may have worn something made out of it!

     After an hour of imagining the Austen ladies in the cottage, it was time to adjourn to Cassandra's Cup for tea and dessert – one of my favorite traditions. It was our first visit since it had been purchased by new owners, and I believe they have made dome laudable changes to the menu, including the scone with lavender raspberry jam and clotted cream that I chose, and Mom's warm brownie with salted caramel ice cream (so, so, SO delicious! I had some too...). We closed the place down, being the last customers left, as we usually are in this establishment, before taking a comfortably slow walk over to Chawton House.

   

     That may be my favorite walk in the world. I love the low stone wall enclosing tall, ivy-covered trees on one side, with the thatched cottages and thick wall of trees, bushes, and ivy on the other. It was after 5:00, meaning, like everything else, the House was closed, but we had known it would be, so we simply enjoyed the view and just being there. There was something special about being back in that quiet peaceful place – back to a spot we had enjoyed so much on both of our other trips. We walked up the gravel drive lined with daffodils to look over the gate at the house. It was a lovely sunny evening, too, which we stretched out as long as we could by walking slowly back to the car, admiring the carpet of daffodils by the road running in front of Chawton Cottage before climbing into the car.

Walking in Jane's footsteps to her brother's beautiful house.

 

There is nothing unpleasant about the scene I am standing in... Because, as I think I might possibly have just mentioned in this post already, it is the most pleasant spot in the world.

     Sainsbury's was a convenient stop on the way back for us to get some essentials like sausages, cheese, fruit, cashews and whipping cream. :) Sainsbury's not only has disabled parking places, but it also provides spaces for parents with children, which we considered a very thoughtful decision. And just as I was thinking that we could also qualify, since, after all, we're a parent with a child, Mom suggested it aloud... ;)

(Don't worry, we really parked in a regular parking space.)

© Anna Morton 2017

The Hidden Cathedral

It's raining at home today, which puts me in mind of England (even though it has probably rained on us a grand total of eight times during our travels there – still, it has a reputation for having a wet climate, so I hear). So I shall take up where I left off in chronicling our trip in the spring of 2015!

Where were we... Ah, yes, we are now en route to Hampshire, and along the way we made the required stop at St. Albans.

2015 England Trip Journal
April 9

     How pleasant it is not to rush when one is packing to leave a place! That is the luxury of renting a car. We had a two hour journey ahead of us, plus a stop in St. Albans, and we could leave whenever we liked. Even though it wasn't the most tastefully decorated (or very decorated), I have fond memories of our Luton flat, mostly because of what we did in between leaving in the mornings and coming back at night. Plus, we had a big fridge, a dryer, and no stairs between rooms – precious commodities when you're traveling in England.

Our drive down was pleasant. Mom especially enjoyed all the long stretches of motorway. :) We had a bit of trouble finding St. Albans Cathedral once we got into town – we had an excellent view from the motorway outside of the city – which is something I have observed about many famous large structures: you can't see them until you come around the last corner blocking them from view!

St Albans Cathedral is easy enough to see from the distant highway...

At last I figured out how to search for things on the satnav and got directions directly to the cathedral. We walked through that very same park where Richard and Claire had brought me and Bekah nearly two years before. We had beautiful sunny weather to walk by the little lake and watch the many people there doing the same. I even wore my sandals!

The park at St. Albans Cathedral

We spotted a heron!

I found a new bit of history in the cathedral this time! There is a sort of dungeon-looking stone room under the nave area where (I think) the Duke of Glouscester had once hidden during the time of Henry VI. You couldn't actually get down there, due to some metal bars across the opening, but there were some eerie stone steps leading down into the mysterious chamber, and is was rather exciting imagining the man himself standing down there.

The frescoes on the walls date back to sometime during the Norman period, part of the ceiling is medieval and part is Tudor, and the rest of the cathedral is a conglomeration of every architecture in between! It is one unique building.

One of the many different ceilings in St Albans Cathedral.

The quire and Tudor ceiling of St. Albans.

The frescoes rediscovered.

After discerning the various styles of architecture inside and getting pictures, including my traditional triumphant ascending of the giant stump outside, we headed back to eat a bit of lunch from our food stash in the trunk – including our mini Magnum ice cream bars (hazelnut and pistachio flavors). We did wander around the park a bit more before leaving, and just, you know, ran into a fragment of a Roman wall. No big deal.

Just another Roman wall...

Conqueror of the stump!

Some of the lovely landscape in the park.

There was a bit of quite heavy traffic on the M25, but we made it without incident to Hampshire. It was exciting to see road signs for Alton, not only because it is Jane Austen country (which Hampshire officially claims on its road sign – Jane would have been most amused, and a little honored, I think), but because it is a warmly familiar place we are coming back to.

The town where we stayed, Alresford (pronounced 'Allsford'), was a quintessential English small town. Our cottage was grouped with some brick and half-timbered houses along a street that seemed built along with the mill that was almost across the road, probably in the 1600s or 1700s. Mill Hill, our street, was at the bottom of part of the high street, so we were within walking distance of some lovely shops and restaurants.

We couldn't find parking, so mom practically had to beg me to knock on the door of our hosts – which I eventually did, although with great discomfort. :) (Have I mentioned I'm a bit of an introvert?) No one answered, however, so Mom was able to call, and it turned out that her family was there and could let us in.

The stream that feeds the mill of Mill Hill.

How pleasant it was to drop our stuff, sit on the sofa, and watch some BBC news. :) We missed a TV in Luton, so we watched a lot of 'Foyle's War' on the tablet instead. Of course 'Foyle' happened to be on in Hampshire, too, and we couldn't resist watching it. Or I should say rewatching it. (While I ate some fish fingers and custard.)

Fish fingers and custard for dinner!

© 2017 Anna Morton