Holyrood Palace

Holyrood Palace is the Official Residence in Scotland of Her Majesty The Queen.   It was the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, ruler of Scotland from 1561-1568 AD.  It sits at the foot of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle.

Originally Holyrood Abbey was built in 1128 AD by King David and expanded until 1230 AD.   It included monastic buildings – cloisters, a chapter house, and guest houses.  By the 15 century, kings preferred residing there rather than Edinburgh Castle because of the setting in the large parks.  Holyrood Abbey suffered great damage in 1540s from destructive raids by English armies until all that remains is the nave’s shell today.  Royal lodgings were converted to a palace during the reign of King James IV to house his bride Margaret Tutor, daughter of Henry VII.

Neglected for centuries after housing exiled French aristocrats until Queen Victoria traveled to Scotland in 1842 and favored the lands.  Holyrood Palace became a perfect step on the way to the newly purchased Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands and she had the palace renovated

Fountain in the court yard of Holyrood Palace – it is only turned on when a member of the royal family is in residence

Interior court yard of Holyrood Palace – top floor all of the way around is the royal residence and not open to the public

Ruins of the old Holyrood Abbey – inside; from the 12th century

View from the garden at Holyrood Palace

Palace was built from the ruins of the abbey

Edinburgh

Located on the top of Castle Rock, a volcanic rock with steep cliffs on three sides, Edinburgh Castle was a fortress and royal residence from the first century AD.  

Edinburgh Castle from the view of Princes Street

Looking over the wall of Edinburgh Castle from the One O'Clock Gun and the Canon Gallery.  (The One O’Clock Gun – fired 6 days a week at 1 pm. – Purpose – a shipping aid; to navigate accurately to calibrate with the position of the sun when clocks were less accurate and the cloudy skies made use of the sun unreliable)

Located on the north side of the Crown Square, this was the castle's Royal Chapel during the reign of David II in 1366 AD.  When the primary royal residence moved to Holyrood Palace, this became a munitions store by 1538 AD and then a barracks to accommodate 270 soldiers by 1754 AD.

Bagpipes played at the entrance of the castle and the beginning of the Royal Mile.

Stonehenge

Constructed more than 5000 years ago, the true purpose of Stonehenge is not clearly understood.  Some believe it has connections to the phases of the moon or the seasons and the sun.  It could be a temple that was never completed or an open air temple for sacrifice.  There is much mystery surrounding the stones in the middle of a pasture and more than half of the area has yet to be fully explored.

Laura listening to the audio tour that provides information and highlights as visitors walk around the site.

Two types of stones were used – bluestones (weighing as much as 25 tons and brought from 145 miles away) and Sarsen stones (18 feet in height and 25 tons in weight)

Over the years, concrete and cement have been used for repairs and to reinforce the foundations of the standing stones from the ware of too many visitors walking close to the stones.

Stones were shaped and placed.  There are joints that were shaped to fit and secure the stones in place. Similar to Legos!

It was very windy in the open pasture, but the cool breeze was a relief after the high temperatures we found in the city.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle has been the home to the Royal Family for 900 years and is the Official Residence of the Queen.  It is the oldest working castle in the world and is the alternative to Buckingham Palace for ceremonial visits by foreign heads of state.  

Located on a hill overlooking the Thames River, it is the home to the 14th century Order of the Royal Garter, the senior chivalric order which was founded by King Edward III in 1348 after victory in battle. Highest order of chilvary and is gifted by the Sovereign to distinguished figures in the life of the nation and commonwealth.

The castle is the burial place of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour in the chapel he liked best.  The castle also holds the Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House – a miniature replica of an aristocratic home designed with replicas of the leading artists’ works, furniture, clothing, and dishes.  The center tower is known as the Round Tower and is the oldest section dating from the reign of William the Conqueror in 1070 AD.

Queen Victoria opened the State Apartments to the public in the 1840s. She and her husband are buried there in the Royal Mausoleum which is not open to the public.  During World War II while King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, consort, remained at Buckingham Palace, they sent the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to Windsor Castle where they joined them for weekends

Windsor Castle moat garden and the tall tower is the residence of the Queen.

These initials are found throughout most of the royal residences and properties.  It indicates the name of the monarch – Elizabeth Regina, meaning Queen Elizabeth II

Property near Windsor Castle is some of the most expensive land in England

Roman Bath

The present-day city of Bath was designed and built in the Georgian style on top of the Roman baths for access to thermal springs.  It was a popular spa location for rest and vacation in the 19th century and was home to Jane Austen for several years.

The Grand Pump Room was built at the springs and (unknowingly) over the Roman Baths in the 18th century when drinking the waters was believed to be healing method. Excavation in the 1980s led to the discovery of the Roman ruins beneath.  Water still flows into the King’s Bath from the original Roman channels.  Originally a temple of the goddess Sulis Minerva, goddess of rivers and springs. Built in 75 AD because it was believed that the waters had healing powers.

Roman mosaic floor from a private home in Bath in 4th Century AD

Me at the edge of the Roman bath . . . very carefully so that I did not fall in with the very uneven flooring of stones.

The King's Bath

Tower of London

The ravens are kept in the Tower of London with clipped wings since King Charles II believed the legend that the fortress and kingdom would fall if the ravens left the tower.  The Official Crown Jewels are kept in a secure vault in the Waterloo Barracks Building.  They include 23,578 gems in the collection, including the Imperial State Crown which has the largest diamond ever found!

The Tower of London was built to defend the city of London by re-using some of stones from the existing Roman walls of the city originally built in 200 AD.  While it was, at times, a royal residence, it was rarely favored as the home of monarchs.  They preferred other palaces.  It was also not the first line of defense for the city.  It is a fortress and stronghold.  At times, it held archives as well as riches of the monarchs.  It later also became a regular prison during the reign of King Edward I at the end if the 13th century.  Prisoners were often influential or wealthy individuals including two woves of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I during the reign of her sister, Mary.  It also held prisoners during World War II, including one of Hitler's spies who was also executed at the Tower.

The Tower of London – The slight arch of darkness at the base of the castle on the left is known as Traitor’s Gate.  Before the embankment of the Thames River to prevent flooding, is was a river entrance to the Tower for transporting prisoners.  This provided less chance of escape and disturbance by the public.

It is said that since it was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 AD, whoever controls the Tower, controls England

Keep inside the Tower of London Castle (White Tower)

Where they keep the Crown Jewels! (Waterloo Barracks)

Laura in front of the White Tower

The inside top of the portcullis – this is how they raise it and lower it!

Really quick glimpse of the last remaining section of the Roman wall when London was a Roman city. 

Cliffs of Dover

The White Cliffs of Dover are more than 400 feet above sea level.

Dover Castle, over 800 years old, on top of the cliffs

Cliffs are at one of the closest points to France and the English Channel is at its most narrow.  This is also the location of the docks for the ferries across the Channel – lots of trucks and shipping.

Canterbury

Canterbury Cathedral is located in Kent and first begun in 597 AD when missionaries from Rome converted the ling of Kent to Christianity.  It is the home parish of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The old wall of Canterbury city

Canterbury Cathedral is in the middle of the old city with buildings surrounding the cathedral.

Canterbury Cathedral – Scaffolding throughout the exterior of the cathedral show an near-constant renovation of the old building which first began construction in 597 AD

Stained glass windows in various styles as they are repaired and replaced over time.

Exteriors show many renovations of the cathedral with the types of sculptures found

Part of the older sections of the cathedral, gargoyles can be seen on the exterior despite erosion over time.

Statues with realistic details with the gargoyle in the upper right shows the renovations and additions made over time.

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle was built near Greenwich in the middle of a natural lake surrounded by 500 acres of parkland and gardens.  It was originally built as a Norman stronghold in 1119 AD on the manor lands listed in the Doomsday Book by William the Conqueror as Esledes (meaning manor or a unit of land).  It became a royal castle in 1278 AD when it was purchased by Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I who began building the new castle section known as the Gloriette and the castle became part of the dower for the Queens of England.  The Castle left the royal possession when it was granted to Sir Anthony St. Leger for a yearly rent of 10 pounds by King Henry VIII in 1552.  In 1925, the family was forced to sell the castle and estate to pay the death duties and it was purchased by Lady Baillie who renovated and restored.  After her death, it was left in the care of a foundation which maintains the castle and gardens to be open to visitors.

Leeds Castle – exterior with water in the forefront

Purple flowers in outside garden 

Laura walking outside the castle walls 

Exterior of the Gloriette 

Moat

View of the moat from an interior window

Tower stairway 

Window seat in the Queen’s bedroom – look at the thickness of the walls and the window shutters

Main castle from the court yard

Laura hoping the portcullis does not come down on her! (Portcullis was built in the reign of Edward III in the late 14th century)

Exterior of Leeds Castle from the back on the pathway to the maze

A walk through the gardens