A real jewel of a find in Altonthe building is reminescant of Jane Austin's house. It houses a…read morewonderful collection of waterclours and oil paintings of William Herbert Allen, ( but always referred to as WH). Born 1863 in Brompton, London he became Director of Farnham School of Art(living in a house named Strangers Corner)!! The Gallery also exhibits over 2000 beautiful ceramic pieces that date back to circa 1250 Particularly on view are the famous Tichbourne Spoons. As well as this wonderful collection, there are some beautiful sculptures set in the garden ie The Dancing Girls. The garden is just the place for tea and cakes, spacious and quiet. It was not designed as a botanical garden, but to relax and enjoy the wonderful scents. Public car parking just 35m away and free admission Tuesday Friday 1000 1630hrs.

I am a huge Jane Austen fan (I took a class on her in grad school), so of course I loved seeing her…read morehouse in Chawton. It was amazing to see after visiting Chawton House and comparing how this truly was a cottage, and realizing it was once on the same property as Chawton House. They do their best to replicate things as they might have been, and even have scraps of the original wallpaper framed next to the renewed version of the wallpaper. You can take a picture with Pride and Prejudice in the room in which Jane herself first read the book. If you do not like Jane Austen, perhaps give it a visit to see if experiencing this place changes your mind? If you like history, you will probably still enjoy a lot of what this museum shows, regardless of your feelings about Jane Austen. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, make sure to visit here. It is a bit of a crazy walk if coming in from Alton, but completely worth it (and really, the walk from the bus stop to Chawton does a great job of transporting you back to Jane Austen's time to better appreciate Chawton House and Jane Austen's House).

I visited this museum on a day trip from London and WOW! Not only is the museum itself beautiful,…read morewell organized, and full of information, but the staff is very welcoming! Not only were they friendly when we picked up the tickets, but once we were inside, those inside were happy to answer our many, many questions about the house, the furniture, and the time that Jane spent there. Our group spent almost two hours exploring the house and the small garden. Make sure to save some time for the gift shop! The selection of gifts, books, toys, and specialty items was amazing and the staff was helpful is assisting with our selections. Next to the gift shop, there was even a family activity area for kids to dress up, practice their calligraphy, and color. It turns out that this house was where Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life, and if you consider yourself a fan of her writing, or even just early 19th century architecture, you need to make the visit!

If you're an admirer of Jane Austen, then this is a visit you'll enjoy. What's unique about this…read moreplace is that Jane Austen once resided here. Calling it a museum might be slightly exaggerated, but referring to it as just a house isn't quite right. You'll learn about Jane's background and relatives while you attempt to picture life during that era.

We were in the area and where looking for something to do and found this. Cost 8.5 per person but…read morethe entry is good for one year. There is a short film that gives you an overview and then you can go into the house. They do have some original items but also have supplemented with items from the period but not original to the house. There is a downstairs and an upstairs. There is a very pleasant garden. We were able to enjoy it as it was a sunny day. There is also a small gift shop and two toilets. They stated they have WiFi but we couldn't get it to work on our phones. A good way to spend a hour.

We did the inner circle tour and it was worth every penny! There is an option for a sunrise tour…read moreand sunset before and after the place closes to the public. We opted for the sunset tour and were still able to spend our money in the gift shop, as it remained open. But there were no food options open at this time. We then took the bus to the site and were allowed to go inside the circle. Normally, you must stand about 10 yards away but being inside was unreal! There were so many unique photo ops from this vantage point and the fewer people was priceless. There were about 30 people total and they split you into 2 groups to take turns being inside. The guide and information presented was great as well!

As a history lover, Stonehenge has been on my bucket list. My visit yesterday did not disappoint…read more In fact, Stonehenge is an amazing wonder. My heart skipped some beats as I got my first glimpse of the great rocks. My husband and I took a small group tour to visit the site. We arrived early in the morning before crowds of tourists. I had downloaded the audio tour on my phone, which was fabulous. We bought tickets at the site. Tickets allow access to the museum/discovery center, a bus ride to the site and access to the walking path around the stones. Fees collected support the site. Paid admission is totally worth the visit. Stonehenge is a Neolithic site that was built over a 1000 year time period 3000 B.C. The site was a burial site, ceremonial site with astrological importance to these early people. The construction of the site is a prehistoric wonder. Two different types of huge rocks were gathered and moved across many miles to the site. The stones were carved to shape and secure them in place. Thousands of people must have participated in construction. Burial mounds surround the rock formation. Artifacts discovered at the site suggest that people were highly sophisticated. Some of the artifacts are displayed and replicas of there homes can be explored at the Center. Stonehenge is a World Heritage UNESCO site. Parking is available but there is a fee. Restrooms are nice. There is a cafe that is quite good at the center and a gift shop with reasonably priced visitor guidebooks. The site is accessible for wheel chairs and strollers, but the path is not paved. Worth a visit....I highly recommend.

