Stratfield Saye is best known as the home of the Duke of Wellington, which he purchased with funds…read morevoted to him by the British Parliament after the Battle of Waterloo. It contains a large number of items connected with the Duke, and is well worth a visit by those interested in this period of history. His descendants still live there today, and the house can be viewed on tours limited each year to days in April and August (NB these must be booked in advance). The origins of the house itself dates back to the mediaeval period, and by the 12th century the manor (the forerunner of today's estate) was owned by the Stoteville family. By the early in the 13th century it had passed by marriage to the Saye family (hence the modern name) and it passed again by marriage in the 14th century to the Dabridgecourts. In 1629 the Dabridgecourts sold the property to the Pitt family, cousins of the great father-and-son Prime Ministers, and it is they who were largely responsible for giving the house the form we see today. The house was enlarged some time after 1630 by Sir William Pitt, Comptroller of the Household to King James I, and the two handsome stable blocks were built. Further changes were made, including the landscaping of the estate and raising some of the ceilings, in the 18th century by George Pitt, the first Baron Rivers. (Those familiar with the Pitt Rivers museum in Cambridge will recognise the name.) In 1817, the UK Parliament voted a sum of £600,000 to the Duke of Wellington for him to purchase and estate and build a palace, along the same lines as had been done by the Duke of Marlborough over a century before. After looking at a number of different estates, Wellington chose Stratfield Saye. An important consideration for him was that the estate should have sufficient land to be self supporting, as he was not independently wealthy. Initially, he intended to build a larger palace nearby, but his desire to purchase a house in London (Apsley House) and rising costs, meant the palace was never constructed, although detailed plans were drawn up. (The plans can be viewed on the tour.) Instead, the Duke had more modest changes made, adding additional wings to the existing house, and modern conveniences such as central heating and some of the first ensuite toilet facilities seen in England. The house as we see it now is essentially two stories high with two sets of flanking wings, each with Dutch gables. Originally in brick, the house was rendered in the 18th century and is now a pleasant mustard yellow colour. The interior includes a grand entrance hall, a fine long gallery and other impressive rooms, with elaborate panelling and stuccoed ceilings. The drawing room in particular has wonderfully gilded plasterwork as well as a number of paintings from the Spanish Royal Collection. These were looted by a retreating Joseph Bonaparte, but captured by Wellington at the Battle of Vitoria at the end of the Peninsular War. (The Spanish King later decreed that Wellington could keep the paintings). The house contains many other paintings, sculpture and furniture connected with the previous families, as well as the Duke of Wellington (who was a keen collector) and his descendants. These include some Roman mosaics from nearby Silchester. The library was his favourite room, which is left largely in the condition when he was a resident. In the nearby stables, is the impressive funeral carriage made especially for Wellington's funeral parade in London, constructed partly from melted-down cannon from Waterloo in 1815. Also in the grounds is the grave of his horse, Copenhagen, which he rode during the Battle of Waterloo. The grounds also include some lovely gardens, which can be visited at the same time is it as the house. Tours to visit the house can be booked on the estate's website. These are strictly limited in availability to a couple of months a year, and last for about an hour. Visitors may visit the grounds and gardens, and also the nearby parish church, where all but the 1st and 6th Dukes are buried. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and provided insight into the life of Wellington and his family, as well the house and its contents. Note the house contains steps inside, and it is a 400m walk from the car park, via the cafe, past the stables, to the house itself. Photographs are not permitted inside the house. [Note: I have lodged a correction for the map marker - Stratfield Saye is in fact 12 miles (18km) south west of Reading.]

Knebworth house, gardens and park is a brilliant family day out. The grounds are huge, the gardens…read moreare interesting, and the house is beautiful. You can park the car by the house and gardens, and also at the bottom of the park. For the kids, there is a huge adventure playground (best to do this on the way out as it's right at the bottom of the park, miles from the house and gardens), which has a good range of play equipment for pretty much any age range. In the summer they have a free bouncy castle too. The gardens are seperated into different areas, and it is all very well signposted so you won't get lost. The dinosaur garden is really good, and the kitchen garden smells heavenly in the right seasons. There is a fun maze too. The house itself is really beautiful, and you can pay extra to have tours. I could go on forever explaining everything here, but I won't. Rest assured it is well worth the entrance fee. The cafe is really expensive so take a picnic!

