Another day of recovery on this end…but I did get a bit of a tour of Northampton.
First of all, it’s technically a town, but that’s complete gobshite. The only reason it isn’t officially a city is (apparently) due to its various spats with royal families and historical figures over the centuries. This lasting resentment has caused it to be permanently labelled a town…but if you think a town is defined as having a population somewhere between 750 000 and 1 million people, you are SERIOUSLY deluded.
Anyhow, I digress…
Northampton is a TOWN that is full of modern, recognizable elements — power centres, malls, brand name stores…and yet it’s laid out along medieval lines. The town centre is very likely pre-Norman (that’s before 1066 for you stupid people out there), and the roads run at angles I can’t even describe. In short, it’s the first city that I have been mentally unable to map in a long, LONG time. London was positively effortless compared to Northampton.
What I find particularly eerie is the way everything seems the same…yet DIFFERENT. I’m like the dumb-ass Ferengi Rom from Deep Space Nine, trapped in the mirror universe, running around with a stupid grin on my face, muttering “It’s the same…yet alternate!” They have McDonalds…and yet they’re in respectable buildings! They have power centres…yet they’re called retail parks! Their supermarkets feel the same…yet everything in them seems skewed…it looks like Special K, yet there are many flavours!
Anyhow, I digress a second time…
I spent lunch time exploring and shopping in Northampton’s town centre…a lovely mix of pedestrian streets, market stalls, and high end shops. Below you’ll find a quick snap shot.
I also visited a number of historical religious sites. The first was a Saxon church in the nearby village of Brixworth. The church was originally constructed between 750 and 850, and contains some of the few remaining pre-Norman architecture still to be found in England. Below are two pictures: one in front of the altar, and one in the absolutely divine graveyard.
Next we paid a quick visit to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It’s famous for being one of only four round churches left in the UK, one of which appears in that crap book and movie that you may recall was scrawled by Dan Brown, and victimized Tom Hanks with the worst haircut in all of Christendom.
While I digress for a THIRD time, enjoy the picture of me at the front door of the church. Next time, we should really arrive during visiting hours…
Finally, we paid a visit to the Queen Eleanor Cross. This is one of the monuments erected by King Edward I to commemorate the funeral cortege of his wife, as it travelled from Lincoln to London in the late 13th century. Although the stonework requires much renovation (it was last worked on in the early 18th century), it remains an impressive reminder of the love a King had for his wife, back in the misty Middle Ages…and you’ll find the picture below.
Tomorrow, I will experience - for the first time - the reported delights of Yorkshire Pudding, courtesy of my friend’s mother, who has invited us to Sunday dinner. After that, comes a cocktail party at another friend?s house. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday in the Midlands.
Blogging might be light for the next few days, until we return from Cardiff. Expect more vapid digressions, and more neat pictures at that time. Toodley-doo!
