Tags
crossbow, Doll's House Exhibition, Iceni artifacts, needlework, Norfolk, Norwich, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, stained glass, teapots
As I have mentioned before, we didn’t manage to do as much walking and we didn’t visit as many places as usual last year and, for the same reasons, I also didn’t write very many posts. I have photos from the few excursions we did make and some pictures of interesting things I saw that I haven’t posted yet, so I thought I would put together some retrospective posts whenever I have spare time.
This is the first of a series of posts.
ooooOOoooo
Last spring, Elinor was asked to write about an exhibition she had visited. Unfortunately, she hadn’t visited one for some time so we looked about us to see if there was anything on locally that appealed to her. We were pleased to see that at the Castle Museum in Norwich there was an exhibition of doll’s houses – so that’s where we went.
The exhibits were difficult to photograph because of the lighting and the reflections from the glass cases. Here is a slideshow of photos of some of the houses.
Elinor stayed in the exhibition hall to sketch a few of the houses and make some notes while I wandered round the rest of the museum. I spent some time in the art gallery where they have a fine collection of paintings and drawings by local artists: Gainsborough, Constable, Crome, Munnings, Seago and others. I took no photographs there nor in the natural history section where there are a number of dioramas featuring lots of stuffed birds and animals mainly collected during the 19th century. I don’t like stuffed birds and animals.
The museum has a collection of antique clothes and costumes which I enjoy seeing and also pieces of needlework and embroidery.
Here are some examples of Jacobean needlework and also a lovely lace collar.
I took a photograph of a splendid crossbow.
The museum has a large collection of teapots. Here are some of them.
I wandered through the Boudica and the Romans gallery and took some photos of a few of the artifacts that have been discovered.
There are a few display cabinets in the large central area in the castle keep.
I like these examples of medieval stained glass. Top left shows winter pruning, top right is a feast, bottom left shows a gardener hurrying indoors out of a spring rain or hail shower, bottom right shows a man harvesting bunches of grapes.
I had to go back to meet Elinor then before I’d finished the whole tour of the museum. We returned a few weeks later with Richard so he could also see the exhibition and for Elinor to check on a few details. We all enjoyed the exhibition very much.
Thanks for visiting!
Elizabeth Melton Parsons said:
Lovely photos, Clare. ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Elizabeth ❤
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Lisa G. said:
What beautiful needlework, Clare! Jacobean is always appealing to me. And the stained glass with the scenes of everyday life – I love that, too!
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Clare Pooley said:
I am drawn to Jacobean embroidery too; it’s so bright and vibrant.
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Helen said:
Me, too! A humorous statement about the nature of gardening. I’m glad the stained glass has been saved for posterity.
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Clare Pooley said:
So am I!
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Helen said:
😊
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Jill Weatherholt said:
How nice that you were able to enjoy the exhibit with Elinor. Your photos are beautiful, Clare! I hope everyone is well. ❤️
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you so much, Jill! Yes, we are all well ❤
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susanpoozan said:
Great photographs, what a local treasure that museum is. Thanks for sharing.
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Clare Pooley said:
My pleasure, Susan and thank-you.
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avian101 said:
How nice to see antique arts and crafts. All hand made and beautiful. Thanks Clare for the tour. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
My pleasure, HJ! Thank-you.
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Peter Klopp said:
I am impressed by the high quality of the photos in spite of your problems you were having with reflections on the glass and poor lighting.
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Clare Pooley said:
How very kind! Thank-you so much, Peter.
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derrickjknight said:
You did well with the glass cases. Sometimes I like to incorporate reflections in the image
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Derrick.
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margaret21 said:
Well done for taking such good photos in display cases. A task I find impossible. I must put Norwich on my ‘to visit’ list.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Margaret. These were the best of very many photos I took that day!
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Jane Sturgeon said:
Ohh, thank you Clare. This new year has started with an unexpected, yet lovely, ‘busyness’, so with a cup of coffee in hand I took a break to read your lovely post. Hugs and much love flowing to you and yours. More hugs ❤ Xxxx ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you so much, dear Jane xx ❤ xx I am glad you are okay 🙂 Hugs and love xx
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Jane Sturgeon said:
❤ for you always dear Clare Xxxxxx ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
❤ ❤ xxxx ❤ ❤
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Richard Sutton said:
What a great combination, doll’s houses set in such a grand museum. Beauty comes in all sizes! Well dome Elinor for getting Clare and Richard there too.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Richard!
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unionhomestead said:
Love the needlepoint and the stained glass.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Sharon. They were my favourite too!
