These days people travel to Snowdonia in North West Wales for the incredible old castles and villages and particularly the rugged, wild landscapes and outdoor pursuits. It was a lot different in the thirteen-century when as with much of Britain and indeed the world, anywhere outside the city walls was seen to be a devilishly… Continue reading The tragic tale of Gelert the trusted hound of King Llwelyn The Great
Category: Travel
Taking a ride on the Shields Ferry
Last summer when I was walking Hadrian’s Wall on my fundraising trip, I took a brief diversion on the way to see Bede’s chapel at Jarrow and the ancestral home of of George Washington in the aptly named Washington Hall. In order to do this, I took a trip on the Shield Ferry that crosses… Continue reading Taking a ride on the Shields Ferry
Wesley’s Chapel – The Mother Church of Methodism.
Almost directly across the road from Bunhill Fields Cemetery which I wrote about last week is Wesley’s Chapel which can be considered as the mother church of Methodism and so I thought I would take a look. I’m not a Methodist but I have an interest in most religions and notable people and there are… Continue reading Wesley’s Chapel – The Mother Church of Methodism.
Bunhill Fields – the resting place of some of the biggest names in history.
You might remember a few weeks ago I wrote about the dreadful place Dancing on the Dead at Enon Chapel – The Victorian Sensation! Whilst writing that and out and about on research, I gained the chance to visit Bunhill Fields. Bunhill Fields was once part of the Manor of Finsbury with connections to St Pauls… Continue reading Bunhill Fields – the resting place of some of the biggest names in history.
The evocative gardens of Arundel Castle
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the wonderful little Sussex town of Arundel whose centrepiece is one of the most imposing castles in southern Britain. The castle is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Norfolk and is set in 40 acres, with fine views across the South Downs. There is… Continue reading The evocative gardens of Arundel Castle
Ratcliffe Cross Stairs – Where fires raged, explorers set sail and pirates hung
Last week whilst scouting out a new walking tour of just a small part of East London, one of the places I most wanted to visit is the slipway which was once known as Ratcliffe Cross Stairs. The village of Ratcliffe itself is all but forgotten and subsumed by Limehouse which is itself unknown by… Continue reading Ratcliffe Cross Stairs – Where fires raged, explorers set sail and pirates hung
The Kazakhstan art exhibition in a disused London power station
Whilst out and about scouting a new walking tour in the East End of London, I had the good fortune to come across one of those hidden treasures which I still do so regularly even after all my exploration. Going along old Wapping High Street, one of the most unexpected sights you might see is… Continue reading The Kazakhstan art exhibition in a disused London power station
Give Peas A Chance – London loses its most seen graffiti
There aren’t many things in life that one can rely on in life and over the last few days hundreds of thousands of London commuters have had to deal with something that even puts Brexit in the shade. Namely the loss of possibly the most seen graffiti in London if not all of the U.K.… Continue reading Give Peas A Chance – London loses its most seen graffiti
A holiday from hell for two Russian murderers!
I’ve been on my fair share of nightmare holidays. Sank on the Nile, cars blown up, marooned in a live mine-field… that sort of thing but even I haven’t had quite as rough a time as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, Russia’s answer to Michael Palin or Levison Wood. Just two every day men, absolutely not… Continue reading A holiday from hell for two Russian murderers!
The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel
Said by many to be the English equivalent of the Sistine Chapel, The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich is one of the most spectacular and important baroque interiors in Europe. You might get some idea what awaits when you first arrive at the Cutty Sark station or as I prefer to… Continue reading The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel
Stephen Liddell 