Buxton is similar to Bath, in that it is a spa town where people used to go to "take the waters". It has mineral waters that were thought to be a cure for many medical problems. This fountain was chock-o-block full of Buxton mineral water. I can't speak about any health benefits as I didn't drink any. Opportunity missed.
They even have a crescent, a row of ornate houses build in a semi-circle, similar to the one in Bath, but much smaller and less famous. The one in Buxton is currently under construction, but I can tell it is going to be fabulous.
Lee and I love to walk around in small English towns and eat at local establishments and pubs. Buxton is great for this, it even has pubs that allow dogs. Too bad RJ had to stay home. He is afraid to try air travel. I assume.
Buxton was great, but we had to take a side trip to Bakewell. Bakewell's main claim to fame is the Bakewell tarts that were invented there, by accident according to legend. We went to several places that claimed to be the first to make the tarts or puddings based on the tart. We enjoyed trying every manifestation of Bakewell items, especially because Trista has a nut butter business in the UK.
You can find her on Facebook. Her first flavor is Bakewell Butter and is becoming quite popular in England. She has sold them at outdoor markets, and they are in some gourmet food shops. She has also made small ones for wedding favors and has just started up an online store. Sadly, it is currently available only in the UK, but I hope she can expand worldwide! Look out Jif and Skippy!
While visiting Buxton, we took a side trip to Haddon Hall. It is an historic Fortified Medieval Manor House. It looks like a castle, but it never functioned as a castle. It has been left in the original form for centuries. It has also been in the same family since it was built. Because it hasn't been lived in as a home, much of the castle is still original.
This is some of the detail of the chapel.
We didn't know this when we decided to take the trip, but we discovered that Haddon Hall was used in the filming of Princess Bride. Now it seems like this was a theme vacation, as the Cliffs Of Moher that we visited in Ireland were also used for the movie. They were the Cliffs of Insanity.
Isn't this where Humperdink stood to introduce Buttercup?
Remember when Inigo Montoya fought Count Rugen in the castle while attempting to rescue Buttercup? (You killed my father. Prepare to die.) They used the room in Haddon Hall (below) for that also. When filming in a castle, use all the rooms you can.
I love to check out the architectural detail in old buildings.
Check out the gutters on Haddon Hall.
I love them.
Check out these windows. There are three different types of leaded windows in just this one section. I make stained glass, so I was very interested.
Can you see that the panels in these windows aren't flat? They are raised in a wavy pattern. I imagine they were made over a wooden form, built for this purpose.
In addition to being a Manor House that has survived as original for the last few centuries, the grounds are spectacular.
There are fabulous terraced gardens, views of the river and stupendous places for holding a wedding.
. In fact, they do allow weddings at Haddon Hall and it is probably good that we weren't aware of this when either of our daughter's were married.
They grew up on Princess Bride and can quote many lines from the movie.
I imagine this would be a pricey location to have a wedding, but worth it if money is no object. Sadly for them, money is an object.
You obviously managed to visit at a time when there was great weather and perhaps little or no rain! Really liked the architecture and the crescent shaped building might be fun to live in, but then we already live in an usual building ourselves. Glad you had a successful and memorable trip. And don't tell you daughters about Haddon Hall and that weddings can be held there or they may request a redo, but then if money is an object, probably not.
ReplyDelete