8TH Oct 2011 – Stafford upon Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in south Warwickshire. It lies on the River Avon, 22 miles (35 km) south east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-upon-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers a much larger area than the town itself.

Stratford:

River Avon: 

 The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, receiving about three million visitors a year from all over the world. The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratford.

Shakespeare house:

Royal Shakespeare Company:

Brighton 6 – 8th Oct 2011

Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove (formed from the previous towns of Brighton, Hove, and several other villages) in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain.

Hove museum: 

The ancient settlement of Brighthelmstone dates from before Doomsday Book (1086), but it emerged as a health resort featuring sea bathing during the 18th century and became a destination for day trippers from London after the arrival of the railway in 1841. Brighton experienced rapid population growth, reaching a peak of over 160,000 by 1961.

Since the 1978 demolition of the open-air lido at Black Rock, the most easterly part of Brighton's seafront, the area has been developed and now features one of Europe's largest marinas.

Brighton Marine Palace and Pier (long known as the Palace Pier) opened in 1899. It features a funfair, restaurants and arcade halls.

Our room with a view:

The West Pier was built in 1866 and has been closed since 1975 awaiting renovation, which faces continual setbacks.  The West Pier is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the United Kingdom, but suffered two fires in 2003.

The seafront has bars, restaurants, nightclubs and amusement arcades, principally between the piers. Being less than an hour from London by train has made the city a popular destination. Brighton's beach, which is a shingle beach up to the mean low tide mark, has been awarded a blue flag.

The Royal Pavilion is a former royal palace built as a home for the Prince Regent during the early 19th century, under the direction of the architect John Nash, and is notable for its Oriental interior.

 

The lanes – area of unique shops

5th Oct 2011 – Hampton Court

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located 11.7 miles (18.8 km) south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames. It was originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII, circa 1514; in 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the palace was passed to the King, who enlarged it.

Main Entrance: 

Henry VIII courtyard: 

  

Henry VIII's first building project at Hampton Court created vast kitchens capable of feeding his court of 1000 people:

The king’s staircase: 

Henry VIII main eating hall: 

Anne Boleyn's Gate: The Tudor gatehouse and astrological clock, made for Henry VIII in 1540: 

The following century, William III’s massive rebuilding and expansion project intended to rival Versailles was begun. Work halted in 1694, leaving the palace in two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. While the palace's styles are an accident of fate, a unity exists due to the use of pink bricks and a symmetrical, albeit vague, balancing of successive low wings.

The Georgian wing:

Christopher Wren’s south front built for William and Mary viewed from the Privy Garden:

The Fountain Court designed by Sir Christopher Wren:

Royal tennis courts:

Today, the palace is open to the public, and a major tourist attraction. It is cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown.

Hampton court maze: 

Main gardens with the mushroom trees: 

The dark Knight: