Tyntesfield House

Tyntesfield is a Victorian country house set in beautiful countryside about 7 miles south west of Bristol. The NationalTrust gained possession of the property in 2002 and began a programme of restoration work. Rather than shrouding the house in scaffolding for years until it was ready to accept visitors, the Trust was determined to incorporate the public in the discovery and challenges of conservation so it opened the house only ten weeks after it purchased the property.
There is still a lot to do but it is an exciting and ongoing project. If you visit the property you can see behind the scenes and see the collection being moved around the house and skilled craftspeople undertaking many tasks in front of you. Some of the original carpets have been carefully rolled and stored away but there are still lots of examples of furniture and fabrics to be seen. There is an upholstered sofa and armchairs by J.C. Grace & Son who were one of the most important firms of decorators in 19th century Britain. Most of the furniture and curtains are early 20th century. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-tyntesfield/w-tyntesfield-whats_new.htm

The Bayeux Tapestry

Having recently watched the programme "The Seven Ages of Britain" presented by David Dimbleby I was interested in his report about the Bayeux Tapestry.
It is one of the greatest historical records of the Middle Ages in Britain and it is now in a specially built tourist centre in Bayeux in France. It is one of the best sources of information on early Norman dress, armour, castle-building, boat building, hunting and other aspects of daily life.
It tells the story of William the Conqueror's invasion of England through pictorial panels. It is, however, not in fact a tapestry but an embroidery. It uses coloured wool on 8 long strips of bleached linen which have been stitched together to form a continuous panel about 20 inches high and 230 feet long.
One of the most famous scenes in the Bayeux Tapestry purports to show the death of Harold at the Battle of Hastings and that he died from an arrow in the eye. Historians now believe that this may be one of his knights. Contemporary Norman accounts say only that Harold fell in battle, so we do not actually know if the "arrow in the eye" story is true.
Although the story is told from a Norman point of view, the style of the needlework indicates that the tapestry was actually made in England.
The tapestry was the victim of a well-meaning restoration attempt in the last century, which resulted in modern stitching filling in the gaps in the fabric. These may not be accurate. Despite this, the Bayeux Tapestry remains one of the true treasures of the Norman period in English history.

The Red House designed by William Morris

William Morris designed the Red House in1859. The Red House is constructed of warm red brick with a steep tiled roof and it was built using many natural materials. The garden is an example of a garden as a series of exterior "rooms".
The National Trust aquired the Red House in 2002 and is carrying out restoration and research to restore the house as closely as possible to its original condition. It has some rare examples of William Morris wallpapers and fabrics.