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A Trip To Riddlesden
Mar. 28th, 2018 10:46 pmThe clocks went forward on Sunday and we were also graced with a rather sunny day, so after we had taken Stray back home (with him having stayed over following the anti-Brexit march the subsequent day), we decided to drive out towards Skipton. It was quite a pleasant March day, reasonably warm in the sun, but with the slight bite of winter. It really did feel like the opening of spring and with dusk not falling until around 8pm, we were in quite a relaxed mood as we headed towards North Yorkshire.
On our way, we took a back road which has since been detoured by the bypass and drove past the entrance of East Riddlesden Hall. It looked quite picturesque and having never even heard of the place before now, we decided to do a U-turn and pay it a visit. This turned out to be a good move as this estate has quite the history. Unlike many National Trust properties which have been kept in the same family for years, Riddlesden Hall has a varied past. It started life as a farm holding but it wasn't until the seventeenth century when James Murgatroyd bought the house that the house started to adapt the form which is known today. Alas he died before he had chance to realise his dream and the result was the house being split into a number of smaller blocks, which working families would rent. You can see some of the panelling in the main house, which was restored back to its 1662 state following the building being saved from demolition in 1934.
The staff in the hall were all very friendly, which was just as well as I was contending with quite the hangover from the previous day's drinking. They were also quite knowledgeable as they showed us a range of chests, paintings and tapestries from the various eras of the house. The gas lantern fittings in the roof - this house was one of the earliest to get gas in the early nineteenth century - was probably my favourite bit.
It only took about forty minutes to walk around the house, after which we headed out into the modest gardens. We then headed down by the river for a stroll, with us following a marked route for about fifteen minutes before we needed to head back, fearful they would shut the gate on us and leave our car stranded in the car park. Thankfully, we got back in good time and continued our drive to Skipton, which we noticed was rather dead at 5pm on a Sunday. We had a walk along the canal and the high street though, noticing an interesting craft beer as we went. It was sadly closed but as we were peering in to see the range they had, a gentleman asked us whether we wanted a beer. It turned out that he was the owner and that the place was getting its alcohol licence on 9 April. We'll have to return. We did find a small real ale bar near the car park though and we did head there for a cheeky half, before driving back towards Pudsey.
On the way up, we spotted The Tram Shed, an Ossett Brewery 'Hop' bar in the old tram shed at Saltaire. We had been meaning to visit here for a while, and so we thought that now was as good a time as any. We parked up and walked in, being surprised that this was a restaurant as well as a bar. The one in Leeds only serves pies, but here pizzas are the speciality and soon enough I was enjoying a four cheese pizza, made with top quality cheese such as feta and brie. It was perhaps cheese overkill for me, but it was incredibly tasty, and rounded off a rather pleasant day.
On our way, we took a back road which has since been detoured by the bypass and drove past the entrance of East Riddlesden Hall. It looked quite picturesque and having never even heard of the place before now, we decided to do a U-turn and pay it a visit. This turned out to be a good move as this estate has quite the history. Unlike many National Trust properties which have been kept in the same family for years, Riddlesden Hall has a varied past. It started life as a farm holding but it wasn't until the seventeenth century when James Murgatroyd bought the house that the house started to adapt the form which is known today. Alas he died before he had chance to realise his dream and the result was the house being split into a number of smaller blocks, which working families would rent. You can see some of the panelling in the main house, which was restored back to its 1662 state following the building being saved from demolition in 1934.
The staff in the hall were all very friendly, which was just as well as I was contending with quite the hangover from the previous day's drinking. They were also quite knowledgeable as they showed us a range of chests, paintings and tapestries from the various eras of the house. The gas lantern fittings in the roof - this house was one of the earliest to get gas in the early nineteenth century - was probably my favourite bit.
It only took about forty minutes to walk around the house, after which we headed out into the modest gardens. We then headed down by the river for a stroll, with us following a marked route for about fifteen minutes before we needed to head back, fearful they would shut the gate on us and leave our car stranded in the car park. Thankfully, we got back in good time and continued our drive to Skipton, which we noticed was rather dead at 5pm on a Sunday. We had a walk along the canal and the high street though, noticing an interesting craft beer as we went. It was sadly closed but as we were peering in to see the range they had, a gentleman asked us whether we wanted a beer. It turned out that he was the owner and that the place was getting its alcohol licence on 9 April. We'll have to return. We did find a small real ale bar near the car park though and we did head there for a cheeky half, before driving back towards Pudsey.
On the way up, we spotted The Tram Shed, an Ossett Brewery 'Hop' bar in the old tram shed at Saltaire. We had been meaning to visit here for a while, and so we thought that now was as good a time as any. We parked up and walked in, being surprised that this was a restaurant as well as a bar. The one in Leeds only serves pies, but here pizzas are the speciality and soon enough I was enjoying a four cheese pizza, made with top quality cheese such as feta and brie. It was perhaps cheese overkill for me, but it was incredibly tasty, and rounded off a rather pleasant day.
