ScribbleManiac

Why so long since the last post, my ScribbleManiac friends ask?

I’ve been asking myself the same question. Every couple of days I sit down to write a few more words about my delightful visit to England, following in Emily’s footsteps in search of all things Brontë, and I can’t seem to do it.

Whitby in Evening Light

I finally realized my problem: After the trip to Scarborough and Whitby, I only have one stop left. I hate the thought of not being able to have such a fun and satisfying reason for reliving the trip by blogging about it.

Well… enough complaining about it. No use avoiding it! I must soldier on and find more things to write about. (I did recently see the newest film version of Jane Eyre, after all… I think we’ve already discovered my next blog subject!)

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From lovely Whitby we made our way south towards London. While I did want to spend some time in the big city, I wasn’t quite ready to be done with the quaint countryside. I decided on the nearby city of Windsor for the last few days of my Brontë journey.

Walking Through Windsor

Eton College in Windsor

Windsor Restaurant

Gate

From Breakfast Room to Bridge

The town of Windsor itself was a delight. Fun shops and antiques to browse through, good food, a live theater, and of course the Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle and Flowers

Windsor Castle

Inside Windsor Castle

Inside Windsor Castle Walls

View of Windsor Castle From My Hotel Room

Windsor worked out to be a great place to base my last few days in England. I was able to drop the rental car off and take the taxi back to the airport on the final day.

On a final day, I was also able to take the taxi into London for a full day of sight-seeing and walking walking walking!

Having been to London before, and knowing how much there is to see, I decided to restrict my choices so as not to feel overwhelmed. I started at the National Gallery and marveled at the masterpieces. My favorites are the Impressionists and Post Impressionists, so I made my way to Rooms 43, 44, and 45. Gorgeous work by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Vincent van Gogh. (I love love love John Singer Sargent, but I could only find one of his paintings there.)

I’m always taken aback when I see van Gogh’s paintings in person. There is something so alive about them. They jump out, quivering with color. And I think because the paint is so thick, and because you can see nearly every brush stroke, you can feel something of the artist himself simply by looking at the painting. I’ve read The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh and feel a lot of compassion for sad Vincent. In spite of that, or perhaps even because of that, when I see his work it takes my breath away.

I had two more stops to make before the day was done.

Next stop: National Portrait Museum. This was actually the most important part of my London visit. The portrait painted by Branwell of his three sisters was located there, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting end to my Brontë journey than to view this special painting. I made a bee line for Room 24 and there it was: The Brontë Sisters by Branwell Brontë, circa 1834. It is small, cracked and faded, with thick lines where it had been folded and put up on a shelf for many years. Branwell had not been taught how to properly mix his oil paints, so the pigments have not lasted well over the years. This painting is also called the “Pillar Portrait” because of the pillar Branwell painted to cover up himself in the painting. Apparently he wasn’t happy with that part of the family portrait and painted over it, but with the loss of paint pigments over time one can see a bit of the original ghosting through.

Brontë Portraits - From the left, Anne, Emily, Charlotte, and the fragment of Emily on the far right.

And a special treat I had not expected, a fragment of the only other portait Branwell made of Emily, which was positioned right next to the group portrait. This portion of a painting known as the “Gun Group” was cut out and saved by Charlotte’s husband after she died. He thought the rest of the painting was too poor to save.

I felt my Brontë mission was now complete. I was happy to spend an hour just sitting and looking at the paintings, reminiscing about the past two weeks and thinking of my walk along the moors, the visit to the Parsonage Museum, wandering through Bolton Abbey and York.

The Portrait Museum closed early, so I thought I could fit one last museum visit in before my feet gave out. The British Library was a favorite on a previous visit many years before, and they were open for about an hour more. Off I marched.

I had hoped they might have one of those tiny notebooks the girls wrote as children. I asked, but no, anything like that would have taken special permission to see. I decided to spend the short time I had left in the Rare Books Room.

British Library

Under glass and special lighting were all sorts of lovely things… the notebooks of Lewis Carroll – which included his story of Alice in Wonderland. I never knew he wrote this for a little friend he met, Alice, and had not intended it to be published. Complete with drawings, it was delightful to see. On the opposite wall was a beautiful composition by Beethoven. It was impressive to see the penned notes floating on the page.

But then came my totally unexpected surprise: the fair copy of Jane Eyre, delicately handwritten by Charlotte. I believe this was the corrected copy she wrote as a final version to send to her publisher. What a treat! Now that really was a fitting end to my Brontë journey! I stood with my nose to the glass until I started to get looks from the room guard. The voice over the loud speaker announced it really was time to go, and we were all ussured out of the room.

moors

I made my way back to the hotel in Windsor for one last night’s sleep. Back on the plane to Seattle the next morning.

My husband survived for two weeks alone with three small children – I knew I had to be grateful for having so much time to myself to see all these wonderful things in person – and I am!

But I did feel a slight pang of regret that I had to finish this lovely walk through time, back to visit with the Brontës.

Denise on North Lees Hall rooftop deck.

I think Emily herself said it best…

I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after,

and changed my ideas;

they have gone throught and through me, like wine through water,

and altered the color of my mind.

Emily Brontë