Lake Windermere, Taylor, And Washington, 2 September 2014

We continued heading north until we came to the little town of Kirkby Lonsdale.  We squeezed down the narrow road and parked at the town center.  Across the plaza was a side street heading down the hill and here we found the Jingling Lane Fish and Chips shop, blending in with the other shops along the way.  Peter was right - the fish and chips were very good!

We continued to see fields with stone fences laid out in patchwork charm.  Kendal!  Wow, we did not know there was a town so named when she was born.  There is a branch of the church there.

We were now in the Lake Distric and our first stop was Lake Windemere, the largest of the lakes running 10 miles in length.  We parked, Dad treated us to ice cream cones while we sat along the shore, and Peter narrated.  When Gordon B Hinckley was serving his mission, a group of the missionaries came up here along the eastern side of the lake to camp and have an extended p-day.  Their stay was refreshing and offered opportunity for study and contemplation.

We are about mid way in the lake where the town is.  The stone wall architecture of the building is typical of the town.  There were ducks and swans a plenty.  The poet, William Wordsworth (1770-1850) had a home near where Elder Hinckley and the missionaries stayed.  He loved the Lake District and thought people should stay away and respect the beauties of nature.  Peter thinks he would be rolling over in his grave if he saw with how the town has grown and the lake has become so commercialized with boat tours and rentals going up and down it all the time.  Wordsworth depicts his love of the area in his poem, Ode to Daffodils, written in1802.

I wondered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'ver vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, 
a host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils. 

Our next stop was the little village of Milnthorpe, the birthplace of John Taylor, third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was born 1808, and is the only president of the Church to be born outside the United States.

This is St. Peter's, where he was christened.  The long chest is the Parish Chest c. 1400.  Formerly in the vestry-it is the only piece of furniture to survive the Church fire of 1601.  It was used as a strong box by parishioners until c. 1900.  It is the largest and oldest Parish Chest in Westmorland.

Left is the christening font. (The top is a cover that comes off.) Middle is east wall of the church.  Right is the door; I like doors!  They are the keepers of untold stories.

We visited the Taylor farm, and read the plaque that is positioned outside the fence on the right side of the driveway.  As we drove up the lane and got out of the car to walk, chickens came round to greet us!

The barn below is part of the farm.  It looks as it did when the Taylor's lived here.  Another church in the area.

We then came to the village of Warton.  It was here that George Washington's ancestors lived for centuries, beginning in the 1300's.    He was born in the American Colonies.

Warton Parish Church, St. Oswald, King and Martyr, Church of England, Dicese of Blackburn.  Notice the extensive cemetery and stained glass window.

The Warton Old Rectory is of the 14th century and consists of a great hall (first photo), and at the opposite end (second photo), a buttery and pantry flanking a central passage to a kitchen.  Over these parts was a chamber with a fireplace in its north wall, and with a smaller inner chamber at its northeast corner.  Only the lower walls of this inner chamber survive together with the foundation its garderobe or privy.

Originally the hall would have had an open timber roof, high windows in its side walls and probably a central hearth.

Entry to the hall was at its north end, through two doorways, each of which had a porch, though parts of only the east porch survive.

The wall hanging is from the church.  Each scene is a picture of Warton and has been hand stitched, either in embroidery, cross stitch, needle point, or tapestry, by the women of the parish.

Top:  The George Washington Pub remains in the town and is quite popular.  They even fly the American flag on the 4th of July.

Bottom:  Washington House was built in 1612.

Our Church History was completed and we headed back to Chorley.  We had a safe drive, dropped Peter off, got a bite to eat, and headed to the Accommodations Centre.  We changed clothes and Sister Hale joined us for a session at the temple.