Suffragette City

Had a very lovely outdoorsy but freezing day.

Betsy, Al and I went out with our friend Keith, who is a historian, to see lots of hidden historical sites in his local area. We saw old water mills, Saxon burial sites, Roman Roads, chalk springs and tons and tons more. We also saw the exact place where the PRB painting Ophelia was painted which was very exciting for me. We saw the original just a few weeks ago.

We went to a great little local museum of exactly the kind I like; full of little bits of local detail, ephemera, weird items and strange collections which are there purely because their owners lived nearby. For example, a case of about 15 pairs of shoes from the last 100 years neatly lined up in a case with no explanation beyond their beauty.

I particularly liked a case dedicated to the suffragettes, (the Epsom Derby where a suffragette died takes place nearby) displaying a beautiful silk dressing gown in their colours, and this lovely silk handkerchief with the 'Votes for Women' motif delicately embroidered in the corner.

Tea and Scones later, obviously!