Historical weekend frolics

During yet another prolonged absence from my blog, this time due to work and DIY on my new house, I took a well-deserved weekend break with two friends. Over the weekend we visited Hatfield House, Blenheim Palace, the Rollright Stones, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle.

Hatfield House was the home of the son of Elizabeth I's advisor, Robert Cecil. I visited the house last year for Folk by the Oak and again two weeks ago for the annual Living Crafts Fayre.

Blenheim Palace was a gift to the first Duke of Marlborough to celebrate victory over the French during the Wars of Spanish Succession. Perhaps the most famous resident of Blenheim was Sir Winston Churchill, who was both at the Palace and spent much of his childhood there. Over the years the Palace has undergone numerous transitions, but is still the home of the current Duke of Marlborough and is now classified as a World Heritage Site.

The Rollright Stones consist of three Neolithic monuments, The Whispering Knights, The King's Men stone circle and The King Stone standing stone. The monuments date from around 3,500 and were built of natural limestone boulders found at the site. The King's Men stone circle was likely a gathering place, while the Whispering Knights are probably the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber. The name “Rollright” is believed to come from “Hrolla-landriht”, the land of Hrolla. Legends say the stones ae knights plotting against their King before a witch turned them to stone, and that the Knights go down to the brook in the valley to drink on New Year's Day or when the bells of Long Compton are heard. I am very drawn to the ancient neolithic monuments and stone circles of Britain, and consider them an important part of my heritage. This out of the way and secluded stone circle was particularly magical for me, all the more so with the fading light and peace of the evening. I could have stayed there all night, but sadly, we had places to be and family to visit!

Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in , over 800-years old and best known as the birthplace of the great bard and playwright, William Shakespeare. We were lucky enough to visit the town on the hottest day of the year so far, and spent the day visiting Shakespeare's birthplace, his final home (Nash's House and New Place), his final resting place (The Church of the Holy Trinity) and the home of William's daughter and her doctor husband (Hall's Croft). Stratford is also home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, though sadly we did not have time to take in a play.

Warwick Castle has been in the hands of the Earls of Warwick since Henry de Newburgh in 1088. The original rampart was built in 914AD by Ethelfleda, the daughter of Alfred the Great, and developed into a fort by William the Conqueror in 1068. Today, the Castle is an example of how life would have been like throughout the ages and is very very well done. We visited during the Easter holidays, so the Castle abounded with characters from history, some historical (Henry VIII, Elizabeth I), some fictional (King Arthur, the plague-victims!), and numerous events were on offer, including falconry displays and the firing of the fully functional trebuchet (oh yes...with fireball!!). The most pleasantly surprisingly highlight however, had to be the musical performance of the plague victims themselves...possibly the hardest I have laughed in a long time. We also visited the new Dungeons exhibition, which was highly entertaining, though certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of the weekend, and very much in need of another holiday! Hopefully I will catch up with some of my reviews, but in the meantime I leave you with some photos of our trip..

Blenheim Palace

Spring at Blenheim

The King's Men, Rollright stones

The Whispering Knights, Rollright stones

Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon

Hall's Croft, Stratford-upon-Avon

The Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon

A watchful gargoyle overlooking the graveyard

William Shakespeare's grave

Warwick Castle

Walking along the castle ramparts

King Arthur

View from the ramparts (spot the trebuchet!)

Posing with the plague sufferers..."Milly Molly Manky", "Nostrildamus" and baby "Cillit Bang"!!