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...
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...
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...
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...
by Helen Kain | May 19, 2019 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Entertablement Abroad
Syon Park is the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Set in a such a splendid park, visitors have difficulty realizing the estate is a mere nine miles from Charing Cross Station. Syon doesn’t show up on the usual roster of recommended houses,...
by Helen Kain | Feb 25, 2019 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Entertablement Abroad, Unique Places to Stay
“Daffodils, that come before the swallow dares, and take the winds of March with beauty” (Shakespeare, Winter’s Tale, act 4, sc. 4) Daffodils abound at Hartwell House, swirling in colourful drifts around the historic house-cum-hotel. Anyone who has ever planted...