DECEMBER 2011 – BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous city outside London with a population of 1,036,900 (2010 estimate). Today Birmingham is a major international commercial centre, ranked as a beta− world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub.

The mail box – new shopping area

Retail development along the canal 

Birmingham's three universities and two university colleges make it the largest centre of higher education in the United Kingdom outside London, and its major cultural institutions, including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, enjoy international reputations.

Town hall with Xmas market: 

Symphony hall:

People from Birmingham are known as Brummies, a term derived from the city's nickname of 'Brum'. There is a distinctive Brummie dialect and accent, both of which differ from the adjacent Black Country.

The bull of bullring: 

November 2011 – Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in the county town of Warwickshire. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.

 

From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power. The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville – also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV. 

Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture. In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. The castle's defences were enhanced in the 1640s to prepare the castle for action in the English Civil War.

The Tussards Group purchased Warwick Castle in 1978 and opened it as a tourist attraction. It is protected as a Grade I listed building. Tussauds performed extensive restorations to the castle and grounds. In 2001, Warwick Castle was named one of Britain's "Top 10 historic houses and monuments" by the British Tourist Authority; around this time it was getting in excess of half a million visitors a year.

Seasonal attractions include "Flight of the Eagles'" (a bird show, featuring bald eagles, vultures and owls), archery displays, Jousting, "The Trebuchet Show" and "The Sword in the Stone Show".

Xmas in the castle:

November 2011 – The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642.

A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare’s Globe”, opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre. This modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings.

Like the original Globe, the modern theatre has a thrust stage that projects into a large circular yard surrounded by three tiers of raked seating. The only covered parts of the amphitheatre are the stage and the seating areas. Plays are staged during the summer, usually between May and the first week of October; in the winter, the theatre is used for educational purposes. 

The reconstruction was carefully researched so that the new building would be as faithful a replica of the original as possible. Performances are engineered to duplicate the original environment of Shakespeare's Globe; there are no spotlights, plays are staged during daylight hours and in the evenings (with the help of interior floodlights), there are no microphones, speakers or amplification. All music is performed live on period instruments; the actors can see the audience and the audience can see each other, adding to the feeling of a shared experience and community event.

 The building itself is constructed entirely of English oak - no structural steel was used. It is, in this sense, an "authentic" 16th century timber-framed building. The seats are simple benches (though cushions can be hired for performances) and the Globe has the first and only thatched roof permitted in London since the Great Fire of 1666.

The pit, however, has a concrete surface as opposed to the earthen ground covered with strewn rush in the original theatre. Large columns on either side of the stage supported a roof over the rear portion of the stage. The ceiling under this roof was called the "heavens," and was painted with clouds and the sky. A trap door in the heavens enabled performers to descend using some form of rope and harness.