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Recent Articles
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The Cathedral and the City of Wells in Somerset, England
Wednesday is market day in the City of Wells in Somerset, England. When I arrived in Market Place it was overflowing with stalls as it has done every week on Wednesdays and Saturdays for past 800 years. This market is part of the heritage of Wells and on a Wednesday it includes a Farmers Market.…
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Panoramas and Portraits at the Excellent Twr y Felin Hotel in St David's Pembrokeshire
It was with great and justified pride that Emma showed me to my suite when I checked into the Twr y Felin Hotel in St David’s, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The Tyddewi (Windmill Tower) Suite occupies the three floors of the original windmill that was built here in 1806. This windmill had a chequered…
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A Palace Fit for a Bishop in the English City of Wells
The City of Wells in Somerset, England is named for its wells that bubble up from an underground river fed by the rain water that seeps through the rocks of the nearby Mendip Hills. In Saxon times the presence of this water led people to believe that Wells was a sacred place and during this period…
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Winchester, King Alfred's Capital of England
Winchester in Hampshire, England is a very popular tourist destination. Coach loads of visitors arrived and depart on Broadway in the city centre. Watched over by an imposing figure – the Anglo-Saxon King, Alfred the Great. His statue, created by Hamo Thornycroft, was placed there in 1901 to…
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The Cross, a Delightful Bed and Breakfast in Croscombe, Somerset
Hospitality has been a long-standing tradition at The Cross in Croscombe, Somerset ever since this original medieval building was licensed as a public house in 1516. In those days it was called the Rose and Crown and retained this name until 1976 when it changed its name to the Bull Terrier. The…
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Exploring the Historic Waterways of Winchester in England
As I made my way across the water meadows of the River Itchen I found it difficult to believe I was not far from the city centre of Winchester. I was surrounded by leas of lush grass and thickets of trees. Beyond these I occasionally glimpsed the sparkle of water in the river. I was following in…
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Five Intriguing Attractions on the Isle of Wight
In the past the Isle of Wight has attracted many famous residents and visitors. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built their family home, near Cowes. Lord Alfred Tennyson, poet laureate and the most famous Victorian was also a resident on the island. Today, its delightful old-fashioned ambience…
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Osborne: The Home that Albert Created for Victoria
Victoria was Queen of England and Albert was her Prince Consort when they decided they needed a home for their large family away from public eye. Their search took them to the Isle of Wight, a place that that Victoria already knew and liked. Improved railway communications meant it was possible…
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Lyndhurst, the Heart of England's New Forest
Lyndhurst has been the throbbing heart of England’s New Forest since William the Conqueror made it his base when he established his hunting grounds here over nine hundred years ago. Today Lyndhurst is still central to the activities in the New Forest. The road into the village snakes around the…
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Balmer Lawn Hotel - a Brockenhurst Beauty in England's New Forest
Ideally situated in the village of Brockenhurst in the New Forest the Balmer Lawn Hotel is as steeped in history as the common land,Balmer Lawn, that surrounds it. Once known as Palmers Lawn it is recorded that the waters of the Lymington River that flow past the hotel were known as Palmers Waters…
