Category: Picture of the Week

The stables at Kenilworth Castle. Photo May 2015.

The stables are one of the parts of the castle that had changed quite a bit between my 1998 and 2015 visits. When I was first there, they were mostly closed for restoration and renovation and had a tiny gift shop squeezed in between the areas of construction if I remember correctly. When I visited again two years ago, all of the renovations were finished and it now houses a cafe and a collection of artifacts.

The stables are thought to have been built during the short time that John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland held the castle in the mid-16th century. They were later put to good use by his son Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, when he owned the castle. Dudley had, of course, been the Master of the Horse to Queen Elizabeth I.

Rochester Castle and Cathedral. Photo May 2015.

Medieval wall painting preserved at Norwich Cathedral. Photo May 2015.

Maybe not the most stunning photo I’ve ever taken, but I loved the scrolling vine pattern of this painting. I’d love to embroider this along the bottom of a skirt or something (note to self: find time to start sewing and stitching again…)

Crossing of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St. Edmunds. Photo May 2015.

Gardens at Blickling Hall, Norfolk. Photo May 2015.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

The Garrick Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

The Garrick Inn is right next to Harvard House in Stratford-upon-Avon and dates back to at least Elizabethan times, but some parts may be older. I didn’t stop in for a pint on my last visit but I’ll make sure to next time I’m in town (although who knows when that will be!).

The Pond Garden at Hampton Court Palace. Photo May 2015.

Entrance to Oxburgh Hall. Photo May 2015.

After a damp start to my visit, the skies cleared up nicely for the afternoon! Thankfully there was plenty to do inside while it was raining and a lovely cafe to enjoy some coffee and a snack.

Stained glass window at Harvard House, Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

From the information sign:

This stained glass was uncovered in the early 1900s during restoration works organised by local author Marie Corelli. Dating from between 1400 and 1500, it was probably brought here from another building. It is decorated with images of primroses, columbine, oak or holly leaves, and daffodils.

Inside the Great Hall of the Leicester Guildhall. Photo May 2015.

Brick oven at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shottery, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

Lion rampant heraldic beast in the Chapel Court Garden at Hampton Court Palace. Photo May 2015.

This garden was one of the pleasant surprises upon my return to Hampton Court. In the 15 years since my last visit, this space opened in 2009 for the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne. The design is based on the view seen through the arches in The Family of Henry VIII painting (even though the painting actually depicts the Great Garden at Whitehall Palace – more info from the Royal Collection website).

Private dining area at Palmer’s Farmhouse at Mary Arden’s Farm. Photo May 2015.

If I remember correctly, this is the area for the master of the house to have a private dinner, as opposed to the larger meal area that everyone ate at. Eventually I’ll have some photos from the Tudor meal they did in the main dining room while I was visiting. It was fun to watch!

Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

Pretty close to the same spot that I took the photo from 1998 (seen here way back in Picture of the Week #68)

Blickling Hall, Norfolk. Photo May 2015.

Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham, Suffolk, England. Photo May 2015.

So far the only other picture I’ve used from St. Michael’s is the tomb of Henry Fitzroy (Picture of the Week #340) but expect to see more in the future. They were doing a recording when I first got over to the church (a short walk from the castle) so I wandered around the outside for a while and took a bunch of photos of some great overgrown and weathered graves in the churchyard. And I have a lot more photos of the interior, including some close-ups of features on Fitzroy’s grave.

And any fans of the show Detectorists might recognize the church from the show, although I seem to recall it was actually a stand-in for a library. At one point there is a scene of two of the characters sitting on a bench outside and I realized I sat on that very same bench after my walk around while I was waiting for them to open the church!

Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk, England. Photo May 2015.

Castle Acre Priory was, not surprisingly, one of the many such buildings that were affected by the suppression of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII. The priory was handed over on November 22, 1537 and leased to the Duke of Norfolk, who later sold it to Thomas Gresham. The prior’s lodging (see the area near the middle of the photo with the pitched roof) was converted into a house, which is probably the reason that part remained mostly intact.

Visiting the priory was one of those ‘happy accidents’ of travel that I hope everyone experiences when they go abroad. When I was planning out the trip, I had decided to book a B&B for one night in Castle Acre because it was a good stopover place as I was heading from East Anglia towards the Midlands. As I was looking around to see the local attractions I discovered that the ruins of the priory were far more substantial than I had thought, so I decided to add it to the day’s plans and I’m glad I did! And I totally fell in love with the town of Castle Acre. There are the ruins of the old castle, the old medieval bailey gate, and the ruins of the priory all within easy walking distance from the center of town. I definitely recommend a stop if you’re in the area!

The Round Tower at Windsor Castle. Photo May 2015.

Not quite the *exact* same photo as Picture of the Week #37, but close! Hard to believe it was 17 years between visits… how time flies!

St. Nicholas Church in Blakeney, Norfolk, England. Photo May 2015.

There are two towns in England with the name Blakeney – one in Norfolk and one in Gloucester, and I have now visited both. And if you’re wondering why someone would go out of their way to visit two towns with the same name in two different parts of England, for me there is a very good reason – that’s my mom’s family name! I grew up knowing about both towns (as well as Mountblakeney in Ireland – still on the to-do list) and remember when they were basically just a name and a dot on a map in the giant atlas in the local branch of the library (boy are we spoiled by Google Maps and Google Street View now!). I still don’t know what connection there may be between the towns and Mom’s family, but that’s a genealogy/history project for another day. I only drove through the town in Gloucestershire back in 1998, but on the 2015 visit I was planning to spend a number of days in East Anglia so I ended up in the Norfolk Blakeney for about half a day. I walked part of the Norfolk Coastal Path and explored the town a little and walked up to the church, seen above.

The church was mostly built between the 13th and 15th centuries and was resurfaced in the Victorian era. You can learn more about the building and its history here.