We began the day outside of Kiplin Hall, with an introduction by Connie Schultz, as the curator Dawn Webster had trustees call unexpectedly asking for a private tour. Last night I read over Kiplin Hall booklet currently available in its gift shop—basically a history of the four families who have owned it, a description of its rooms and some of the objects they contain, as well as structural changes made to the buildings as it passed from family to family and generation to generation. In addition there was a bit about the restoration of the house (most of it relatively recent, and which I will expound upon in later posts).

Front of Kiplin Hall. The square part of the building (with the coining around the outside) is the original structure from the 1620's. The addition to the left is the library.

Over the last century Kiplin fell into disrepair. It's last owner Bridget Talbot created the Trust in hopes that someday Kiplin would be restored to its former glory. Eventually, the Hall’s saving grace was the quarry, which brought in quite a bit of revenue, and also created the lake. Land is still leased to a gravel processing plant. In addition, a Heritage Lottery Grant coupled with a donation from the Maryland Historical Society helped bring Kiplin back to life.

One of the stewards, James Miligan quickly showed us around the interior, touching only on the Drawing Room, the Dining Room, the Library, and the Long Hall. As Rebecca later pointed out at dinner, one of the more insightful things he said related to what interests the English public, and their reasons for visiting: mainly because they wanted to “take a drive”. The Public’s foremost interest concerned the building itself (and the gardens, Brits seem to love gardens), followed by the objects housed within, and seemingly ended with the history of those who lived there (almost as an afterthought). For me, this was hard to comprehend, as many objects have little inherent interest/ value in themselves; it is the history that adds this depth. At any rate, our tour was rather brief, and focused again on the history. And again, I’m totally content hearing a history lesson (finally memorized the family trees of the four families), except the brief tour brought to light a potential problem when looking toward our future site visits. James did not treat us as he would regular visitors to Kiplin Hall; rather he and the staff treated us as professional historians/preservationists/etc. This is great for “behind the scenes” material, which we can certainly compare to our own experiences working in the States, but did not give us a sense of what the pubic experiences…which we would also like to compare with museums/historic houses back in the States. Of course this problem is minimized at Kiplin, as we will be there almost every day and will surely be able to catch a public tour (and actually see the rest of the rooms!).

I also had many questions about the restoration of the house and some of the objects, but we did not have time. As the weeks progress I will continue to speak about Kiplin and new things that I learn, so look for that. Remember, if any of you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments.

Also, remember to check out Kiplin’s website here.

****

After lunch we drove to Easby Abbey (only about ten minutes away from Kiplin) to meet with Richard Almond, a medieval historian based in Richmond. After a brief quiz to learn what we know about monastic life (of course at this point I was kicking myself—hard—for not finishing my book, “The Age of the Cloister” by Christopher Browne. It would have been extremely useful.), we toured a few of the rooms of the Abbey (see below).

Originally built by the Premonstratensian Order in 1152, Easby Abbey was one of many suppressed during King Henry VIII’s reign, and after it was sold off in the 1530’s, most of the stones were removed and used to build the town of Easby. Notice how little of the Chapel walls remain, and none of the Cloister- this would be due to the higher quality of stone used in those parts of the Abbey, as well as the ease with which the stones came down. This removal of stones is a common site at abbeys throughout Europe, as many of them fell victim to dissolution by Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell. (Another outcome of the Reformation will be seen in a moment, in St. Agatha’s Church, a parish church attached to Easby Abbey.)

Easby Abbey, with St. Agatha's Parish Church graveyard in foreground.

Interior of Refectory. This room was originally divided into two floors. The upper level is where the canons (monks) would have eaten, and the lower level (ground level now) is where their food and drink would have been stored. The abbot would have sat at a table at the far end, with the rest of the members sitting in rows facing the windows on the right. There would have been no talking during mealtimes, only listening as one of the canons recited prayers.

(Photo courtesy of Sarah Swinney)

Here is what is left of the Cloister (stone perimeter).

The Chapel was almost entirely demolished. These stones are gravemarkers (in fact, the one on the far right has the symbol of the abbot, meaning that one of them was buried here).

(See me on the right? Photo courtesy of Sarah Swinney)

Here are photos of the exterior and interior of St. Agatha’s, a parish church that used to lie inside the Abbey’s walls.

The part of the structure with the door dates back to the 12th century (Norman times), while the addition on the left is circa 14th century.

Still St. Agatha's. Notice how the triangle of stone at the top is different. This was part of a restoration done by Sir Gilbert Scott during the Victorian Era.

During his restoration, Sir Gilbert Scott also uncovered wall paintings (not frescos, those are Italian) that had previously been whitewashed by King Henry VIII during the English Reformation. Here is a scene from Genesis.

****

After leaving St. Agatha’s we walked along the River Swale to Richmond. Richmond Castle is a self-guided tour, with general information plaques stationed throughout. There are beautiful views from the top of the keep, but beyond the scenery there is not much for the average visitor to draw on. We had Richard with us, of course, so I know that we learned far more than most who visit.

Classmates inside St. Nicholas's Chapel, which would have been Alan the Red's private Chapel at Richmond Castle (notice how small it is).

A view of the Keep from inside the castle walls.

View from the top of the Keep.