A day out and more Christmas decorations.

I can never have enough Christmas decorations. I bought yet more today in Kirkstall new retail park. We had walked Monza dog earlier and left him at home as waiting in the car whilst we went To Kirkstall abbey house museum would have involved him barking at all dogs going for walks in the Abbey grounds.......
Today we went out without him. So Abbey House Museum at last! opposite the Abbey ruins and somewhere we have promised to visit and never have for various reasons.....mostly that it costs money to look around. Lee does not very willingly to pay out cash. This day we went shopping first and got some cash back......that took the sting out of it a bit as we then had Christmas sandwitches and choccy eclairs for after.

 This is the gate house for the Abbey way back in the day. the place where travellers and visitors would arrive first before being admitted to the abbey. This room was the main reception area and is now a book shop. the interior has never really changed. Lee says so and he would know right the way from being a nipper.

 Kirkstall abbey as it was....and here is how the gate house would have been before the road into Leeds......

This is a picture on the wall at the new restaurant area at the Museum. lovely isn't it?
We set off through the groups of school kids towards the Victorian streets. Lee and I were the only "big people" except the teachers.

 just through the entrance after paying entry fees are these gorgeous paintings.......the abbey by moon light. ( I love moon light pictures and originally thought this was an Atkinson Grimshaw)  and

 a victorian street scene....I managed to get myself in this one and it looks a bit strange. I like it !!!

 we entered the Victorian street part and discovered that school was out and about and learning about the Victorian period with projects to complete and colouring to be done. tell you what! I was tempted. I rather fancied finding out how it would be to visit a Victorian pub in costume and experience the plumbing....or lack of modern day plumbing as we know it anyway......

 The shops are absolutely fascinating in their detail.....I wanted everything I saw......

 There are lots of options to dress up in period costume if wants. most of it is kiddy size mind you......

 Lee has not been here for ten years either. We came here once way back at the beginning when I moved to Yorkshire. It was high time for a revisit.

 Christmas has arrived in Kirkstall and here is the reindeer training school.This is where it all happens.

 They each have little kennels.....

 also where the elves make the presents........I got into the reflections here too.......

The elves through a crack in the door for the curious.....

 Then of course the dolls dolls and more dolls........and yes that is my head in this pic as well....it was hard not to  as everything reflects. We were allowed to take photos as I asked permission on the way in...but no flash............

 Then on to the living area of the Victorian street and washing day.

 and a warm looking living room....

 and of course the inevitable outside loos with wooden seats. my giggle of the day was listening to a teacher trying to explain these and how they were very smelly as they do not flush...............I remember these as well as a child.....( I was born in the 1960s!!!) we lived on a farm up by Whitby.....we had a cess pit as well. Lets not go there ? any way...it was funny listening to a teacher in her 20s explaining to a 6 year old in this age of modern everything in a digital world. had a little titter I did.

 Christmas and then a visit to the Victorian Gin palace complete with yellow nicotine stained ceiling.......

well it looks like a yellowed nicotine stained ceiling to me. I once bought a house in Cornwall where the previous owner had completely based their decor on one of these gin palaces. And that did include the nicotine stained ceiling in the kitchen too. I still have the photos I took at that time if you do not believe me.

 This ia a favourite. I am old enough to remember old pubs like this. they served alcohol and that was that. No menus no food. just alcohol! the old timers propping up the bar .....there is still one inexistance that I have been wanting to visit....on Kirkstall road. not far from here The Cardigan arms. It looks just like this and includes the characters that frequent the establishment daily. old time Bar flys....a dieing breed. I wonder if the teacher could explain that one to a six year old?

 lots of these old slot machines......

 and an old hidden stair case

 the spiral staircase that leads to the next floor...looks dangerously worn. possibly why it is no longer used.

 dolls dolls dolls

 dolls house

 Wax dolls. These are made from tinted wax  some with rooted hair and moulded eye lids.....realistic faces and limbs. Others are clear wax with moulded hair or a wig made from either human hair or horse hair. dolls that we see here were made as play dolls. originally they were quite different. they were called poppets or puppets and used as educational tools or in religious ceremonies. as icons creche figures effigies offerings masks and stand ins for human figures. the poppets that survived the religious ceremonies were given to children as play things.
wax dolls are categorised by the way they are made......

poured wax....these are made by pouring moulden wax blend of bleached beeswax, colouring etc into a heated plaster mould. the eyes were cut out and moulded glas  inserted. the hair either mohair or human hair inserted into the wax like rooted hair. usually with poured wax arms and legs sewn onto a fabric body. mostly made in england.

by dipping heads made from papier mache into wax.....and later versions were composition dipped into wax......the overlay of wax allowed for tinting and a more life like appearance. these were usually from Germany or France.

 stained glass....

 Eleanor of Aquatine

Henry 11......

 The restaurant area.....

 Kirkstall abbey

 The Abbey was closed and left to ruin by HenryV111 as he wished to marry Anne Boleyn. So he made himself head of the English church and took all the lands and money for himself.
When the abbey was closed in 1539 the gate house was given to John Ripley who was the last abbot of Kirkstall abbey.
1581-1888 the land and gatehouse was owned by the Saville family who passed it  by marriage to the Brudenell family who became the Earls of Cardigan.

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We came out of the museum and hung around a bit whilst I took yet more photos and walked up to the old gardeners house at the top of the slope. walking back down Lee explained how good the paths were for getting a good speed up on his state board back in the day....

Had to be fast when it came to the road back then as there were no railing and you had to take care not to fall off before reaching the other side. though the traffic was a very lot less in the 1970s.