Churches, castles, manor homes: there is an abundance of links with the past. Many roads still follow the path thousands walked on in medieval times. This little church can be found in Iffley (near Oxford) and is dedicated to "Saint Mary, the Virgin". It is a 12th Century Norman Romanesque Parish Church and was built by the Norman family of St.Remy during the reign of Henry II (1154-1189). A friend showed it to us and I was amazed it was open, we could walk right in. I am sure the churches in my country are not open, during the week, for anyone who wanted to walk in (I have to admit I never tried !).

Friends of us lived in the central area of the UK, near Oxford. Over the years we undertook many scenic daytrips from their home. Oxford itself has many bookshops and we have spent a fortune at Blackwells. The scenery in the immediate area of Oxford and Abingdon is very nice, this photo was taken on the banks of the river Thames.

Prehistoric days ........! Set out over the Marlborough Downs, near Avebury (Wiltshire), they represent a vast geometric pattern. Research has proved that these extraordinary patterns and alignments in the British landscape link ancient sites and - incredibly - seem to give a blue print of the same geometric patterning found in the Great Pyramid in Egypt ! A society with highly sophisticated astronomical, mathematical and surveying knowledge must have been living in Britain 3000 years b.C. These events correspond to the start of dynastic Egypt and to the beginning of the Mayan calendar.... The connection remains -as yet- a mystery...

Kenilworth Castle. I like these castles, half in ruins... Seems I can better picture the battles it was involved in. It is located in Warwickshire, a little north of Oxford. The castle is thought to have existed in the reign of King Arthur (should he has existed..), and in Saxon times a castle stood upon a hill called Hom. The structure was probably demolished during the wars between King Edmund and Canute II King of the Danes, and rebuilt about a century later. After the Norman Conquest, Kenilworth remained with the crown until 1129 when King Henry I gave it to his Chamberlain, a Norman named Geoffrey de Clinton. Clinton was Treasurer and Chief Justice of England. He built it to strength and had the moat added. It was completed during the reign of King John ("John Lackland", 1166-1216). The castle suffered a long siege by King Henry III and his oldest son Prince Edward in 1266. Edward was to become King Edward I. The castle was given to Edward's son Edmund Crouchback, who was created Earl of Lancaster. His nickname “Crouchback,” or crossed back, refers only to the fact that he went on crusade to Palestine in 1271 and, hence, was entitled to wear the cross. Other famous names connected with this castle are Simon the Montfort (Earl of Leicester, considered to be the founder of democracy in England), John of Gaunt and Robert Dudley. Queen Elizabeth I visited Robert Dudley at Kenilworth Castle in the years 1566, 1568, and 1575. No expense was spared during this final trip, which lasted for 19 days in mid July and cost Dudley £1000 per day. The splendour of the pageantry eclipsed anything that had been seen before in the whole of England.

Sudeley Castle. This castle is located in the west of England, among a large concentration of Castles near the border of Wales. Its layout, around 2 large courtyards, was determined around 1398 by owner Ralph Boteler. In 1469 it was passed on to Richard of Gloucester (later King Richard III), who the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, which had ruled England since 1154. Richard was the last English king to die on the battlefield; his death in 1485 is generally accepted between the medieval and modern ages in England. And he is credited with the responsibility for several murders: Henry VI , Henry's son Edward, his brother Clarence, and his nephews Edward and Richard. Quite a character, eh ? I find it spellbinding to walk among such history and sit and read about what has taken place during all those passed centuries, in this very place.

Warwick Castle is sited on a slope overlooking the river Avon, near the edge of a very charming Georgian town. The site knew of a castle being built in 914, when Danish invasion threatened and , Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, ordered the building of a 'burh' or an earthen rampart to protect the small hill top settlement of Warwick. In 1068 William the Conqueror established a motte and bailey fort, consisting of a large earth mound with a timber stockade around both the top and base. Around 1260 the woodwork was replaced by stone. In 1264 Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and leader of the rebellious barons, attacked the Castle. Over many years and generations that follow, vast improvements were made. It saw battles and it is also known to house a ghost. Queen Elizabeth 1 stayed at the castle in 1572. Famous Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was commisioned to landscape the gardens in 1750. I particularly found the Great Hall very beautiful, it is the largest room in the castle and throughout history has been the heart of Warwick Castle; straw and dirt covered the floor in medieval times and burning in the center of the room would have been a large fire, its smoke turning the air acrid. The only natural light filtered through narrow lancet windows. Here it was that the nobility ate, drank and even slept.

External links of historical interest:
History of Medieval England

Sources:
Kenilworth Castle
Warwick Castle

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