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DAY
EXCURSIONS
LONDON
The morning tour covers
in depth the West End of London. Westminster was once a country
village lying to the west of the City of London, where King Edward
the Confessor built a chapel during the 11th century. The original
building was replaced and much enlarged over the following centuries
and the Abbey was chosen as the burial place for most of the Medieval
kings of England. The importance of Westminster in the history of
British Royalty has never been in question - indeed only two monarchs
have not been crowned there since the reign of Edward II. After
visiting the Abbey, you will then be able to overview the other
aspect of British Government - the two Houses of Parliament, located
beside Westminster Abbey in the complex known as the Palace of Westminster,
standing on the site of an earlier Royal Palace there. From the
earliest times, the Hall at Westminster was the central and highest
Court of Justice, and it is a natural progression for the "Mother
of Parliaments" to be located there today. The tour continues
to Buckingham Palace to view the colourful "Changing of the
Guard". From the West End, you journey into the oldest and
most historic part of London, the City, past the Law Courts and
down Fleet Street, formally the heart of the country's newspaper
industry. A visit will be made to St. Paul' Cathedral, Sir Christopher
Wren's great masterpiece, before continuing through the City's "square
mile", the financial district, to the Tower of London, the
highlight of the tour. The Tower is probably London's most famous
landmark and rightly so ... it has stood for over nine hundred years,
fulfilling various functions as a Royal Palace, Prison, Garrison,
Mint, and even as the home of the Royal Zoo! Time will be allowed
for a visit not only to the historic Tower but also to see the fabulous
Crown Jewels
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OXFORD & BLENHEIM
This full day excursion visits England's oldest university town,
Oxford, a thriving city, an Episcopal see, and the seat of an ancient
university, is one of the most famous and interesting towns in Europe.
The beautiful grouping of its "dreaming spires" and towers
as seen from a distance is renowned, not less the noble architecture
of its colleges, like Christ Church, Brasenose, and Balliol, and
the "streamlike windings" of its famous High Street. Learn
all about the history of the "Town" and "Gown".
Then continue to nearby Woodstock, where, in 1704, the royal manor
was settled upon John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, as reward
for his victory over the French and Bavarians at Blenheim. Blenheim
Palace, the masterpiece of Vanburgh in the classical style, was
begun in 1705 and finished after the Duke's death in 1722. It was
the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill in 1874. The palace contains
a fine collection of pictures and tapestries. The main entrance
to the park is by the triumphal arch, a little beyond the church.
The deer-park contains fine oaks and cedars and a lake formed by
Launcelot "Capability" Brown
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CAMBRIDGE & WOBURN
This full day excursion takes you a little more than an hour's drive
north-east from London to the university city of Cambridge, which
has been a seat of learning for more than one thousand years since
the University was founded and the great rival of Oxford. Most of
the ancient colleges were built along the banks of the River Cam
and to this day they present a tranquil and graceful beauty. There
are many architectural styles, the most stunning being the Gothic
Chapel of King's College. After visiting two of the colleges, there
will be time to stroll in the gardens (known as the "Backs"),
the college quadrangles, as well as see the old part of the town.
In the afternoon, you continue to Woburn Abbey, the ancestral home
of the Dukes of Bedford for more than three hundred years, and currently
home of the Marquess of Tavistock and his family. Woburn Abbey,
set in its own three thousand-acre deer park, houses one of the
greatest private art collections in the world, where the State Apartments
are hung with masterpieces by Van Dyke, Rembrandt, and Gainsborough.
