Castleton – The George Hotel February 25, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Castles, Derbyshire, England, Great Britain, Peak District.Tags: Blue John, Castles, Castleton, caverns, Derbyshire, England, ghost, haunted, Hope Valley, hostelry, inn, King George II, licenced premises, malt whiskey, natal day, oak beams, Peak District National Park, Peveril Castle, pub grub, serving woman, single malt, steak and ale pie, The George Hotel, tourists, Visitor Center
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Castleton - The George Hotel
Since it is my natal day, I shall celebrate by re-visiting my beloved Derbyshire. Here is another shot of the small town (or large village) of Castleton in the Hope Valley. As you can see, Peveril Castle dominates the skyline from almost every angle, and, along with the caverns and Blue John jewellery, is the reason for the town’s economic existence. During the summer tourists easily outnumber the locals at weekends, and the recently constructed Visitor Centre is very busy.
The George Hotel is an excellent hostelry in the center of the town. The building dates from 1543, becoming licenced premises exactly 200 years later. The hotel sign depicts King George II, during whose reign the building was opened as an inn. It is, of course, haunted (the ghost of a young serving woman), and the lovely oak beams add a nice period touch to the atmosphere. I can recommend the food…especially the steak and ale pie. Oh, and don’t try and sample all their single malt whiskies at once – there are over 40 of them!
Tynemouth Priory & Castle February 13, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Castles, England, Great Britain, Second World War.Tags: 'mother house', Benedictine, castle, coastal battery, Coastguard, Danes, Deira, Dissolution of the Monasteries, Earl of Northumberland, England, English Heritage, German Navy, Germany, King Henry VIII, King Osred, King Oswin, Kingdom of Deira, Kingdom of Northumbria, kings, monks, Northumberland, Northumbria, Prior, Priory, River Tyne, Robert de Mobray, Second World War, St Albans, St Oswin, Tynemouth, Vikings
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Tynemouth Priory & Castle
Tynemouth Priory and Castle is a most impressive ruin, seen here in the evening sun. Standing on a rocky outcrop between Tynemouth village and the sea, it dominates the mouth of the River Tyne. There had been a church on this site for hundreds of years before 1090, when Robert de Mobray, Earl of Northumberland, caused the Priory to be built. Earlier buildings had been attacked by the Vikings (or Danes as they were called) no less than five times, the first invasion coming in 800, the last attack coming in 875, when the priory was destroyed. Many years later, in 1296, the Prior was given the right to fortify the buildings on site – so a priory and castle it became. No less than three kings are supposedly buried here including, Oswin, King of Deira (d.651), who was later to become St Oswin, and Osred, King of Northumbria from 789-790. There are also hundreds of other gravestones, many of them of the Benedictine monks who were sent here from their ‘mother house’ in St Albans – not a happy transfer, I am sure.
King Henry VIII took possession of the Priory upon the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, and the buildings began their long slide into obscurity. By the time of the First World War a small military garrison occupied this important spot to guard against possible German naval forays. The site was also used to house a coastal battery during the Second World War, and has also been the site of a Coastguard Station.
Now, English Heritage owns the Priory and Castle, and their magnificent ruins are open to all, for a reasonable entrance fee.
Curtain wall, Peveril Castle January 29, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, Derbyshire, England, Peak District.Tags: Castles, Castleton, curtain wall, Derbyshire, England, glaciated valley, guard tower, Hope Valley, Mam Tor, Normans, Peak District National Park, Prehistory
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- Curtain wall, Peveril Castle
As I said earlier, the Normans erected a castle on the heights above Castleton which absolutely dominated the surrounding land. Nearly impregnable, it has finally fallen to the ravages of time. This is a section of the curtain wall enclosing the site, complete with one of the guard towers, facing the Hope Valley, and the fertile grazing land in the valley bottom. Close up, this section of the wall feels impressive, and I can imagine the feeling of awe this castle would generate in the local populace, and also the feeling of safety which led to them building their dwellings near to the castle walls.
