Powderham Castle and Rock Walk

Golf fans who have been watching the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor will know that the weather in England and Wales has been filthy. The high winds and heavy rains have  been intermittent; the times between storms have been glorious.

Several weeks ago I had received an invitation to a concert, to be held in the Music room of Powderham Castle. The concert was part of a campaign to restore the organ built in 1769. Intrigued by the invitation, we decided to order tickets. The castle box office wanted to know how I had received information about the event--when I explained the invitation, I was told: "Oh, the Earl invited you." My interest was piqued even more.

Friday's storm cancelled golf but we set off in the late afternoon for a leisurely drive along the coast of Devon. Part way through the short journey, the rain and wind stopped, the sun came out, and the sea was spectacular.

We entered the castle grounds, hoping for directions to park. We proceeded up the drive, over the castle moat, and parked in the castle yard along with our fellow concert attenders. Diana of Devon welcomed us into the state dining room, a wooden panelled room with crests of noble families adorning the walls. The concert was held in the music room, a delightful room with a domed ceiling, magnificent marble panels, translucent lights, and hundreds of rosettes. The small organ sits at the front of the room.

The chamber music was chosen from the time period that the organ was built--1769. we heard, a Corelli Sonata da Chiesa, four arias from Handel's Oratorio,"Theodora," a Mozart "Epistle Sonata," and Arne's Shakespearean songs. Also included were some popular pieces written at the time.

There is a music library housed in the castle and the organist found several pieces in the archives that were also performed. Six of the pieces were written by Nardini and do not appear in Groves, the most comprehensive scholarly record of music. that means that they might only have been performed once before.

During the interval, we made our way to the dining room for wine and canapes. The Earl of Devon introduced
the concert.

On Saturday, the Royal Terrace Gardens or Rock Walk officially opened. The gardens are situated on the cliff face that extends along the sea front.They were closed three years ago because they were not safe--it was feared that rocks would fall on the local bus that passes in front of the area every 10 minutes. Residents were irate but the council was adamant about closing the area. For three years, work has been carried out behind high fences. Yesterday the newly renovated gardens were unveiled.

During the day, activities to highlight the Geopark and to tie rock Walk to the heritage of this area were arranged. the sea front was buzzing with music, plays, mimes, and games. We climbed the steps to rock walk, enjoying the views from the two viewing platforms and learning more about the local area. For example, Oliver Heaviside, used to ride his bicycle through the streets of Torquay and Paignton but few knew of his genius. The famous line in the musical "Cats"--up,up, up by the Russell Hotel is followed by a reference to Heaviside's work. Another fact is that Isabella Eugenie Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer of sewing machine fame who lived in the area, is the model for the Statue of Liberty. The third fact is that the area lies on the Sticklepath Fault.
Did you know that Rudyard Kipling longed to run naked through the streets of Torquay?
Did you know that ochre was used by the local fishermen to colour the sails of their boats? We often see boats in Torbay with sails of red, yellow and ochre. Now we know that fishermen use the colours to make their boats distinctive.

The rains fell heavily during the opening ceremony in the evening but the musicians, singers, and dancers carried on. the light and sound show, projected on the rock face, was spectacular, depicting the history of the rocks in the area.

Golfing may be interrupted by the rain and wind but culture in Devon carries on despite the weather!