The Canaletto Room in the Private Apartments (which can be viewed
if the family are not in residence) contains a unique collection
of twenty one of Canaletto's greatest works
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WINDSOR AND HAMPTON COURT
Only a short drive from London is the historic town of Windsor,
with its imposing Castle overlooking the River Thames, that is the
favourite Royal Residence of Queen Elizabeth II. The original building
was started in 1080 by William the Conqueror, but nothing now remains
of this wooden structure, which was soon replaced by a stone-built
tower which still stands at the heart of the Castle. This was added
to by the kings and queens through subsequent centuries to create
the magnificent complex that is Windsor Castle today. You will visit
the State Apartments (Court arrangements permitting) and St.George's
Chapel. Then there will be time to wander the lanes of the quaint
old part of Windsor town or through the adjacent hamlet of Eton,
across the Thames footbridge, where Eton College, England's most
pre-eminent boys' public school (private!) is situated. Then you
drive alongside the banks of the River Thames to nearby Runnymede,
where in 1215 King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, the
basis of British democracy ever since and an integral part of the
US constitution. In the Park stands the JFK Memorial, donated by
the American Bar Association and the Royal Air Force Memorial. Hampton
Court Palace lies to the south west of London, on the banks of the
River Thames, surrounded by parkland and beautiful gardens. Built
by Cardinal Wolsey in 1514 and later presented by him to Henry VIII
in an unsuccessful attempt to curry the King's favour, it has been
occupied by many members of the Royal Family since and a substantial
enlargement to the original building was added by Sir Christopher
Wren. The Palace is no longer used as a Royal residence, but still
remains as a superb example of Tudor and Wren architecture, with
extensive grounds that include a famous maze and ancient vine. King
Henry's tennis court, still in use to this day, may be visited and
within the Palace you will have a chance to tour the State Apartments,
now fully restored following a dreadful fire reinstated just as
they were in the Georgian period, with fine collections of tapestries,
clocks, and paintings. The original kitchens and chapel may also
be visited
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STRATFORD-UPON-AVON & WARWICK
On this full day excursion, you drive north along the motorway directly
to Warwick, the county town on the banks of the River Avon with
its pleasant blend of Tudor and Georgian architecture. The 14th-century
Warwick Castle is one of the few English original Medieval fortresses
which has been continuously inhabited. Built on a crag, it is a
treasure house of paintings and furnishings with the recent addition
by Madame Tussaud's of an animatronic Victorian Party and a "Kingmaker"
Exhibition. After the visit, you will drive to nearby Stratford-Upon-Avon,
a very pretty town, made so famous by the quill of the "Bard
of Avon". The son of a prosperous leather merchant, William
Shakespeare left his native town whilst in his early twenties but
in the next twenty five years he was to make it one of the most
famous places in world literature, and it was to Stratford that
he returned when he retired. You will be able to see his Birthplace
and also his wife's house, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, an architectural
masterpiece of a thatched country farmstead of its period, still
containing the settle on which he and Anne did their courting! In
Holy Trinity Church, plaques mark the burial place of the Bard and
other members of his family. Your return route can be spent meandering
through the picturesque, honey-coloured stone-built villages of
the Cotswolds, with such quaint names as Bourton-in-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold,
Upper Slaughter, Moreton-in-Marsh, and Broadway, where you may have
the opportunity to see local markets and tiny antique shops!
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STONEHENGE & BATH
This tour goes through the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, and Wiltshire,
out to the West Country. The first stop is at Salisbury to visit
the famous 13th century cathedral, well known for its unusual and
graceful spire, which is the tallest in Europe. The cathedral itself
has many connections with the Magna Carta and houses one of the
original copies. Then you visit mystic Stonehenge, the mysterious
prehistoric Stone Age circular monument standing brooding on the
edge of Salisbury Plain, which has fascinated and perplexed historians
throughout the ages. Then you reach Bath, the county town of Avon
and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe with its gracious
crescents and squares and charming arcades of shops. It was first
named Aquae Sulis by the Romans, who used its natural warm springs
for bathing, and the Baths that they built rival some of those in
Italy itself. After the decline of the Roman Empire, the city fell
into decay, but the same warm springs resulted in its renaissance
during the 18th century as a spa town with its Georgian Pump Rooms
as its focus under the benevolent hand of the local squire, Ralph
Allen, who was the model for "Squire Allworthy" in Henry
Fielding's novel, "Tom Jones". Making use of two talented
local architects, John Wood the Elder and his son, the town was
laid out in classical Georgian style. Happily much of their work
remains, including the magnificent Royal Crescent and the intriguing
Pulteney Bridge with shops standing on it, designed by Robert Adam.
The Abbey was the last great church to be built in the Perpendicular
style and contains any monuments to the notable people of Bath
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LEEDS CASTLE & CANTERBURY
Driving through the county of Kent, known as the "Garden of
England", you will arrive at stunning Leeds Castle. Situated
on a raised island in the middle of a lake, Leeds Castle is the
oldest and most romantic in England. It was described by Lord Conway
as "the loveliest castle in the whole world" and would
indeed be difficult to rival. Its perfect setting, its beautiful
grounds and gardens, and its fine interior must make it the ideal
dream castle. For eight hundred years it was the Royal Palace and
Dower Castle of eight of England's queens. Later it was the home
of Lord Culpepper, Governor of Virginia 1680-83, and his grandson,
Lord Fairfax, who migrated to Virginia in 1746. More recently, the
oldest part of the castle fell into disrepair until it was refurbished
by the efforts of Olive, Lady Baillie, in the early part of this
century. Lady Baillie lived with her family in the castle and was
well known for holding weekend parties for the society of the day.