This idyllic rural spot was, for over four hundred years, a bustling Roman town at a crossroads on…read morethe road from London to the West Country. The location was the earlier tribal capital of the Atrebates, a Celtic tribe whose territory covered much of present day Berkshire, and parts of Hampshire and Wiltshire. Soon after the Roman conquest in 43AD, a Roman town was established on the same site, called Calleva Atrebates. The town was established within the current walls. These were originally made just of earth with a wooden palisade, but were faced with stone around 280 AD, enclosing around 100 acres. The town had a forum, baths, an inn, several temples and latterly a Christian Church. Evidence is that the town declined gradually after the withdrawal of the Roman Legions in 410AD, but unlike many other locations, it was eventually abandoned. Excavations have identified the street plan and the details described above, but most of the remains have since been covered over. The principal sight is therefore the impressive walls, which form an almost complete circuit. You can walk along the top of the bank above the walls around the site, a distance of around three miles. Close to the modern hamlet near the medieval Church but outside the walls, is the amphitheatre, which is well preserved. This has earthen banks on which wooden seating would have been erected. There is a car park on the north western corner. The walls are not suitable for wheelchairs (the access paths have stiles) , although a section is clearly visible from the road on its eastern side. The path to the amphitheatre is relatively level but the surface is uneven.

Originally a tribal centre of the Iron Age Atrebates, Silchester became the large and important…read moreRoman town of Calleva Atrebatum. Unfortunately there is not a great deal left of the original Roman Silchester as it was never re-occupied or built over after its abandonment in the 5th century. As a result of this it is apparently an archaeoligical haven as it gives an unusually complete picture of its development. It is however a very nice day out (in better weather), as there is a lovely 8 mile walk around the old city walls which remain in some form or another. There is also the remains of an impressive amphitheatre which is a must to view during the walk. The amphitheatre is just outside the old city walls, but its location is made apparrent when viewing the information boards. There is parking available by the city walls. Sign posts are not great, but if you keep driving around the wall you will come accross it eventually. Plenty of areas for pickniking in nice weather and plenty of lovely pubs to stop in and get a drink and bite to eat in the local area.

Greys Court is a Tudor country house and gardens in the southern Chiltern Hills at Rotherfield…read moreGreys, near Henley-on-Thames in the county of Oxfordshire, England. Now owned by the National Trust, and is open to the public. The mainly Tudor-style house has a courtyard and gardens. The walled gardens contain old-fashioned roses and wisteria, an ornamental vegetable garden, maze (laid to grass with brick paths, dedicated by Archbishop Robert Runcie on 12 October 1981) and ice house. Some of this property is undergoing restoration at the moment. The wisteria garden is over 100 years old and amazing to walk through. Take time to explore this beautiful property and the grounds. It is today a working farm and there are beautiful patches of wild flowers and blue bells to walk through during spring. There is a tea house here that serves food and drinks. This is spectacular English countryside well worth exploring.

Gorgeously kept and overflowing with charm - Grey's Court is well worth a visit on a beautiful…read moresummery English day. Parking is easy and on certain days you may find yourself surrounded by grazing sheep - further adding to the Elizabethan style of the manor. Strolling through a well lit house packed with old memorabilia and antique furniture, it's easy to lose yourself. The gardens are stunning, and throughout the grounds there are lovely surprises and beautiful reminders of a time that once was. Trust.

