Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for england
Peterborough’s Most Haunted
By Linda Tancs
Britain’s Peterborough Museum is situated on Priestgate in the city centre, a place dating to the 12th century when the city was planned by the monks of Peterborough Abbey. The town’s origins may be divinely inspired, but it’s the city’s dark side that draws visitors. In fact, the museum is reputedly haunted by eight different ghosts. Are you a believer? Head to the museum’s cellar, where you just might catch a glimpse of one on the ghost cam.
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Europe’s Destination Station
By Linda Tancs
Tax-free shopping. Chauffeur service. Europe’s longest champagne bar. Musical entertainment. Public art. Is it any wonder that London’s St. Pancras is acclaimed as Europe’s destination rail station? One of the city’s greatest Victorian buildings, its iconic roof was constructed of a series of wrought iron ribs resulting in a space 100 feet high, 240 feet wide and 700 feet long. Its only rival is perhaps the presiding St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, hailed as London’s most romantic building. Its glorious Gothic Revival metalwork, gold leaf ceilings, hand-stenciled wall designs and jaw-dropping grand staircase are as dazzling as the day Queen Victoria opened the hotel in 1873. Walking tours of the station complex are available for individuals and groups.
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Motoring in Britain
By Linda Tancs
Beaulieu Palace House in Hampshire, England, is the ancestral seat of the Barons Montagu of Beaulieu. It’s also the place where over 250 vehicles tell the story of motoring in Britain from its pioneering origins to the present day. The 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu created Beaulieu National Motor Museum in tribute to his father, who was the first to drive a motorcar into the yard of the Houses of Parliament. The exhibition includes land speed world record breakers like Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird and the equally fantastical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
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Gateway to the Dukeries
By Linda Tancs
Worksop is at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. It’s known as the Gateway to the Dukeries thanks to the number of ducal estates in its environs. One such gem is Clumber Park, boasting the longest avenue of lime trees in Europe at around two miles in length. Another attraction is Thoresby courtyard and gallery, a place where local artisans mix and show off their wares. It sits beside Thoresby Hall (rebuilt by the third Earl Manvers in 1860), which is now a luxury resort. Welbeck Abbey was first mentioned in the Domesday Book. Although privately owned, some of its outbuildings have been renovated and are open to the public in the form of a cooking school, a farm shop (selling prized stichelton) and an art gallery. The town’s namesake estate, Worksop Manor, is where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. The mansion, however, was destroyed in the 1800s after some fire damage, leaving only a servant’s wing. This peaceful country escape is just one hour away from Nottingham city centre.
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Tribute to the Tire Man
By Linda Tancs
Art Nouveau. Proto-Art Deco. Secessionist Functionalism. Geometrical Classicism. However you’d describe it, London’s Michelin House is a symbol of quality and style in Chelsea. A beloved London landmark, the building was commissioned in 1909 as the British headquarters for the tire company, Michelin. When Michelin vacated the premises in 1985, it was converted into the Bibendum Restaurant, Oyster Bar and Café. Bibendum is commonly referred to as the Michelin Man, the iconic symbol of the tire company. It should come as no surprise that the converted space is a tribute to the famous tire man, its floors, walls and windows adorned with his image.
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Cornwall’s Only City
By Linda Tancs
Truro is Cornwall’s only city and the most southerly one on mainland Britain. You’ll find Cornwall’s only cathedral here, a Gothic Revival stunner with an unusually unaligned nave and chancel. What Truro is aligned with, though, is literary great Winston Graham. His Poldark novels are set in Cornwall between the 18th and 19th centuries and inspired by Truro.
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Pier to Pier
By Linda Tancs
Want to avoid road rush or Tube crunch and see London’s sights from pier to pier? MBNA Thames Clippers operates a fast fleet of catamarans from Putney to Royal Arsenal Woolwich, linking London’s attractions from the riverside. Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral and The O2 are just a few of the sights along the 19 piers that they serve. With a daily River Roamer or Family River Roamer ticket you get unlimited travel along the banks to soak in the views at your leisure. All aboard!
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Flower Show Wows at Hampton Court
By Linda Tancs
Featuring more than 100 nurseries and growers, the Floral Marquee at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is big enough to fit an FA football pitch. Now that’s some flower power, marking the 25th anniversary of the floral extravaganza. Themed events to mark the milestone will prevail throughout the show, continuing through July 5. As always, prepare to be wowed by the roses.
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The Birthplace of Modern Democracy
By Linda Tancs
At a riverside site near Windsor Castle, Britain’s King John signed the Magna Carta 800 years ago today. Lauded as one of the greatest constitutional documents of all time, it derived from a meeting between the King and a clutch of angry barons at Runnymede. It was a peace treaty of sorts, designed to quell the growing rebellion among barons against arbitrary and capricious policies of a tyrannical king seeking to line his own pockets. There are four remaining original copies of Magna Carta–two copies belong to the British Library, one copy is at Lincoln Cathedral and one is at Salisbury Cathedral. Today Queen Elizabeth II will attend commemoration events at Runnymede.
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Most Beautiful Village in England
By Linda Tancs
William Morris, a leader of the Arts & Crafts movement, referred to Bibury as the most beautiful village in England. With the River Coln flowing alongside the main thoroughfare, it certainly is very charming, and the row of 17th century stone cottages along what is known as Arlington Row is a big draw. Little did Morris know how popular indeed his pick would become. The iconic image of Arlington Row is featured on the front inside cover of United Kingdom passports in an effort to deter forgery. Everyone has their favorite Cotswold hamlet, of course. What’s yours?
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