Off the beaten track this place is huge and the gatehouse is the largest remaining in the country…read more Very impressive and loved by artists. You can go inside for, a fee up, the new staircase. Within the grounds stand the ruins of the monastic buildings, notably the elegantly decorated octagonal chapter house of 1282-1308. An early example of brick building in England, it proclaimed the wool trade-based prosperity of one of the wealthiest English Augustinian monasteries. Its founder Sir William le Gros, Earl of Yorkshire, was buried here. (Will the Fat) It is free to wander around it and I find it very atmosphering at dusk and eerie. I swear I have heard whispering voices. By day it is a lovely place to visit. They say if you take stone from the abbey you will die and there is a legend that a manor house build of it suddenly collapsed. Now you will think me mad but once on a sunny day I was walking back to the gatehouse from the chapter house and found myself rooted to the spot. My friends asked what was wrong and I said I couldn't move my legs and I couldn't! They pulled me and suddenly I was free. NO idea what it was but it scared me!

The Manor is an area although there is a real Manor House I don't know if it the same one. It is…read morehowever historically fascinating as this is where the Kings Champions came from. Queen's Champion - Origins: The office was originally granted to Robert Marmyon, along with the castle and manor of Tamworth and the Manor of Scrivelsby in 1066. From then until the nineteenth century the officer's role was to act as champion for the King at his coronation, in the unlikely event that someone gainsaid the new King's title to the throne. The Champion was required to ride in full armor into Westminster Hall during the coronation banquet, escorted by the Earl Marshal and the Lord High Constable, all in full dress, robes and coronets, and await the challenge to all comers. The King himself could not fight in single combat against anyone except an equal. This trial by combat remained purely ceremonial and had a central place in the coronation banquet. By 1377 the male line of the Marmyons had died out, and in that year the office of King's Champion at the coronation of King Richard II was fulfilled by Sir John Dymoke, who had married Margaret Marmyon, the heiress of the Marmyon family, and so held the Manor of Scrivelsby.later years, the Garter King of Arms read out the challenge, and the Champion threw down the gauntlet at the entrance to Westminster Hall, then again in the middle of the Hall, and lastly at the foot of the Throne, each time repeating the challenge. Each time the gauntlet was recovered by Garter. The Champion was rewarded with a gilt, covered cup, the King or Queen Regnant having first drunk to the Champion from it. It is alleged that the challenge was actually accepted in 1689 by an old woman, supposedly a noted Jacobite swordsman in disguise, who challenged the Dymoke of the day to combat next day in Hyde Park. There is no evidence to support this claim. Equally, rumour reported that in 1764 a white lady's kid glove fluttered down into the Hall, supposedly from a Jacobite. If the Champion fought, and won, he got as his fee the armour he wore, and the horse he rode (the second best in the Royal Mews), both of which were on loan. Charlie Dymoke (gardener)claims to be a decendant. From Wikipedia: Dymoke, the name of an English family holding the office of king's champion. The functions of the champion were to ride into Westminster Hall at the coronation banquet, and challenge all comers to impugn the kings title (see Champion). The earliest record of the ceremony at the coronation of an English king dates from the accession of Richard II. On this occasion the champion was Sir John Dymoke (d. 1381), who held the manor of Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire, in right of his wife Margaret, granddaughter of Joan Ludlow, who was the daughter and co-heiress of Philip Marmion, last Baron Marmion. The Marmions claimed descent from the lords of Fontenay, hereditary champions of the dukes of Normandy, and held the castle of Tamworth, Leicestershire, and the manor of Scrivelsby. The right to the championship was disputed with the Dymoke family by Sir Baldwin de Freville, lord of Tamworth, who was descended from an elder daughter of Philip Marmion. The court of claims eventually decided in favor of the owners of Scrivelsby on the ground that Scrivelsby was held in grand serjeanty, that is, that its tenure was dependent on, rendering a special service, in this case the championship.

