Turnips - places, artifacts, and serendipity

When we were in our old place, many people asked "why the name Turnip House?" We would tell them that the first workshop we had was called 'the turnip house' by tradition, being the building where the turnips were stored for animal feed in the winter months, when the grass is poor.


We did not have a name for our knitwear business at first, but we did become accustomed to going "across to the turnip house to do some knitting" and so the name grew on us


It is not widely known that the turnip has a noble place in the history of agricultural development (I didn't know either!)


The British Agricultural Revolution in which Charles "Turnip" Townshend (2nd Viscount Townshend)1674 – 1738 played such a large part, did not have the same impact here in Ireland.


But growing turnips (and swedes and beets) had a vital role to play in agriculture, enabling productive feed to be grown on normally fallow ground.


In older times, the turnips would have been cut up by hand, and spread across the fields or in troughs for the livestock to eat. As agriculture became increasingly mechanised, cutting and pulping machines were developed.


On hearing that we were called 'Turnip House' some would say "you need to have a turnip mangle then" This was the machine for cutting up the vegetables.


We never did get one - until now. 


When we first looked at this place, one of the 'gifts' that we saw was this turnip mangle, lying outside the outbuildings. 


It stands to reason: if there's a turnip mangle..... there must have been a turnip house!


Our name, chosen 23 years ago, - a bit idiosyncratic - has been good to us, and we had already decided to keep the name.


Serendipity!

Made by Powell Brothers and Whitaker Wrexham probably made in the early 1900's

Impossible to lift by hand; But after restoration it will have place of honour!

The New Turnip House - to work!

Since the weather has been (a bit) better and the days are longer we are moving on with our plan to reopen the Turnip House for Easter 2011


We have ordered the windows and doors, so now the pressure is on to make the building ready for them. We are currently digging up the floors, backbraking job but a great workout.

Raw material; as we found it. Note the turnip mangle against the left wall - must be an omen!

doorway and internal wall removed, ivy taken of walls; cleaned and re-pointed; massive stones (mostly) moved away - thanks to James! Digging up of floor in progress.

Flowers

We've been doing more clearing in the front garden, and more dormant flowers have appeared

The Hellibore, now free of ivy is now standing proud

bunches of crocus have come up - this white flower is the first 

Furby by the crucus

first bloom from dozens of snowdrops

snowdrops in the fields - evidence of where once was the fruit garden!

So Long

James was over for a few days this week - great to spend some time with him, to see him well and happy, entertaining  Eleanor.


Took him up to the daybreak ferry to Scotland and walked Charlie along Loughshore Park at Whiteabbey, catching the dawn:

at the end of Belfast Lough - and on to Scotland

Batik

Kate's Birthday yesterday, and Elaine and her went to a Batik workshop in Downpatrick, one of the many excellent workshops organised by Down Arts Centre


Here are the excellent results!

Elaine's wall hanging for the new workshop a brilliant opening present!

perfect interpretation of our classic designs

Kate's Scarf

beautiful!

Starlings at Dusk

We think we know where the starlings roost overnight. Kate heard a couple of farmers talking about starlings roosting over at the woods on the Ardglass Road, about 2 miles east of here. Here it is on Google Maps.

These pictures were taken last Saturday evening.

Weather Statistics January 2011

I've uploaded the weather data for January 2011 onto the website, feel free to use them if they are of interest.


Turnip House Weather Data


When I get the chance, I'll indulge in some Excel charting to produce visual data on the blog.

Eleanor at 17 weeks

Lovely Eleanor is developing fast!

I can see much more of the world now

I've got my toys to play with

mmm  solid food

not bad

perhaps something a bit more substantial!

Snow returns

A cold night - and, when the cloud cleared, there was snow again on distant Bearnagh.

