Entertablement Abroad—Stirling Castle

by Helen Kain | May 27, 2022 | Castles & Stately Houses, Entertablement Abroad, Recent, Scotland

Castles have a long and complex history, much more so than stately homes. Fortified structures built during the middle ages by the nobility or royalty, their primary purpose was defence—keeping those inside the castle walls safe and keeping the violent attackers out....

Entertablement Abroad – England in the Autumn

by Helen Kain | Nov 7, 2021 | Beautiful Towns, Castles & Stately Houses, Cathedrals & Abbeys, England, Unique Places to Stay

The long-awaited, oft-rescheduled trip to England was a heady mix of emotions: apprehension as to how difficult it might be to navigate changing requirements, elation at the freedom of travelling again, disappointment and frustration with the National Trust, amusement...

Entertablement Abroad – Sudeley Castle

by Helen Kain | Apr 19, 2020 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Entertablement Abroad

Most of the grand manor houses we see in England have a history involving a lot of ups and downs. Sudeley Castle is the veritable Snakes & Ladders of the genre. The tale began innocuously enough with a commonplace event: William le Boteler of Wem married heiress...

Entertablement Abroad – Harewood House Part II

by Helen Kain | Dec 30, 2019 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Entertablement Abroad

Good day, everyone, and welcome to Harewood House Part II. Sorry for the delay in providing the sequel to Harewood House Part I. Travel and the holiday season got the better of me in the intervening period, but I’m determined to tie off as many loose ends as I...

Entertablement Abroad – Harewood House

by Helen Kain | Sep 29, 2019 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Entertablement Abroad

“Where shall we go today?” was the question. Our three weeks in England were almost at an end and we – Glenn, that is – had done a lot of driving already, so I was hesitant to suggest Harewood House, almost two hours from our self-catering cottage in...

Entertablement Abroad: Syon Park Part II

by Helen Kain | May 26, 2019 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Entertablement Abroad

At the end of Syon Park, Part I, we left off in the Long Gallery, Shall we resume our tour? At 41.3 metres long by 4.2 metres wide, one can see why it was named the Long Gallery. This magnificent room takes up the entire east front of the house, a stretch of eleven...