England, 1979

Visiting friends in Marcham, near Oxford, we took the opportunity to visit historic locations in the immediate vicinity. There was this medieval farm, including farming tools, both restored as well as replicas.

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is a large and monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. Pronounced Blen-um. It is the only non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title 'palace'. The Palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1724. It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Its construction was originally intended to be a gift to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough from a grateful nation in return for military triumph against the French and Bavarians. However, it soon became the subject of political infighting, which led to Marlborough's exile, the fall from power of his Duchess, and irreparable damage to the reputation of the architect Sir John Vanbrugh...
The palace was a minefield of political intrigue, with scheming on a Machiavellian scale by Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. Following the palace's completion, it has been the home of the Churchill family for the last 300 years, and various members of the family have in that period wrought various changes, in the interiors, park and gardens
[Wikipedia, more...]

Oxford, and the spot we saw on tv many times, years later, in the excellent Inspector Morse tv-series...

A sight which is quite common in Oxford and certainly adds to the atmosphere.

Oxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England.
The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre. For a distance of some 10 miles (16 km) along the river, in the vicinity of Oxford, the Thames is known as The Isis.
The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
Buildings in Oxford reflect every British architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the 'city of dreaming spires', a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings.
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was initially known as "OxenaRfoda", meaning "Ford of the Ox"; fords being very important before the days of bridges. [Wikipedia, more...]

Taking a break, to rest the feet, at a park among the universities.

The universities have inner courtyards; it is quiet here now as most students have left for the summer.

A splendid view from the Carfax Tower; I am not a person for heights but on such a clear day the opportunity was too good to pass by.

Carfax is located at the conjunction of St Aldate's (south), Cornmarket Street (north), Queen Street (west) and the High Street (east) in Oxford, England. It is considered to be the centre of the city.
The name 'Carfax' derives from the French "carrefour", or "crossroads".
The Tower is all that remains of the 13th century St Martin's Church and is now owned by the Oxford City Council. It is 23 m (74 ft) tall and still contains a ring of six bells, recast from the original five by Richard Keene of Woodstock in 1676. [Wikipedia]

I thought that the backgarden of Shakespeare's Cottage might be less often photographed, so here it is!
Inspite of the horrendous crowds, and being a sunday, we had trouble changing money. Finding a petrol station near Stratford-upon-Avon open for business was no small matter either. An exasperating visit...

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616)[a] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist.
His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613.[4][d] His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. [Wikipedia, more..]

Famous writer Bill Bryson wrote a short biography of William Shakespeare, in his famous, supreme wit and intelligence. Shakespeare's life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting... From the book I learned there is no certainty the portraits, as we know them of the Bard, have any likeness!

Abingdon... just a random image, don't exactly know where and of what! We had to kill some time while our host 'took care of some business'. Abingdon is a very nice town as well, not far from Oxford.

We know that look, a touch of madness which can only be cured by a good pint of bitter..
Cheers Stuart!!

And we had that look which people have when they get out of Stuart's car: "where did I put that last will.." And again, this can only be cured by a good pint of bitter or Guinness!

the End

Created 23-Jul-2009,
Updated 24-Jul-2009