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Aquileana said:
A beautiful exposition, Clare… doll’s houses?: I would love to see those ones… Very sweet… My favorite pieces are the stained glasses… Don´t you feel that the images portraying those characters seem a little bit like the images on the Tarot cards I have recently shown? … (I do) … I love them..
I also really liked the Jacobean needlework: impressive work… Wishing you an excellent 2018 dear friend. ❤ 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, dear Aquileana! Yes, there are similarities between the characters and the Tarot images. I wish you a splendid 2018 xx ❤ 🙂
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Laurie Graves said:
A treasure is right! I was taken with the variety of dollhouses in the slideshow. Then there was the needlework and the stained glass. So much to see and admire. I’m with you on stuffed birds and animals. Not my thing at all.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Laurie.
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quietsolopursuits said:
I loved seeing the details of the dollhouses, I wish that I had the skill and patience to build miniatures like them. I also liked seeing the stained glass as well the needlework, which maybe surprising to you. However, I can appreciate the skill required to do needlework as fine as these examples were. The museum is impressive in its own right, thank you for a wonderful tour of what you found!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Jerry. I also admire people with the skill and patience to make these lovely things. I think you would have made a better job of taking photographs of them than I did! I had to discard so many shots!
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Lavinia Ross said:
I enjoyed your trip to the museum, Clare! Thank you for taking your readers along. I love that collection of tea pots! 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Lavinia. The teapots were a delight!
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
I’ve never thought of medieval people having much time to do anything but trying to stay alive but they must have had some free time to do things for just the enjoyment of doing them. I’m glad they did.
I decided to build my daughter a dollhouse when she was small but I only got as far as the furniture. She had several rooms full of Chippendale and Queen Anne furniture but no rooms to put them in.
I’d love to see the old coin exhibit. Too bad there had to be so many manacles in those days.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Allen The manacles were horrid – the Romans never tolerated rebellion did they? How clever of you to build the furniture for your daughter’s dollhouse! I think I would rather have furniture with no rooms (these can be imagined) than empty rooms!
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
No, the Romans knew what they wanted and they got it, one way or another.
The dollhouse furniture came from kits, but getting them together was a bit of work. My daughter was happy with it even without the house, I think.
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Clare Pooley said:
I’m sure she was!
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tootlepedal said:
A very fine collection of tea pots.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Tom. It is an extensive collection!
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bitaboutbritain said:
I remember visiting Norwich Castle when I was knee high to a grasshopper, but don’t actually remember it – if you know what I mean. The museum looks like my kind ogf place. What is it about things in miniature? – so fascinating – loved the dolls’ houses!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Mike! Yes, miniature things are wonderful. I had a dolls house with electric lights and loved peering in through the windows. My brother had a train set and so many miniature cars! I loved playing with them!
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bitaboutbritain said:
OK, since we’re into confessions – I still have a collection of my Corgi and Dinky cars; but don’t tell the guys down the pub…
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Clare Pooley said:
I won’t tell a soul! 😉
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Ste J said:
It looks like a great place to visit, the architecture looks great and that stained glass is mighty impressive.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Ste J.
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Liz said:
What an amazing place! That needlework is beautiful and I love the dolls houses. Have you read or watched The Miniaturist? Both v good 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Liz. No, I haven’t read/watched it; I will look out for the book. I think the last time we went to see a film was in January 2010 when we took our daughter to see a film for her birthday! It’s her 21st birthday today and I was just thinking about it! Cinemas are not easy to get to from here! 😀
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Liz said:
Gosh, that is indeed a while ago. Mind you, I can’t actually remember when I last went! Anyway, a very happy birthday to your daughter – I hope you have all been having a wonderful celebratory weekend. (PS The Miniaturist is on iPlayer at the moment – just the two episodes and well worth a watch, if only for the Vermeer-like imagery 😀) x
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks very much, Liz 🙂 x
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Clare Pooley said:
As you can see, I don’t watch TV or read newspapers either and am fearfully ignorant about what’s going on in the world! 😀
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Liz said:
lol – I think you might be on to something…! 😉
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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Annika Perry said:
Clare, this is a lovely post of your visit and you make it sound so tempting! 😀😀 The stain glass windows were very unusual and the doll’s houses seemed to range from the normal to the incredibly ornate…just imagine playing with one of those! A wonderful eclectic mix in this museum and one I am keen to visit next time I’m in Norwich.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Annika! It is a very pleasant place to while away a few hours; quite expensive entrance fees though.
