On the York Train, Sept 13th

Not long after this (writing the last entry), we arrived at Oxford station and grabbed a cab to our “private hotel,” the Falcon. This was basic accomodation for “only” L70 including breakfast — it was 2 converted townhouses, very mazelike, with a number of inconveniently placed firedoors. The room was largish with a four poster. Once again the shower was a cramped afterthought and the toilet was a gusher.

Then after dumping stuff we started to wander around Oxford,

(such as stopping for a beer at The Head of the River)

but stopped to call Rob Dixon, who came in and dragged us off to his 700-year-old house (rented from the http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=376)…

…Boarstall

It’s actually a converted gatehouse, and saw action during the Civil War when…

… a Parliamentarian cannon ball took off some of the stonework trim over the front gate. It was originally moated all around, but now the moat only goes across the front and around 3 sides to the right. There is a bridge now, but formerly there was a gap for a drawbridge, and the gate and wicket-gate entry were impressively old and heavy, with iron locks and latch.

Rob was once a dealer in 17th-18th century prints and still has about 1500 framed and unframed prints, many of which cover the walls of the comfortably shabby (a compliment I picked up from Ngaio Marsh! Honest!) sitting rooms, dining rooms, and kitchen/office areas (the kitchen/office and other living areas were a modern addition and not shabby at all).

He also collects period furniture and has it covered or reupholstered in period (not reproduction) fabric. He could point out exactly where changes were made in the fabric of the gatehouse and approximately when. Upstairs, they had a guest room on one side (there are four towers and I think two bedrooms between them, a total of 3 floors). The one guestroom was used by Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh when they were looking for a house in the area — she was photographed standing in the garden (there are peacocks there now, very authentic for a house in the country).

Rob Dixon, Lord of the Manor

We got up on the roof and had a look at the clock – big enough for a town hall or church – and listened to the history of the place.

Before the Conquest a humble forester named Nigel dispatched a bothersome boar that was ruining the hunting for King Edward the Confessor. He presented the boar’s head to the king, who was staying nearby (probably also looking for a place…) and for his trouble he was awarded the lands thereabouts and the right to collect fees from people who used the forest, cut wood, or passed through. So Nigel suddenly became both upper-class and well-off, but unfortunately his descendants didn’t get to enjoy this status very long, because the Normans invaded within a few years.

However, his crest was 3 hunting horns, and the crest appeared later when other families came into ownership, in a way claiming they had some sort of connection ot the earliest beginnings of the manor. There were leaded and painted crests in the windows in the big upper room (third floor), with large clear windows on all four sides and a high beamed ceiling. Supposedly the house was empty for many years sometime after the 18th century, then was bought by a woman in the 1920’s as a country house and art studio.

Rob now has a huge old Aubusson rug in the room with subtle soft colors – with the large airy opening, and the light, it was beautiful against the dark rough wood floor.

After about an hour and a half’s pleasant rambling and chatting, Rob very politely chucked us out, explaining that he and Pam had a party to attend with other people concerned with National Trust issues and properties, and he drove us back to Oxford and dropped us off at the north end so we could dawdle through the historic district and do a little college spotting.

Gate of All Souls, Oxford

It’s too bad we didn’t have more time in Oxford but I wouldn’t have missed seeing Boarstall for anything. As a thank-you we’ve decided to get Rob a really nice book from the Art Institute (and maybe some Frangos for Pam, who loves chocolate, but not sure how to ship to Britain). It was great fun meeting them both.

And so now we’re on the train to York, seated facing backwards and flying along very smoothly and passing through mostly green countryside with meadows, hedgerows, and the occasional church spire or substantial town gliding by.

This morning we once again had to “bag” plans to do laundry and decided to just walk up the Thames (Isis?) footpath for about 90 minutes.

Not exactly a massive continuity of ducks, but it’ll do.

British RVs come with floatation devices… and lots and lots of locks.

It’s a warm sunny day, and all the boats, racing sculls, swans, and crested boathouses were shown at their best advantage. Then we got back to the Falcon and only waited about 15 minutes for the taxi – it’s turning out to be a “just in time” sort of trip. Ealier over breakfast we chatted with a woman from Ohio who’s taking a walking tour with Wayfarer’s – in fact she’s walking in much the same area as we were and may take the route we did between Stow and Bourton. David is now sure he would like to come back and do more walking, doing it by routefinding and waymarks. Hurray! That’s waht I was hoping, yay!