Category Exploring England

Jun 12 2017

Monday Window, stained glass at Bristol Cathedral, 12/6/17…

I’ve always been quite partial to stained glass. I’m in awe of the work required to create windows in stained glass and where better to see stained glass but in the United Kingdom’s churches and cathedrals. Continue reading →

May 15 2017

Monday Window 15/5/17: Glastonbury Magik….

Easter is now usually spent with darling girl in Bristol, UK. Each time I visit, a car is hired and off we go exploring the neighboring countryside on my travels with my daughter.

This time Glastonbury was on the to-visit list. In looking for a succinct precis for a bit of historical padding for those who haven’t had the pleasure of Glastonbury, I came across “A History of Glastonbury“: by Tim Lambert. ( Well worth a full read if you are interested) Continue reading →

Mar 16 2017

Thursday Doors, strolling around Bath, 16/3/17…

During my January sojourn to Uk, visiting the darling daughter (DD) in Bristol, a trip to Bath was inevitable, it’s a place we always enjoy, part of Britain’s heritage and not too far down the road to visit.

It’s a beautiful city with such elegant houses, carefully restored and maintained and every street has a unique feel. The houses, built in Bath stone, are carefully preserved and the doors and windows fit so perfectly with the Georgian architecture. Continue reading →

Feb 6 2017

Monday Window 6/2/17…

A January trip to Uk took me via Oxford for a little break from the drive west to Bristol, my daughters home.

Last Thursday I featured some of the historic doors in Oxford for my contribution to Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors weekly event, but I couldn’t move on from Oxford without adding the windows I found. Continue reading →

Jan 23 2017

Monday Window: 23/1/17

At the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, some interesting contrasts between Victorian windows and the Mughal empire of India. Founded in 1852, the museum has a complex architectural history with piecemeal additions by various prominent architects of the time.  Continue reading →

Mar 7 2016

Monday Windows: Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey

The empty and atmospheric windows of Whitby Abbey.

The original monastery was founded in the Anglo-Saxon reign of King Oswy in 657 AD. Work on the ruins still standing, probably began around 1200 AD as a Benedictine monastery, disestablished during the reign of Henry V111, as part of the dissolution of monasteries in 1539 AD. In later years, the haunting ruin was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.

I visited on a moody Yorkshire day, the Abbey perched high on the cliff above Whitby harbour, a graveyard below; the scene was set for swirling mists, howling dogs, black cloaked men and nefarious deeds…

Here are the links to Wikipedia and English Heritage who now run and care for the historic site.

History of the Abbey can also be found at http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/churches/abbey.shtml

Note to potential visitors:  Avoid visiting on English Bank holidays, Whitby is popular on the Yorkshire tourist trail and most of the visitors had arrived before me and taken all the parking!

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Feb 8 2016

Monday Window #3 : in Bristol, UK.

 It’s a Banksy window.

In June 2006, Banksy created an image of a naked man hanging out of a bedroom window on a wall visible from Park Street in central Bristol. The image sparked “a heated debate”, with the Bristol City Council  leaving it up to the public to decide whether it should stay or go.After an internet discussion in which 97% of the 500 people surveyed supported the stencil, the city council decided it would be left on the building.The mural was later defaced with blue paint. (Wikipedia)

( Photo Vicky, April 2015 on a Bristol city visit)

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