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St George's Church, Nashville, TN Windsor
Dominated both in
spirit and in fact, by its magnificent castle, yet the town itself is very
attractive with Georgian and Victorian buildings, church street being one of its
prettiest areas. The parish Church of St John stands in the High Street
with railings designed by Grindling Gibbons. Nearby is the Guildhall
designed at the end of the 17th Century by Sir Thomas Fitch and finished by Sir
Christopher Wren. However it is the castle that made the town and still
attracts thousands and thousands of visitors every year. Windsor Castle The castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world and covers over 13 acres. Its story starts with William the Conqueror who quickly grasped its strategic position and the advantage of a forest for hunting close by. Since then practically every sovereign has had a hand in the building, Henry II put up the first stone buildings including the round tower, but the defences are still those built by Henry III. Edward III was born at Windsor and loved it, he enlarged the royal apartments and founded the order of the Knights of the Garter, making Windsor a centre for chivalry. The castle is made up of three parts, the lower ward, which includes St George's chapel, the upper ward in which lie the state apartments and the middle ward where the enormous round tower gives wonderful views over 12 counties. St. George's Chapel, Windsor
A sumptuous and impressive
building which yet gives an effect of light and spaciousness. The
perpendicular chapel was begun by Edward IV in 1475 and completed in the reigns
of Henry VII and VIII. Many sovereigns and famous men and women lie buried
here, including Charles I, Henry VIII, Jane Seymour and the present Queens
Mother and father. Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert were also
buried at Windsor but in the royal mausoleum at Frogmore in Home Park near the
castle. Ely
The Town stands above
the River Ouse on a bluff which was formerly an island, accessible only by boat
or causeway until the fens were drained in the 17th and 18th Century. It
was the scene of Hereward`s resistance to William the Conqueror. A quiet
oasis away from the hustle and bustle of modern city life around the precints of
the cathedral are the houses of the Kings School founded by Henry VIII.
Nearby is the Bishops Palace and St Mary`s church, in the vicarage of which
lived Oliver Cromwell and his family from 1636-1647. Ely Cathedral
The Cathedral was
founded by St Etheldreda in 673 but work on the present building did not
commence until the appointment of Abbot Simeon in 1081. It is only on
entering the Cathedral that the length of the nave becomes apparent (537ft in
length) with a wonderful painted wooden ceiling 72ft high, conceived by Alan
Walsingham over 600 years ago. The effect of its design with its beautiful
fan vaulting and delicate tracery makes it one of the highlights of English
architecture. The chapels which surround the extension contain some of the
most elaborate and extraordinary carvings to be seen in England. Burghley House
The largest & grandest
house of the first Elizabethan age. built between 1565 & 1587 by William Cecil.
The house is still a family home yet full of superb paintings and antiques, a
treasure to feast upon. The art collection is one of the most impressive
17th Century Italian painting collections in the world, with over 300 great
works on display in the state rooms, which also includes work by Gainsborough,
Kneller and Lawrence. The tour will allow access to over 18 state rooms
filled with superb porcelain from all over Europe and a collection of early
Japanese ceramics, together with furniture of the highest quality including a
bed once used by Queen Victoria. Try and find time to wander in the
grounds, acres of park land, originally landscaped by Capability Brown.
Mature trees and plenty of space for the youngsters to let off some steam. Duxford
Europe’s top aviation
museum located at a former R.A.F. Battle of Britain fighter station. Over
140 historic aircraft from the First World War up to the present day including
the recently opened American museum. Cambridge
Cambridge is one of the
most important and beautiful towns not only in East Anglia, but also in Britain
and even Europe. The quality of its buildings in particular those
belonging to the University and the particular atmosphere caused by the
felicitous combination of river and gardens have given the city a place in the
itinerary of every visitor to this country. The history of Cambridge began
many hundreds of years before the first college was founded, a Celtic settlement
had arise on Castle Hill 100 years prior to the Roman conquest. At the
foot of the hill was a ford across the River Cam. It is thought the Romans
built a bridge here. The site of Cambridge became of great strategic and
commercial importance. With the departure of the Romans the town continued
to spread to its present position on the East Anglian side of the river.
The coming of the Normans only increased expansion they even rebuilt the Castle.
Then in the 13th Century saw the founding of the first Cambridge College,
Peterhouse College, established in 1281 by the Bishop of Ely and moving to its
own hostels in 1284. So was established the first College and the
consequent increase in the importance of the city as a seat of learning and a
centre of communal life. Kings College, Cambridge
One of the most
outstanding buildings in Britain and the finest Gothic building in Europe.
It was begun in 1446. its unusual dimensions, 300ft long, 80ft high and 40ft
wide, prepare the visitor for its extraordinary system of spatial relationships.
The effect of the interior is breathtaking. the shafts on either side of the
chapel lead the eye up into the roof where the profusion of delicate fan
vaulting appears to be made of lace rather than stone. The organ case
(1606), screen and choir stalls (1536) stained glass windows (1515 incidentally
the year the chapel was completed) act as a perfect foil to the magnificent
roof. Does this give meaning to look upwards to heaven for the splendours
that are above. American War Cemetery
Commemorating the brave
American servicemen who gave their lives during the Second World War to help
keep this island and the rest of the world free. 8,312 are buried here
together with a memorial to the 5,126 missing in action. Never let us
forget their help and ultimate sacrifice in helping to keep our island home free
from those across the water who wish to subjugate us into their world which we
are not part. Their sacrifice must be a lesson to us all to never drop our
guard, no matter how sweet the music sounds. Peterborough
A prosperous city and
an important market town. In its centre is the market place where the
Guildhall, built in 1671, dominates. Nearby is St John the Baptist’s
Church built in 1402. The best Georgian houses are in Priestgate on the
corner of which is the three storied Angel Hotel. The Town Hall in Bridge
Street was built in the 1930s in a mock Georgian style. Peterborough Cathedral
Founded as a monastery
by King Peada of Mercia in 655. Destroyed by the Danes in 870 and
re-founded by King Edgar over 100 years later. Hereward the Wake attacked
and plundered it about 1070 and approx 40 years later it was completely
destroyed by fire. The present church was begun in 1118 and the church was
dedicated in 1238. The building is of Barnack stone, 481 feet long by 206
feet wide and approx 81 feet high with the tower reaching 143 feet into the
heavens. The nave is a superb example of Norman architecture dating from
the second half of the 12th Century. The painted wooden ceiling is unique
in all England and dates back to 1220. In the retrochoir the ceiling has
magnificent fan vaulting and the “hedda stone” an important piece of Anglo-Saxon
sculpture dating from about 800. In front of the retrochoir are two burial
places one the tomb of Catherine of Aragon first Queen of Henry VIII who was
buried here in 1536. The second tomb was that of Mary Queen of Scots
buried here in 1587. However her son James I had her body removed and reburied
in Westminster Abbey in 1612. Henry VIII founded and endowed the Kings
school where the future choristers were to be educated. |
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