This morning was another bright, sunny one. After breakfast we set off for a walk and decided to head across town and visit the Grove Museum. We have been before but it is a fascinating place with pretty gardens.
The house was built in the 1800s by a shipping merchant from Liverpool and after their parents died the two daughters remained living there by themselves until their deaths in the 1970s. They had never married due to the shortage of available young men following the Great War.
The house had never been updated or altered and is preserved now as a museum of Victorian life in the Isle of Man.
We strolled around the gardens admiring the wildflowers and took a look at the various outbuildings and farming implements that belonged to the house.
There are bee hives in the gardens but also, upstairs in the house a transparent box houses a bee hive with a plastic tube to allow them to enter and exit through the window.
The box used to be made of wood with glass sides but we see that this has now been replaced by a modern version. Shame.
Outside in the field is a fine flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep, with their distinctive horns.
We walked back home crossing the White Bridge over the river and investigating potential new home locations.
Two hours in the sun. I think I may have had my dose of vitamin D for today.
Did the privy toilets have homemade toilet paper made from newspapers? Did it have a lock or would they just whistle? Amazing weather.
ReplyDeleteI bet there were loads of creepy crawlies in there.
DeleteI have never seen a sheep like that. Are they only on the IoM? How did they get there, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI love the photos of the flowers - so lovely! Back in the day, do you think the 2 sisters managed the place themselves or did they have helpers? It is fascinating to imagine living a life like that so different from today. Thanks for the tour!
Ellen, regarding the sheep I have copied here the information on the Loaghtan sheep breeders' site...
DeleteThe Manx Loaghtan is a small, primitive sheep, one of the rare breeds of sheep on the watch list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The breed originates from the prehistoric short-tailed breeds of sheep found in isolated parts of North West Europe where they survived because they were not replaced by more developed breeds
Regarding the sisters, again I have copied here information from Manx National Heritage...
The 1841 census shows that that Duncan Gibb and the family are on holiday on the Isle of Man and staying at The Grove. They had some of their servants with them – this included a Governess, two maids, and a manservant. The 1881 census shows that the Gibb family have two servants living in, both girls aged 17 and 19 years. This would probably not be the total number of staff they employed – only those who lived in the house would be recorded on the census. No cook is shown, so we can presume that she lived elsewhere, and the two girls were maids.
What a gorgeous meadow flower type border - every time we try to grow 'wild' flower seeds, they seem to fail. I wish I l knew the secret.
ReplyDeleteThese were growing in a walled garden. Perhaps that is the secret!
DeleteWhat a beautiful garden JayCee. I have resown an area of the top paddock with wild flowers - after is was cleared by digger. Mark - that's the secret - they can't compete with grass so have to go onto cleared soil. I'll see what I've got next year - so far only Plantain is obvious.
ReplyDeleteThat looks an interesting museum - you can't beat a good one.
The Manx Loaghtan look an ancient breed. I've seen a few at the Smallholders' Fair here in Builth.
What a shame those two young ladies never married but I think an awful lot of girls from there time never did - just such a shortage of young men after WW1. Hard to imagine now.
I always find the house and the story of the two sisters fascinating whenever we visit, and the gardens are very pretty. We were the only visitors this morning so we had the place to ourselves.
DeleteThere is a bee hive like that in a Museum in the Almondbury district of Huddersfield. It was there when I was a child and it fascinated me - I understand it is still there.
ReplyDeleteThe hive was one of the things I liked to study when we visited. I was a little disappointed to see the modern replacement but I suppose the old original one needed repair.
DeleteThe Grove Museum sounds fascinating. Shame about the two sisters not finding men to marry. Sometimes the ship of life leaves the wharf of dreams before we are ready. Glad to hear that Lord Peregrine survived his last fell run. I could not sleep with the worry. What a relief!
ReplyDeleteI shall tell him of your concern, YP. I am sure he will be most gratified.
DeletePlease reassure him that I am heterosexual.
DeleteHe will be very relieved to hear that.
DeleteI find these places fascinating. There was one near us in Shropshire that is still a working farm. It was even on TV... 'The Victorian Farm' I think.
ReplyDeleteThe Grove has been preserved just as the sisters left it. It is quite eerie, almost as if they have just gone out and will be returning soon.
DeleteWhat a beautiful setting and gardens. We bet is smelled great too - fresh grass, honey smell around the hives, all those flowers...
ReplyDeleteIt is rather lovely on a summer's day.
DeleteI tried to imagine a generation of men simply gone. Heartbreaking story. Two sisters living all their lives in a house together, never updating, stuck in time. That's another story no less amazing. We had the an old mansion that 3 sisters lived in after the death of their parents. They died too, one after the other, until there was just one, the last surviving sister living in a house that had not been renovated since the electricity was put in. When she died, the property was bought by the local steel mill. They burned the house to the ground. I still remember seeing it as we passed by on the school bus. The company did their work under the cover of darkness to sidestep the battle going on to save the old house. Now all that remains is the stone gates, the old ice house and the foundations.
ReplyDeleteThat is a sad story. It seems like wiping out a whole family's history to destroy a house such as that with all those memories attached. These days money and so-called progress is more important than history.
DeleteAnother great walk. Interesting photos and history.
ReplyDeleteThanks LA. Keeping mind and body active 😉
DeleteLove all the various colours of those wildflowers. So beautiful. The Manx Loaghtan sheep really are distinctive.
ReplyDeleteNever see a photo of an outdoor privy without thinking of the one behind my aunt's row house in east London. Was the only toilet on the property until one was finally installed inside in the mid-1960s. Hated using it. The toilet paper was that stiff, waxy stuff you had to rub between your hands to soften up. Ugh. Not a fond memory.
Oh yes. Izal wasn't it? My aunt lived in a two up two down terrace in West London with an outdoor loo. I hated using it because of the spiders.
DeleteI love bees. However i loved the wild flower photo most of all.
ReplyDelete