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Published: August 30th 2007
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I got up Sunday morning and packed my things and got in the car. My first destination was Rosslyn, more specifically Rosslyn Chapel. I admit here and now that the only reason that I had heard of it was because I've read
The Da Vinci Code, but it wasn't my intent to chase the Holy Grail or whatever else might be hidden in the crypt (especially since the "evidence" is a piece of very enjoyable escape fiction). The Chapel has tenuous connections with the Knights Templar that are still being debated. I was more interested in the Chapel in its own historical and architectural right. If it sat still, they carved it. Unfortunatly, the outside is currently covered in scaffolding, but the inside is astounding. You don't know where to look and keep getting distracted by the next decoration over.
First, a history. Rosslyn Chapel was founded in 1446 by Sir William St. Clair, who is buried there. Its original design was never finished, but what is there is amazing. In the late 1500s, the St. Clair (or Sinclair) family was ordered to destroy the Catholic chapel - it was the time of the Reformation, and the building fell into
disuse. Horses were stabled inside during the Civil War in 1650. In the early 1700s, the family started making repairs. Finally, in 1861, they started having Sunday services again, though the building itself is still the private property of the Earl and Countess of Rosslyn. Since it was Sunday morning, I attended a service there, very similar in form to Episcopalian services in the States. In fact, during the American Revolution, English Anglican bishops refused to ordain American bishops, so the Scottish bishops stepped in and did it instead. The ties are still strong today. It was a baptism Sunday, which is always such a heartwarming thing, with entire families present and beaming. The service was lit by candles, and afterwards, I got to roam around and ask questions (for free!).
More about the carvings. The ceiling is decorated with ornate blankets of stars and flowers and distracted me somewhat from the service. (Also, some child had lost a "Happy Birthday" balloon up there... so out of place!) The pillars and arches in the church all show different subjects - the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Virtures, the Dance of Death, etc. One pillar is known as the Apprentice
Pillar. Supposedly an apprentice carver outdid his master in the master's absence. The master was so infuriated that the apprentice's skills were superior that he hit the apprentice over the head and killed him. Ah, once again, religion bringing out the best in people.
Another carving I liked was one of an angel playing the bagpipes - only in Scotland! Another takes the form of corn and surrounds a window. The curious thing is that Rosslyn Chapel was built in 1446, and Columbus didn't sail the ocean blue (and thus discover corn) until 1492. Were the Knights Templar in America first? I smell a conspiracy theory!!
The Green Man is another theme of Rosslyn Chapel, which has over 110 examples tucked in various corners. This is usually a face with leaves and ivy growing all over it, usually out of the mouth, and many cathedrals in Britain have them. However, they are thought to be a pagan fertility symbol, so what they're doing all over churches, I have no idea. They're fun to look at though, if a little creepy looking.
Once the service was over and the doors were opened to the tourists, I got back
in the car and headed to New Lanark, Scotland, dipping through little villages along the way. My trip there was based on the recommendation of my college roommate's mother, who taught me how to spin wool. New Lanark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and takes you back to the days when it was a functioning cotton mill town and the center of Britain's 18th-century Industrial Revolution.
The unique thing about New Lanark is that its owner, Robert Owen, had this crazy idea that children should be educated, and workers should be able to get high-quality food at low prices in the company store, and there should be a sick fund to pay for a doctor to tend the ill. Revolutionary! Actually, it really was. All the other mill owners were furious that Owen was ruining the profitability of their industry. The site is a fascinating trip back to an era where it seemed that creating a workers' utopia was possible. In fact, I learned that Utopian socialism is sometimes called Owenism.
New Lanark sits deep in a gully on the River Clyde, which powered operations. With your ticket, you get to visit the factory store, Robert Owen's
house, worker lodgings, a strange sort of ride that introduces you to people from the future who time travel you back to Robert Owen's time, the schoolhouse, and best of all, the factory. They still run the 19th century equipment that spins fiber into yarn. The videos at the beginning of this blog show the equipment in action. Best of all, they sell the wool yarn in the gift shop for cheap, even after you convert the pounds into dollars. I restrained myself to 5 or 6 sweaters worth. (I also informed my fiance that he is never allowed to buy a sweater again, which he didn't seem to have a problem with. Maybe just humoring me. Good man.)
In any case, people came from all of Europe to see this experiment, including a Russian Grand Duke. They found it clean (partially because of the water, vs. coal, power) and profitable, despite the added expenses of educating the children and keeping the workers in good health.
I really found the place fascinating and recommend it in turn. Much work has been done to restore the place, and they are very careful to keep it historically accurate (no comment
on the time travelers). A few hundred people still live in the town, but all the evidence of modern conveniences are hidden out of site, and you really do get a sense of how the place was. I'm thinking Robert Owen is my new hero.
Finally, at about 4 pm, I decided it was time to go back. I hit a fair bit of traffic and didn't make it back to Cheltenham until about 10 pm. Alas, still no running water. It was two more days before I had that "mod con." I might as well have stayed in the 18th century.
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