Hardwick Hall and Bolsover Castle
A wonderful couple of examples of 17th century grandeur relating to Bess of Hardwick, the second richest woman of the Elizabethan age, after the Queen herself. She married four times,…
Tag: heritage
Harewood House
One of the most enjoyable and impressive of the many historic houses I’ve visited over the years, Harewood Hall was one of the highlights of my trip to Yorkshire. I’ve…
Fountains Abbey, Studley Royal Water Gardens, and Brimham Rocks
A varied day exploring north west of York, starting with the World Heritage site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens. The Cistercian abbey was one of the largest…
Castle Howard
A distinctive grand house in the Yorkshire countryside, one of the largest country houses in England, Castle Howard has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family…
Rievaulx Abbey and Terrace, Helmsley Castle, and Nunnington Hall
A heritage packed day exploring north of York, starting with Rievaulx Abbey. Founded in 1132 it was one of the largest Cistercians abbeys in England, until it’s dissolution by Henry…
Wrest Park and Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Couple of stops from the journey north from Surrey to York, along the mostly uninteresting M1 motorway. Home to one of the most significant gardens in Britain, Wrest Park is…
Perth and Freemantle
My third post on Perth, after my third visit, which demonstrated how far the city has come since I visited in 2010 and 2017. The waterfront is now home to…
HMS Belfast
One of the last surviving ships from WW2, HMS Belfast is a fascinating piece of history moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge, it’s easy to spend several hours…
Prizren
The second city of Kosovo, Prizren was an unexpected delight, with a compact old town filled with historical sights, located at the base of the Sar Mountains. The best views…
Penshurst Place & Parham Park
A pair of grand houses built two centuries apart (the 14th and 16th) but both strongly connected with the Elizabethan era. Parham Park is one of the finest Elizabethan houses…
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland, Bunratty combines a 15th century castle and a folk park recreating Irish life from the 19th century. Other than the tour…
Irish monasteries, churches and cemeteries
Religion has played a huge role in Irish history, often tragically in the centuries long conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The number of monasteries, churches and cemeteries across the country…
Irish houses and gardens
As is standard across most of Europe there were plenty of grand old houses with accompanying gardens to explore in Ireland. Kylemore Abbey Built in 1860s with Manchester cotton money,…
Downtown Los Angeles
Much maligned, but definitely improving, downtown Los Angeles still feels like a work in progress, with grand architectural statements sitting next to vacant or derelict lots. In a relatively small…
Hermannsburg Historic Precinct
A fascinating place to visit for it’s heritage and art history, Hermannsburg Historic Precinct was the first Aboriginal Mission in the Northern Territory. As it’s name suggests it was established…
Alice Springs Heritage & Views
For a relatively young place, established in 1872 as Stuart, and renamed to Alice Springs in 1933, there is a significant amount of heritage to be explored. The obvious place…
Gunn’s Camp
Gunn’s Camp began in 1938 as Public Works Department camp to accommodate married men (unsure where the unmarried stayed) who worked on the Hollyford-Okuru Road. 8km up Hollyford Road off Milford…
Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery is somewhere that almost everyone in Auckland will have been past or over, but few will have walked through. It’s encircled by Symonds St, K Road, the…
New Zealand cemeteries
Cemeteries are fascinating places, providing perspective on your life and the times in which people lived and were buried. Here’s a selection from across New Zealand, starting with probably the…
Arrowtown
An historic gold rush era town close to Queenstown, Arrowtown is worth visiting for it’s heritage, and in April / May is one of the best places in New Zealand…