After her death, she bequeathed Leeds Castle to the nation in her
will. The Gate Tower houses the original Guards Room and adjacent
there is a unique Dog Collar Museum. Canterbury, the chief cathedral
city of the Kingdom (its Archbishop bears the title "Primate
of All England") is the goal of thousands of pilgrims. Both
the cathedral and abbey were founded by St.Augustine about 600 AD,
the former on the site of Ethelbert's Palace. Not only is the architecture
of this cathedral magnificent but the stained glass compares in
quality with the best in France. The tombs of many famous archbishops
through history are here and here also are buried the Black Prince
and Henry IV. However, the cathedral has become famous down the
ages through the murder of its greatest archbishop, Thomas a Becket
("Who will rid me of this pestilent priest?"), and the
wealth of the city was brought in by the visiting pilgrims, who
were immortalised by Geoffrey Chaucer in his "Canterbury Tales"
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HEVER & CHARTWELL
You leave London and travel south-east through lovely Kent, the
"Garden of England", with its fruit farms and oast houses,
to Anne Boleyn's delightful childhood home, the double-moated 13th
century Hever Castle, beside the River Eden - a castle in miniature,
complete with its own genuine dining room with minstrels' gallery
and tiny six foot square torture chamber. The Castle is redolent
of its associations with Henry VIII, who was a frequent visitor
to court his ill-fated future queen, and more recently the Astor
family, who, once Lord (William Waldorf) Astor had purchased the
castle at the turn of the century as his English home, restored
it, reconstructed a single storey Tudor village in its grounds,
added an Italian garden, and built up much of the beautiful collection
of tapestries, paintings, furniture and other works of art. Then
you will continue to Chartwell, near Westerham, the welcoming private
home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1924 until the end of his life.
The rooms, left as they were in his lifetime, strongly evoke his
career and wide interests, from politics and soldiering, through
writing and painting, to gardening. Set in a natural landscape overlooking
three of England's loveliest counties, its garden features pools,
terraces, an orchard, and vegetable areas, much of it the work of
Churchill's own hands. The house itself is full of Churchillian
memorabilia
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ROCHESTER, CANTERBURY & DOVER
The first stop on this full day to the South-East is Rochester to
visit the Charles Dickens Centre. Rochester owes its long history
to its strategic position, guarding Watling Street where it crosses
the Medway. An important centre to Belgic civilisation, it was a
fortified camp (Durobrivae) for the Romans, a bishop's see in the
7th century, and site of a massive castle for the Normans. Famous
visitors include Charles II who spent a night there in 1660, Samuel
Pepys stayed in 1667 in the aftermath of the Dutch raid on the Medway,
and James II escaped by ship in 1688. Charles Dickens knew the city
well from his childhood in nearby Chatham and his later years at
Gad's Hill and it appears in Pickwick Papers, Great Expectations,
and is the main location of the Mystery of Edwin Drood. Then you
continue to Canterbury, the cradle of Christianity in Saxon England,
standing on a site that had already been occupied for three hundred
and fifty years when the Romans arrived there in 43 AD. The cathedral
is the Mother Church of all Anglicans throughout the world. Its
buildings date from Norman times and after the murder of Thomas
a Becket in the Cathedral in 1170 it became the destination of countless
pilgrims. The third visit is to Dover Castle. Originally a Roman
fort, the Castle became one of the most powerful Medieval fortresses
in Europe and has been a major defence bastion in all wars since.
