England, Day Seven, Part Two

♫ Medieval Instrumental Music ♫

After leaving the Wordsworth home we are travelling through beautiful countryside to visit Dalton Castle.  It's a lovely drive along the coastline looking at the Irish Sea.

After travelling for some time we come to Dalton-in-Furness in Cumbria.  It's a steep little village town, filled with charming homes.  At the top of one of the hills is the Dalton Castle.  It was built to defend the people of Dalton and the approaches to Furness Abbey.  It's not a typical castle.  In 1127 King Stephen conferred on the Abbot of Furness the power to hold courts and administer justice as early as 1239 there is reference to a jury in the agreement between William Flemming of Aldingham and the Abbey.

Inside of the tower we are greeted by two lovely ladies who guided us around the Tower.  The deep set windows are quite lovely with their leaded glass.

Since this tower was used as a court and a prison there is a dungeon in the lower level.  In 1704 the floor boards were replaced and then again in 1856.  After the National Trust aquired the castle from the Duke of Buccleuch, the castle was further restored in 1968.

Of course there has to be a toilet in the castle.  Down this narrow passage we come to a dead end.  This has been recently excavated and to be, what has been delicately termed, "the rubbish shaft."

These were the stairs we climbed to the second floor.

Upstairs there is a large room that would have served as the courtroom.  This room is used as a teaching tool for National Trust exhibits.

George Romney the English Painter born in Dalton-in-Furness

Dalton Castle was an interesting quirky place.  Back downstairs, the ladies showed us local artifacts.  Local citizens bring in objects to display in this area.  It's kind of a little museum for odd items.

My friend Deb at http://a-garden-intheshire.blogspot.com/2015/02/vintage-stoneware-hot-water-bottle.html , from Wales, wrote about her stoneware hot water bottle.  I found it so interesting to see so many different shapes on display.

The ladies recommended  we visit The Furness Abbey while in town.  So with their directions we were off to see the Abbey ruins.

Furness Abbey was one of the richest Cistercian monasteries in England.  The ruins of red sandstone sits in the area it has been for over 900 years.  The remains once housed the wealthy order.  It was founded by Count Stephen of Boulogne c. 1125.  Count Stephen was later King Stephen.

The Abbey was destroyed in 1537 during the English Reformation under the order of Henry VIII.

The Furness Abbey is under the care of the English Heritage.  Much of the foundation is sinking into the ground.  They are working to try to shore up the remains for the future.

It was time for us to leave this area.  We travelled over many narrow roads filled with interesting sights.  We were surprised to see what appeared to be a lighthouse on a hill.

Upon further investigation, we learned this was a monument and not a lighthouse.  The monument was built in 1850 in honor of Sir John Barrow, a local explorer.  It is a replica of Eddystone Lighthouse and stands 100 feet tall on top of the 430 foot high Hoad Hill.  It was built of local limestone.  It is locally known as the pepperpot.

Continuing along to our destination we wanted to see Morecambe Bay.  I've mentioned we love the sea and wanted to see this body of water from a different angle.

We walked out to the water front and reflected on all the beauty we have experienced so far on our lovely adventure to England.  What a beautiful day!