After a rather ‘interesting’ arrival experience at Heathrow (let’s just say, I felt like I had arrived in an entirely different country, with a different language, and different culture – certainly not England… oh, well…), I then spent two nights at the the stunning Manor Elstree.
The Manor (formerly known as the Edgwarebury Hotel) stands on the site of an old Tudor house, which dates back to 1540.
Commander Sir Arthur Trevor Dawson, was the owner and first occupant of the “Edgwarebury House”. It was turned into a private country club in the early 1930’s… The building’s original features have been largely retained with several pieces throughout the hotel being of considerable age. The front door was originally part of the dungeons in Lewes Castle.
As one stands in the entrance hall attention is immediately drawn to the outstanding features of the fireplace with Italian carved columns supporting the ornate mantelpiece. It is understood that some of the wood was actually from ships involved in the battle of the Spanish Armada. The beams and cornerstones have been used to decorate the ceilings in reception.
The wooden panels in the Beaufort Room are believed to date back to the 1600’s. In the bar, there is a particularly fine set of old Gothic panels made from ships lockers. The fire place over mantel features some fine carving which frames a medieval Spanish painting produced on a leather “canvas”. [Source: themanorelstree.co.uk]
My rental car, George Jeep, was delivered to me, and George and I headed west for about five hours to my beloved ancestral homeland of South Devon (I can trace my ancestry back almost one thousand years in the area).
…not only that, but the entire area has been declared a UNESCO Geopark since 2007.
In addition to the glorious scenery etc, “many places in Torbay are Geopark attractions. Babbacombe Cliffs have upside down layering of slates and limestone formed during the Variscan Orogeny. Permian red breccia is also visible there. There are exposed marine cave systems between Berry Head and Sharkham Point. Between Black Head and Anstey’s Cove is Torbay’s largest outcrop of igneous rock.
Crystal Cove has a 25 metre wide zone of calcite. Kents Cavern and Brixham Cavern contained fossils of the now extinct woolly rhinoceros and cave lion. Dyers Quarry is rich in coral fossilised in its growing position, as well as Late Eifelian limestone. Hollicombe Head to Corbyn Head have features of alluvial fan conglomerate deposits and seasonal river sandstones, both Permian in origin.
Hopes Nose features gold and palladium mineral deposits left by hydrothermal fluids, and the area is also important for the study of Quaternary stratigraphy and sea level change. Long Quarry features evidence of the development, formation and growth of a stromatoporoid reef. Lummaton Quarry’s shell deposits led to the naming of the Devonian period. Saltern Cove is a regionally important unconformity and Site of Special Scientific Interest.[7]” [Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Riviera_Geopark]
Cheers! (ok, so I’m normally a red wine kinda girl, but I felt this called for a lager shandy)
Sunset on my first day back where my soul feels ‘home’.
After the challenges with the air quality in Serbia, it was a welcome relief, to put it mildly, to have such fresh, clean air!
~ Bella
