Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for england
The Fame of Godstow
By Linda Tancs
Located on the banks of the River Thames between the villages of Wolvercote (the site where renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien is buried) and Wytham is the hamlet of Godstow. Godstow Lock has the distinction of being the highest hydraulic-operated pound lock on the River Thames, but the village might be better known for the ruins of Godstow Abbey. It became the burial place of Rosamund Clifford, also known as the “Fair Rosamund,” a longtime mistress of Henry II during the 1170s. Henry VIII destroyed Godstow Abbey during the dissolution of the monasteries. Later, the village was used by Royalists during the Civil War to defend Godstow Bridge. When the Parliamentarians attacked, the whole site was burned down.
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The Calendar House
By Linda Tancs
A calendar house is a form of house dictated by the calendar. The principle of the calendar house is that the number of external doors, windows or panes of glass, chimneys, staircases or other elements should total four (the number of seasons), seven (days in a week), 12 (months in a year) or 365 (days in a year). Dating to around the Elizabethan era, the first such house is Knole in Kent, built after Elizabeth I’s death by one of her courtiers, Thomas Sackville (1st Earl of Dorset). The calendar in this case is represented through the 365 rooms, 52 staircases and seven courtyards. Once an archbishop’s palace, King Henry VIII liked it so much that he forced his archbishop to hand it over to him. Now owned by the National Trust, the Sackville family still occupies a portion of the estate, where you’ll find a medieval deer park and showrooms featuring textiles, paintings and a world class collection of Royal Stuart furniture.
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The Home of Concorde
By Linda Tancs
England’s Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton was the heart of aviation excellence for over 100 years. At that site began one of the most famous aircraft projects in the world—the design, development and production of the world’s first and only supersonic passenger aircraft, Concorde. The first flight of Concorde took place from the Filton tarmac on April 9, 1969, a short but historic trip to nearby Fairford. Thereafter every British Concorde made its maiden flight from the airfield. Although Filton airport eventually closed, it is now redeveloped and hosts Aerospace Bristol Museum. Set over three hangars, the most exciting exhibit is arguably Concorde, boasting a multimedia experience all around the jet to educate visitors on its history. You can board the plane, once a benefit reserved for the wealthiest of travelers (or their employers). Give yourself three or four hours to tour the facility and learn about all the important flight developments that occurred at Bristol Filton. The museum is located on Hayes Way, adjacent to the historic Filton Airfield.
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Nine Ladies in Derbyshire
By Linda Tancs
The Nine Ladies is a standing stone circle located on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire in the English East Midlands. Dating to the Bronze Age, it is thought to depict a folk tale concerning nine ladies turned to stone as a penalty for dancing on Sunday. Actually, there were 10 ladies; one stone was discovered on its side in 1977. Although the circle’s purpose is unknown, it is not uncommon for formations of this sort to have been used as a meeting place, landmark, or place of ceremony or burial. The site can be accessed via a number of footpaths depending upon your start point. Formal car parking is available just outside of Birchover, less than a mile from the circle.
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Cavaliers and Roundheads
By Linda Tancs
The history of England’s Corfe Castle in Dorset includes the country’s civil war era. Among its many owners, the castle passed into the hands of the Bankes family, prominent members of the Dorset gentry, who turned the former stronghold into their country seat. The Bankes family supported King Charles I and his supporters (the Cavaliers) against Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians (the Roundheads) during the civil war. They defended the castle unsuccessfully against bombardment, and the castle was ultimately destroyed. Due to the courage of Lady Mary Bankes during the conflict, the victorious Parliamentarians eventually presented her with the keys to Corfe Castle as a tribute notwithstanding its destruction. The castle remained in the family for over three centuries before being handed over to the National Trust. Take a walk among the castle’s ruins and grounds (which features an audio tour covering its long history), and look out for wildlife like the grey bush cricket and red kites, birds of prey with their distinctive high-pitched whistle sound and reddish-brown forked tail.
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The History of Basildon Park
By Linda Tancs
Basildon Park is a country estate in Berkshire, England, with an interesting history. The 18th-century Palladian-style mansion was owned by Francis Sykes, who made his fortune in the East India Company. In modern times, the house was used as a 50-bed convalescent home for officers and soldiers of the Berkshire regiments during World War I and was used during World War II for D-Day training as well as a prisoner-of-war camp for German and Italian soldiers. Suffering damage as well as disuse, the house and estate were later restored by Lord and Lady Iliffe, who gifted the house and 400-acre parkland to the National Trust in 1978. Today Basildon Park is perhaps better known as a popular filming location for shows like Bridgerton.
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Monkey Island
By Linda Tancs
Monkey Island Estate is a luxury hotel on a private island in the River Thames in Bray, England. Once the haunt of monarchs, aristocrats and artists, the estate may have taken its name from the 17th-century fresco that adorns the ceiling of the ground-floor Monkey Room. Another theory is that the name evolved from Monks Eyot (eyot being Old English for island) after the Augustinian monks who settled there in the 12th century. Among its 40 exquisite guest rooms is the Wedgwood Suite (so named and designed after the most recognizable name in British ceramics), which is Grade-1 listed.
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A Living Work of Art
By Linda Tancs
Located in Wiltshire, England, Stourhead is an estate boasting a Palladian house and world-famous landscape garden. When it first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as “a living work of art.” Indeed, the home (one of the first grand Palladian-style villas built in England) boasts a spectacular collection of furniture, artwork and heritage pieces collected by the Hoare family. It’s also home to some of the most spectacular follies (decorative structures) in Britain. The most famous folly is arguably the Temple of Apollo, which made its way into the film Pride and Prejudice. Another folly, the Pantheon, was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. And another one, Alfred’s Tower (named for King Alfred the Great), offers panoramic views over three counties. Events at the property include Behind Closed Doors tours, guided walks and daily activities.
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An Iconic Tower in London
By Linda Tancs
Built in the 1960s, London’s BT Tower was once the city’s tallest building (at around 581 feet) until NatWest Tower opened in 1980. A national landmark, it was initially used for transmitting signals to television broadcasters and later featured a revolving restaurant and viewing platform (until an act of terrorism shut it down). As its role in telecommunications diminished with the evolution of fixed and mobile technology, the landmark saw new use as a giant banner of sorts when a wrap-around LED screen was installed around the 36th and 37th floors to provide messaging for various national events and even social media posts. The building has been sold to MCR, a major hotel group boasting properties like New York’s TWA Hotel and The High Line.
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The Bradford Gudgeon
By Linda Tancs
Just 12 minutes by train from Bath, England, Bradford-on-Avon is a picturesque little town located on a bend of the River Avon. It’s known for its iconic, arched stone bridge built in the 13th century. A feature of that bridge is the domed building topped with a fish-shaped weathervane known as the Bradford Gudgeon. In the 17th century it served as a prison (Lock Up), or holding cell, for criminals awaiting their date with the magistrate, who were said to be kept “below the fish and over the water.” You can experience the wait yourself this month, when the Lock Up is open for a few days during Heritage Open Days.
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