The Tailor of Gloucester

We've had a University of Minnesota Duluth delegation visiting us here over the past week. It's been fun to have familiar faces in our midst, but they've had their work cut out for them with many, many meetings.

The friends who were still with us accompanied the SIEers to Malvern on Friday On Saturday our friends suggested going to Gloucester. One of our Duluth friends is an early childhood expert and had read about a Beatrix Potter site which seemed worth exploring. We agreed to meet at the train station and headed off for Gloucester at 11 in the morning.

Similar to Worcester, Gloucester has quite a few signs indicating directions and distances to important sites in the city.

Additionally, we found a series of informational "posters" (not quite the right word, but it'll do) in an alleyway giving some interesting background about the city.

We knew the Beatrix Potter site was in the "shadows" of the Gloucester Cathedral, so once we saw the Cathedral we headed in that direction.

My husband always refers to my taste as "house in the teacup". I wonder what he'll say when he sees these shots.

This little shop was the epitome of what he means--everything here is very, very British and very, very precious (I've actually seen the word "twee" used in conjunction with Beatrix Potter, but that's just mean).

The shop itself focuses on the The Tailor of Gloucester,

Here's a doll version of the tailor with all of his sewing accoutrement.

This is the vest the Tailor was making for the Mayor of Gloucester when he ran out of time. The waistcoat was reproduced by the Gloucestershire Federation of Women's Institutes in 1980. One person cut up her satin wedding dress to provide the material on which the women did this lovely embroidery.

This display features copies of the The Tailor of Gloucester in many different languages.

but all things "Beatrix Potter' are in evidence.

This is a very dangerous store to visit if, like me, you are an impulsive shopper. My trick is to allot myself only a certain amount of money and just bring cash. I never bring my credit card for fear I will cave in to my whims. Looking around, all I could think of was how much I'd like to buy this or that for one child or another. It's a good thing I do not yet have any grandchildren. I would have had to clean floors and windows to make up for everything I would have wanted to get.

I ended up buying a little pamphlet for 50 pence which told the story of the House of the Tailor of Gloucester.

I think each of us purchased a little book (or two), and then we said goodbye to Beatrix Potter

and headed out the St. Michael's Gate to the Gloucester Cathedral.

I feel a little disloyal saying this, but I think this cathedral has my adopted hometown's cathedral beat. For starters, this cathedral has its own gatehouse.

There's also a little animal door in the gate itself.

As one might have anticipated, the stained glass was magnificent.

My daughter's favorite part was the cloisters.

This is the monks' lavatorium (where they washed).


This is a memorial in the cloisters is dedicated to the freemasons who fell in World War I.


This is the most colorful memorial stone I've ever seen.

There are dozens and dozens of tombs throughout the cathedral, but a few were remarkable.

The Internet says "The tomb of Abraham & Gertrude Blackleech in the south transept at Gloucester. The monument dates from 1639 and is the work of an unknown highly skilled sculptor."

This is the tomb of Robert Curthorse, Duke of Normandy, who was killed by his younger brother, King Henry II.

This is the tomb of King Edward II.


Tomb of Thomas and Christian Machen. They had a lot of children (the little figures beneath them). I think the smallest figures must have been children who passed away in infancy or early childhood).

There are numerous chapels around the periphery of the Cathedral. This one was my favorite.


This is the Bridgnorth Chapel.

The Cathedral features a cross used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The Mason Bracket was one of my favorite features of the Cathedral.


The Cathedral brochure says, "This is thought to be a memorial to an anonymous apprentice mason who fell from the vault above, some time in the 1300s. The bracket is L-shaped, like a mason's setsquare. The Master Mason looks up in horror as the apprentice falls.

This Cathedral is a real gem. While we were there, we could hear the choir practicing. As we left, a chamber orchestra rehearsed for an upcoming performance. Naturally, the acoustics were terrific.

We were hungry at the end of our Cathedral tour and set off to find some lunch. We didn't have to look far to find the Comfy Pew.

We decided not to go with the spotted dick, but decided to order cream tea. Big mistake. The scone was frozen, and by the time it got to me it was still cold in the middle. Such a disappointment.

After we ate, we did a little shopping and wandered in to a terrific store with a fascinating collection of figurines. I haven't been this tickled in a long time.