We were woken early yesterday by a boat gently passing by at 6.30am, this is not unusual, as many boaters prefer to get moving, and moor up in the early afternoon. We needed to get going by 8.30 , to return to Wightwick so that we would be in good time for the Manor opening at 11am.
Our return was not in vain, and we lucky to be booked in for the 11.30 tour, and what a real treat the house tour was. Our charming lady guide showed us through the stunning Mander mansion, which is crammed with Morris fabrics and wallpapers, many pre Raphaelite paintings, and tiles and ceramics by William de Morgan. Theodore Mander and his wife Flora had a very modern outlook when they commissioned the interior of their home, unfortunately neither lived long enough to enjoy. The great hall/reception room was most impressive with a huge ingle nook fireplace and minstrel gallery, with Morris fabrics lining the walls. Our guide explained that the missing panel of Morris fabrics was due to an infestation of woolly bear insects, and the Trust was having to expend several thousand pounds to treat each panel, by removing and arranging for specialist 'freezing' to deal with the problem. The 90 minute tour came to an end far too soon, and we both agreed it could have gone on longer, it was just fascinating. We would recommend a visit and house tour to all.
So, after lunch, and a swift shopping trip to NISA at Compton, we continued on our way towards Autherley Junction and beyond, to moor again at Cross Green. We have noticed that over the last couple of days, someone has spent a lot of time creating faces on many of the tree stumps and sign posts along the way.
Today, Sunday, we have continued along the Staffs and Worcester canal, passing another Vagabond, also, Caernarvon, the butty of a retired hotel boat AND Nell Gwynn, a boat we borrowed about 25 years ago, based in Skipton, which brought back memories of a dead duck we discovered on the boat roof one morning, - we could only presume had been attacked by a fox.
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