Places
London =/= England
Last week I got into conversation with a family from the US who were (understandably) flummoxed by the convoluted process of trying to buy train tickets so they could go and see Windsor Castle as […]
england
Churches
Whitby Abbey
Bran Stoker’s Dracula was published in 1897, but over 120 years later visitors still flock to the little seaside town of Whitby in North Yorkshire to see what inspired the writer to pen his iconic […]
National Parks
Peak District well dressing
Well dressing is an ancient custom, probably dating back to Celtic times, that is still followed in the English Peak District. Every year, in summer or early autumn, teams of volunteers in villages and towns […]
Churches
Rievaulx Abbey
Abbey and monastery ruins are not uncommon in England, thanks to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, but Rievaulx is a particularly striking and relatively intact example of English history and social change. Rievaulx Abbey […]
Walking
Moscar Moor, Derbyshire
When it comes to the Peak District, I’m always torn as to whether I prefer the wild, overcast days when much of the Dark Peak looks like the set of a noir thriller, or the […]
Castles
Conisbrough Castle
Conisbrough Castle is one of my favourite places in South Yorkshire, a 12th century castle set on the hillside overlooking the historic town of Conisbrough that inspired Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. The history of Conisbrough […]
Churches
Christ Church, Crewe
Rushing for a train earlier this week I stumbled across a strange, half-ruined church in the middle of Crewe and had to satisfy my own curiosity by finding out more about it. Christ Church is […]