Gateway, Auckland Castle January 24, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, England.Tags: Auckland Castle, castle, hunting lodge, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Prince-Bishop, Queen Victoria, Victorian Gothic, See of Durham, clocktower, weathervane
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- Auckland Castle, gateway
In the 13th century, the See of Durham was easily one of the most powerful ecclesiastical seats in the British Isles. The Prince-Bishops exercised immense temporal power, too. A hunting lodge for the See was built to the south-west of the city of Durham at Auckland, and a town (named after the Bishopric) grew up around it. The lodge grew into a Castle, and became the official residence of the Bishop of Durham. Queen Victoria stayed here, and some of the sumptuous apartments are used to host conferences, and celebrate weddings and other events.
Arrow slit – Warwick Castle January 21, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, England.Tags: arrow slit, battlements, Castles, England, oillet, stonework, Warwick, Warwick Castle, Warwick Cathedral
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Warwick Castle really is one of the most spectacular examples of a mediaeval castle (with later additions). I particularly enjoy walking the castle battlements, and observing the changing views.
Here we can see an arrow slit, complete with oillets (the rounded ends of the slit’s arms, which allows better aiming of the arrow). One thing to look for is the way that the arrow slit has been repaired, with new pieces of stonework being used to restore some of the original contours. I tried to frame the tower of Warwick Cathedral, which you can see in the distance, for ‘artistic effect’ – but didn’t quite get it right!
Who IS this man? January 21, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, England, London, Museums, World Heritage Site.Tags: Army, beef, Beefeater, Crown Jewels, Edward IV, England, frock coat, London, Moira Cameron, Museums, ravens, River Thames, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal Navy, ruff, Senior NCO, Tower of London, World Heritage Site, Yeoman Warders
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Beefeater
Who is this man? Well, you might know him as a ‘Beefeater’ (from their rations of beef in the 15th century), but his actual title is a ‘Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty’s Palace and Fortress the Tower of London and Member of the Sovereign’s Bodyguard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary ’. A big title for a prestigeous job. Their origins stretch back as far as the reign of Edward IV (1461-83).Yeoman Warders have guarded the Crown Jewels and the Tower itself, as well as looking after (theoretically, in modern times) any prisoners of the Crowd lodged there.
Their ‘undress uniform’ is seen here; it has many Tudor touches (if you ignore the two-way radio), including the full-cut frock coat, which, when coupled with modern trousers looks exceedingly odd. On ceremonial ocassions, they wear a glorious red and gold dress uniform – and yes, red tights, a white ruff and buckled shoes!
There are only 35 Yeoman Warders, as well as a Chief Warder. Moira Cameron, a former Warrent Officer in the Army has become the very first female Warder, and will perform the ‘tour guide’ portion of her job, as well as the more ceremonial part of a Yeoman Warden’s duties. All Warders must be senior NCOs of the Army, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Marines and more recently, the Royal Navy, with at least 22 years of impeccable service. Oh yes, and what about the ravens, you say? Well, they have their wings partially clipped so they will not be able to fly from the Tower (legend says it will fall if they leave), and THEY actually are fed beef!
Norman Keep, Peveril Castle January 16, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, Derbyshire, England, Peak District, Scotland.Tags: Castles, Castleton, Crown Estates, Derbyshire, Duchy of Lancaster, England, English Heritage, gritstone, Henry II, Malcolm I, Peak District National Park, Peveril Castle, Peveril of the Peak, Scotland
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Norman Keep, Peveril Castle
This castle overlooking the little town of Castleton, is now owned by English Heritage, having been for centuries part of either the Crown Estates or the Duchy of Lancaster. Mostly in ruins, what is left gives the impression of the projection of raw power. Here you can see the remains of the Norman keep which replaced an original wooden structure in the early 12th century; you can see that the keep has lost most of its exterior gritstone cladding.