This is a memorial stone dedicated to the Pilgrims going to America…read more In 1608 the attempt to leave for Holland was made, this time from Killingholme Creek near Immingham where a Dutch ship waited. Men were ferried aboard first, but before the women and children could do so an armed crowd intervened. The Pilgrim Fathers left from the bank of the Humber at a place called Immingham Creek to Holland in 1608. The actual spot was marked by a memorial which was erected in 1924. The granite top stone of the memorial was taken from Plymouth Rock, Mass and presented by the Sulgrave Institution. The memorial was erected by the Anglo-American Society of Hull. The memorial became surrounded by industry as the Immingham dock area expanded and was moved in 1970 to its present site in a small park opposite the church in Immingham. According to Alan Tailby in his book the Pilgrims did hire a boat to take them to Holland from Boston in 1607 but the skipper, after taking their money, betrayed them to the authorities and they were imprisoned for a time. Many of the streets in Immingham are named after the Pilgrims: e.g. Clyfton Crescent and Brewster Avenue. Some 22 million Americans claim descent from the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed in the Mayflower and related crossings. The memorial stone, erected in 1924, on the estuary, was moved in 1970 to near St. Andrew's church because of re-development.When I worked in the archeology department I remember listing this as an SMA. (Sites and Monuments). Many Americans visit it each year.

Hard to say where this is in Qype. It is just outside Sutton-on-Sea on the way to Mablethorpe…read more This is a tiny thatched church. Very rare. Markby was once a priory and the church is all that is left apart from stones making up the nearby farmhouse. The priory of St. Peter at Markby was founded during the reign of Henry II. Ok I lecture in history too so for anyone interested here is the ref: (From: 'Houses of Austin canons: The priory of Markby', A History of the County of Lincoln: Volume 2 (1906), pp. 174-176. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=38025 . ) Markby church is cute! and I love it. Many accounts of monks having to be wheeled home from the inn in a wheelbarrow and of gossiping etc. I think you can still be christened or buried there but not sure if it has services. It is usually open, however, to visit and look around.

I love this place. Steps lit by old fashioned lamps and a gate into the Cathedral precincts. I have…read moretaken photos of it in all seasons and will paint it one day. It is the easy way up to the cathedral and Castle as opposed to Steep Hill. It even has a bench to sit on half way up. The greestone Stairs are so-called from the old english `greesen` or steps. The stairs were an important walkway from the 12th century,linking the medieval suburbs of Butwerk at the foot and Eastgate at the top. Both had grown up to the East of the old city walls. In the 1600`s, many of the cathedral cleaners lived in the cottages on Greestone Terrace,just off the stairs.In the later centuries,when this became a more exclusive area,one of the houses took the name `Grecian House` mistaking `greestone` for something of a more classical flavour. During an uprising over the Cathedral Spires imminent removal, in the 1720's, the rioters knocked on this gate and the keeper stuck his head out. They knocked him out and went in but the Bishop gave them ale and calmed them down. For my guide it has a few ghosts: A phantom, rolling head is reported to bounce down this steep area, bowling over anyone not quick enough to move out of the way! The area has also had reports of phantom monks and a ghostly woman holding a baby.

Haha this is so much easier than the steep hill so it is a must! A lot easier and faster!read more

