Thursday, July 23, 2009

Woolsthorpe and Belton House




So one day Martin and visited Woolsthorpe, the birthplace of Isaac Newton (need I explain how uninterested Martin was in Woolsthorpe? but I let him sleep in the car on the way to the place), and Belton House, a seventeenth (or is it eighteenth?) century great house that has been the setting for scenes from several of the Jane Austen films/TV series.

So the interesting thing about the photo above
left is that they are selling pieces of limbs from Newton's apple tree (above right), little 1.5" pieces of twigs made into key chains or something for about 6 pounds each. While it is indeed the original apple tree that Isaac Newton was observing when he "discovered" (e.g., figured out) gravity while he was back in Lincolnshire while they had shut down Cambridge University because of a plague outbreak, it does seem a bit ridiculous to purchase a bit of the tree. At least it does to me.

His house is a typical landed "lower" gentry house:


It was all interesting. And Martin was patient.

Lillie

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