"The best Cathedral on the Planet Earth"

One of the most amazing sites anywhere was just miles away from Sunderland- the city of Durham. The city itself is gorgeous-

But the centerpiece of the city is the Cathedral. (Bill Bryson called it the “best cathedral on the planet earth”). Building of the Cathedral began in 1093 and was completed in 40 years. It is a masterpiece of Norman architecture. It was built to house the shrine of St Cuthbert (yes, the guy from Lindesfarne). And, not to be topped, it also houses the head of St Oswald of Northumbria AND the remains of the Venerable Bede.

We wandered through the twisted cobble-stoned streets. Jean and I took advantage of the many little shops and we got a sandwich at one of the local pubs.

Sunderland Church Ladies

We had another library Day in Sunderland. With 2 inches of rain and major wind gusts projected, it wasn’t such a bad day to spend in the library. But then- John decided that we should take an excursion – walking- to Holy Trinity church.

The Church was the likely church of his Turner ancestors. It was built of Flemish bond brick in 1719. We found the huge metal gate very locked and decided to walk around to the back of the church. We saw a building that looked to be associated with the church and, in typical John style, he knocked on the door. Two lovely ladies answered and were intrigued with our search- especially since the only remaining headstone in the church graveyard was a Turner.

One thing led to another and we were being given a private tour of the Church.

We got back “home” and we got a pint- or two- at the Chester Pub then had a dinner of chili on jacket potatoes (another new British culinary experience).

Beamish Open Air Museum

We were a bit skeptical when Jean and Gordon suggested a vist to Beamish Open Air Museum – it sounded like a British Williamsburg or a Renaissance Festival with people dressed up in costume acting out their historical roles. We were very surprised to find a beautiful –and very large (300 acres) park set up to illustrate life in Northeast England between 1825 and 1913. Our first stop was in “the Town”, set up as a typical north eastern market town in the year’s leading up to WWI. Trolley cars shuttle you through the cobblestone streets, filled with shops and houses. Places like the local dentist take you into the world of early 1900 dentistry.

The large manor home farm shows life in a wealthy farming family in the early 1800’s. Next to the manor home is an operating railway, carrying tourists for a 1 km ride.

But the highlight for John was the recreation of the Northeastern pit from the early 1900’s. The cottages show how miners and their families lived. The school, from 1892, had three classrooms that could hold 200 children.


Near the village was the Drift Mine. This mine opened in 1855 and was worked for 103 years before closing in 1958. We toured the Colliery Heapstead building- where the cages were drawn up from the shaft beneath it. The coal tubs were weighed before the coal was tipped onto the screens for sorting and loading.

We stopped at the local store, Sainbridges, for some groceries because that evening, Gordon was preparing his famous beef stroganoff! Mmmm!

Lindisfarne - The Holy Island

In the morning, we drove up the coast to Lindesfarne, the “Holy Island”. A causeway connects the island to the mainland of Northumberland so we had to check the tides, since the road is flooded twice a day.

In 635 AD, a group of monks from the priory on Iona in the West of Scotland came to the North of England to convert the area to Christianity. The monks came, led by an Irishman called Aidan (later Saint Aidan), and founded the first monastery on Lindisfarne.

The location for the monastery was selected carefully - being within the sight of Bamburgh Castle across the bay –offering protection from the Kings, and also offering isolation, being cut off from the mainland at high tides.

Northumberland’s patron saint was a monk named Cuthbert. He eventually became the Abbott at Linisfarne. When he died, his body was kept as a holy relic on the site (his body supposedly never decayed). From 793 AD until 875 AD, the monastery was in the center of a series of Viking raids on England. The monks left the island (with St Cuthbert’s body). They eventually settled in Durham in 995 AD. In 1536, King Henry built his castle on the island (using the stones from the priory).

We started our exploration at the castle. Since it was misting, we took the bus to the “Castle stop” and walked to the entrance. The steep climb to the castle was less dramatic than the steep entrance prices charged. Having seen our share of castles, we all decided that an outside view was just fine.

