Southwell - a big Minster and a big Apple in this small town
Southwell Minster, a cathedral, in a small town-like-village? Yes, near Nottingham. The building had survived the English Reformation - the dissolution of the monasteries and looting them down to the state of ruin - by the State. It was in 1530s. Some things has changed - the looting is less obvious now.
Anyway, fully workable church from the Medieval times is quite uncommon in England. Here are some charming ruins additionally, too.
We have found ourselves in Southwell, knowing very little about, just that it is quite a posh surround in Nottinghamshire. We were not surprised.
A few elegant streets with chic and sleek small business for the posh people. A shop that sells edible sweets memorabilia in a lovely colonial style, for example (below, lower, right). You do not go for a Cadburry chocolate in Southwell (which is not very nice, anyway), you go for a colored sugar bubbles as they were seen by the poor and eaten by the posh in the 1920s.
Still, it is quite a different street experience now, comparing to the main streets just outside Nottingham city center. 'Poor quality' of everything still prevails there. In Southwell, on the contrary- remarkable attention to detail and care.
Historically, Southwell had another close dealings with the monarchy. It is reported and recorded that King Charles I, was captured in Southwell during the English Civil War, in 1646.
You can see the truth of it in the Saracens Head Hotel - there is the arrest warrant on a display inside the the pub, for the king of England. All the signatures and seals of the important people who felt too oppressed by the monarchy and opposed, and perhaps obsessed. A historic jewel.
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| Saracens Head Hotel |
Of course the cathedral-minster building is of the focal interests.
It lurks out above the old trees, seemingly insignificant, but you are touched straightaway with the historic vibe of the place - if you are historically sensitive enough.
There had been an adjoining palace for the then-posh people. Completely destroyed, first by Scottish troops and then the locals finished it off (wondering why?),. Only the Hall of the Archbishop remains as a ruined shell. A window to the heaven above.
Beautifully kept gardens make it a place for a quiet relaxation, full of perennial and annual herbs, very soothing, on the background of the old walls. And you can notice a green mans' face from the old wall, too.
The bronze eagle (below) at Southwell, made in 1503, was the property of the nearby Newstead Abbey, connected to the infamous Lord Byron.
It is said it had been hidden in a lake for 250 years and rediscovered when the lake was drained.
The eagle looks like a duck wanting to have some of the apple - in our picture. In truth, the apple is more important than the eagle. It is a story how the common folks made a history.
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| The bronze eagle and Bramley Apple The original Bramley Apple Tree (above) of which we had only a glimpse, (but many times a taste of its descendants) resides at 75 Church Street in Southwell. It is currently owned by Nottingham Trent University - taking care of the “mother” tree, and keeping it alive and free of fungus. The first Bramley Apple was sold here in 1859 and now the variety is sought after especially in Autumn for a proper English apple sauce - no other apple is so good with a meaty dish. Honestly! |
Outside the town is an authentic 19th century Workhouse, an institution feared by the lower classes in the Victorian England. Restored by the National Trust.
The location is quite ironical, bearing in mind that Southwell is on the list of the best places to live in England, regularly - or Nottinghamshire’s millionaires capital. A museum to the destitute and the poverty as a historic attraction - quite dismal. We have not been there, did not want to spoil our posh and sacral feeling of the moment.
Lord Byron (of the nearby Newstaed Abbey) once said “I shall never be so happy again as I was in old Southwell.”
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Sources:
visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk