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Our Inland Excursions |
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| Cambridge University
Cambridge , which is actually a community of 31 colleges, established itself as a college in 1209 when groups from Oxford University and Paris came to study theology, church and civil law. Built as adjuncts to monasteries, the colleges are now completely independent except for the university's awarding of degrees and public teaching. It was our good fortune to be approached by a tall, distinguished gentleman while we walked through the courtyards of King's College. Master Educator at Cambridge, Geoffrey Coombe, proceeded to take us on a most personal tour of the town and the colleges.
Dining Halls Are Seldom Open to the Public, But Our New Friend Geoffrey Coombe Took Us Right Into The Hall at Jesus College.
Geoffrey and Bob in the Great Court of Trinity College where the students' race in "Chariots of Fire" was filmed.
Behind Christ Church, Founded by Cardinal Wolesy and the Setting for Many Scenes from the "Harry Potter" Films.
Narrow Street to Famous Turf Tavern, Oxford, Featured in Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure." Salisbury We visited Salisbury and its ancient cathedral while reading Rutherford's Sarum, the novel about the origins of civilization in Britain. Salisbury and environs is the site of this ancient community and history comes alive here. Nearby Stonehenge is a part of the puzzle of the development of society in prehistoric times and its construction and very purpose is still a mystery which will never be conclusively determined.
Inside the cloister area of Salisbury Cathedral.
Pulteney Covered Bridge at Bath With Its Small
Vaulted Fan Ceiling of Bath Abbey, Built on the Site of the 676AD Nunnery. Despite Damage of World War II Bombs and Centuries of Warfare and Destruction, the Abbey Was Always Rebuilt and Is Now a World Heritage Site.
Wild and Man made Gardens Surround Leed's Castle, Making a Perfect Homeland for All Sorts of Animals and Birds.
Discovered in the 1200's This Round Table Was Declared That of Fabled King Arthur Who Ruled in Camelot in the 500's. It was Renovated By King Henry VIII and Placed in the Remains of Winchester Castle During His Reign in the 1500's.
Ruins of the Monastery At Canterbury Cathedral.
Ancient Tree Thought to be 500 Years Old in Canterbury.
Along the Riverwalk in Canterbury.
Greyfriars House Was Built Straddling a Narrow Part of the River Stour in Canterbury While St. Francis of Assisi Was Still Alive.
Water Tower Used by Monks for Bathing Dates to the Earliest Time of the Cathedral and Monastery. |
The "Bridge of Sighs" Behind St. John's College , Where Graduates Finally Pass After Graduation.
The Great Gate, Completed in 1535 During the Reign of Henry VIII and Topped by His Statue, Leads Into the Great Court of Trinity College. Oxford University Oxford University is England's oldest, built around the 8th century nunnery of St.Frideswide, now Christ Church. It is a federation of monastic halls and autonomous colleges that were founded in 1096 and gained prominence in 1200 with a surge of religious thinking and education.
Behind the Bar at Turf Tavern, An Ancient Watering Hole Featured More Recently, in Several of the "Inspector Morse" TV Series.
It's Much Easier to Walk Under Oxford's "Bridge of Sighs" Than Through It. Beyond Is the "Camera", Ozford's Famous Round Library Still Used by Students Today.
One of the Medieval College Courts at Oxford, Perfectly Preserved and in Continuous Use for Hundreds of Years.
Mysterious Stonehenge Was Built in 3050BC With a Circular Ditch. In About 2600BC, a Wooden Structure Was Added in the Center and in the Final Phase, Between 2500-1500BC, the Stone Monument Was Constructed and Rearranged Over a Period of 1000 Years. Though Its Precise Purpose Will Never Be Known, Stonehenge Is Based on the Summer Solstice and Calendar and Was Probably Used as a Sacrificial Site to Appease the Gods. Bath Spa The Roman Baths are, of course, the most famous attraction in Bath. Building began after the Romans conquered Britain in 43 AD and was completed about 60 years after the birth of Christ. The natural hot spring still heats the baths today. Bath was also a favorite resort spot of author Jane Austen who set two of her novels here, home of painter Thomas Gainsborough, and Sally Lunn who lived and worked in the oldest building standing in Bath to create the large bun that to this day carries her name.
