Saturday the 17th
Time to meet up with our cousins (on Ann’s side) for another of our cultural days out! 👍😀. Afterwards, we’re heading back with Roger, Jane and Oliver for a sleepover.
Today we met up at Hatfield House in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Sadly, Chris and Kate couldn’t make it as Kate had injured her leg whilst on holiday. The last time we all met up was at Hampton Court back in July, last year. We’d all planned to arrive for 11am, and just as we did, it began to rain!!!! 🫤. Luckily, just a spit! 👍
History of the House (click to reveal)
An earlier building on the site was the Royal Palace of Hatfield. Only part of this still exists a short distance from the present house. That palace was the childhood home and favourite residence of Queen Elizabeth I. Built in 1497 by the Archbishop of Canterbury (formerly Bishop of Ely), King Henry VII’s minister, John Cardinal Morton, it comprised four wings in a square surrounding a central courtyard. The palace was seized by Henry VIII with other church properties. The nearby parish church of St Etheldreda’s in Old Hatfield once served the bishop’s palace as well as the village.
Henry VIII’s children, King Edward VI and the future Queen Elizabeth I, spent their youth at Hatfield Palace. His eldest daughter, who later reigned as Queen Mary I, lived there between 1533 and 1536, when she was sent to wait on the then Princess Elizabeth as punishment for refusing to recognise Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and his religious reforms. In 1548, when she was only 15 years old, Elizabeth was under suspicion of having illegally agreed to marry Thomas Seymour. The house and her servants were seized by Edward VI’s agent, Robert Tyrwhit, and she was interrogated there. She successfully defended her conduct with wit and defiance. Seymour was executed in 1549 for numerous other crimes against the crown. After her two months of imprisonment in the Tower of London by her sister, Queen Mary, Elizabeth returned to Hatfield. The Queen Elizabeth Oak on the grounds of the estate is said to be the location where Elizabeth was told she was queen following Mary’s death, but is considered unlikely as Mary died in November. In November 1558, Elizabeth held her first Council of State in the Great Hall.
Hatfield House is a popular tourist attraction because it has so many objects associated with Queen Elizabeth I, including gloves and a pair of silk stockings that are believed to have been the first in England. The library displays a 22-foot (6.7 m) long illuminated parchment roll showing the pedigree of the queen with ancestors back to Adam and Eve. The Marble Hall holds the “Rainbow Portrait” of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s successor, King James I, did not like the palace. It was included in the jointure estate of his wife Anne of Denmark. In 1607, King James gave it to his chief minister, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, in exchange for Theobalds, which was the Cecils’ family home on the current site of Cedars Park, Broxbourne. Cecil, who liked the building, tore down three wings of the royal palace (the back and sides of the square) in 1608 and used the bricks to build the present structure. The richly carved wooden Grand Staircase and the rare stained-glass window in the private chapel are among the house’s original Jacobean features. Cecil employed Robert Lemynge to supervise the construction, with input from the royal surveyor Simon Basil, and Inigo Jones who visited in October 1609.
Cecil’s descendant, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was three times prime minister during the closing years of Queen Victoria’s reign. The city of Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) was founded in his time and named for him. He is also known for often putting members of his family into the government while prime minister. As his first name was Robert, this habit is sometimes said to have given rise to the popular expression ‘Bob’s your uncle’ (meaning roughly ‘It’s all right, everything is sure to come off’).
During World War II, Hatfield House was the location of the first Civil Resettlement Unit and acted as headquarters for the schem. CRUs were created to help repatriated British prisoners of war transition back to civilian life and the luxurious setting of Hatfield was considered very beneficial to these men. On 12 July 1945, the king and queen visited the CRU at Hatfield, which generated significant news coverage.
Thanks Wiki
Inside the House
We were last here in September, 2011, where for some reason, I’d noted that photography wasn’t allowed inside (so, no photos were taken inside, back then!). On reflection, that was surely an error on my part, as apparently, the only restriction today was NO FLASH.
I was so pleased to be able to take photographs inside! That ceiling was beautiful as were the rest of the exhibits.
Even the kitchen kettles were super shiny! 👍
The Gardens
It was the perfect day for enjoying the Gardens here. Everything looked in great shape and complemented the house perfectly.
It was now close to 2pm and time for a quick bite! Attempting to get a table (for 10!) proved to be impossible and in the end, we just grabbed some sandwiches and a soft drink and commandeered an empty table a short distance from the restaurant.
The Woodland Walk
Our group walk was somewhat frustrating (although still enjoyable). We chose the ‘Yellow Route’ and headed in the direction of the first yellow chevron. Well, we thought it was the right direction. It clearly wasn’t! 😲.
We retraced our steps, but in truth, that didn’t help much! In the end, we just turned around and headed back in the direction of the start of the route. We certainly wouldn’t have won any awards for our collective and individual navigation skills – but it was all good fun!
Worth mentioning that there’s a famous tree nearby. This is the one that Elizabeth I was sitting under, when she first heard she was to be Queen. In truth, the tree was a sorry affair and not very regal at all (to me, it looked almost dead!) with just a sprig of green foliage!
In a cross between mild frustration and mild exhaustion, we called it a day – and what a great day it had been. The initial rain, when we first met up, turned to nothing leaving us to enjoy a glorious sunny day (all part of a really hot week!). At just after 3, it was time to say our goodbyes, until the next get-together. We agreed to think about where we might go, and before we left, narrowed it down to Windsor Castle or maybe even Buckingham Palace!
Saturday Evening
We were back at R, J and O’s around 4.15. A chilled-out evening followed, beginning with a cuppa (with a small tub of ice-cream) – followed by a pint – whilst admiring the work they’d done on the front and the rear of the house.
Jane served up her homemade Cottage Pie followed by Strawberry Cheesecake – and as expected, it all went down a treat!
After our meal, we sat chatting, putting the world to rights, before crashing out around 10.30pm (these days, that’s late for us!) 😴💤😴💤😴💤
Sunday the 18th (Father’s Day)
Heading for Hertford
We slept well and enjoyed a quick breakfast of Croissants, Toast and Jam before heading off to nearby Hertford.
Our destination? Hertford Brewery aka McMullen’s & Sons. Our hosts treated us to a tour around the Brewery. It was a popular event! Our 10am tour was now full, and it was the only one where they had any spaces.
The main man himself introduced the event – Fergus McMullen (soon to step down from his MD role and hand over the barrels to his son, Tom!). Fergus was probably the best speaker I’d heard in a long time – engaging, humorous and (obviously) very knowledgeable. We were shown around the factory itself, finishing with a free McMullen’s Tipple of Choice (I chose A&K 3.7%).
Lunch in Hertford
After the tour, we headed out into the town for a gentle wander around the shops, remarking on how much it had changed. The fine weather, together with today being Father’s Day, had certainly brought out the crowds – no sign of ‘death of the high street’ here! 😀👍
Our next stop? Lunch at The Old Barge located at the head of the River Lea. Slightly oddly, it didn’t open until midday – and we were about 15 minutes early. We picked our table (Table 40) outside, with an umbrella, giving us the best of both worlds.
Whilst Roger and Ann chose the Sunday Roast, Oli, Jane and I opted for the Barge Burger. All delicious and served piping hot – and quickly! We declined desserts! 👍👍.
Oli chauffeured us back to theirs before we said our goodbyes and we then headed home. It was a trouble-free journey and we were indoors by 3pm. Just in time too, because at 4.25, the heavens opened and it absolutely chicked it down. Looked like we made the most of the great weekend weather!
Roger, Jane & Oliver: Thanks for treating us – we had a great time! 👍😘👍😘
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
Comments