The Tree Cathedral is another hidden gem of Milton Keynes. I walked in the area back in March when…read morethe trees were all bare but even then it looked insanely cool. I've looked up photos of the tree cathedral in full bloom and it's just beautiful. Constructed in 1986 to look like Norwich Cathedral, I'm sure it's a great spot for small ceremonies. It's divided into various sections all meticulously planned which you can read about on the plaque right in front of the cathedral. It has a nice stone path down the center for easy navigation. Upon reading a bit more on the Tree Cathedral when I got home - you can now scatter ashes there. Peaceful and creepy at the same time. The Tree Cathedral can be found opposite of Willen Lake.

We were in Southern England again. Somehow we've always missed out on this Palace. So this time…read morearound we changed that, booked some tickets online the day before and went for it. There's a massive parking lot, showing how many visitors to excpect. But once inside the visitors scatter and it doesn't really seem overly crowded. It was built between 1705 and 1722. It was originally intended to be a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. But raising costs and the project becoming bigger and bigger the cancelled financial support later on. It became the home of the Churchill (later Spencer-Churchill) family for the next 300 years. The Palace was used in many movies. I remember it well from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". The Palace is really huge and there's so much to explore. We had our Bulldog with, so we took turns to see the insides. But dogs are welcome in many places outside the buildings. Really impressive architecture all around, lots of wonderful details to catch. The Center of the North facade was under construction at the time, but there were still many nice angles without obstructed views to take in. Equally impressive are the park and gardens. Many walks offer nice views of the Palace, the lakes and the grounds. Loved walking around and it really felt very quiet, no so many visitors taking the longers walks around. But very worth the time and very rewarding. Great to grab a snack as well, with these views. The entrance fee with 31£ is pretty high at first sight. But then again image how much it costs to keep this Palace and all the grounds in shape and to constantly renovate it. Given that, it's worth the money. It's really an impressive place. We enjoyed our time here.

Disappointed. When you arrive, you drive up a very long…read moredriveway and pay at the booth before you actually see what's ahead. We had looked at the website and felt it would be worth spending the day and fee. Wrong. It's waay over priced. You have to park in the fields. There was a performance getting set up so we could not get the full grand ambiance .. there were venders and stage , full seating and lighting. It was ridiculous. As a bonus, There was manure getting sprayed on the lawn.

No one is above the law…read more Have you heard that phrase lately? It reminded me of my recent visit to Runnymede, where this principal was first established with the signing here of the Magna Carta. If, like me, you slept through World History class you may be forced to ask "what's the Magna Carta?" even though you know you knew the answer sometime in your past. One visit here and you'll never again need to be reminded. The Magna Carta is one of history's most important documents, executed in Runnymede (in the 1200s), for the purpose of establishing that everyone is subject to the law and no man is above it. It also established one's right to justice and a fair trial. Timely, eh? Though this particular yelp listing is for the Magna Carta Memorial (established on site by the American Bar Association) it's really the whole of the Magna Carta site that you'll experience here and this particular memorial is the least interesting of the four main components. There's also a JFK Memorial, a mid-field art installation, and an Air Forces Memorial (which I didn't see). The JFK Memorial is compelling for a single reason: The acre of land it sits on is US land. What? The Queen granted this land to the US in memory of JFK following his assassination. So, you can stand on this charming piece of US soil in the middle of the UK. Watch the "Dear Mrs. Kennedy" (season 2) episode of Netflix' "The Crown" for background info on the relationship between the Queen and the Kenendys. More compelling for me was an outdoor art installation of 12 sculpted chairs, each depicting some struggle for rights that's gone on since the signing of the Magna Carta. I was moved to see Harvey Milk's fight for LGBTQ+ rights depicted as one of the featured struggles. If you find yourself in Eton or Windsor a visit to Runnymede's Magna Carta Memorial site is worth your time as it gets you thinking about things we often don't, but should. No one is above the law.

Well this wonderful memorial might be part of the American Constitution, but it was ours first!…read more Some people, even the P.M. recently stated that it should be part of our own ethos. Other people think we have lost sight of the original principles, and only parts of the meaning have either been hijacked or watered down to every petty conveniences. Take your pick ?