Gibside

We have my best friend from school-days staying with us for a few days, which is rather special as he has lived in Minneapolis for many years. We spent a lovely day at Gibside, a National Trust property a few miles southwest of Newcastle. There are 15 miles of walks (although we only did about 4 miles) and lots of blippertunities!

This photo shows the "Column of British Liberty", at the North end of the Avenue Walk. It was begun in 1750 and took 9 years to build. The statue, 12ft high and originally gilt, was carved by Christopher Richardson in situ 1756-7; the figure holds the staff of maintenance and cap of liberty. The column is claimed to be a little taller than Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square although I'm not really sure that this is true.

The "extra" is part of the orangerie, which they have kept looking rather pretty in spite of being ruined. Apparently there are plans to restore it - presumably as and when they can find enough cash! It had its own central heating system to maintain a suitable temperature in winter.