If you make the steep climb from the entrance building at the base of the hill, you are rewarded with some of the most impressive views in the Peak District. To enter the keep of Peveril Castle, you climb a spiral staircase on the southern side; the original floors have long since gone, but you can consult a series of data boards which will tell you the story of life in the keep, as experienced by Peveril of the Peak.
The castle did have its moment of glory, however. King Henry II of England received his fellow monarch, Malcolm I of Scotland, here in 1157, to receive the Scots pledge of fealty.
Rhododendrons, Warwick Castle January 11, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, Derbyshire, England.Tags: Castles, Derbyshire, ecological damage, England, gardens, invasive species, plant collectors, R. ponticum, rhododedendron, Warwick
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Castle Gardens, Warwick Castle
The Castle Gardens at Warwick Castle in England are a semi-wild riot. Here we can see a profusion of rhododendron bushes, along with peonies. The steeply sloping garden huddles underneath the curtain wall of the castle, and makes a splash of colour.
Rhododendrons were brought to Britain by Victorian plant collectors. They are native to some Mediterranean countries and in Asia. Unfortunately, the introduction of one species, Rhododenron ponticum, has proved to be an ecological disaster. In my native Derbyshire, for example, large areas have been subject to invasive growth, and since there are no natural predators, and the plant is toxic to sheep, cattle and most insect life, it has to be physically dug out – a difficult task. Not only that, but the leaf and soil litter underneath the bushes (which can grow 20 feet high, or more) needs to be removed, as it remains toxic, and will contain seeds. All in all, the rhododendron (especially R. ponticum) was a bad choice, and it has done immense damage to the UK countryside.
Traitor’s Gate, Tower of London January 9, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, England, London.Tags: assassination, Carl Giles, cartoon, Castles, dungeons, employer, England, First World War, fortress, government, King Edward I, London, Lord Beaverbrook, monarch, prisoners, River Thames, Sir Roger Casement, spying, St Thomas's Tower, torture, Tower of London, Traitor's Gate, water gate
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Traitor's Gate, St. Thomas's Tower, the Tower of London
Scattered across the 18 acre site which forms the Tower of London, there are many notable buildings and features. One of the most famous, or should I say infamous, is the Traitor’s Gate. This is located at the base of St. Thomas’s Tower – one of the constituent parts of the world famous fortress – and is a watergate, giving direct access to the murky waters of the River Thames. St. Thomas’s Tower was built between 1275-1279 at the behest of King Edward I; he was the monarch responsible for commissioning the large stone arch and double gates which form Traitor’s Gate.
The gate was used to convey State prisoners of high importance directly to the Tower from the River Thames in the highest security, preventing any attempts at rescue – or, indeed, assassination, in order to prevent them revealling more details of their crimes under torture in the dungeons of the Tower.
Sir Roger Casement was imprisoned here for a time during the First World War, prior to his execution (he had been convicted of spying for Germany, on rather tenuous legal grounds).
Strangely, Traitor’s Gate has also featured in at least one notable cartoon; the famous British cartoonist, Carl Giles, depicted his employer, the ‘press baron’ Lord Beaverbrook, being sent through Traitor’s Gate for some slight against the Government of the day.
Peveril Castle, Derbyshire December 11, 2008
Posted by shortfinals in Castles, Derbyshire.Tags: Castles, Castleton, Codnor, Derbyshire, England, English Heritage, Normans, Peak District National Park, William the Conqueror
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The Normans built a whole string of fortresses in the 11th and 12th centuries to enable them to hold sway over their newly conquered lands. William Peverel (note the spelling change), who was possibly the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror, had already started the Castle at Codnor close to the royal deer park (Codnor Park), and was now given the governance of the royal forest in the Peak. Another ’square keep and curtain wall’ castle was begun on a crag overlooking Cave Dale. A small town grew up, virtually in the shadow of the castle
Peveril Castle, Castleton, Derbyshire
and was called, naturally, Castleton. This area is the ONLY source of a semi-precious gemstone called ‘Blue John’, which, along with the caverns in these hills, forms the heart of the local tourist trade.
