Kellie and I got up early on Friday morning, packed up our backpacks, and walked for about 10 minutes to the York train station from the hotel. Now, I highly recommend using the rail system for travelling in England because it really is simple, and you don't have to worry about driving in the left lane on the highways. However, like with the Tube, you really have to be careful to know the stations where you will be getting on and off trains. Our tickets on this day, read York to Waverly Cross and Waverly Parkway to Nottingham. We assumed that Waverly Cross and Waverly Parkway were either the same station or very close to one another. Nope! When we arrived at Waverly Cross, we showed our tickets to the ever-present station attendant who said, "Oh, Waverly Parkway is about a twenty minute walk from here." This actually meant about a thirty to thirty-five minute walk with our heavy backpacks. Luckily, one taxi was sitting outside the station, and he was more than happy to give us a ride. It costs us seven pounds for the roughly two mile trip on empty streets, but I am not sure if I could have walked the distance in time to catch our train.
Anyway, upon arriving in Nottingham, we dropped our bags at the hotel as usual and figured we would make our way to Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of George Gordon, Lord Byron. As it turned out, the city buses ran from Nottingham to Newstead Abbey and you could ride anywhere for two pounds each, so for the first time on the trip, our mode of transportation was the city bus.
Now, I am not going to write about each picture. I will simply post them below, but here is the info about Newstead Abbey. First of all, it was never an abbey despite its name, it was a priory. It was originally built in the 12th century but had several additions and remodels through the centuries. In 1540, Henry VIII granted the house to Sir John Byron of Colwick and for the next few centuries it became the country home of the Byron Barony. In 1798, William Byron died and passed the house on to his great-nephew, George Gordon, who became the 6th Baron Byron.
George Gordon, Lord Byron was always attempting to renovate Newstead Abbey but never seemed to have enough money to do the job. As a matter of fact, he never really stayed there much and mostly only when visiting his mother. By late 1813, Byron had found a buyer for Newstead Abbey, so his involvement with the property lasted a whopping 15 years. Still, Bryon is one of my favorite poets. I read his work Don Juan at least once a year, and it was neat to walk on the walks where he had walked. To see, from the outside, the rooms where he had slept or eaten his meals. The house was closed to visitors on the day we were there, but walking up and looking in windows did not seem to be an issue. Most of the house seemed to be in disarray.
So, as I mentioned, I am not going to provide commentary on the pictures. They are all of Newstead Abbey itself or of something that is found on the grounds. Enjoy!
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