On the first day we headed to Stoke, where pottery originated in England. Unfortunately for you, I had such a good time being amazed at the wealth of ceramics on display that I didn't take any photos, but there were some astounding pieces. Some were very beautiful and delicate, others enormous in scale, but there was a LOT of it. Lest you think the museum was just about pottery, I also got to see a Spitfire and delve into Anglo-Saxon history. Lunch was Staffordshire oatcakes, a regional food. They can be described as pancakes but made with oats - very good.
Day two saw Chatsworth House and an exploration of Richard Arkwright's later two mills.
This is Chatsworth House, it is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It houses an amazing collection of artwork. This is just a small sample.
I was blown away by the murals on the walls and ceilings. It was extremely impressive, and more than a little sumptuous.
This is a massive piece of quartz that was gifted to Georgiana, wife of the 5th Duke.
This is an utterly amazing stone carving, the photo doesn't do it justice. The veil over her face looks soft and transparent, it is incredible to think this was achieved with stone.
This is Richard Arkwright's Masson Mill, the third and final of his cotton mills. The building is now a museum displaying the machinery that was used there. There are a lot of processes involved, but it was very cool to see how cloth used to be produced, even if I didn't understand how all the machinery worked.
This is called The Devil. It has spikes which break up the cotton, apparently there was more than one gruesome accident when workers got too close. The sign on the front specifies 'no female or young person may clean the machinery whilst it is in motion'. I'm not sure if this reflects the demographic employed in the mills, or if it is implying that an adult male is sufficiently endowed to clean The Devil while it is working...
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable weekend!
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