The Roman Baths of Bath Spa Were Built in About 63 AD, But the Spring Was Frequented by Prehistoric Man for Centuries Before, With Later 17th Century Terraces and Social Gathering Places Built Up and Around Them. Leed's Castle They call it the "Loveliest Castle in the World". Situated on a small island in the middle of a lake, Leed's is beautifully proportioned architecturally and reigns over 500 acres of magnificent flowering hillsides and forests blanketed with color in the Spring. It looks like Fairyland, and on our only day there the sun came out for the first time since we had left London
Daffodils Announce Spring at Leed's Castle.
Leed's Castle Sits on a Small Natural Island Reached Only by a Fortified Bridge and Tower. Canterbury Perhaps most famous to us because of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales which most of us had to read in high school, Canterbury's history goes far deeper. It was here, in the cathedral, that Thomas a Becket was bloodily murdered by four knights of King Henry II who mistakenly thought they were carrying out the wishes of their king. Thomas became England's most famous saint and pilgrims, like those in Chaucer's tales, came from around the British Isles to pay homage at his shrine. The very site of the murder still exists, but the shrine was torn down by Henry VIII when he moved against the Catholic Church in England and all its monasteries and shrines. Canterbury's recorded history actually begins with prehistoric man and became important during the occupation of the Romans when Pilgrims' Way was the main route from London to Canterbury, called Watling Street.
Canterbury Cathedral Where Thomas a Becket Was Murdered by Knights of King Henry II.
Ruins of Greyfriars House, a Franciscan Chapel in Canterbury.
Along the River Stour in Canterbury.
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Isaac Newton's Own Penciled Edit Marks on the First Edition of His Published Theory of Gravity (above).
The Wren Library (Designed by Christopher Wren) at Trinity College Houses the Original Works of Poet John Milton in His Handwriting, Personal Items and Letters of Isaac Newton.
Christ Church College Courtyard, Oxford. Much of the "Harry Potter" stories were filmed at Christ Church College and Lewis Carrroll wrote "Alice in Wonderland" Here.
Oxford University College Courtyard
Fan Vaulting in Christ Church, Oxford, the Smallest Cathedral in England.
College Courtyard at Oxford University
Salisbury Cathedral, Home of the Medieval Frieze Depicting the First Two Books of the Bible, Genesis and Exodus, and Home to One of the Four Surviving Original Texts of the Magna Carta (1215AD). The Magna Carta Set Forth the Principle That No Man Could Be Imprisoned Without a Fair Trial and That There Should Be Religious Freedom in Britain. These Principles Have Shaped the Constitution of the United States and Many Free Countries.
The Saracen Pub Where Charles Dickens Drank and Ate When Visiting Bath. It Is Said That His Character "Pickwick" Came From a Pub Owner in Bath.
Still Cool Enough for a Leather Jacket and Sailor's Hat, But At Leed's Castle It Was Sunny in England For a Day.
Pink-Blossomed Trees Lined the Path to the Castle and Were Scattered Throughout the Surrounding Gardens. Winchester Ancient Winchester is built on the High Street, once the Roman's main access east-west road through Britain. Winchester College in said to be the oldest continuously running school in England. It was in this city, in the cathedral where Philip II of Spain married Mary Tudor and held a magnificent wedding feast next door at Wolvesey Castle with its extensive ruins still existing.
Along the River Ichen On a Rainy Day in Winchester
Winchester Cathedral Is the Mother Church of one of the Oldest Dioceses in the Church of England and Houses Important Works of Art as Well As the Throne of the Bishop of Winchester.
Old City Gate to Canterbury and the Cathedral.
Some of the Original Medieval Window Glass Still Exists at Canterbury Cathedral.
Riverwalk Along the River Stour in Canterbury. Click here to continue our cruise along the south coast of England.
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