Berkeley Castle

In early August 2025 my wife and I spent a mini break with the 'Bank House' hotel, Bransford, Worcs. as our base. Incidentally, there are some lovely walks to be taken from the hotel itself and we did just that - 'The Fold Nature Trail' in particular.

But this post is about our visit to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. I first became aware of the Berkeley family name and the Castle on a visit to Jamestown VA., USA, in 2017. There we visited a plantation, located to the west of Jamestown, called Berkeley 100. 

As a result of this visit to Berkeley Castle I have renewed my research into how the plantation in Virginia got its name. One of its founders was Richard Berkeley but he was only one of a number of wealthy Gloucestershire and Bristol investors who established the colony in late 1619. They didn't necessarily go to Virginia themselves, they would have appointed representatives, one of these being Captain John Woodliffe. All that is a different, continuing story, this blog is about our visit to Berkeley castle.

Although Storm Floris mainly affected Scotland and northern England, we suffered rain and strong winds on our visit. It was a good job that most of the visit was indoors. The Berkeley family and the castle can trace its history back to the early years of the Norman Conquest, The lineage in fact, via the Fitzhardinge family, goes back to Saxon England. 

The castle is still owned and manged by a branch of the Berkeley family and what a very fine job they are making of it. If a castle could be described as being the equivalent of a "Rolls Royce", this would be it. From the guides, labelling, layout, the rich history itself, to the café, all are of a very high standard. As you probably gather by now, we loved it. It does help if you are interested in English history.

Here are a few of the photos I took -

For much much more you will have to visit yourself. You wont regret it.

Nick

City of Chester and Flint Castle

Probably our last trip of 2024 was to Chester, the Wirral/Dee estuary and North Wales. We stayed at the Double Tree hotel at Hoole just outside Chester, thoroughly recommended. It is a modern hotel and very busy with business conferences and a very active Spa/leisure centre. It is ideally placed for exploring the Wirral and North Wales which was the objective of this trip.

We spent the first day exploring the historic and well presented city of Chester. There is so much to see if you, like us, are interested in British history **. The Romans, in particular, left their indelible mark on Chester (Deva Victrix) not least being the city wall and the amphitheatre. We spent sometime exploring St.John's Church, Chester's first Cathedral before it lost that role to St Werburgh Abbey at the time of the Dissolution of the Abbeys in the mid 16th Century.

On the second day we travelled via the excellent A55 (North Wales Expressway) to Conwy with the objective of buying a Welsh Blanket throw from the nearby Trefriw Woollen Mills.

It was back to North Wales again on the third day, this time to visit the well preserved and presented (credit to the Cadw organisation) ruins of Fling Castle.

Here are some photos taken during the trip -

 CHESTER

Views from the top of the Roman Wall

Amphitheatre

Churches

St John's c of E church, formerly Chester's Cathedral

After the 16th Century Reformation, St John's lost it's status as Chester's Cathedral and it was physically reduced in size. These photos are of the ruins of that great building that still remain together with information boards-

The River Dee at Chester

CONWY CASTLE

FLINT CASTLE

** https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DDTSH51B

Nick

Historic Warwick

On Sunday 11th August 2024 I visited Warwick expecting to enjoy the annual 'Retro Warwick' Classic Car & Bike Show in the Market square. As it turned out I had got the date wrong, I was a week early (a long story 🙁). I had taken my camera to take photographs of rare cars, so, not to miss the moment on a lovely sunny day, I started taking photos of some of Warwick's many historic buildings. 

When you live in the environs of Britain's historic towns you tend to take the historic buildings for granted, they just become part of the familiar background; it's only on moments like these that their true splendour and historic significance and brought into focus. We are blessed, thank you to all those who have gone before us for creating these building in the first place  and then maintaining them.

Here are just a few -

WARWICK'S MILLENNIUM + PLAQUE

ST. MARY'S COLLEGIATE CHURCH

ONE OF SEVERAL TIMBERED HOUSES IN JURY/HIGH STREET

EAST GATE

GRADE II LISTED HOUSE JURY ST.

STATUE OF JUSTICE OLD LAW COURT JURY ST.

THOMAS OKEN TEA ROOMS

THE LORD LEYCESTER'S HOSPITALE AT WESTGATE

Warwick Castle is one of the U.K.'s most popular historic tourist attractions, many thousands visit it every week, particularly in the school holidays. However, few of those visitors take a stroll around the streets of Warwick to see the many historic wonders there. If you are one of those Castle visitors perhaps this blog will encourage you to "linger awhile" in Warwickshire's historic County Town.

Nick