Friday 20 July 2012

Shells and Windmills

After my failure to find shells on the beaches, a visit to the Shell Museum in Glandford seemed an excellent alternative.

The building itself is lovely, purpose built in 1915 to house the personal shell collection of a local baronet and benefactor, Sir Alfred Jodrell.

Inside the collection is displayed in a traditional "cabinet of curiosities" fashion.

This is a style of presentation which is fast disappearing in this day and age.

Somehow that just made a visit to the museum even more appealing.

The many shelves of shells contained some beautiful specimens...









After our visit...

...we turned left on reaching the end of the path to the museum and popped in to see the neighbouring church of St Martins.

Old leaning gravestones in the churchyard.

Tower detail.

Kneeler tapestry detail.

Door detail.

Porch detail.

Now to another day. No visit to Norfolk is complete without seeing a windmill, in my opinion! Our closest one was the Stow Mill just outside Mundesley. It is open to visitors...






...and well worth the small entrance fee.

The shell museum and the windmill were my favourite tourist attractions of the several we visited while in North Norfolk. Small, locally run, inexpensive and slightly quirky. Perfect!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I could spend happy days in the shell museum, what beautiful displays. And what is a visit to Norfolk without a windmill - that one was utterly entrancing. I have enjoyed your Norfolk posts - my favourite county.

Mrs. Micawber said...

I like those mill wheels and the church details. And the shells are simply exquisite. (It must have been hard to walk out of there.) What a beautiful, delicate range of peachy-rosy-white tints and marvellous shapes. I wonder how the collection was amassed.

Rustic Vintage Country said...

How amazing, what a collection of shells. I've never visited Norfolk but one day...perhaps. x

Mereknits said...

Such beautiful places to explore. The shell museum has some very beautiful shells, just lovely.
Hugs,
Meredith

sue said...

My heart skipped a beat looking at all those glorious shells Anne, I think if I'd lived in the olden days and been rich I would have built a beautiful building to house my collection!

Annie Cholewa said...

That museum is exactly the kind of place I love and is now a must see if we head that way! Thank you for telling us about it :D

Claire said...

Wow, the Shell Museum certainly made up for the lack of shells at the beach!
Some beaut specimens amongst them and as Mrs Micawber said there are some lovely colours and tints amongst them. Love all the churchy details, wonderful patterns, shapes and textures......

Claire :}

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