“Merry Christmas!” said Santa, offering me a sweet from his Christmas stocking. The diminutive Santa was, I judged, about six years old and was accompanied by an elder brother as he spread Christmas cheer among the crowd in the Wasim … Continue reading Cricket for Christmas
On the cover of my school history textbook was a photograph of a jewelled purse lid of gold and garnets – one of the treasures of the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. Later, studying history at university in London, I spent … Continue reading Sutton Hoo at last
Originally posted on Heritage Weekends:
If I were ever so unfortunate as to be imprisoned in the Old Gaol at Hexham, I would definitely want to be accommodated on the first floor. The gaol was built on the orders of… Continue reading Hexham: The Moving Skull and other stories
Originally posted on Heritage Weekends:
My ingredients for a perfect day out, in no particular order, are historic buildings and gardens, bookshops and tea shops.? The town of Alnwick in Northumberland offers all these and more. Alnwick Castle has been… Continue reading A Perfect Day in Alnwick
The unmistakable chords of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor provided an atmospheric backdrop to my first visit to Notre Dame. That was many years ago now, and I still don’t know how we managed to time our visit … Continue reading What a Magnificent Organ!
When I was small, I was sometimes taken to visit my grandparents’ cousins’ farm at Swan Bottom in Buckinghamshire. On the way I always looked out for the figurehead of Admiral Lord Howe at The Lee. An incongruous place for … Continue reading Figureheads
You could say that we had a whale of a time when we returned to Hull for a weekend in June. Which would give us something in common with Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick. Hull is a great … Continue reading Back to Hull
“Look! It’s just like Kazakhstan!” This is probably not the most common reaction to the sight of the statue of Liverpool’s most famous foursome at the Pierhead. The woman I was addressing certainly looked a bit startled. (I thought the … Continue reading Back in the USSR?
As lockdown gradually lifted in the spring of 2021, opportunities for Covid-secure travel began to open. Open being the operative word here. Whilst visiting indoor attractions was still not possible, visiting outdoor heritage sites provided an antidote to cabin fever. … Continue reading Castles in Wales
First: Merry Christmas! Or, at least, as merry a Christmas as circumstances will allow. Our thoughts go, in particular, to everyone who’s alone and doesn’t want to be, and/or those who have lost loved ones and friends in 2020. The hamper pictured above is courtesy of Orchard View Farm – one of many local food […] World go local Continue reading World go local
Travels with me aren't 