English/Welsh Castles

As it was Saint David’s day this week I thought Explore England’s England would have a Welsh slant – the English Welsh border is awash with Castles and history that either side of the border should be equally proud of but the particular area I am going to concentrate on today is the Wye Valley in Herefordshire.

A place which is a very fond one of mine is Goodrich Castle

Standing high on a rock above the River Wye, Goodrich Castle is a most striking ruin, the original ‘Godric’s Castle’ was established in the late 11th Century but the castle remains, that you can visit today, date mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Goodrich became an important link in the chain of castles surrounding Wales during Edward 1st’s campaign against the rebellious Welsh; the thick high walls and rocky foundations made the castle very strong and importantly its position; dominating an ancient ford (river crossing) on the River Wye, meant it was also in a great strategic position.

Goodrich has a turbulent history passing from family to family during the years but the story of it’s ruin is told during the Civil War in England and Wales, during 1646 Parliamentary commander, Colonel John Birch, turned his attention to Goodrich but because the Castle was so strong and well fortified he set to a long siege of the Castle. Four and a half months later Birch’s siege was finally successful when the famous mortar cannon ‘Roaring Meg’ was used by his Parliamentary forces to breach the castle walls.

The mortar, which was designed to fire 200 lb projectiles, is the only surviving Civil War mortar, she can now be seen sited in the grounds of Goodrich Castle, returning more than 350 years after she had done the ruinous deed, ironically the mortar was cast at the nearby Goodrich Furnace, established in 1575, by the Earl of Shrewsbury, at that time the owner of the Goodrich Castle.

The castle is believed to be haunted by the spirits of two lovers, Alice Birch, the niece of Parliamentarian Colonel John Birch, and Charles Clifford, the son of a Royalist commander. Both Alice and Charles caught up in the castle when the siege began fled from the besieging forces and drowned in the River Wye as they tried to cross the ford at ‘Goodrich Boat’. During stormy nights it is said that their ghostly figures can still be seen attempting to complete their tragic escape.

Goodrich Castle is now managed by English Heritage and is open to the public all year; it is a great place to visit in stunning English countryside and won the Regional Excellence in Tourism Gold Award for Best Small Visitor Attraction in 2008, so well worth a visit.

Nearby to Goodrich are a number of other excellent Castles to visit – including Longtown Castle (English), White Castle (Welsh), Wilton Castle (English), Skenfrith Castle (Welsh), Grosmont Castle (Welsh) and Eastnor Castle (English).

Explore England’s England: A Ruined Castle?

Okay, sorry for the delay, real life had an impact on the virtual (I know outrageous but these things happen!!)

So a sunny winters Sunday made me hanker for a whiz round the Heart of England’s country lanes in my lovely classic car ‘Carmen’ a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, but where to go?

Well the sky was starting to look a bit threatening weather wise, once I had set out driving through the English countryside, so I decided to go somewhere close, Kirby Muxloe Castle in Leicestershire.

Situated four miles west of Leicester the Castle is constructed with bricks that were fired on site and not from quarried stone, which makes it slightly unusual for a fortified building, but Kirby Muxloe Castle is also one of the earliest brickwork castles erected in England and one of the last of its type to be built, a quadrangular castle, which adds to its uniqueness but that, is not, in my humble opinion, what makes Kirby Muxloe Castle so interesting; I think it is such a wonderful place because it is not a ruin!

It was built for William, Lord Hastings, who for a time held a position of great power within the realm. William, Lord Hastings was Edward IV’s second cousin and Lord Chamberlain, he acquired the site in 1474 and obtained a license to crenelate (fortify with battlements i.e. make into a Castle), but did not proceed with the fortifications until 1480.

During the Wars of the Roses, he fought for Edward IV at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross (which has a lovely Water Mill) and followed the King into exile in 1471, which eventually led to his downfall and an explanation of why Kirby Muxloe Castle is not a ruin.

After Edward’s death in 1483, Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the king’s brother, took the throne as Regent of England to rule on behalf of the heir, Prince Edward (who was still a child).
Although he was still Lord Chamberlain, a few months after Richard became Regent; Hastings was charged with treason for allegedly plotting against him. Lord Hastings must have been seen as a significant threat to the future King of Shakespeare fame because within just a few days, Richard had him beheaded on Tower Green the first execution for the Tower of London.

Within a month, Richard seized the throne for himself, declared the Prince Edward and his brother Richard; the two heirs to the throne, as illegitimate, and became King Richard III. Shortly after, the two boys disappeared. Many historians blame Richard III for the mysterious demise of the “Princes in the Tower.”
Despite William’s execution, the Hastings family retained control of the brickwork castle, and, for a time, continued the building program, however, in 1484, Lady Hastings abandoned the project.

