HISTORIC CIRCLE TOUR WEST OF LONDON
The Busman's Tour Southwest England, but take a car.
Here’s
a suggestion for a sample historic tour swing though unique destinations
from Birmingham to Dover. Driving on the right hand side
may be a necessity, though. Either starting and ending in London, or
fly into Birmingham on a discount airline like Ryanair or BMI and out
again from
Dover,
or back
to London. Start just north of Birmingham in Staffordshire at Weston
Park, a magnificent historic location with 1,000 acres of,
woodland, lakes and formal gardens. A visit to the manor at Weston
Park provides
a masterful collection of paintings, tapestries, porcelain and fine furniture.
Then,
head to Tamworth
Castle,
a dramatic Norman era castle with 15 rooms, said to be haunted by two
lady damsel ghosts. Just north of Warwick
you’ll
find Baddesley Clinton, a romantically situated
medieval manor house dating back to the 15th century. And the ruins
of Kenilworth Castle where Edward II was reportedly
murdered. And finally, end your northwest medieval journey at Warwick
Castle and the nearby Lord
Leycester Hospital, quite popular for weddings, should
you be in the mood.
Head south to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the hometown of Shakespeare,
visit the thatched
cottage childhood home of Will’s wife, Anne Hathaway’s
Cottage. At Shakespeare’s
Birthplace in Stratford (see also Shakespeare
The Stratford Man) walk through the home
where the famous author
was born and grew up. A museum and display offers a view of
the man Shakespeare’s life as a child, and includes an exhibition
on his work and times. While in Stratford also visit Mary
Arden’s House & New
Place, which have
a connection to Shakespeare's history. Or
catch a play from the Royal Shakespeare Company next to the meandering
river Avon. The theater is under reconstruction in 2007 but the plays are
held in a temporary space. If you feel like staying in a baronial manor
that was the setting for a famous spooky movie, try a night at Ettington
Park or a former 13th Century Coaching inn hideaway for movie
stars in royal Woodstock, The
Bear Hotel .
After visiting the Shakespeare place, take time to explore the
Cotswolds in Gloucestershire at Painswick Rococo Garden,
a unique 18th century
garden set in a hidden Cotswold Valley. Head west towards Goodrich
Castle, a fortress of red sandstone
which is one of the most complete medieval castles in Britain,
situated on a rock outcrop with views over the Wye Valley.
Head to the south, back toward London and stop at Blenheim
Palace near Oxford, magnificent Boraque architecture
and the birthplace
of Sir
Winston Churchill (see Blenheim
Palace).
Then head southwest towards Painshill Park,
one of the most important 18th century parks in Europe with
a Gothic
Temple,
Crystal Grotto, Hermitage, serpentine lake, and much more.
Stop
in Oxford for
a visit to Trinity College and the Saxon Tower,
Oxford's oldest building. Follow the Thames
to Henley where the Oxford and Cambridge boys go at it with
oars (see Henley-on-Thames).
Head back toward London and get your fill of Tudor royal
history
check out Hampton Court Palace Henry VIII’s
royal residence. Imagine Anne Boleyn running through the
gardens, trying to
keep her head. The
palace offers costumed guides, extensive gardens, parkland,
and a maze.
Next visit Eltham Palace, the early childhood home of
Henry VIII, now reconstructed as a masterpiece
of
art deco
design recalling
the glamour and dash of the 1930’s. Stay in the historic Haunted
Littlecote House in
Berkshire where Henry VIII met Jane Seymour. After
a stop in London, travel out to Leeds Castle, said
by some
to
be the ‘loveliest castle
in the world.’ There are extensive gardens and
parkland and a moat around the castle. Stop at Stonehenge to
contemplate time and then wind down to towards
the coast and end your circle tour with a visit to Dover
Castle, standing over the white cliffs, with
its Secret
Wartime Tunnels
Museum, deep
beneath the cliffs see where soldiers were billeted during
World War II through
the blitz and the invasion of Normandy. © Bargain
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See also:
DIDCOT RAILWAY IN OXFORDSHIRE
MARITIME MUSEUM AND ROYAL OBSERVATORY
TOWER OF LONDON
THE HITCHCOCK HOUSE - LONDON
