Sandringham; Day 6

Today we set off for Sandringham, the Norfolk Retreat of Her Majesty the Queen. It was about a two hour drive from Harlaxton to the southeast coast of the United Kingdom where the manor house and grounds are found. As we pulled into the grounds I noticed that it was much like the parks in America, they offered picnicking and camping to visitors and had a welcome, family appeal.

Professor Cozart informed our class that when Prince Albert Edward VII bought the estate, called Sandringham Hall then, and its 7,000 acres, the people where upset that he would own so much land. Prince Albert Edward and his new bride Alexandria decide to make the grounds open to the public to use as a park. It was in 1977 that Queen Elizabeth II opened the manor up to visitors, she also installed a museum with displays of Royal life and Estate history.

As for the home itself, it is not set up like one would think a house of Royalty should be. The Manor is not a shrine to the Crown, but a home for four generations of Royal Blood. The Queen and her family spend every winter in the home, they are there from November to February. As we come into the entrance we were greeted by the docents who occupy every room and give explanations as to how the house is decorated and what some of the artifacts in the home are. In the family living room and the sitting room there are family photographs scattered about and precious oil paintings on the walls. Beautiful china and silver figurines adorn table tops and in the dinning room the Queen's china, silver and crystal are set out for a dinner party. In the midst of the table are two sets of gleaming silver pheasants, these were gifts to the Queen from her staff at Sandringham.

I had the chance to speak to a man named Peter Stanford while we toured the home. He told me that his wife is a member of the Queens staff. The people of Sandringham absolutely adore their Sovereign, as she adores them. Peter told me how every year the Queen brings every member of her staff into the sitting room separately and bestows a personal Christmas gift to them, they are also invited to watch films of her choice with her on several occasions while she is in residence. Every other year the staff and their families join the Queen at a private luncheon and also a ball. "The pay is not great, but the perks make up for it." Peter tells me, with the love for his ruler shining in his eye.

Beyond the Manor, the grounds have spectacular gardens, though the soil itself is not ideal for gardening. At one time the sea had covered the land that Sandringham Estate now resides. For that reason the soil is very sandy, this is were the name Sandringham originates, making it hard to grow flowers. There are very few flower beds on the premise, however the ones that occupy the North Garden are a spectacular flow of shape and color. In the English garden style the beds are very full and just a bit wild, with flowers ranging from proper English thistles to flowing purple variegated sweet peas.

To wrap up our tour we visit the church of the Queen when she is in residence at Sandringham. It is small but beautiful with ornately carved pews and wall hangings in memory of the Royal family whom have past. All and all the Manor, grounds and park where a lovely addition to our tour of the United Kingdom, I anxiously await comparing it to Windsor.

Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle: Day 5

Today we traveled by coach to Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle which date from the time of William, the Conqueror. The photo of Lincoln Cathedral gives a hint of its magnitude and majesty. Construction of the cathedral was begun in 1072 as ordered by the Norman ruler. Through the years, the cathedral has survived a fire and an earthquake, both times being successfully repaired. The design of the cathedral is Gothic, and it is 485 feet inside with Victorian stained glass windows relating Bible stories.
Within the walls are included a green man residing in a column, an imp between the arches in The Angel Choir, and graves stripped of all their copper and brass so the metals could be used to make weaponry.

Lincoln Castle was built by William, the Conqueror in 1068. He was not the resident, but sheriffs, tax collectors and other officers were housed inside. A wall runs all around the castle, and turrets served as homes, lookouts, and escape routes. The photo shows part of the wall and the Lucy Tower, which was the strong point of the castle. A short bridge and the steps leading up to the tower were originally made of wood. If the castle were attacked, those inside could run across the bridge. The last one up would torch the bridge. When they were all inside, the last one up would torch the steps, making an enemy attack up the 40 foot mound very difficult!

This is another view of the castle wall. On the left is part of the prison which was built in the complex at a later date. Both men and women were imprisoned and publicly hanged here. No longer used as a prison, the building houses one of the remaining 4 copies of the Magna Carta. (We did not get to see this document as it is currently in Los Angeles.) A judicial building is also within the walls.

On the return trip, we took "the backroads" instead of the highway and passed through quite a few villages with their homes, gardens, conservatories and old, old churches. It was another great day!

Lovely Day in Cambridge

Today we took the train to Cambridge. Once we arrived in Cambridge we took a walking tour of the city with a tour guide who was excellent. She was so funny. She took us around to different "hot spots" of the city. She took us to see a pub that had a lot of history behind it. It was the place that Francis Crick and James Watson were sitting when they announced that they had found DNA. It was also a place of meeting for airmen of WWII and there is still graffiti on the ceiling from them.

This is the outside of the pub. We also got to see King's College and the King's College Chapel. King's College Chapel is a very fine example of Gothic architecture and fan vaulting. This Chapel was starting to be built in 1441.

