The things you see ...
Tootling along the back lanes, as I do, I found myself passing the most extraordinary sight: what appeared to be a collapsing castle with a house built inside - just take a look at the left side of that photo for a minute. Turns out it was Blencowe Hall. Never heard of it? Neither had I. Apparently the story is this. Cromwell was ranging around the north with his New Model Army and decided to stay attack nearby Greystoke Castle. But he had trouble finding it, or got distracted, or something like that. His troops arrived at Blencowe, apparently decided that would do, and started shooting their cannons at it until one of the towers shattered and began to split apart. Well, what's a person so do with their little 12 bedroom hall after a mishap like that? Pull the whole thing down and start again, or fix it, or just abandon the place? It seems that at some point in the recent past some genius thought: why not just go with it, and live stylishly in the wreckage? ...