Thursday, 20 December 2012
Well overdue Sheffield trip report with pictures!
Dear
reader,
And now, for my very much overdue trip report of my visit to Sheffield! I have to say I really enjoyed my visit to Sheffield. We traveled from Schiphol to Manchester by
plane after which we took the train from the airport to Sheffield. There we
took the tram directly to the B&B. After walking around for a while and
cursing the google maps printout which I made (which is always super confusing,
since you never know which way is up or down… we almost went the wrong way
because of it) we were debating whether or not we were in the right street. It
did not last long before I spotted the B&B though…. at the top of a very,
veerrryyy steep hill. Imagine this: three people walking up a steep hill of
which two are dragging a really heavy suitcase behind them. I am sure that the neightbours
had a good laugh.
(It's the Victorian house on the left... Yep, steep hill is steep)
Deborah,
the owner of the B&B, is so nice! She does everything to make you feel at
home. She even offered to drop us off at a nearby village if we wanted to pay
it a visit (I mean now sweet is that?!). J So
if you are ever in Sheffield, you definitely need to stay in Consiton Guest
House. I know that I will definitely be staying there next time. J I
would gladly climb two of those steep hills for that. For those of you interested,
this is the website:http://www.conistonguesthouse.co.uk/
Well then,
where did we eat? Well I have to say we only ate at one particular place for 5
nights in a row. People are probably thinking that’s a bit strange and
unadventurous… but honestly, why not return to the same restaurant to try
different things if the restaurant itself is great! This wonderful restaurant
went by the name of The Rawson Spring
and is part of the Wetherspoon restaurant chain. If you are ever in England I
would highly recommend them. The quality of the food is super good, you get a
really big portion… and bonus: it’s cheap! (Hey, what do you expect: I’m Dutch!
:P). There are some days on which they have special offers or even theme
nights. If you take the meal that is on offer you pretty much get a really
awesome, good quality meal for about 3,50 per person including a soft drink or
a beer. Heck you can’t even get a freaking happy meal for that price! O.o Having grown up in Amsterdam I just thought
that was freaking insane! Just imagine spending 10,- for a main course, a
pudding and drinks which are actually good quality! So go to Wetherspoons, not
just because it’s cheap, but mostly because super tasty!
The BAVS
conference theme this year was Victorian Value: Ethics, Economics and
Aesthetics”. Unlike last year, I will not discuss the panels that drew my
interest. I do, however, want to give a bit of attention to the paper that
Christine Chettle gave. I had met her at a previous BAVS conference and we had
stayed in touch through facebook ever since. This year at BAVS she gave a
really interesting paper entitled “The Value of Enlargement: Crinolines and
Gauging Community in George Elliot’s Daniel Deronda” (if you have no clue what these are please
click here). In her paper she explored
how the crinolines functioned as ways for the characters in Elliot’s Daniel Deronda to express themselves. As
I don’t dare to discuss the paper in much detail without permission (I wouldn’t
want to be responsible for someone stealing her subject), I will simply put a
link to her personal profile at the University of Leeds for those of you who
would like to read a bit more on her research. I
know it probably doesn’t seem much coming from a newbie, but I really look
forward to reading (or hearing) more on the research that she is conducting. Keep up the good work Christine! :D
Well then,
after the conference we still had one day left in Sheffield. On this day we had
planned a visit to Chatsworth House, the home of the Duke and Duchess of
Devonshire, which is located in the middle of the Peak district. In order to
get there you can take the bus from the bus station at Sheffield University
Station. The bus ride there is a pure joy. Although it takes you about 1 to 1,5
hours to get there, the bus will take you through the peak district.... The
views are amazing! If you are lucky enough (like we were) to get a
double-decker, try to obtain a seat at the front row at the top.
What we did
not know when we set out on our journey that day was that there was a country
fair being held at Chatsworth house. Unfortunately, we also did not know that
the Yorkshire run was being held in Sheffield, causing us to arrive quite late
at Chatsworth house. As such we did not have time to check out the country
fair. However, there was one huge advantage to the fair being there; because
the normal visitor’s entrance was blocked due to the stands etc., we were
allowed to enter the house by walking through the front garden, which is only
open for visitors when the fair is being held. Here are some of the pictures I
took whilst walking to the entrance:
I have to
say that I was awestruck once I entered the house. Almost every room has a
beautiful painted ceiling and is filled with the most gorgeous furniture...
The
paintings were absolutely stunning as well. I have to admit that this was my
favourite:
This picture depicts Georgiana Spencer, the wife of the 5th Duke of Devonshire.
According
to the description ‘Georgina was famous for her lavish lifestyle, gambling and
enormous hats, amongst other things’.
What I
truly loved about this house though, is that in every room they have these
cards which explain what the rooms were used for, so that even those people who
do not wish to buy the guide book or cannot afford it will be able to get the
full experience.
Just before
you enter the giftshop, you walk through a giant hall filled with roman statues:
Somehow this struck me as very similar to a scene in the Pride and Prejudice
movie directed by Joe Wright (the one with Keira Knightley)... Upon entering
the giftshop, which was littered with Jane Austin and Mr. Darcy related
merchandise, there could be no doubt about it! This of course made the visit
even more special!
After the
house we turned into the garden, which is quite spectacular in itself. This
fountain was one of the main attractions there:
(My mom and
I climbed all the way to the top of the fountain... My gosh that was a climb!
But the view was amazing!).
We felt a
little rushed walking through the house and gardens as the last bus leaves at
around 6 and we arrived there at a little over 2 (thanks to the Yorkshire
run...). You actually really need a full day to explore both the house and the
gardens.
The next day
it was time for to return home. We all felt a little sad to leave such a
wonderful city. I really wish I could have explored the city a bit more... But
I am sure we will return there soon enough.
Love,
Blacky
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