Destination: England — A Travel Adventure

I thought it was about time I devoted a full post to one of our travel adventures!  Although I've included photos from our travels in various tablescape posts that were inspired by the trips, I've been remiss in not actually sharing the trips themselves.

 

First up is England — we're hoping to visit the other parts of the UK soon. We began and ended our trip in London.

   

 

London  

 

A poignant installation of deep red ceramic poppies washed across the lawn in front of the Tower of London.  The breathtaking display featured 888,246 ceramic poppies in the art installation 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' that served as a reminder of the lives lost during World War I and the lasting impact of conflict. 

 

    

We also explored the tower complex itself, including the various towers, gates and museum exhibitions. And the ravens! Several photos in this post are rendered in black and white to highlight architectural details.

 

     

We enjoyed touring within Buckingham Palace, which our daughter particularly found interesting. I enjoyed the array of portraits. Although we didn't witness any ceremonial flourishes, we relaxed in the Garden Café on the West Terrace just beyond the exit from the State Rooms. The photo below of the front gates can give you an idea of the ornate details that grace the palace throughout. 

 

     

An entire day was spent in the British Museum, immersed in the various galleries showcasing ancient cultures. I tried in vain to get a decent photo of the Rosetta Stone (its glass casing merely reflects the figures of all the visitors), but the Egyptian galleries yielded this painting (whose provenance I've forgotten). I was most fascinated by the Sutton Hoo and post-Roman European galleries. Tickets to the permanent collection at the museum are currently free.

 

  

Bath and Stonehenge

 

We left London for several days in Bath, which totally won over the three of us. We delighted in walking around Bath, a small city in the valley of the River Avon west of London, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural and natural heritage. It was named for its Roman baths (seen below) built around 60 CE, which are preserved in four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House, and a museum which holds artifacts from the town that surrounded the baths. 

 

In the center of town stands Bath Abbey, where the first building was constructed in the 7th century. The Abbey/church was later rebuilt in succeeding centuries in first the Norman style, then the Gothic style seen here. It was restored in the early 1600's and again in the mid 1800's.

 

      

The intricately vaulted ceiling of the Abbey. 

    

The very walk-able city of Bath is home to many fine examples of Georgian architecture and by several art galleries and museums including the Fashion Museum. The River Avon runs through Bath by day . . . 

    

  

and by night!  

    

  

An easy day trip took us to Stonehenge, one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever been. Work began on Stonehenge about 5,000 years ago and continued in stages for 2,000 years more as part of a remarkable complex of connected prehistoric sites. It's a powerful testament to the people who built the complex where the sun rises over the Heel Stone on the longest day of the year (summer solstice) and sets over it on the shortest day (winter solstice),  suggesting that it was a prehistoric temple aligned with the sun’s movements. 

 

     

Stonehenge is a masterpiece of engineering, built using only stone, wood and bone technologies, before the use of metals and the invention of the wheel. Hundreds of people were required to transport, shape and erect the stones weighing between 2 and 30 tons each here and in similar neolithic complexes. The photo below illustrates the size of the stones compared to visitors. 

 

  

Birmingham, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon  

   

Birmingham was our hub for several days. Although we didn't spend much time in the city itself, we stopped to admire the houseboats in the canals.  

 

I didn't have a camera with me in Oxford where we visited the university and the 455-year-old pub frequented by a number of English writers. But I did have it riding through the surrounding area where I photographed a number of charming houses and gardens, such as this one, that were the inspiration for Summertime Gardens for the Table.

 

They didn't prepare us for the sheer size of Blenheim Palace located a short distance away.  Built in the Baroque architecture style, it was completed in 1722.  This is the entrance courtyard that is flanked by two perpendicular wings, one of which is used as the residence. The exterior is gorgeous — the interiors are grandly scaled and ornate. The tour was extensive and focused on the history as well as the design.

 

The entrance in the North facade.  

 

Built two hundred years earlier in Stratford-upon-Avon is a house believed to be William Shakespeare's birthplace. It was considerably cozier than Blenheim Palace but equally fascinating. The half-timbered house itself has a relatively simple layout which included space for his father's business, but for the late 16th century it would have been considered quite a substantial dwelling. 

 

        

I spent some time wandering through the beautiful attached garden that is planted with flowers and herbs that would have been known in Shakespeare's time.  

 

  

 

London  

   

We returned to London for a few more days, where we lingered first by the Palace of Westminster where the meetings of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are held. I was fascinated by the architectural details of the building more than its history. The Houses of Parliament (as it is also known) was originally constructed in the eleventh century as a royal palace; subsequent centuries saw a number of fires which resulted in a series of reconstructions/replacements. Like Bath Abbey, the Palace of Westminster uses the Perpendicular Gothic style with corresponding ornamentation as seen below in the Sovereign's Entrance at the base of the Victoria Tower.

 

      

 

      

At the north end is the Elizabeth Tower, called the Clock Tower until 2012. The tower houses the Great Clock, informally known as Big Ben, which uses the original mechanism built in 1859, striking the hour to within a second of the time. The time is shown on four dials which are made of milk glass and are lit from behind at night; the hour hand is 8 ft 10 in long and the minute hand 14 ft.

 

      

 

      

We had a couple of exploratory walks and a boat ride along the Thames River. On the Embankment we encountered an ancient Egyptian obelisk transported to London in the 1870s. Called Cleopatra’s Needle it is an almost 3,500-year-old granite obelisk, originally erected to flank the entrance to a temple as one of a pair. The other is in Central Park, New York City.

 

      

Two large bronze sphinxes sit on either side of Cleopatra’s Needle. These were made in England in 1881.

 

   

 After a fascinating trip we headed home. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of our wonderful travel adventure!

 

  

   

Shared with these parties  

Karins Kottage   

Wonderful Wednesday    

The Happy Now    

Vintage Charm     

Grandmas House Wednesday    

Whimsy Home Wednesday      

Wednesdays in Studio    

Thursday Favorite Things     

Farmhouse Friday    

Home Matters      

Crazy Little Lovebirds    

Saturday Sparks      

Sundays on Silverado     

Love Your Creativity   

Metamorphosis Monday   

Hearth and Soul   

Inspire Me Tuesday    

Talking About It Tuesdays    

Tuesday Turn About    

Huisvlijt on Tuesday    

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