Chastleton House; Or Maybe Don't Try To Keep Up With The Joneses

After three nights at Bourton-on-the-Water we decided to move on a bit, to the edge between the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire, and to see Chastleton House, another National Trust property. The main story on Chastleton House is that it is a Jacobean manor house pretty much preserved as it was then, that is, during the reign of James I (King James Bible guy). How it got to be so well preserved is the real story. Chastleton was born under a curse. The Jones family, which held the house for nearly 400 years until their line and money finally gave out, obtained the estate from Robert Catesby, of Gunpowder Plot fame. Curse by association. Walter Jones built the house in the early 1600s. His descendants were unabashed Royalists, and particularly his grandson, now lord of the manor, a Cavalier, who survived the final battle of the Civil War only by riding home and hiding in the "secret" room. The fine Cromwell imposed on the family--second curse--began its downward spiral, causing them to gradually sell off the very property which was their only source of ongoing income. Oh yes, the wool trade, on which they were financially dependent, also fell apart during their stay at Chastleton. Apart from some 19th century re-roofing, little additional work was done to the house, and many of the furniture and furnishings date back to the Jacobean Joneses. While much was thus "preserved," much also deteriorated, and when the property came to the Trust in the 1990s, it faced some daunting questions about what and how much should be restored or renovated. Their answer has been to stabilize the property, make it safe and edifying for visitors, but not much beyond that. Realistically, it is certainly the best approach. Chastleton was never Blenheim Palace, and it went steadily downhill throughout its history. But, restored just a bit, it gives a rich picture of what life was like for a country manor family from Jacobean times.

Interior photo showing the condition of the
place when the Trust received it

Entry view; the estate has gone from hundreds of acres to
just 20

The gardens deteriorated too; above is a grand topiary
garden, the figures now not recognizable, but, with much
care, coming back to life and form

A photograph of them from Victorian times

Ages ago, one of the family was a croquet enthusiast and
actually published the first printed rules of croquet; here's
the backyard croquet field (just about all National Trust
properties have croquet sets available for visitor use)

To the right of the entry is a great hall you enter through the
magnificent screen; the table on the right is said to antedate
the house since it is so large it could not have been brought
in any of the current doors or windows

There is incredible wood-carved furniture and paneling
through the house

Dated 1531

Stalagmites and stalactites in a staircase

Beautiful fireplace in one of the great rooms

Same room, ceiling bosses, oak paneling, paintings of saints
and sybils all around the four walls

Bed chamber, Lille tapestry

Bible used at trial of Charles I

It took one of the ladies of the house 15 years to make this
linen quilt for bed and cradle

Detail

The "secret" room, its door covered over by wall-paper; the
lady of the house spiked the tea of searching Parliamentarian
troops with laudanum...

The long hall upstairs; the chest on the right was made in
about 1500 and was used for carrying one's armor along on
trips

Kitchen, probably updated in the 18th century, I guess

The curse continues...local villagers are not
happy about the house being open on
Sundays...apparently a traffic issue... 

Sweet Raunchies

British humor is the best in the world and comes in all shapes and sizes, dry and subtle to silly and outrageous. But always the best. Vicki found these in a C-store in Bourton-on-the-Water. Raunchy confectionary humor.

Boredom-On-The-Water

From Northleach we found a comfy lay by about a mile south of Bourton-on-the-Water, one of the better known Cotswold Villages, and settled in for a multi-day stay, visiting the precious little villages, going for walks, reading, waiting for summer, etc.

Our campsite, relatively secluded, close to town--there's
even a footpath--and quiet at night

The pretty parts of town look like this; the other 90% is
cheesy touristy crap stores, tea rooms, B&B's, and mom and
pop "museums"

This is pretty much the Water, about 30 feet wide and three
blocks long

It's this deep

Absolutely the only thing of interest to me was this
topiary in progress outside the Motor Museum

Interestingly, perhaps only a quarter mile out of town, on
the public footpaths, are three pretty ponds, lakes really, all
privately-owned; turbusses not welcomed; maybe this was
the Water, originally

Postscript: next day, after a long walk, I came to feel better
about B-on-the-W after a stop at the New Old Inn; "it comes
in pints?!" "I'm getting one!"

Compare with painting above... Actually, I'm growing fond
of bitter, the local stuff, but then I always do, whether in
Scotland or Ireland or France or Italy or even Turkey,
speaking of which, we found some real Efes at a Morrison's
in Tewkesbury

Northleach

A few more miles' driving and we are in Northleach, a Cotswold town we visited in 1989, with our girls, for an exercise in brass rubbing. I remember eating in a pub while the rubbing was underway. I also remember that the Porsche Club of Great Britain was head-quartered here. But no one now seems to remember it.

Pretty standard Cotswold stone, manicured garden; turns out the property was for
sale

Ditto, Cotswold-wise

Of particular interest: a house full of doll houses; alas, closed

Outside view

Inside peek

Listings...pretty much like a real estate office; the Cotswold
stone house runs L700...about $1100

We ventured later into the SS Peter & Paul church, 15th century mostly,
updated, of course

Northleach brass; we still have those 1989 rubbings, girls...
they're in our Missoula home

And, astonishingly, right here in an open church, Ribera's
Quo Vadis, Domine; not a Velasquez, granted, but something
that really should be in a museum, under security

More Cotswolds in Northleach; note the snot-green down-spouts...

Chedworth Roman Villa

Our first visit after leaving Tewkesbury was to have been a major long barrow--a neolithic burial site--out in the countryside. Alas, as the one-lane road narrowed, we came upon some road work and were told the road was impassable. A local person volunteered the site had been there for 6,000 years and probably would still be there when we get back this way. We've seen long barrows before (e.g., West Kennet), and so weren't particularly disappointed. We turned around and headed for Chedworth Roman Villa, another National Trust site, more or less in the Cotswolds.

We have pulled over into the "passing bay"; a moment before
we had been joking that, well, we certainly won't see any
tour buses on this little lane 

Chedworth is one of some thirty Roman villas in the
Cotswolds region; above is an artist's conception; it was
discovered and crudely excavated in Victorian times;
research and preservation continue under the National
Trust

Most of the better mosaics, etc., are in this building, built
to protect them; one mostly thinks of Britain as an outpost
of Roman civilization; but they were here for nearly 500
years, plenty long enough to build a substantial economy
and society, and to have country villas like this one

Thus; reception area

And thus

And thus; note under-floor heating

Family areas

Octagonal water feature, water from a spring up the hill

More of the villa ruins

Another large room with under-floor heating

In the little museum

The guide called this a "Roman snail," telling us that the
Romans brought these snails to Britain as a food delicacy;
protected species now; looks like good eatin' to me

Not Roman but nonetheless interesting: a
yellow Buckeye tree has been grafted onto
a regular Horse Chestnut tree (same, pretty
much, as the Ohio state tree)

Poppies in a field along the road