A private club, so be prepared to find a member to gain entry…read more The Union is an icon in British culture. A center of debate and public discourse, you should really try to catch a debate if you are in Oxford during term. The member's bar is an excellent perk and serves a sparse, but nice lunch during weekdays. I'm writing this review from the free wireless service, which is another nice feature (though it works better from the libraries than the bar.) Snooker tables upstairs add a nice bonus to the typical bar scene in Oxford. The Union has become my haven when I am in the busy streets of downtown Oxford. The leather seats in the bar and the relatively quiet atmosphere during the day make it a great place to relax and get work done, or bring others for a discussion or meeting. You will find yourself surrounded mostly by undergraduates, followed by a healthy mix of post-grads and faculty. The debates are similar demographics, and tend to feature diametrically opposed parties. These are not always the best debates as they often pitch opposing ideologies and simply bash assumptions against each other rather than focus on the logical systems each side is using. The student debates before the formal debates tend to hold more fine points of discussion and a bit of humor. Both are worth going to, however, and some are more compelling than others. All in all, I think the Oxford Union deserves its iconic status, and if you can, you really should make an effort to experience it. Members can bring guests for a £3 entry fee. If you are affiliated with the university, and eligible for membership, you can only be a guest 3 times before you are asked to buy your own membership.

The world-famous Oxford Union is rightly proud of its library. Of course, Oxford is full of…read morelibraries crammed with rare copies, beautiful interiors and terrifyingly intelligent academics. This fits the mould, but is a healthy mixtures of generally artsy books. In keeping with the general theme of the union, it's well-loved by law and politics students, although there's something for most subjects. It's one of the biggest libraries where you can borrow books (as opposed to sit in there and read them) in Oxford, but its use is limited to members of the Union, for which it is necessary to pay over £100. There's also a decent collection of fiction, which can be a bit lacking in college libraries. It's got books written in the past few years. The travel guides are particularly useful, although quickly outdated, as are the magazines and newspapers. They're generally quite serious magazines (although FHM has been known to make an appearancE) - more the Economist and New Scientist than Heat or Hello, and much cheaper than buying one which you'll read once. If you're not a member of the Union or the Union Society, you can still visit the library for £1.50 and it's well worth doing so to see the Pre-Raphaelite murals (1857-9) painted by Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. They're all quite dramatic and mostly related to the legends of King Arthur. Don't forget to look up at the ceiling!

Large group of Victorian buildings at the top of Crown Hill that became the Curtis Museum, but not…read morewithout its' problems. The history of its evolvement goes right back to the middle of the 19th century. Situated on the main High Street, there is easy access from surrounding car parks. Naturally, there is evidence of Jane Austin. I had particular interest in a water colour of Jane's house when it was in a muddy lane

Whilst I'm not a church goer by any means, we do on occasion go up to the church of St Marys at…read moretimes like Christmas, and the spring/summer fayres. It is a very old church, the entrance being just round on the left of the photo that I took.

A must for anyone interested in old fairgrounds and amusement arcades, Brighton's Penny Arcade…read moreMuseum is a small arcade housed in one of the arches on the sea-front. A few minutes walk from Brighton Pier, it's also a great place to take kids for half an hour's fun. There's funny mirrors that make you look taller, shorter and fatter and over 50 vintage penny slot machines. Since most of the machines were manufactured between 1895-1950 some of them seem to break down occasionally but most of them are in good working order. There's strength machines that test your endurance, fortune tellers that predict your future and love life and quirky machines like What The Butler Saw. For £1 you get 7 old pennies to play whatever machines you like. The arcade is open every day from 12am-6pm Easter til September and fine weekends in the winter. If you're planning to make a special trip, it's worth phoning to check.

This is a great break from beachlife and a true homage to the path that laid the way for xboxes and…read moreplaystations. Set in the King's Road arches and slap between the piers, you will find the museum. Inside are a wide range of truely oldschool arcades and eccentricities from the late Victorian era to the mid Twentieth Century. I especially find the 'What the Butler Saw' machines funny. I also like that they give you large old pennies to play, rather than have converted the machines to take contemporary currency. I'm sure a number of these end up leaving the arcade as souveniers, so I suppose they have them made to order or something! You are unlikely to find all the machines working at any one time, but there will certainly be at least £2-£3's worth of pennies to play with. The only thing I missed not being present was an old style automated organ or some 'traditional' snacks to buy. Certainly a fun way to spend a few quid doing something a little different.

A great space in the middle of Brighton, Very reasonable rates for room hire and lots of…read moreinteresting groups and classes going on all week including Yoga, Tai-Chi, Ninjitsu, kids dance classes, various support groups, pattern cutting classes, a Spanish families group and lots more. Email or phone to hire rooms or get details of classes/groups.

Over 60 stunning installations set in an estate park plus an award-winning gallery and artist's…read morehouse housing a programme of exhibitions. Roche Court is open daily and is free although a donation to Salisbury Hospice (optional) is suggested. Groups and schools should call ahead and book. View works by the likes of Anthony Caro, Anthony Gormley, Gavin Turk, Eva Rothschild, Michael Hischer, Alison Crowley, Bill Woodrow and many more. All works are for sale and you are requested not to take photographs.