A bit of "Secret Underground Bristol"
"The entrance to the grotto is a Gothic façade built into the side of a hill. It looks innocuos enough, but passing through it is unnerving. From the civilised world of trim lawns and afternoon tea, you are suddenly plunged into a pagan underworld.
"Everything is bathed in the eerie greenglow of moss-laden skylights, and echoes to the crash of water. The cavern is gloomy and glistening at the same time -encrusted with thousands of shells, conches, crystals, fossils and corals like the cave of some eccentric water god. You turn instinctively left, towards the sound of water- and there he is. Far away, it seems, at the top of a narrow cleft,lounges a marble deity. From the urn at his right hand, water cascades downover the rocks, singing through the sells, and tumbles into a deep pool at your feet. As your eyes grow accustomed to the light, you see that the grotto has other strange occupants..."
"Why Thomas Goldney III spent so much time and money on his grotto,and what he did in it, are far from clear...He certainly developed a taste for the exotic if his library -which included a 'Life of Mahomet' and 'TheArabian Nights'- is anything to go by. Perhaps, after all, Goldney built his Aladdin's Cave primarily for himself, and whenever respectable Quakerdom became too stifling, he escaped underground into a romantic dream world.Who knows?"
Goldney Grotto: Goldney Hall, which is now a University Hall of Residence,holds occasional Open Days in spring and summer, when you can see the grounds and grotto. You will find detais on their website:www.goldneyhall.com
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ReplyDeleteTienes toda la razón, se me olvidaba ese pequeño detalle -el del cambio de destinos en un mismo andén- que me hizo perderme también, pero esa como decía la tía Petunia "esa es tela de otro vestido"
ReplyDeleteGracias por tu visita.
Órale, Bristol!
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that in size and vivacity, Bristol is unmatched in southwest England. It offers an urban thrill unrivalled elsewhere in the region (sometimes unfairly overshadowed by near by Bath). Interesting and inspiring city! an artistic incubator that’s spawned musical trendsetters such as Massive Attack, Portishead (by far one of my favorites bands), Tricky, Nellee Hooper, Roni Size and Kosheen, and animated heroes Wallace and Grommit (I love them!, and yes, I am excited to watch their new movie here in Mexico: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit).
I send you my greetings, enjoy Bristol!
p.s. I will be reading you...