The weather was glorious yesterday, blue skies, cold and very autumnal. We decided a peaceful day in the Eden Valley was just what we needed after a very busy couple of weeks.
Our first stop was Mill Yard Café in Morland, followed by a drive through the beautiful countryside to Brougham Hall. Our final destination was Acorn Bank for a stroll around the gardens.
We always enjoy exploring Brougham Hall, there is an interesting array of craft workshops selling pottery, paintings and all manner of crafty objects. The Hall itself is always fascinating as the charity which owns it is undertaking a slow but very thorough and sensitive restoration of the building.
There's always something to see and yesterday I was fascinated by the door knocker! The Brougham door knocker is a fascinating piece, with a long and storied history.
Four examples of this 12th century design exist: two in Durham and two from Brougham. The original graced the north door of Durham Cathedral, from 1172 to 1977, when it was removed to the safety of the Cathedral Treasury and replaced by a replica, cast by the British Museum.
Both the Durham rings were bronze, whilst the original Brougham ring was made of iron – it was believed that sanctuary in the Cathedral was assured to any fugitive who grasped the ring. It survived the War but was stolen, crated and sent to Sotheby’s for auction.
In an attempt to replace it, the Brougham Hall Charitable Trust asked the Bishop of Durham for consent to use the British Museum mould. The Bishop was amenable but the Dean and Chapter were not – this resulted in the laborious operation of drawing another, from which the monster’s head was carved in wood. A sand mould was taken from the wooden head and was finally cast in bronze, in seven pieces, by Collier’s foundry, in Sussex in 1993.
The door knocker is now proudly in place on the entrance door to the Hall and adorns many of the crafts for sale within.