This is a picture of the inside of the chapel. Just amazing. We learned a lot of interesting facts about Cambridge University. They have no real admisson standards for the college, but then to get a degree you only have one test that determines whether you pass or not, and you only get one try at it. Talk about pressure!!! We also learned that after you get your BA from there after 3 years all you have to do is write a letter to the Master of your school and send a check for 5 pounds and you recieve your MA! How cool would that be!! Then after the tour of the city, we ate our sack lunches, and then did a little shopping. Then it was off to the Fitzwilliam Museum. This museum had anything from Eqyptian art to Spanish-Flemish paintings. My personal favorite are the French. Claude Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh just to name a few. It was awesome to be able to see something in real life that you usually just read about it text books. Then after the museum it was back to the train station to head back to Grantham. Then once we got back to Grantham we ate fish and chips at a local pub. Then it was back home to Harlaxton Manor. Another great day in England.

Day 3: York Minster and the Shambles

Entry to the Shambles

Dessert pastries!!

Aerial view of York Minster's cross shape (model)

A portion of the Nave

Entrance to York Minster

York Minster from a distance

Hello! Today was an adventure for our class. We took a train to York and had a lovely tour of York Minster, the famous Cathedral of the city, and then went shopping at the Shambles and the other wonderful shops down town!
York Minster is actually named the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St. Peter. It is the seat of the Archbishop of York and the mother church of the Northern Province. By tradition, any church that had the name Minster accompanying it had been established by a missionary. The original York Minster was established by the missionary Paulinus, but the original location is unknown. The present building was begun in 1220 and was finished over 25o years later.
When looking down upon the structure from above it is easy to recognize the Cathedral is in the shape of a long cross in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for mankind. The central tower is 60 meters high and weighs 16,000 tons. The building can seat 2,000 people although originally they would stand during worship services. York Minster contains the oldest complete stained glass window. It contains grey and green "grisaille" glass with geometric patterns. This Cathedral is breathtaking! Photographing the inside was a bit tricky because it is so big.
After our tour we went down to the Shambles, an old area of town where there are lots of shops and such. We enjoyed spending time checking out the local shops, tasting wonderful meat pies and dessert pastries! It was a lovely day!

The Ghost Adventure

While exploring the manor yesterday searching for the ghost that haunts Harlaxton, a few girls and I had a scare of our lives. As we were rounding the corner and sharing ghost stories, we heard a terrible sound "mwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!" All four of us jumped in the air and screamed as loud as we could. One girl, Christie, started running away, but then she noticed no one was running away with her, so she came back to hold her roommate tightly because she was sure she was done for. Thelka turned to the three of us standing there, Brooke, Christie, and me, and told us to hush up! Obeying, we stopped our squealing and listened closely for the ghost............. and heard...... nothing. So, then we turned the opposite direction of the corridor and took off running while hoping to never run into that ghost again.

Busy Day!!

Today was a very busy, but fun day. When we woke up, the sun was shining and it was very nice outside. After breakfast, many of us exchanged our American money to pounds in the business office. We met in the Morning Room around 9 am to be welcomed by Dr. Kingsley, the principal here at Harlaxton. Around 10 am, Professor Bujak met us in the Morning Room to give us a British Cultures lecture over English Country House Estates. He told us all about Harlaxton and why is looks the way it does on the outside and where the ideas came from. He took us on a small tour of the manor to show us the difference betweeen the servants quarters and the family's areas. The servants quarters are very plain with concrete floors and bare walls. The family's areas are very lavishly decorated. There are may secret doors in the manor to allow the servants to get around unnoticed by the family living in it. After our lecture, it was time for lunch. It started raining and thundering at this time and it got colder, but we went on with our day. At 1:30 pm, we got on a bus and went to Belvoir (pronounced beaver) Castle. When we pulled up, we noticed a peacock, which we learned is the family emblem and we saw it in many forms throughout the castle. We got a tour and it was very interesting. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but we were able to get pictures of the outside as well as the beautiful gardens. When our tour was over, we went to the giftshop and walked around in the gardens. Even though it was raining, we had a great time. When we got back, I think everyone went to the bookstore since it was one of the only days that it will be open while we are here. Many people bought shirts and jackets to wear. After supper, we went on a tour of the manor. It is such a beautiful building. It is a lot of fun just to explore and find new places (even if you get lost)! After our tour, many of us went to the Bistro just to sit, relax, and have a good time. It has been a very busy day and I am looking foward to another one tomorrow!

Absolutely beautiful

I can not tell you how upset I am that I did not bring the proper cables to run my camera to this computer. I'm really shocked at how much fun I'm already having. I thought this would be more like a museum, but you're just kind of let loose to do your own discovering here. It's fantastic, especially the gardens. I've found the most secluded spot, don't think anyone has been quite adventurous enough to find it too yet, but it's great.