Newcastle Castle and Cathedral (photo dump 2 of 2)

 

Newcastle Castle! When we were in Colorado I remember anything more than 100 years old being considered “historic.” Here in England they don’t blink until it’s a THOUSAND years old! And that's the "new" castle; I'm not sure where/what the "old" castle was... This castle is considered one of the best examples of Norman stone carving. It was pretty much the northern extent of England in its time (Scotland just across the border.) The view from the top was fantastic. (For some reason Blogger insisted on posting these photos in reverse order except for the first one, sorry.)

The castle does lose some context surrounded by modern roads and pavement. In my childhood mind's eye castles were huge and imposing.

Chain mail display in the Great Hall.

The decorative stone carving in the chapel is remarkable, but again we don't know what is original and what was later embellishment.

Spiral stairs! Memories of the St Augustine light house. But these stone stairs are far more irregular. Can you imagine a medieval knight running up these in full armour? We were hanging on firmly to the rail even in our jeans and modern shoes. Very irregular spacing and uneven surfaces, yikes.

I’m not sure what the story is behind these stones. The pattern of dots looks too intentional to be a side product of the quarrying process.(Which one park staffer suggested; another thought it was an embellishment added during Victorian times.)

Rooftop view in the other direction, toward the cathedral we visited after the castle

View from the rooftop. The low bridge toward the right side is a swing bridge on the site of a long-ago Roman bridge, that would have been made of wood atop stone pillars.

The Grand Hall

First view of the castle, walking up the steps from the Tyne River

Th doors to enter into the Great Hall. There’s a simpler smaller door for everyday, this is for those who need to make a grander entrance. We learned how very big a deal hierarchies were in the Middle Ages

After the castle, we made our way across to the cathedral. I suspect between the two they pretty much defined the center of life in the middle ages.

Informative panel about the 900-year-old church.

The intricacy of the carving and artwork was remarkable. How many years of effort must this have taken? Admittedly I compared it to the humbleness of the ordinary person's dwelling of the day, and even of the castle, and wondered about priorities and misplaced effort.

More intricate carving, this time of marble.

The organ; somehow the vertical pipes brought to mind ... 

... the vertical lines of this structure on the Galeon for hoisting the mainsail. (Maybe my own kind of religion?)

I'm admittedly non-religious and skeptical of organized religion and churches in general but was impressed by the welcoming nature of this grand cathedral; in the corner you can see the sleeping bag of a homeless person who has taken shelter here.

We visited at the end of June so this Pride conversation was displayed in one area. The sign referred to "all our identities" and (ouch!) the "regressive" policies in the US. I was pleasantly surprised to find the church more inclusive than I would have expected from this institution.

My favourite plaque of all! A feminist in the 1600s. "If all men are born free," she asks, "how is it that all women are born slaves?" That she was educated in this church at a time when most women, in fact many people, were not, counts for a lot, and that she expressed this sentiment was remarkable to me. All in all I had a much more favourable view of this church after our visit.