A Bit of House History

Over the past couple of years I've been trying to trace the history of the house, but so far haven't found out when it was built. The census records have given me quite a bit of information about who lived here since 1841 and I know that between at least 1821 and 1978, only 3 families lived in Bondgate House - the Pringles, the Robsons and the Trevor-Ropers. I say 'at least' 1821 as the census records do not go back that far, but there is a very old map in the local Fire Station with the name 'Pringle' against the house and various Trade Directories around that time also say that a Mr Pringle lived here. He was an attorney in Alnwick but died sometime in the 1840's, leaving his wife and 2 unmarried daughters living here. The Robsons came towards the end of the nineteenth century and Robert Robson was one of the doctors in Alnwick, and thehouse was eventually sold (after his death) to another doctor - Bertie Trevor-Roper - who lived here until his death in the 1970's. So, for much of the last century, the house was not only a home, but also a doctor's surgery. Bertie Trevor-Roper had 3 children, one of whom was Hugh Trevor-Roper (Lord Dacre) the historian and whose childhood home this was.

The picture of the house was taken, I think, at the turn of the nineteenth century and the person on the front step, I like to think, is Mrs Robson, the doctor's wife.

The search has been made more difficult by the fact that house numbers changed mid 19th century - so it started out in the censuses as no.42 Bondgate Without before eventually becoming no.20.

If you look closely at the photo you can see what looks like a mark in the middle of the blocked up window on the first floor. The window was unblocked in the last 1970's and the mark (which is a fire insurance plaque) was moved to just above the newly opened window.

The plaque was issued by the Newcastle Fire Office, which was established in 1783, but this probably dates from the 1840's according to Aviva' s archivist. It's been a bit battered but the name 'Newcastle' is clearly visible although the 3 towers are not that clear now.

There's plenty more research to do but it will have to wait until quieter times but I'm looking forward to filling in some of the details as it is the details that make this history search so fascinating. For example, we know from relatives of Bertie Trevor-Roper that the house was one of the first in Alnwick to have a telephone installed and the telephone number was Alnwick 2 - guess who had the number Alnwick 1!

Herb Garden Taking Shape

Most of our plants and herbs have managed to survive the winter - some in good shape, some vey much the worse for wear. Most of the damage was done by the sheer weight of the snow, but, as alays, the resilience of nature is amazing. Our beautiful myrtle bush (on the right) suffered badly 2 winters ago, but came back and flowered by the end of the summer . This last winter though has really taken its toll of our poor myrtle and we pruned it very heavily around 6 weeks ago. Today, we can see signs of growth which is wonderful given what a beautiful and heavenly-scented shrub it is.

We've started to re-plant one area of the garden to make a 'herb tea garden'. This is an area where our b&b guests will be able to pick their own herb teas. It will be well-labelled so that everyone knows which herbs can be used and which can't. There is lemon balm, lemon verbena, lavender, sage, thyme, wormwood, bergamot, vervain, catmint, alecost, peppermint.... Chamomile is starting to grow now as are the marigolds (Calendula). All these are used to make a leaf or flower tea - we've left out those that use roots or berries - and it is so easy to make your own herb tea, just as long as you know the right proportions and right parts of the plant to use.

Improving Our Garden

Last year we decided to make some big changes in our garden in the layout and the planting. The focus was, and remains, on planting a specimen garden for herbs – a natural thing for an herbalist like me to want - but we also needed more space to grow vegetables and better sitting areas. The garden is an important part of our b&b in Alnwick and one that we want to share with our guests to provide a relaxing oasis in the centre of town. Before we changed the garden, it was pleasant enough, but we knew it could be improved. On the left is the garden before we changed it.

So many people are surprised when they walk through our guest house and round the side of the cottage to find such a spacious garden. We are fortunate that the garden is so sheltered with a high stone wall around it and bathes in the sun (when it’s shining) for much of the day and evening. Even with the shelter in the garden, this year got off to a very slow start with a long winter and very late frosts.

The raised bed area, where we grow our vegetables, salad leaves and herbs for breakfasts is one that has excited a lot of comment and interest from our guests. With 2 beds, each laid out in an ‘L’ shape and nested together, it is a very easy area to garden, weed and harvest from. The coriander and chervil, after a slow start, have burgeoned, the radishes are doing well. It doesn’t look as though we’ll have any peas or mange touts this year, though, as the family of sparrows and blue tits that live in the garden have eaten all the emerging shoots. We also have a resident blackbird that follows us around the garden hoping for (and usually getting) easy food from our weeding and digging.
The old dense and dark leylandii hedge has gone, thankfully, and the garden now seems incredibly more spacious with a lot more light. We replaced the leylandii with a natural mixed hedging to encourage wildlife so it includes cramp bark, hawthorn, holly, dog rose and common buckthorn. It’s still in its infancy, but is growing very well and won’t be long before it screens the car park of our guest house from the garden. I imagine the birds will enjoy the berries in the autumn.
You can see just how much growth has happened over the past 2 months from these pictures – one was taken in late April and the other this week.

