Just returned from town. Had a fantastic time! had an unbelievable time. I wish so many of you could have been there with me. Jim Downey in particular who knows how these books were made (far better than the volunteers who were explaining things...). But,oh, just all of you. And my husband too. I left the house at 9:45 and hurried down to the cathedral (breaking my best time by 5 minutes, mainly because, I couldnt remember if the tour started at 10 or 10:30). The footpaths were frosty...and slick, I kept skipping from thawed bits to thawed bits. At one point, almost at the cathedral, and there was a small street to cross, it looked clear, with no frost, but there was something...like the too tempting whinny of a kelpie...I went carefully, sure enough. It was black ice. I arrived at 10 (when you are next to a Cathedral, and the bells toll the hour, you know what time it is). The tour started at 10:30 (for all those who may visit us, you can schedule private library tours). So I went to the chapter house and chatted with the docent there, and admired the Lichfield Gospels (which, amongst other things, contains the earliest documentation of the Welsh written language), the Lichfield Angel (a stunning Anglo Saxon bas relief), and some of the bits of the Staffordshire hoard. Then we (all 14 of us) went on up the wooden, spiral steps to the fan vaulted room that used to house the treasury, but now is home to the library. From books of hours to one of the Henry VIII bibles to some incredible maps, (from 1522 to 1580). At one point, one of the books was shown and we were told that the coat of arms included the lions, Fleur de lis, and...a pomegranate. And then we were asked if we knew who the pomegranate belonged to....my mouth was open before the woman even finished asking. Catherine of Aragon...of course. No one else seemed to know this. Sigh. After April, they will be doing another group of books. Medieval this time. Well. I know what I want for my birthday. What a fantastic time. Again, I wish I could have shared it with you. Photography was forbidden, and we were even told to leave our bags.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 15:03:23 +0000
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