Thursday, June 27, 2024

It was another beautiful day for tours and seeing more of the manor grounds and Grantham!

After a very good night’s sleep, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the day. Back again in the Refectory for breakfast, we had what they said was typical breakfast offerings with choices of eggs, sausages, beans, and porridge in the hot station and various cold cereals, fruit, and breads to toast with choices of jams.

Jane and I went to breakfast early, so we would have plenty of time to look for the laundry room because for some reason, we thought we might want to do laundry before we left the manor. In hindsight, this makes no sense. We quickly figured out that we had not been gone long enough to warrant giving up time for laundry later.

We had a great time wandering around looking for the laundry room, finding some great nooks for sitting and studying and the library.

I also learned very quickly that the telephone booth was going to become one of my direction anchors–I’d feel lost in the manor and then somehow find myself in front of it again, meaning that I finally knew exactly where I was.

Before we knew it though, it was time for our trip into town. This trip wasn’t “required,” but for me it was very important.

I’m going to be honest, I was concerned about how well some of our students would settle in and feel like they belonged coming to a study abroad program at Harlaxton College. It wasn’t just because the manor itself can be intimidating; the overwhelming beauty and opulence can make even the most confident person feel like some 19th-century downtrodden, Dickensian housemaid.

However, I was also concerned about the diversity of the students and staff and whether the neighboring town, Grantham, would provide the kinds of things our students would need to feel like they weren’t isolated from the world.

The train station doesn’t really say much. It’s lovely, but small, and going straight from there to the manor really didn’t show much about the town besides really nice brick row houses. These will be very different for people from where I live now, but I grew up in Philadelphia, so these are very comforting to me. However, I had the impression before going that Grantham was a very small town.

I live in New England, so I’m used to small towns that have a main street with a village green, a post office, a coffee shop, and maybe one antique shop–and that’s it. I was concerned that Grantham might be like that. I like those towns, but most 20something college students do not.

I was pleasantly surprised by the town of Grantham. It’s not a large town, but at a population of almost 45,000 at the 2021 census, it is a decent size.

We went on a tour of the town, which focused on some history but also all the spots that students visit–the pubs and places for karaoke, thrift shopping, groceries,and supplies. I learned that Margaret Thatcher was born there and that Sir Isaac Newton went to school there. I also learned more about the regular shuttle from the manor to the town. Students can walk or ride the Harlaxton bikes because Grantham is only three miles from the manor.

I am always on the lookout for how easily it is for me to buy basic necessities and what kind of grocery store places have even though I know that students would be fed well in the Refectory. However, as a parent and having talked to lots of parents, I know this is one of the first things they ask. It’s the first thing my mother wants to know when I go away, still. I think it’s universal for a parent to fear that their kid isn’t eating if they aren’t right in front of them!

The best thing about Grantham that it’s really walkable and everything you need is right in the town. Many small and even middling-sized towns in the US are not like this. The old downtown in such towns is pretty, but to actually buy things you need, you often need a car to drive out of town. That doesn’t seem to be the case in Grantham.

After walking around town, we ended at St. Wulfram’s Church, a beautiful medieval-styled parish church. The plan was to see the outside and the school that Sir Isaac Newton attended which is right next to it, and then we’d all be free to do what we wanted: either walking around more (including inside the church) on our own and taking bus back for lunch or having lunch in town.

However, one of the volunteer guides for the church passed by as we were talking and asked if we would like to come in and see the church’s library. Of course, we all decided to go inside to see the library. It was worth it. The church is lovely.

Only a limited number of people could go up to the library at a time, so some of us went to the crypt while we were waiting.

And then we climbed up to the Francis Trigge Chained Library to be able to see some of the artifacts. Founded in 1598, many argue that it is the first public library in England. Many of the books are chained, so they could not be checked out in the contemporary sense, but the idea that anyone could go into the room to read them made it a “public” space. There are over 350 books that date from before the Victorian period.

After we left the church, Jane and I went to have lunch at Petticoats Vintage Tea Room.

Then we went to a Morrisons, a UK supermarket chain, to find lotion and a couple of other items. The Morrisons is the supermarket that is right next to the bus stop.

We returned to the Manor just in time to participate in the garden tour.

I’m very happy that we didn’t miss any of it. It was a perfect day to be outside looking at flowers.

Looking at the manor from the gardens also reinforces how large it is.

We also went to visit the walled garden. You have to walk through the main gates, down the main road, and then through the guardhouse to get to the Walled Garden.

The Guardhouse actually has an apartment in it. Sometimes faculty on sabbatical come and live in it.

If you look closely at the second picture, you can see the manor all the way at the end of the drive from here through the opening.

Even in its current state, the Walled Garden is pretty. The College is working with the government to redevelop the space to its former glory with plans to pull up many of the current plants and wait to see what original plants come back on their own. I believe there are also plans to rebuild the greenhouse and to turn the wonderful old Gardner’s House into a cafe. One of the main reasons why I want to go back is to see this space when it’s all done and refurbished.

Afterwards, we walked back up to the manor. I walked around the back of the carriage house because I wanted to see what it looked like from the other side. It didn’t disappoint!

I stayed in my room to rest up for the formal dinner. I ended up doing work and losing track of time, so I made it to dinner right when they were starting to serve, so I didn’t get pictures of the set up for the dinner, which was in the Gold room. However, I did get pictures of the food!

I never eat like this on vacations or even for trips away for work. I accepted my fate with gratitude. I also got to have some very interesting conversations about diversity at dinner, talking to the head of housekeeping and her husband, especially since I had already started thinking about whether I could afford an apartment in Grantham for retirement. It just seems like the perfectly-sized community for me with places to ride my bike and only a little over an hour by train to London.

I will never be able to afford to retire in London (my fantasy since a teen), but maybe I could afford Grantham, which is actually more my speed anyway. 😀

I was looking forward to the next day where we would learn more about the workings of the college and the academic programs.