Baddesley Clinton
August 17, 2025 Baddesley has Saxon origins, although no buildings from the time remain. A man called Baeddi, Badde, or…
United Kingdom
Newstead Abbey and Lord Byron
August 16, 2025 Newstead Abbey was formerly an Augustinian priory. Converted to a domestic home following the Dissolution of the…
Southwell Minster
August 15, 2025 The current church is the successor to one built in 956 by Oscytel, archbishop of York. Some…
Belvoir Castle and Woolsthorpe
August 14, 2025 Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle is pronounced beaver castle. Belvoir Castle is considered a faux historic castle. A…
Wollaton House and Keddleston Hall
August 13, 2025 Wollaton House Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire was built between 1580 and 1588 for Sir Francis Willoughby and…
Hardwick Hall – More Glass Than Wall
August 12, 2025 Hardwick Hall is a rather awe-inspiring and overwhelming place. It begins with Bess of Hardwick. Four highly…
Bolsover Castle and Sutter Scarsdale
August 12, 2025 Bolsover Castle The Peverel family built the original castle in the 12th century. It became Crown property…
Derbyshire
August 2025 Susan and I began this week traveling with a dear old friend of mine, James. It is hard…
London Mail Rail
July 12, 2025 I have wanted to ride this silly mail train for years, and finally found the time. The…
Crystal Palace Park
July 11, 2025 I wrote of the Crystal Palace when I was here in the summer of 2024. At the…
Bromptom and West Norwood Cemeteries
July 10 and 11 2025 These finish my quest to see all of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London. The…
The V and A East Storehouse
July 9, 2025 The V&A East Storehouse is a purpose-built public space designed by architects Diller Scofidio+Renfro with support from…
Last days Wandering London
July 2024 There are two of these unique huts in Grosvenor Gardens. The Gardens have been known as “London’s French…
Ceremony of the Keys – Tower of London
July 28, 2024 My friend Susan arranged for us to attend the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of…
Abney Park Cemetery
July 2024 I managed to squeeze in my sixth of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London before my departure. Abney…
Royal Pavillion Brighton
July 2024 Where do I start? A few days ago I was touring Buckingham Palace with my friend Susan (no…
Two Cemeteries – Two Nature Reserves
July 2024 In a, not quite accomplished yet, attempt at seeing the Magnificent Seven, I was able to get to…
Crossbones and Kensal Green Cemeteries
July 2024 Crossbones Cemetery Wandering near the Tate Modern, I found this small graveyard that is only open three days…
19th Century Authors – An Oxford Education
July 2024 I have spent the last week at Oxford Experience, and the class I chose was Modernist Literature Through…
Busbridge Parish Church
July 2024 Busbridge Church was founded by John and Emma Ramsden of Busbridge Hall. Building work took place between 1865…
Watts Gallery Artists Village
July 2024 Watts Gallery is a gallery and an Artists’ Village in the village of Compton. Mary Fraser-Tytler Watts created…
Norney Grange
July 2024 Norney Grange was designed in 1897 by Charles Voysey, a Arts and Crafts Movement member, for the Reverend…
Jekyll and Lutyens – Lutyens and Jekyll
July 2024 Munstead Wood Munstead Wood is a collaboration between Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. A collaboration of the finest…
Crossness Pumping Station – London
July 2024 The Crossness Pumping Station is a former sewage pumping station designed by the Metropolitan Board of Works’ chief…
Standen House and Gardens
July 2024 Philip Webb designed this house between 1891 and 1894 for London solicitor, James Beale, his wife Margaret, and…
Bedford Park and Highgate Cemetery
July 2024 Bedford Park Bedford Park in Chiswick began in 1875 under the direction of Jonathan Carr. It has many…
Sambourne House
July 2024 18 Stafford Terrace was the home of the Punch illustrator Edward Linley Sambourne (1844–1910) and his wife Marion.…
Leighton House
July 2024 Leighton House is part of Holland Circle but deserves a post of its own. Leighton House was once…
Holland Park And 19th Century Artists
July 2024 Holland Park is an area of Kensington, surrounds its namesake park, Holland Park and colloquially referred to as…
Kelmscott Manor
July 2024 It is impossible to study the 19th Century without a good dousing of William Morris. Kelmscott Manor was…
A Fast Run Through Oxford