Perched above the shortest passage across the English Channel, as
the scene of military activity between England and Europe since
the Iron Age, here is extensive proof from every age of the ingenuity
of man in devising ways to repel the invader! Within the Castle,
"Hellfire Corner" is one of four layers of tunnels under
the White Cliffs, which in WWII became a secret communications centre
for Vice-Admiral Ramsey and Winston Churchill in preparation for
the evacuation of Dunkirk; you can visit the "case mates"
and Repeater Room (communications), and, in the Teleprinter Room,
see films portraying action from WWII
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BRIGHTON & ARUNDEL
Brighton is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name of Brighthelmston
or Brithelmeston, after a more or less mythical Bishop of Selsey,
when it was just a fishing village. It seems to have remained
so for about seven centuries; the one gleam of interest in its history
is that Charles II spent a night here before his escape to France
in 1651. The foundation of its modern prosperity was laid in the
middle of the 18th century by Dr Richard Russell of Lewes, who very
strongly recommended its bracing air and its sea-bathing. Fanny
Burney, Mrs Thrale and Dr Johnson were among the early visitors
(1770). A decisive cachet of fashion was added when George IV, then
Prince Regent, came to live here in 1786 - Attractive, white stucco
crescents, squares and terraces of the architectural style of the
period were built and the exotic and ornate Royal Pavilion, built
in Chinese style on a fancy of the Prince Regent. You can to stroll
leisurely along the "Lanes", a maze of passageways containing
many antique shops and other shops of interest to the tourist. In
the afternoon you travel on to visit Arundel Castle, home of the
Dukes of Norfolk for over seven hundred years. The original Castle
was built in or before the reign of Edward the Confessor but the
present Castle edifice was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century.
It still occupies a commanding position overlooking the River Arun
and the surrounding countryside. The interior contains some magnificent
furniture from the 15th century and portraits by Gainsborough, Holbein,
and Van Dyke
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CHIDDINGSTONE & PENSHURST
Chiddingstone Castle is one of the historic houses of Kent. Originally
the seat of the Streatfield family, the changes made in it over
the years reflect their rise from rich ironmasters in the 16th century
to a highly respected "county" family. Around 1805, when
in ruins, it was converted into its "fantasy" castle-style
by William Atkinson, the architect of Scone Palace in Scotland and
Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford House in the Border region. The art
connoisseur, the late Denys Bower, created a fabulous collection
of works of art which he left to the nation on his death in 1977.
His collection includes Buddhist art, the Royal Stuart and Jacobite
collections, and an outstanding collection of Japanese artworks
unparalleled elsewhere in Europe. Then you journey deeper into the
picturesque Kent countryside to Penshurst Place, the stately home
of the Viscount de L'Isle. Penshurst is considered to be one of
the most complete examples of a Medieval manor house still remaining.
Although the house has been enlarged through the ages, the original
Great Hall, built by Sir John de Poultney in 1340, is still at the
centre of the house and is still in regular use! It is a most striking
room, sixty four feet long and still with the Medieval open hearth
which would originally have served the inhabitants for heating and
cooking. The remainder of the house, including the State Rooms,
conforms to the Gothic style and contains much fine furniture and
art, but probably the most interesting exhibits are those to do
with the Sidney family who bought Penshurst in 1552 and have lived
there ever since. Sir Philip Sidney and Algernon Sidney are both
included in the family collections. The house is surrounded by fine
gardens and stands within the quaint and charming village of Penshurst,
a typical example of the rural charm of old English hamlets!
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PORTSMOUTH & BROADLANDS
First you visit of Portsmouth, birthplace of Charles Dickens, located
in a sheltered position on the south coast, commanding an important
strategic position over the English Channel. To this day, the town
is one of England's most important naval bases, its history entwined
with the sea for many centuries. Richard the Lionheart was the first
king to realise the strategic importance of Portsmouth and he ordered
the first naval docks to be built there in 1194. Successive monarchs
have added fortifications and naval establishments to ensure that
Portsmouth remained impregnable and secure at all times. It was
from here that Nelson set out to take command of the British fleet
at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and his flagship the Victory,
may still be seen here. Nearby, in a roofed-over dry dock, is the
hull of the Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII's navy, sunk offshore
in 1545 then raised in 1982 and now the object of a lengthy conservation
programme. Also the HMS Warrior that almost overnight made other
warships obselete, beautifully restored to her former glory. Latterly,
Portsmouth suffered greatly from bombing during WWII and the town
centre has been extensively rebuilt. Fortunately much of the old
town, clustered around the harbour mouth has been restored and is
now an attractive and fashionable area.Your second visit is to Broadlands,
the magnificent stately home, originally dating from the 16th century
but converted into a pleasant Georgian mansion in 1766 by "Capability"
Brown. It was once home to the famous Victorian Prime Minister,
Lord Palmerston, and more recently to the late Lord Mountbatten
of Burma. Since his tragic death, the home has passed to the current
Lord Romsey. The house is full of fantastic family memorabilia,
some of which relate to the crowned heads of Europe. It was here
that both our current Queen and the Prince of Wales chose to start
their respective honeymoons! The house now contains a collection
of paintings which includes several Van Dycks and the "Mountbatten
Exhibition", giving a fascinating insight into the eventful
lives of Lord and Lady Mountbatten
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