Harlaxton 2016: First Full Day at Harlaxton

By: Amanda Zahn

Wow. Just wow.

Wow has literally been every other word out of my mouth since arriving at Harlaxton Manor yesterday evening. Seeing that we arrived after a long day of travel, we were all quite tired. Therefore, today has not only been our first day of class at Harlaxton College, but also our first day to really explore the grounds of our new home away from home.

It’s always a little different waking up in a new place for the first time, and today was no exception. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining or anything. Waking up to the view of the English countryside spreading to the horizon and beautiful gardens just beneath your window is nothing to complain about. Needless to say, the view made waking up for class much more bearable.

After a quick breakfast, our first task was set before us… to find our classroom. Harlaxton Manor is a maze of rooms, hallways, and secret passages, so this was a challenge in itself. Upon finding our classroom, the first thing I noticed was the ceiling. Ornate and painted beautifully, it proved quite the distraction during class (although we have been told that is usually the case the first day of class). Similar to the ceiling, the rest of the room is beautifully decorated; class in a room like this honestly has a completely different feel to it than in a traditional classroom. To kick off the class period, Dr. Rutledge played us a tune on the piano. We then moved right into our studies, discussing Graham Greene’s “The Destructors”, as well as Emily Brӧnte’s Wuthering Heights. Class flew by, and once we were dismissed we all rushed to the refectory for lunch, excited to begin our free time.

During our afternoon free time, everyone went exploring. Some explored the gardens and surrounding property, and others explored the interior of the manor house. With the manor house being so big, it was very amusing to run into people as they emerged from hallways and secret passages alike. By the time dinner came around, we were all starved from all of our exploits!

Once we had eaten our dinner, we all went on a guided tour of the manor house. Our guides were fabulous, explaining everything from the significance of the various architecture to some ghost stories locals tell of a few of the rooms in the manor house. Finally, as the sun finished setting, we ended the evening with a game of crochet on the lawn. Not many people knew how to play, but after a little explaining of the rules we had quite the game going! Whether you were playing or just watching, we all had a great time with this.

As I write this I’m sitting on my window seat, distracted again by the beauty outside my window. And all I have to say is wow.