Slieve Bearnagh; the snow line drawn as with a spraycan

RSPB Northern Ireland Red Kite Project

You may have noticed the identification numbers clearly displayed on the Red Kite that I photographed in the last post. Well, I sent a copy to the RSPB and was delighted to get this from Robert Straughan, Red Kite Project Officer
RSPB Northern Ireland:

Thanks very much for the fantastic photo, this is very useful for us.  Part of my job is to monitor the kites, and this is done by radio tracking and reading wing-tags, as you've managed to do here.  The sighting of this kite is particularly interesting because its radio transmitter fell off before Christmas and we found it in a field close to Garvaghy Hill on the way to Dromore.  We weren't sure whether it was still alive so  it's great to have recent photo evidence that all is well!

 You can see much more information on the fantastic RSPB Northern Ireland Red Kites Project and sign up for their newsletter.


Also well worth a look is:

Their  project DVD 'The Red Kite Runner', it can be viewed online at http://vimeo.com/8348553

Bronte Country

Brontë Country:  the Mournes from the church

Not far from us there are many brown tourist signs indicating 'Brontë Country' depicting the land where the Patrick Brontë, father of the Brontë Sisters originated.:

The fertile land of County Down has been farming country for centuries. It was here that Patrick Brontë, father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne - the Brontë sisters, was born into a farming family on 17th March 1777 - Saint Patrick's day.

Follow the story of Patrick Brontë and his family through the buildings that survive within the Homeland. The Brontë Homeland Drive starts at Drumballyroney Church and School near Rathfriland, ten miles south of Banbridge.

Drumballyroney Church and School, where Patrick Brontë taught and preached, have been preserved and now include displays about the Brontë family.

I've passed by these signs many time over the years, and was inclined to view it as something for visitors, but I stopped at Drumballyroney Church on the way home from Rathfriland yesterday. I've concluded it's well worth a closer look:

County Down: where better?

Drumballyroney churchyard, graves date from the 1700's

Heathcliffe and Cathy

A Red Kite seen on the Mill Road on the way home - you can see clearly the identification tags

Garden Visitors

We're waiting eagerly to see if anything springs up in the garden now that a lot of it is cleared.

A purple Hellibore has appeared - free from the ivy that was choking it

Charlie in the Long Grass

Red Kites

One of the five Red Kites swooping above the garden today

Famine Fields

With the latest snow melting away, the textures of the landscape are brought into fresh relief.
Up here in the Dromara Foothills, the marks of time stretch back far back, and have not been overwritten so much by the new ways.
We went up to the slopes of Slieve Croob yesterday, about 3 miles away.

The Mournes tucked between Slieve Garrann and Legananny Mountain

Another beautiful alpine day

Distant Slieve Gullion in County Armagh

Famine fields, or lazy beds are the remnants of potato cultivation during the 1800's. The repeated failures of the potato harvest in Ireland in the mid 1800's caused famine and devastation. It is a mark of the size of population and the search for new cultivation places that the fields are found in the steepest most difficult places. Their abandonment  has fossilized them, whereas the lower, better fields have continued in use, and the beds have been ploughed out.

Slieve Garron

the snow lies in the 'furrows' between the beds. All these fields were dug by hand,

these abandoned potato fields are turned over to grazing now; the field marking remain as testament to hard times

It's hard to find a great deal about lazy beds on the web. Anybody who can point up more information, please do.

Revelations

We've been working on the house this week - clearing away the last of the dead ivy from the front. A difficult task, 30 years of growth means that the ivy has trunks the size of tree trunks!


After a few days hacking and pulling we have at last cleared the front of the house, which has not seen the light of day since the late 1970s

the ivy is dead now, but still clinging on!

revealed again - in all its glory

The second, (left hand) date plaque can now be seen again, made from plaster work and tiny sea shells.
We understand that these mark extensive improvements to the house, possibly when the cottage was made into a two storey house.
Both plaques are in fantastically good condition.

We've left the ivy on the slates; it's very possible they are the only structural component left up there in parts! These can be taken down when the slates are salvaged.

We are pleased with what we've done. This also means we can get a better look at the flower beds:

looking through the garden gate from the lower courtyard

from the upper courtyard

The Front Gate - almost there!

look at the beautiful edges to the flowerbeds

Signs of Spring

Another gift that the house has revealed - Elaine found a document in the house showing an aerial photograph from the 1960s:

Former Glories!
Can anyone identify the car to the right of the house?