July 2024 Fortunately, this was not my first or last trip to Oxford. Today, I am here with the VSA…
Buscot Park and the Faringdon Collection
July 10, 2024 Buscot Park was built in an austere neoclassical style between 1780 and 1783 for Edward Loveden Loveden.…
Rodmarton Manor – Gloucestershire
July 2024 Rodmarton Manor Rodmarton was built for the Biddulph family, who still reside there. For this reason, photos are…
All Saints Church Selsley
July 2024 This church in the rolling hills of Gloucestershire is most notable for its collaboration amongst the greats of…
Two Churches
July 2024 Ullet Road Unitarian Church * The Ullet Road Church was the first place of worship in the United…
Wightwick Manor
July 8, 2024 The last many days have been an overwhelming marathon of architecture. Today, we were at Wightwick Manor,…
Port Sunlight
July 8, 2024 Sunlight household soap was introduced by the British company Lever Brothers in 1884. It was the world’s…
Liverpool, England
July 2024 Liverpool Cathedral, the longest cathedral in the world, was constructed between 1904 and 1978, based on a design…
The Docks of Liverpool, England
July 2024 The first thing that comes to mind for many when speaking of Liverpool is The Beatles. But Liverpool…
Walking Manchester, England
July 2024 I want to begin this post with an apology. Manchester is an amazing city. My group had two…
St. Giles’ Church Cheadle
July 2024 St Giles was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812- 1852) and is considered his most splendid work.…
The Church of Holy Angels – Hoar Cross
July 2024 It is often difficult to travel long distances and visit building after building and not have them run…
Churches of Staffordshire
July 2024 We visited four churches in Staffordshire all in one afternoon. It was very overwhelming but fascinating to observe…
Wandering Birmingham England
July 5, 2024 Birmingham—or ‘Brum’ as it’s affectionately known—is an incredibly architecturally varied city. It was once called the City…
The Jewelry Quarter – Birmingham, England
July 4, 2024 According to the Birmingham Directory of 1780, there were 26 jewelers at the time. Because the definition…
Northhampton, England
July 4, 2024 We were only able to stand outside the Northhampton Guildhall, and even then, it was too huge…
Bedford England
July 4, 2024 The Panacea Museum The Panacea Museum was once the home of Joanna Southcott. It still houses her…
Random London
July 3, 2024 The East End After revoking the Edict of Nantes, which granted Huguenots civil rights in October 1685,…
Westminster Cathedral London
July 3, 2024 Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the largest Roman Catholic church in England and Wales and the seat…
Knightsbridge and Pimlico London
July 2, 2024 Knightsbridge Fire Station functioned from 1907 to 2014. These stunning terracotta columns and pilasters are on the…
Fleet Street – London
July 1, 2024 Fleet Street is one of the oldest streets in London. It was established in the time of…
Walking the Albertopolis
June 30, 2024 Albertopolis is the nickname given to the area centered on Exhibition Road in London, named after Prince…
Bloomsbury – London
June 29, 2024 One of my favorite buildings in this area is the Kimpton Fitzroy. It is famous for its…
Westminster London
June 28, 2024 I am back in London for a month. Three of those weeks will be spent in school,…
Wandering London – The Odd and Overlooked
November 2023 I am in London to enjoy the company of friends, see a few plays, eat some good food,…
Wandering London in the Pouring Rain
November 14, 2023 I began my day at Blackfriars Bridge. Blackfriars originated as a Dominican friary founded in the year…
Visiting London for Food and Fun
November 2023 I am leaving London with a heavy heart, despite the knowledge I will be back in a short…
Isle of Wight
November 10, 2023 I traveled to the Isle of White via ferry, leaving out of Portsmouth to Ryde. Once you…
Portsmouth, England
November 10, 2o23 Portsmouth’s history dates to the Roman times. It is said that Portsmouth was founded c. 1180 by Anglo-Norman…
The HMS Victory
Portsmouth, England November 9, 2023 The HMS Victory is undergoing a massive overhaul, so I was not able to see…
The Mary Rose
Portsmouth UK November 9th, 2023 If you want to get an honest and complete look at what naval service and…
Coventry England
November 7, 2023 I am here to visit an old friend, James. While he lives in Wales, we have agreed…
Fun and Offbeat in London
