ENGLAND TRIP 2012: ON TO BARTON

The next two classes for the Bead Society of Great Britain were scheduled for Barton under Needwood, a charming village in Staffordshire, which is about 33 kilometers from Birmingham.  Stephaney Hornblow, our hostess, kindly drove down to London to pick us up after the class in Greenford while her husband Tim made dinner for the four of us. 

 

Here are Tim, Stephney, and I posing for Don.

Since we had 2 days before classes started, Tim and Stephney took us sightseeing.  The first day we visited neighboring Litchfield, the Cathedral, Dr. Johnson's house, and the National Memorial Arboretum.

Litchfield Cathedral

Part of the cathedral interior

Some of the lovely stonework in the cathedral

Part of the National Memorial Arboretum

 
                                                         Tuedsay, Steph and Tim kindly help Don fulfill a travel wish when they took us to the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale; we have been trying to get there for the last 3 trips to England.  Opened in 1781, the bridge is the first arch bridge in the world to be made of cast iron.  Before the bridge, we stopped at the neighboring Jackfield Tile Museum, which houses many examples of magnificent tiles made for use in structures all over the world.  We were lucky enough to visit on a day when the tour of the Craven Dunnill Jackfield factory was being offered.  They would not allow photos of the factory but here are some photos from the museum: 

Then it was on to the Iron Bridge in the rain :

After that, we visited the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, which showcases the manufacturing history and the versatility of cast iron for domestic and decorative use.  Here are a few cast iron items:  

Cast iron table

A green stove from the 1930s

After 2 days of exploring the area, it was back to the world of bead crochet with another 2-day class for the Bead Society at the St. James hall in Barton under Needwood.

Students had a lot of room in this airy hall. 

The other side of the class.  Notice the kitchen in back that allowed us to have tea and coffee accompanied by Tim's lovely scones and gluten-free cake throughout the day--as Liz Wilson  (2nd from the left) is doing in the photo below.



 

I mentioned Liz in particular because she mastered tubular bead crochet and finished her pendant in class.  Notice the lovely box where she kept her supplies.

That was the end of our stay in Barton and on Friday we took a train back to London for the Bead Fair organized by the Bead Society of Great Britain and held at Uxbridge College.