So the reason Kirby Muxloe Castle is not a ruin is because it was never finished!

Kirby Muxloe Castle is now managed by English Heritage and is open to the public to walk around all year round for free, which I did when I took these photographs, just as it started to snow; in the summer you can pay to go across the moat and explore the ruins in full.

Twelve Days of Shakespeare Country – Part Two

Happy New Year, hopefully you are all getting over having indulged yourselves this Holiday season and are now ready for part two of the Twelve days of Shakespeare Country:

6. Spend the day at Britain’s Ultimate Castle – with a medieval experience like no other, Warwick Castle is always going to be a highlight of any Shakespeare Country visit,

where you can see a Trebuchet fired (last one of the day is a fireball!), you can explore the excellent Castle Dungeon (not for the faint hearted), dress up and re-live your childhood fantasies in the Princess Tower or explore the world renowned Madame Tussauds Kingmaker exhibition. Of course the main attraction is the beautiful Castle itself, set amongst glorious grounds where in 2010 the Great British Weekend arrives on the 17th & 18th of July celebrating everything great about music in the UK.

7. Shakespeare Country may have Britain’s ultimate castle but believe it or not we also have the UK’s largest ruined castle – Kenilworth Castle; one of my favourite places in the world. You can take a tour of the romantic ruins and explore the majestic grandeur that has lasted through the centuries and is the site of one of the greatest ‘English Love Stories’ between Queen Elizabeth the First and Robert Dudley the Earl of Leicester. In 2009 English Heritage completed a six year restoration programme (which I ran for the first year or so) which sees Leicester’s Gatehouse and Leicester’s Stables restored, a new visitor centre and the stunning recreation of the lost Elizabethan gardens built to celebrate the Queens nineteen day visit to the Castle is well worth a visit.

8. Wander around major new art exhibitions at Compton Verney; including in 2010 Dali, Constable, Magritte, Rembrandt, Degas, Cezanne, Bacon and Ernst, also the home of the largest British Folk Art collection and some awesome Chinese Bronze’s; set in a beautiful Grade I listed Robert Adam house nestled in a ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped garden, Compton Verney is stunning to look at but it can also have an impact on your other senses with an award winning café/restaurant that will be one of those meals that you will remark upon in your postcards home to make your friends salivate.

9. Explore the Georgian grandeur of Royal Leamington Spa and shop amongst the hundreds of independent shops that offer the largest range of choice for the discerning tourist. Set amongst the regency architecture and grand parades of a bygone era – one of only two towns in the UK to be granted the Royal title – Jephson Gardens alone warrants the monarchy’s approval, an award winning public park which is opposite the Tourist Information Centre located in the Royal Pump Rooms home to a museum on Victorian Spa Treatments and the town’s art gallery. You can send all day and all your holiday money in Royal Leamington Spa with ease and in comfort.

10. Take a walking tour around Stratford-upon-Avon with one of the Stratford Town Walks, if you wanted to get underneath the surface of the Bard’s town, then there is no better way to find out about those things that you probably didn’t know you needed to know but once you have find out you will not be able to stop yourself telling your friends and family what you now know about Stratford-upon-Avon. Tours are various and can be walking tours or river boat tours and cover topics such as ghosts, romance, intrigue, history and of course William Shakespeare and his family’s influence on the development of this beautiful English town.

11. Take a Leisure Drive around the stunning countryside and through the beautiful villages and towns of the Cotswold’s – Chipping Campden and Moreton in the Marsh in particular are very pretty with tea shops, art galleries, craft shops and antique stores that will keep you coming back for more. The area is perfect for a classic car run (hire a classic car from The Open Road) or a relaxed tour drive in the height of modern comfort (hire a personal chauffeur guide from Guiding You Ltd) and spend your afternoon wandering the grand country town of Shipston-on-Stour or ‘Sheep Wash Town which is where the name originates.

12. Henley-in-Arden is a medieval market town with one of the best known traditional wide High Streets in England with its great variety of architectural styles and a medley of red brick and black and white half-timbered buildings. The street is pretty much straight but variations in its width and slight curves offer the visitor a number of pleasant views perfect spots for you to take some holiday snaps.You can sample the world famous ice cream or visit the Visitor Centre that documents the fact that Henley was once two distinct settlements – Henley and Beaudesert. The site of Beaudesert Castle and St Nicholas Church Beaudesert date from the end of the 11th century while the church of St John the Baptist and Guild Hall date from the 15th century. The latter has a collection of relics including furniture, pewter plate, manorial rolls and the 1449 charter that granted the town its privileges.