The raised beds in April (left) and June (right), with mullein in the foreground.

Local Produce - The Best of Northumberland

As do many guest houses, we make the claim that we source as many of our breakfast ingredients as locally as possible. I was thinking about this the other day and wondered (to myself) what is 'local'? Does it mean it comes from a 5 mile, 10 mile, or 50 mile radius? Or perhaps it means regional? Whatever it means, I thought it would be a good idea to explain a bit about some of the produce we use on our breakfast menu.

The eggs come from a farm about half an hour's drive up the A1. They are properly free range and delicious. The yolks vary in colour, which I think is a good sign, and they cook beautifully. The yolks have body and the whites are firm and tight showing their freshness. Supermarket eggs tend to have yolks of exactly the same colour - achieved by giving the chicken feed with a colourant added.

The bacon is home cured by the local butcher, who also makes the sausages and black pudding. The sausages are full of meat and have so little fat that I usually brush with olive oil before cooking them.

The bread is wonderful. It is comes from an artisan baker on the Ford & Etal Estate, near Berwick - www.greatnorthumberlandbread.co.uk. The bread is made using natural long term ferments and sourdough and is then baked in a home built, woodfired oven. It is proper bread and it tastes like nothing you can buy at the supermarket. The oven is now fired entirely by wood from the estate, and virtually all the flour used is from the local farm(s). The great thing about this bread is that you know it is made in the traditional way, which has a lot of health benefits - and the taste is fantastic. It doesn't contain the additives and improvers and 'enhancers' that a lot of bread does, some of which never make their way onto the ingredients label! Traditionally made bread is also less likely to cause wheat intolerance, although for those with coeliac disease, wheat-based bread is still not suitable, however it is made.

Hay Meadows in the Cheviots

Eyebright Wild Thyme One of the hay meadows

Although the weather was unpredictable last week, I was fortunate to choose a bright, but windy, day to re-visit some hay meadows at Barrowburn. I had first gone there on a beautifully peaceful, sunny evening in June for a talk by the National Parks Officer responsible for developping these hay meadows. The road to Barrowburn follows the river Coquet (as in Coquetdale) and is near the head of a long, sinuous valley, through MOD land. Signs warning not to touch any metal objects you come across and the red flags flying on the hill sides might put some people off, as it is within the Otterburn ranges - althought he grazing sheep and cattle seem to cope well. Indeed, on my first visit, I began to wonder if I had taken a wrong turning as the single lane road (with passing places) went on and on. Perseverance paid and the car park near the end of this rather long 'no-through' road signalled that I was in the right place.

The peace and tranquillity are almost tangible. (The peace is enhanced by the fact that there is no mobile signal here - but BT still have a phone box). The valley is magnificent and the hay meadows developping well. In June they were very colourful, with wood cranesbills, yellow rattles, and pignuts, but these are now seeding and so they are not as colourful as before. But, getting down and close, you can still see plenty of eyebrights, yarrow is coming through and along the banks of the river wild thyme is growing.

From the car park, it is possible to walk further up the valley, or to go mountain biking, and best of all, the farm at Barrowburn now has a tea room. I can highly recommend the scones - proper home baking and absolutely delicious, as was the pot of fresh coffee.

The drive to Barrowburn from Alnwick is a delight in itself, passing through moorland and valleys, picturesque villages (such as Harbottle and Alwinton) and ruined castles, along almost empty country roads. A grand day out!

Remembered Remedies of Northumberland

Well, its finally published - my book, that is. And I am so pleased to have reached this stage. It is available on Amazon but it would be quicker (and the same price) to contact me at Bondgate House.

Researching the book was a fascinating experience and I learnt a lot along the way. There were many interesting aspects to the writing, and one that stands out in my mind was reading correspondence and papers at the Kew Garden Archive in London, relating particularly to herb collecting during the second world war. Herb growing and wild herb collecting was a vital part of maintaining 'drug' supplies during the war and a huge country-wide organisational effort was set-up to oversee and manage this. Apparently, in the north east, we have the best rose hips in the country for making rose hip syrup - with the highest Vitamin C content.

Many of the remedies given to me for the book are based on readily available foods in the kitchen or plants growing in the wild - onions, turnips, cabbage, comfrey leaf, and nettles; others are either no longer used or no longer available - such as spider's web, Virol, and Scott's Emulsion. What is striking was the degree of self-sufficiency in managing illness in the home, in the days before the NHS - hence the use of kitchen staples and locally available plants. We seem to have lost a lot of that knowledge and confidence in such 'home treatments', and so many remedies are dismissed as old wives tales. Honey was a remedy given to me to speed healing by spreading onto cuts and wounds, and it is now being used in some hospitals as a dressing for slow healing wounds and ulcers. Indeed recent research in Ireland has found that honey is effective against the MRSA bacteria. So much for that 'old wives tale'!