Launceston Castle

Posted on June 10, 2016 by kathy

Following our adventure in Britain, our plan was to relocate to Tasmania and rent a house in Launceston while we searched for a property of our own. Little did we know, in the early 19^th century, Launceston had been given the name of the town in Cornwall (although there it is pronounced ‘lawn-sten’). Known as the Gateway to Cornwall, Launceston is just across the border from Devon and so, to control the river crossing, a castle was built soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

2.Launceston Castle

Originally a wooden structure, the castle is set high on a grassy mound and was replaced with a circular stone keep in the 12^th century.

3.Launceston Castle

We wandered around the castle, marvelling at the stonework from so long ago.

4.Launceston Castle 6.Launceston Castle 7.Launceston Castle 8.Launceston Castle 9.Launceston castle

The views across the town and the Tamar Valley were breathtaking.

10.view 11.view 12.view 13.view 14.view

From the top, the remains of the moat are evident.

15.view

By the middle of the 17^th century, after the Civil War, the castle was virtually in ruins

16.Launceston Castle 17.Launceston Castle

and large parts of the wall are now missing.

18.view

In the 19^th century, the castle area was landscaped and turned into a public park.

19.Launceston Castle

We ended our perfect day with a pint at the Bell Inn, a three storey 15^th century Inn reputed to be the oldest public house in Launceston.

20.The Bell Inn

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Sidmouth

Posted on May 28, 2016 by kathy

Continuing westward on our travels, we stumbled across Sidmouth, a seaside town on the coast of East Devon.

1.Sidmouth

It began to develop as a destination for ‘discriminating visitors’ around 1800. Its popularity was a result of its climate and surroundings. We both remember the coffee and scrumptious cake we enjoyed at a café on The Esplanade.

2.Esplanade

We wandered along the seafront, past the Belmont Hotel, a gorgeous luxury reminder of the Regency era.

3.The Belmont Hotel

The South West Coast Path, a 630 mile walk along stunning coastline, passes through Sidmouth.

4.Sidmouth 5.Sidmouth

The striking red cliffs, formed 240 million years ago during the Triassic period, form part of the Jurassic Coast.

6.Sidmouth 7.Sidmouth

Once a 17^th century lime kiln, the Clocktower Café is perched on the cliff with sensational views.

8.The Clocktower Cafe

The path around the cliff leads to Jacob’s Ladder beach, named after the series of wooden steps leading up to the cliff top gardens.

9.Jacobs Ladder beach

The 24 colourful beach huts at the base of the steps can be rented from April to September.

10.beach huts Jacobs ladder beach

The house on the cliff overlooking the beach was intriguing.

11.The Gazebo

The ‘Gazebo’ was built on Peak Hill in 1962 by playwright, R.F. Delderfield. You could have purchased it for £795,000 in February 2011.

11.The Gazebo copy

Not far from Sidmouth, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, we discovered Castle Drogo.

12.Castle Drogo

Although it appears to be a medieval castle, it was built from local granite between 1911 and 1930 for self made millionaire Julius Drewe. It was the last castle built in England and was delayed with the First World War and subsequent economic downturn.

13.Castle Drogo

Above the entrance was a sculpted lion and the Drewe family motto, ‘Drogo is my name and valour gave me arms.’

14.Castle Drogo 14.Castle Drogo copy

Beyond the chapel

15.Castle Drogo chapel

the views across Devon were breathtaking.

16.Castle Drogo

Lacock Abbey

Posted on May 14, 2016 by kathy

Lacock Abbey, in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, was founded in 1232 and served as a nunnery until it was converted into a country house in 1540.

1.Lacock Abbey 2.Lacock Abbey

A lot of work had gone into the window above the entrance door.

3.Lacock Abbey

The Gothic Arch

4.Gothic Arch

led to the Stable courtyard

5.The Stable Courtyard with brewery & bakehouse

with its quirky Tudor clockhouse,

6.Clockhouse

bakehouse and brewery.

We spent some time wandering through the fascinating rooms. They may look familiar if you have seen the Harry Potter films, particularly the medieval cloisters.

14.cloisters

The internal cloister courtyard had a certain tranquility.

15.internal courtyard of the cloisters 16.Lacock Abbey

The Warming Room was the only room in the original Abbey where any warmth was provided and the 500 year old cauldron remains.

17.500 year old cauldron in the warming room

The Chaplain’s Room had a 14th century doorway and remnants of a medieval wall painting.

18.Chaplain's room

The valuables of the Abbey would have been housed in the Sacristy.

19.sacristy

The Chapter House windows were stunning.

20.Chapter House windows

We strolled around the grounds, admiring the Abbey from all angles.

9.Lacock Abbey 10.Lacock Abbey 11.from the south 12.Lacock Abbey 21.Lacock Abbey 22.Lacock Abbey 23.Lacock Abbey

It would have been nice to have seen more of Lacock village – maybe next time.

London

Posted on February 2, 2016 by kathy

Our British adventure began with a few days in London. Neither of us had been for many years and we couldn’t resist seeing the postcard sights. The best view had to be from the London Eye.

1.London Eye

Opened in the year 2000, it is Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel at 135 metres. One revolution takes about 30 minutes, travelling at a rate of 0.9km/hr. This allows enough time to get on and off without stopping and do a quick sweep for explosives in between.

2.The Eye

The 32 pods each hold 25 people. I’m pleased to say we only had 8 in ours.

3.The Eye

Before long, the iconic landmarks came into view. St. Paul’s Cathedral and Waterloo Bridge.

Charing Cross Station with Embankment Place shopping complex above and Hungerford Bridge, often called Charing Cross Bridge.

A little higher

8.The Eye

and we could see across the 23 hectare St. James’s Park

9.St James's Park

to Buckingham Palace.

10.Palace

From the top

11.The Eye

it was a long way down

12.The Eye

and we were awed by the dimensions of the Palace of Westminster, otherwise known as the Houses of Parliament.

13.Parliament

As we descended, we had a close look at the intricate architecture of County Hall and a glimpse along the Thames to Westminster and Lambeth Bridges.

After lunch and a beer on Southbank we embarked on a Thames River Cruise. On the way we had a different view of County Hall and a closer look at Big Ben.