Our children's authors retreat took us on a truly fascinating tour of Belvoir Castle (pronounced…read morelike "beaver," because the English hate the French lmao). From the moment we arrived, the history and grandeur of the place were palpable. Our tour guide was an absolute gem! Her charm and delightful demeanor instantly reminded me of Mary Poppins - a comparison that probably screams "American tourist," but it's the most fitting image I can conjure! This adorable British lady, likely in her 50s with straight blonde shoulder-length hair, was an absolute ray of sunshine. As an art historian, she brought the castle and its inhabitants to life with a wealth of captivating stories and historical insights about the family who still call Belvoir home to this day. We even had the surreal experience of the current Duchess casually walking through our group - a seemingly ordinary brunette woman in a suit, walking barefoot! It truly underscored the fact that this isn't just a museum; it's a living, breathing family home. My favorite story was the one of Charles Cecil John Manners, 6th Duke of Rutland. Our tour guide showed us a portrait of him looking very Mr Darcy-like. She called him very inept and useless, as he was a leader of the House of Commons for only 3 weeks. But what she appreciated about him was the fact that he fell madly in love with a woman and wanted to marry her, but his family thought she wasn't good enough for them. When she got married off to someone else, the duke was so sad, he swore that if he couldn't marry her, then he would never marry at all. He kept his word, and died without ever marrying. He did scandalize society by giving his mistress a yacht in his will when he died. We also had the privilege of seeing the famous Henry VIII painting, a powerful reminder of the castle's rich historical connections. After seeing the painting in history books and the Royal Diaries volume of Elizabeth I (I grew up obsessed with the Royal Diaries published by Scholastic), it was surreal to see this painting in person. The afternoon culminated in a delightful high tea, the perfect way to soak in the atmosphere and discuss all we had learned. Finally, a leisurely stroll through the breathtaking gardens provided a serene and beautiful end to our visit. Belvoir Castle offers a fascinating glimpse into English history and aristocratic life, brought to life by wonderful storytelling and the unique experience of seeing it as a living family home.

The castle seemed beautiful but we didn't have time for a tour. Indeed we went purely for the…read moreafternoon cream tea. Their website suggests that Belvoir Castle essentially invented this great British concept. To be honest while the location is wonderful and the site is picturesque, the cream tea disappointed. £30 each but while the entire tea room was empty they crammed 5 of us at a single table that would have been fine for 2 or maybe 3 (why not push 2 tables together?). They had to cram the trays together too tightly and hence cram everything together. Because 1 of our group has prawn allergy they removed the prawn option totally for us all (maybe because they had to cram all together on the same plate). This left just 3 types of sandwich and the staff had problems knowing which was which. It seemed to be chicken (nothing special), egg (I hate egg sandwiches) and wafer thin cucumber sandwiches. In terms of the scones, Sainsbury's scones are bigger and tastier. Honestly none of us ate very much. The choice of teas was great and we all had two Pots each. Wouldn't go again sadly.

Grimsby Dock Tower (N.E.Lincs) is visible for miles before you reach the town and is a famous…read morelandmark. It was so noticable it was on German bombing maps as a guide to the docks. An order to demolish it because of this was made but never happened. Designed like the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena. It was built in 1852 with the purpose of containing a 30,000 UK gallon (136 m) water reservoir, which was originally used to provide hydraulic power to the lock gates and cranes of Grimsby Docks. You can walk up to it and twice a year people abseil down the side to raise money for charity by the Grimsby Rotary Club. I always MEANT to do it..I like abseiling. It is possible to climb the structure to see the amazing views over the whole of Grimsby and Cleethorpes though it is not open to the public usually other than sometimes on Dock open days.

St Botolph's church in Boston is also called The Boston Stump, so called because it is one of the…read morelargest parish churches in England, and has the 14th highest tower in England. It has lost of ghostly tales, such as the The Grey Lady, which you can see apparently if you walk around the stump twelve times at midnight and look up to the tower (walking around the stump 12 times you probably would be delirious anyway...) You can climb the 352 stairs up the tower which gives views (and vertigo) across the fens. It really is spectacular, although I don't think you can get to the very top towers now due to restoration work. It used to cost 50p but it has probably gone up quite a bit now!

Reviewing as a landmark/attraction, not as a church in case that's not obvious. Seems like a nice…read moreand welcoming place though judging from the flyers and whatnot. Anyway; lovely and interesting building, friendly and helpful people, modern gift store with a good variety of items that are both well designed and actually related to the building, including some nice leather bookmarks. Going up the tower is worth it unless you are claustrophobic and/or afraid of heights. I'm a little bit of both but risked it anyway! The steps up the tower are not just steep but also very narrow, which on the way up in particular started to get to me a bit. Coming back down was much better since it's easier to gauge how far you have to go. Views from the top are fantastic and/or terrifying and there's a handy plaque which tells you what the dots you're seeing in the distance are. Or so my husband tells me, I was crouching in the safest corner checking twitter, so I couldn't swear to it.