Ancient & modern

We began the day with a visit to Barnard Castle, in the town of that name. This 11th century ruin is extensive and impressive and must have been an amazing sight in its day.
 
Next on the list was the Bowes Museum, in the same town, a 19th century chateau which ‘wouldn’t look out of place in any French town’. Not only is the building impressive, but the collection is too and I had to fiddle about with the day’s timings to allow the punters to watch the daily performance of the mechanical swan at 2pm, for a whole 30 seconds! I’d like to say more, but time is short! 

The final location was Thornton Hall Gardens, near Darlington, a modern garden set around an Elizabethan manor house which is my Blip today. A feast of colour with more summer perennials in flower than anywhere I’ve seen. Some of the ladies felt that it was lacking in structure and design, which it was, but three large walled garden is still impressive and in time it will no doubt settle down.