Hope you enjoyed that little homage and that it has piqued your interest in the land we call England’s England – Shakespeare Country.

Explore England’s England: The Twelve Days of Shakespeare Country Part 1

I thought as it was the festive season and because I love the traditions of Christmas, that I would deliver to you (my True Love?) the twelve things you must do when visiting Shakespeare Country in a stylized nod to the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The first thing in Shakespeare Country you must really do (I hope you sang that to yourself?):

1. You must as part of any visit to Shakespeare Country take the time to watch a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company  at their award winning RSC Courtyard Theatre. Some of my most memorable moments have been sat starring in wonder and joy at the characters performing up on the stage in Stratford-upon-Avon. The Courtyard theatre has amazing character and charm and is the RSC’s temporary home and a mock up of the stage and seating arrangements being developed in their £118m transformation of the Memorial Theatre and the Swan Theatre which both re-open to the public late in 2010.

2. You can not go home to your friends and relatives without having visited the five Houses connected to William Shakespeare in and around Stratford-upon-Avon and the Holy Trinity Church where his remains lie undisturbed to this day. Starting at his Birthplace which includes the Life, Love & Legacy exhibition where you can hear his words spoken and re-enacted as part of Shakespeare Aloud. This year the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust have unveiled a rediscovered portrait of Shakespeare and are proud winners of the Best Tourism Experience award at the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards in 2009 which is also the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s Sonnets.

3. Shakespeare Country is not only famous for our most talented poet and playwright it is also the home of such fantastic British motor vehicle brands as Jaguar and the Mini. Whilst you are exploring England’s England you must explore the Heritage Motor Centre, in Gaydon; home to the world’s largest collection of British motor cars, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mini in 2009 there is something for everyone here from super cars to vehicles from the movies, it also has a go-kart track where you can test your driving skills.

4. Come rain or shine you can wander around Europe’s largest indoor butterfly paradise at the Stratford Butterfly Farm, where you can discover many of the world’s most beautiful butterflies in an exotic environment of tropical blossom with splashing waterfalls and fish-filled pools. Watch in awe as hundreds of spectacular and vibrantly coloured butterflies fly and feed around you. It is a beautiful tropical paradise in the Heart of England’s countryside and just a walk across an ancient stone bridge over the River Avon from the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon.

5. Now seeing as I have mentioned the beautiful meandering River Avon as it winds it’s way through Stratford-upon-Avon and under the ancient Clopton Bridge, I feel I ought to tell you about the cruises you can take on the River Avon with Bancroft Cruises, knowledgeable and friendly staff navigate a number of leisure cruises up and down the river all year round introducing you to the Rivers most famous residents the Swan’s of Avon.

6. Finally in this first installment of the Twelve Days of Shakespeare Country let me introduce you to the ghosts and spirits that haunt the streets and plays of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon. You can take part in a ghost hunt or Victorian séance at the award winning Creaky Cauldron museum of Witchcraft and Wizardology, where everything from Harry Potter to the Witches of Macbeth in fiction and centuries worth of spirits are available for you to explore and enjoy.

That’s it this time; the next six days will be posted in the New Year…

Explore England’s England

Well, I’d like to thank you for welcoming me to Anglotopia.net, I am only assuming that you have welcomed me because of the warm feeling I am already getting from the thought of sharing my views and opinions on the wonderfully diverse culture and heritage of ‘Old Blighty’ with you. My name is Phil Hackett but on-line I tend to use my alter-ego X-Wide P (xwidep) which is the stage name I use for my band Relevant Elephant and is short for both Extra Wide Phil and Wideboy P (it is a long story and one day I will tell you all about it and them).

So I guess you’d like to know a bit more about me? I am the Chief Executive of Shakespeare Country the award winning official tourist board for Stratford-upon-Avon, historic Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, romantic Kenilworth, and the beautiful Cotswolds; all quintessentially English. Shakespeare Country’s marketing strap-line is ‘Explore England’s England’ and in my next post I shall be introducing you to the secret and the not so secret treasures that Shakespeare Country has to offer the discerning visitor.

I am very fortunate (managed by both accident and design) to be working in a career sector that supports my personal interests, having spent the last eighteen years working in culture, heritage, museums and tourism. I won’t name names just yet (as I will hopefully introduce you to them over the coming posts) but I have worked with, for and at hundreds of visitor attractions, listed buildings, historic sites, museums, galleries, theatres, World Heritage Sites, ancient monuments and cultural events and festivals; and I love to go on holiday in the UK, known as a ‘Busman’s Holiday’ over here.

I am looking forward to introducing you to the sights and scenes I know and love but in the meantime if you would like to do a bit of research before my next post (I will be asking questions) visit my web site here.