So, we were off to the Priory. Once again, the price to enter was fairly grand- unlike the Priory which is in ruins. We walked around the site and found our way to the Winery where they make the famed “Lindesfarne Mead”. Fortunately they were offering samples- since one small swallow is just about all you need of this very sweet concoction. We left the island before the tide came in and made our way down the coast.

What’s a Sunday without fish and chips- especially when served with mushy peas. We searched for a “Carvery” for Sunday dinner- but found our “fush and chups” at the Joiners Arms.

Visiting our "Geordies" in Sunderland

We got to experience a “Bacon Butty” at the café just down the street from Jean and Gordon’s house. Interesting the difference in bacon –from the U.S. thin strips to the Aussie slabs, to Canada’s round, boring slices – to the UK- somewhere in between them all.
We walked through the local neighborhood – John got a haircut and we got to meet Jean’s good friend, Sylvia.

When we got back, we got the full tour of Sunderland – seeing the little burgh of Hylton where Jean grew up, stopping at the National Glass Museum with the very strange all glass ceiling- that you walk on. It doesn’t sound so bizarre, but the ceiling is several stories up and you can see clear through to the people having coffee in the café.

We coerced Jean and Gordon to take us to the pub where they first met- the Three Horse Shoe pub.

Then, we had to end the evening with a stop at one of their favorite local hangouts- the Chester Pub – with some great people watching.

Mormons in England- The Preston Temple

We had an early departure from Liverpool. Like Ireland, the city doesn’t seem to get going until 9 or 10 AM, so traffic was blissfully light.

We drove to Preston, the hub of activity for the Mormon Church in the UK. We met our guide, Peter Fagg, who promptly hopped in our car and let us do the driving for our 35£ tour. We were a bit taken aback as it meant that John spent as much time taking directions and watching for pedestrians as he did seeing the sights. Oh those frugal Mormons!

A few facts:
· Heber C. Kimball and 6 other Saints were selected to go to Liverpool in the mid-1800’s. They chose Preston as their hub. One of the seven was Joseph Fielding. He had a sister who was married to a Reverend Matthews. Both were non-conformist and allowed the missionaries to preach in the church.

· When the missionaries arrived in Preston, it was election time and there was a banner claiming "Truth will prevail". The Mormons adopted it as their slogan.

· The River Ribbel was the biggest baptismal site in all of Britain. They were called "dippers".

· Gordon B. Hinckley’s first assignment in 1933 was in Preston.

Our final stop in Preston-- the dramatic Preston Temple....

We finally arrived in Sunderland. We had a bit of a time trying to find Jean and Gordon’s house- but soon we pulled up and were whisked into their new home. Nothing like showing up on a friends’ doorstep-when they’ve only been in their house for 5 weeks. Of course, everything was perfect. The house reminded us so much of our house in Boston and we felt at home immediately.

We had drinks at their local pub and even got Indian take away – all within walking distance!

The Walled City of Chester

The morning Metro to Chester. The train went through the long tunnel across the Mersey and arrived in the walled city of Chester. We found the Visitors Center and took a 3 hour walking tour.

Chester is most famous for its black & white Tudor style buildings that line Eastgate and Bridge Street, the two main shopping streets in Chester.

But, before the Tudor period, Chester became the largest port in the north west of England in the Medieval period. There is still evidence of the Medieval period - the stone narrow bridge across the River Dee to Handbridge was the only river crossing into Chester, the Chester Cathedral and the city walls were built in this period. As always, some of the most beautiful architecture comes from the Victorians.

The beautiful Eastgate Clock was built at the end of the 19th century to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and was once the main gate to the city.

Our 3 hour tour flew by.

We raced back to the metro to catch the train back to Liverpool in time for scouse at the Baltic Fleet. The famous “scouse” tasted a bit like Dinty Moore stew.

It was time to try driving the city so we picked up car from car park and drove the LDS sites.
More Marks &Spencer sandwiches for dinner..