December 2022 I took a Christmas-Food-themed walking tour put on by London Walks. When discussing Christmas geese, we were brought…
Cemeteries of London
December 2022 I am an avowed taphophile, so visiting cemeteries is part of my travels wherever I go. I made…
Wandering the Outskirts of London
December 2022 Eltham Palace Eltham Palace consists of the medieval great hall of a former royal residence, to which an…
Getting Around London
December 2022 Taxis With the advent of Uber and Lyft filling the world with cheap rides from underpaid drivers, the…
Christmas Lights of London
December 2022 The Lights at Kew Gardens * * * * * *** * * * * * Christmas Around…
Greenwich, To and From and Everything In Between
December 2022 A trip from downtown London to Greenwich is about one hour. As the sun was shining and the…
Saint Bartholomew The Great
December 2022 We walked into this churchyard because we were looking for a plague pit, we found so much more.…
Connecting the Past with the Modern
December 2022 Roman Walls and the Tower of London Some kind of fortification most likely completely surrounded the Roman city…
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald
December 2022 Hill House When I was here just two months ago, I concentrated on the architecture of Alexander Thomson…
Books, Books and Gas Holders
December 2022 This is just one small section of the books from King George III’s library. The display dominates the…
A Day in Cambridge
As a tourist, I must admit I prefer Cambridge over Oxford. Very simply because its entire downtown is pedestrian and…
York in 5 Hours
October 30, 2022 The city of York gives its name to the County of Yorkshire. While the House of York…
Galloping through Glasgow
October 28, 2023 Driving south to Glasgow The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line in…
The Highlands and Northern Hebrides of Scotland
October 25, 2022 Crossing the Forth of Firth The red bridge is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Forth Bridge. It…
6 Times By Antony Gormley
October 2022 6 TIMES is a series of six sculptures created by Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley (b. 1950). They…
Scotland and The Royals
October 2022 Edinburgh Holyrood Castle Holyrood Palace (sometimes called Holyrood House) is the official residence of the British monarchy in…
Edinburgh Continued
October 22, 2022 Today was rainy and foggy making picture-taking problematic. But there is so much to see in Edinburgh…
Chatsworth and Hadrian
October 20, 2022 Leaving Oxford on the way to Edinburgh is a lovely drive, sadly it was pouring rain. Two…
Walking Oxford, England – Random Architecture
October 17, 2022 The buildings of Oxford are well known if one watches British television, in particular Inspector Morse. It…
Walking Oxford, England The Odd and Fun
October 17, 2022 I walked all day on the 17th and decided to break this into two posts, one architecture…
Colleges of Oxford
October 18, 2022 The University of Oxford has thirty-nine colleges and six permanent private religious halls. These institutions are autonomous…
Bath, England
October 15, 2023 There is a legend that Bath was founded in 860 BCE when Prince Bladud, the father of…
County Sligo
October 9, 2018 You know you are in for an adventure when the guide to the house meets you at…
Saint Patricks of Armagh City
October 8, 2018 Armagh is the site of two cathedrals, both on hills and both named after Saint Patrick. Considered…
The Ridiculous and The Sublime
October 8, 2018 John Leslie (later to become Sir John Leslie, 1st Baronet of Glaslough) had studied art in Rome…
County Armagh
October 7, 2018 THE ARGORY The Argory got its name from the Irish ‘ard garraidhe’, meaning hill of the garden.…
Clandeboye House and more of Belfast
October 6, 2018 There are no photos allowed inside of Clandeboye, but take it from me, it is a museum.…
Ballywalter Park
October 5, 2018 This Victorian Italianate Palazzo was built by the present owner’s great great great grandfather. Ballywalter Park was…
Mount Stewart House in Ards Peninsular
October 5, 2018 Mount Stewart was created by the Stewart family (later Vane-Tempest-Stewart), holders of the title Marquess of Londonderry…
Wandering Belfast
October 4, 2018 The name Belfast is derived from the Irish Béal Feirsde, which was later spelled Béal Feirste. The…
Hillsborough, Northern Ireland
October 3, 2018 Hillsborough Castle is a beautiful late Georgian mansion built in the 1770s by Wills Hill, first Marquis…