Blanchland is the site of an old Abbey which nowadays acts as the local church.

Blanchland Abbey:-

Rear of Abbey:-

Blanchland’s War Memorial sits beside the Abbey’s entrance pathway:-

It commemorates the village’s Great War dead. Dedication and names with inscription, “All they had they gave.”:-

Blanchland is a village in Northumberland (just.) We visited it because it was featured in a book of picturesque British villages which we have. (Titled the AA Book of British Villages.) Its buildings are lovely, all built of stone.

The village’s focal point is a kind of square whose entrance is on the left below:-

The Square. Note The Lord Crewe Arms on the left:-

The Lord Crewe Arms:-

The Square:-

The Square’s entrance porch building houses the village shop:-

One of the buildings has a stream running under it:-

An old church:-

As well as the model in the castle’s grounds there is this one in metal with labels of the castle’s interior:-

Its reverse:-

The Castle keep from below:-

Tower from inside:-

Walls and windows:-

Castle from car park:-

Main building:-

Walls to left of above:-

Walls to right:-

Model in grounds:-

The reason for our visit to Warkworth was to take a look at the castle, which stands on a hill at the end of the village:-

And dominates the road past it:-

Holy Trinity Church is in the centre of St Andrews, in what is a kind of town square, two sides of which are pedestrianised. It is the traditional Parish Church for the town and was where John Knox helped to start the Scottish Reformation.

For some reason it was open when we were in the town in September 2024 so we took the chance to have a look around.

East window:-

Door and west window:

The pulpit is fairly elaborate and lit up from within:-

The wooden ceiling is also worth a look, containing several armorial crests:-

In adition to in the Hall and White Room, Blackwell Arts & Crafts House has some other fine fireplaces.

Tree House design by Blackwell’s architect Baillie Scott:-

Blackwell‘s Arts & Crafts designs extend all over the house.

A bedroom:-

Close-up on bedroom light ftting:-

Another of the beds:-

Bedroom chair:-

Chest of Drawers and bookcase:-

Chest:-

Blackwell‘s dining room is off the hall and has similar dark colours:-

Dining table:-

Sideboard. Typical Arts & Crafts styling:-

Dresser:-

Tapestry. Much faded now:-

Chair:-

The entrance corridor at Blackwell is fairly dark. Looking back to shop area:-

The corridor was designed to lead from darkness to light – onto a bright white painted room with a view to Lake Windermere:-

View to Windermere:-

This room immediately reminded us of the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Fireplace in white room:-

This chair especially. We were told it’s not original to the house but was brought in as being in keeping with the original furnishings:-

This corner cupboard  is flanked by two stylised trees, natural motifs are all around the house in the decor, particularly rowan berries, and apparently when the house was taken over after a long period of neglect there was a rowan sapling growing inside this cupboard:-

View from side window:-

This dark piece of furniture is out of keeping with the room but is contemporaneous:-