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KerryCan said:
It’s interesting to see the different architectural styles and furnishing in all those dollhouses–nothing like the generic ones I grew up with. The museum is an interesting mix of stuff–and I was struck, too, by *so* many manacles! The black lines in the stained glass make it look like some of those guys are being hung by the neck!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Kerry! I see what you mean about the stained-glass figures! 😀 The craftsmen were hampered by only being able to make small pieces of glass.
I was shocked by the amount of manacles, whips and so on that have been discovered in this area. Life cannot have been easy with the Romans in control! I would have backed Boudicca and followed her to the end! Invading armies haven’t changed much in their behaviour in millennia.
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Cecilia said:
What an amazing place! I would probably spend a whole day there! Thank you and greetings.
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Clare Pooley said:
My pleasure, Cecilia and thank-you!
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mypeacockbooks said:
Wow, I’ve never been to Norwich Castle but I’d love to visit. I do love the doll houses and they are some lovely photographs through the glass, but my favourite exhibit was actually the needlework. I love embroidering by hand myself and am always fascinated by the stitching and embroidery of the past.
I think the castle keep is an exhibit in itself too! I love standing in castles and just absorbing the atmosphere 🙂 By the way, I’m not a fan of stuffed animals or birds either, unless they are of the cuddly modern toy variety 😉
Beautiful photographs and you make me want to take a visit myself ❤ 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Cat! I used to love embroidery too but haven’t done any for so many years! Most of my sewing these days is mending 😦 which isn’t inspiring but is very useful! 😉 I’m glad you liked the look of the museum – I love visiting it as there is such a variety of things to look at. It is quite expensive to get in, though so I don’t go as often as I’d like.
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mypeacockbooks said:
It’s a shame it has to cost so much to enter. Of course they have to make the money to keep the place going but it’s certainly been a barrier to visiting some places for me in the past.
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Clare Pooley said:
They reduce the price considerably an hour before closing but I’m not sure I would use it unless there was one specific thing I wanted to see.
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mypeacockbooks said:
Lol, that’s a bit strange, they know you won’t be able to see everything so you get what you pay for I suppose. Although it still is a good thing for them to do, especially if someone is visiting to research for a school project or something 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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womanseyeview said:
Looks a great place to wander and I’m with you on avoiding the stuffed birds and animals! Great dollhouses though.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Carol!
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Cynthia Reyes said:
And now we’ve accompanied you to the exhibition too! I’m taken by the Jacobean needlework – beautiful — but even more so by the dollhouses. They are such interesting objects. I just realized I haven’t seen one in years. Thanks for sharing, Clare! Best to you, Richard and the young ladies.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Cynthia. You are thoughtful and kind as ever. Best wishes are returned to you, Hamlin and your family.
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Charlotte Hoather said:
What a lovely day out. I used to love dolls houses, we made one from a kit to replace the cardboard one I made with my brothers. These times with Elinor are just lovely I miss being with my Mum.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Charlotte. I truly appreciate the time I can spend with both my daughters just as you and your parents do, I am sure.
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The Thrifty Campers said:
Love the vintage look and feel of the museum. That crossbow is seriously cool.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you!
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quercuscommunity said:
I was fascinated by the taxidermy gallery when I was younger, but the teapots, embroidery and stained glass are more to my taste these days. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks very much, Simon. Yes, I think I’d have been more interested in the dioramas when I was young, and they really are beautifully made and full of a multitude of different creatures some of which are now very rare or have even disappeared from the wild.
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whitefeatherfloating said:
Thanks for sharing, Clare. That looks like it was a fun museum to visit, one I sure would enjoy! Love all your photos, especially the tea pots! 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Patsy! It’s a lovely museum! Not too big with a large variety of things to look at. My daughter and I recently went to an exhibition of Rembrandt drawings and etchings there – they were superb!
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whitefeatherfloating said:
Wow! I would love to see either van Gogh’s, Monet’s, or Rembrandt’s drawings and paintings in person! How fortunate for you!
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Clare Pooley said:
We were very lucky! 🙂
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whitefeatherfloating said:
🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you, Mahika.
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Helen said:
There is a large collection of dolls houses at Nunnington Hall in North Yorkshire. They are amazing, aren’t they?
Anyway, as others have commented, your post has inspired me to visit Norwich Castle.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank-you very much, Helen. I must make a note of Nunnington Hall!
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Helen said:
I hope you find it interesting, if you visit.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thanks, Helen 🙂
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Sheryl @ Flowery Prose said:
I’m not sure how I missed this post! Fantastic (and varied) collections – thank you so much for giving us a wonderful glimpse of them!
Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Sheryl. I sometimes miss posts and even comments and replies made to me! I never know how I do it!
Have a fantastic weekend too! xo
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