Week Five: The Tinneys visit Southwell

Today we were visiting Southwell Minster as part of our 6 Days Out in summer prize. Despite the wet and dreary weather, we'd a great time exploring the Minster and were lucky enough to see some of the hidden nooks and crannies that are not usually on show to the public. Our first stop was a visit to The Great Hall which was hosting a visiting choir from Bath. We were allowed to peek inside and stood for a few minutes in the very grand hallway listening to the choirboys (and one brave soloist!) practising. The girls were given some 'Explorer Kits' - backpacks full of useful tools to help them find out more about the Minster. The binoculars came in very handy to get a close up of the Christus Rex and the roof of the Nave which is shaped like the inside of a boat. We also used them to try to count how many Angels there are in the Angel window. Emma showed us how easy it was to lift the lid off the Baptismal font. It can be lifted off with just one finger! The High Altar is the most important part of the building, and the torches and magnifying glasses in the explorer kits were very useful for finding the tiny mice which had been carved into the kneelers and furniture on the Altar. In the Chapter House, the girls did an 'I Spy' challenge  which was to find the 10 green men all carved uniquely by different stone masons. We saw some of the damage caused to the beautiful carvings by the Roundhead soldiers' swords during the Civil War. Emma set up the light box for us, and the girls had a go at piecing together a stained glass window. To finish off, we looked at the Roman floor (and some huge spiders!)  found underneath the present day floor. The Roman mosaic tiles are still intact. And last stop after all that exploring, was a visit to the Refectory for some very welcome tea and cakes! After our morning at Southwell Minster, we took a short drive to Newfield Dairy Ice Cream Parlour and Cafe where a table had been reserved especially for us. The Café is situated on a family dairy farm in a beautiful, rural part of Nottinghamshire, between the villages of Hockerton and Caunton, On the menu are sixteen delicious ice cream flavours which have been handmade using fresh milk & cream from the pedigree herd of Holsteins which were happily grazing in a field at the front of the dairy. Our lunch was gorgeous.It's definitely worth a visit just to try the home made burgers and chicken bites! The girls couldn't get their lunch finished quick enough, as Adrian the Manager had promised the girls that they could try out some of the different flavours of ice cream, before they made their final choice! We decided on chocolate (girls) salted peanut (me) (to-die-for!) and butterscotch and honeycomb (Jamie.) Adrian and all the staff were lovely, and made us feel really welcome. We'd a brilliant time at Newfield Dairy! And we'll definitely be back as there are 12 more flavours of ice cream that we haven't sampled yet. The girls want to try out the play area ( a bit too rainy today) And the coffee smelled REALLY GOOD too. After our morning at Southwell Minster and our lunch at Newfield Dairy, we arrived here at The Workhouse, and immediately took a step back in time.We suddenly found ourselves penniless, and as paupers, we had to enter the workhouse. The girls met one of the other paupers - Sarah Godson,who showed them around and explained the rules of the workhouse;the first of which, was to dress in the workhouse uniform. They set to work immediately, pumping water in the yard, followed by a spot of laundry. Then it was off to the kitchen to weigh out and peel a mountain of 'spuds.' No rest for the penniless...next they had to go to school! Molly was told off for slouching and had to stand in the corner with a 'paddle' to make her stand up straight! And finally, to bed, where they had to sleep on a straw mattress and pillow! Luckily, we were allowed to leave the workhouse after just one afternoon, but as we found out from our guide Sarah Godson, some families were not so lucky! We'd an absolutely brilliant afternoon at the Workhouse. Dinah (who plays Sarah) was just amazing, and she stayed in character right to the end of the tour, which made the experience so real for the girls! Afterwards we met for some tea and cakes with Lynsey, the Learning and Engagement Officer and she presented the girls with a bag stuffed full of lovely goodies, to help them remember their day.Once again, we were thoroughly spoiled! We unpacked all the goodies from our day at Southwell Minster, Newfield Dairy and Southwell Workhouse when we got home, it was like Christmas morning! Thanks again to everyone who helped to make our day so fantastic; Emma & Katheryn, Adrian and the team, and Dinah & Lynsey, and a special thanks to the girls at Experience Nottinghamshire for once again arranging such a great prize. You can see more photos of the Tinney family enjoying these great Southwell attractions, on our Love Notts Facebook page.