Hopeton01 (#monomoday) The Old Grammar School

My first monomonday offering…

Christmas shopping: for a change I fancied avoiding the Christmas crush of the shopping malls found in the bigger towns and cities; so today for the 1st time, I visited Market Harborough (near Leicester, UK.) The town was recommended to me for its compactness and variety of niche, artisan shops and it certainly did not disappoint!

The building in this picture is an old Grammar school built in 1614, restored and repainted in its original colours in 2014. During its 400 years, it has had a variety uses. In case you’re wondering why it was built on stilts, it was so that the butter market could trade beneath the classroom and keep dry in bad weather.

In its quaintness and variety, this town reminds me of Lille in France, which I visited 2 years ago. For culture, museums, restaurants and historic interest, Lille easily matches Paris. And, for compact size, ease of coverage, historical intrigue and friendliness, in my book, Lille beats Paris hands down. What’s more, Belgium is only 20 minutes train ride away (think chocolate, lace and pretty canals…Bruges in Belgium is known as the Venice of the north.)

As for photographic opportunities, period architecture and quirky asides, Lille has these aplenty . . . but that is for another time!