GREAT BRITAIN

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• LOCH NESS
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• STRATFORD-

UPON-AVON

• UFFINGTON
• INFO O AUTORZE

ALDWORTH GIANTS

The tiny atmospheric parish church at Aldworth, contains numerous huge effigies of the De La

Beche family. The figures are supposed to be life size representations, depicting knights all

over seven feet tall. The De La Beche family were powerful landowners and knights in the

14th century. Many of them were retainers to the king, warders to the Tower of London, and

Sheriffs of Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

The family were influential during the reign of Edward the II (deposed in 1327) and Edward

the III (died 1376), and were embroiled in the royal intrigue of the time. Sir Phillip was

imprisoned in Scarborough castle from 1322 to 1327, but later pardoned by Edward the III;

His father, also Sir Philip was jailed and later pardoned during the reign of Edward the II.

Unfortunately many of the effigies were vandalised by Cromwell's men during the Civil War in

the 17th century. Many of the knights are missing the lower part of their legs, noses and

arms, no doubt the easiest parts to break off. They were probably seen as a symbol of royalty

by the parliamentarians, although many churches were ransacked in the same period.

ROYAL PAVILION

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The Royal Pavilion grew over 35 years from a simple farmhouse to a spectacular

palace. In 1787 Henry Holland extended the original farmhouse into a neo-classical

building know as the 'Marine Pavilion'.

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From 1815-1823 John Nash used new technology to transform the Pavilion into the

Indian style building that exists today. He enlarged the building and added the domes

and minarets that characterise his design by superimposing a cast iron framework

over Holland's Marine Pavilion.

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Other features of Nash's design were less successful: within 10 years the roof had

started to leak and concealed drainpipes were overflowing and causing dry rot.

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The Royal Pavilion's lavish interiors combine Chinese-style decorations with

magnificent furniture and furnishings.

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Adorned with gilded dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the

Palace's unique style mixes Asian exoticism with English eccentricity.

PRESTON PARK & ROCK

GARDEN

Preston Park is probably the most well-

known park in Brighton bring situated

on the London Road and an important

landmark for visitors travelling into

Brighton from the north.

There are 63 acres of parkland

incorporating beautiful bedding

schemes which can be seen from the

main road. There is also a formal rose

garden, six bowling greens and 12

tennis courts in the park, plus a

children's playground, a croquet lawn,

a garden for the blind and a small

pond with stepping stones.

The Rotunda Cafe is open Easter-end

of October, 10am-6pm.

Opposite Preston Park, on the other

side of the London Road, is The

Rockery, the largest municipal rock

garden in Britain, containing wonderful

plants and built with 1,350 tons of

Cheddar stone. It is reputed that the

design of the garden is similar to that

of the popular Willow Pattern.

CALLANAIS STONE CIRCLE

Situated near the village of

Calanais on a ridge of land above

Loch Roag, Calanais is one of the

more remote stone circles in the

British Isles. The circle consists of

a central stone just under five

metres in height, surrounded by a

circle of thirteen stones.
To the North a double avenue of

stones runs from the circle for

eighty metres, probably the

original entrance to the site. To

the South, East and West run

three single rows of stones

forming the arms of a cross, the

Southern arm extending slightly

longer than the East and West

alignments.

The  stones  are  known  as  'Fir  Bhreig'
meaning  the  false  men  in  Gaelic,  it  is
possible  they  were  looked  upon  as
petrified  people  in  the  distant  past.  A
legend  suggest  that  the  stones  were
giants, turned to stone by St Kieran when
they would not convert to Christianity.

The  stones  were  also  said  to  have  a
spectral  visitation  on  the  dawn  of  the
Midsummer  Solstice.  A  shinning  figure  is
said  to  walk  down  Northern  avenue
heralded  by  the  call  of  a  Cuckoo.  This
may  be  a  folk  memory  of  astronomical
alignments or seasonal ritual at the site.
One  tale  that  has  a  common  variant  in
other  areas,  is  the  tale  of  a  white  fairy
cow,  that  came  out  of  the  sea  during  a
year  of  harsh  famine.  The  cow  made  its
way  to  the  stones  and  allowed  itself  to
be  milked  by  the  people  of  the  village.
They were each allowed 1 pail of milk. A
local witch came to the cow and tried to
get 2 pails, she was refused and returned
with  a  sieve  and  proceded  to  milk  the
cow dry.

DUBLIN

Dublinia

at Christchurch

brings the turbulent history of

medieval Dublin vividly to life.

This award-winning exhibition allows

visitors to experience life in the

Middle Ages at first-hand.

Walk through the reconstructed

streets and laneways of the old city,

visit the Merchant's House and

climb aboard a ship at Wood Quay.

Dublinia recreates the sights and

sounds of the medieval city to offer

visitors a fascinating glimpse of

Dublin 800 years ago.

Detailed reconstruction of the

streets, houses and even the

citizens of the time reveal how

much life in Dublin has changed...

and how much remains the same.

If for no other reason,

Kilmainham Gaol

would

be remarkable for being the biggest

unoccupied gaol in these islands.

As such, it gives the visitor a

dramatic and realistic insight into

what is was like to have been

confined in one of these forbidding

bastions of punishment and

correction between 1796 when it

opened and 1924 when it closed

and offers a panoramic insight into

some of the most profound,

disturbing and inspirational themes

of modern Irish history.

Leaders of the rebellions of 1798,

1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were

detained here. Such names as

Robert Emmet, Charles Stewart

Parnell, leaders of the 1916 Rising

and DeValera are associated with

the gaol.

The visit includes a guided tour and

exhibition. Please note that this is a

very busy site and visitors may

experience a delay during the

summer months.

EDINBURGH

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Edinburgh is the breathtakingly beautiful capital of Scotland, an exciting place to visit at any time of year.

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When the Picts built a fort on a volcanic crag in the 5th century, to protect Scotland from the invading Angles of

Northumberland, Edinburgh's history began. The present Castle, was built on the site by Michael Canmore (1057-

93); his wife St. Margaret, built the chapel which you can still visit today.

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Edinburgh and the port of Leith were granted a charter by Robert the Bruce, and from this time its prosperity and

population grew. Building space was limited within the fortification wall, and so the town grew upwards. Tall

buildings (tenements), some up to fourteen stories high with narrow alleys (wynds) between were built, and what

is known as "old town" developed down the royal mile to Holyrood Abbey. People were crowded together,

noblemen, thieves, artisans and shopkeepers. This was the Edinburgh of Mary Queen of Scots, of the famous

preacher John Knox, whose house you can still see, and of Heroes such as the Marquis of Montrose. Edinburgh had

much to be proud of, it was home to the Scottish Parliament and the University of Edinburgh; the town had

survived everything from war, civil and religious strife, to overcrowding, severe shortage of water and outbreak of

the plague.

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The Union of Parliaments in 1707 removed Scotland's independence, but by this time Edinburgh was established

as Scotland's capital with its fine University, its own legal system and growing foreign trade coming up the Forth

to the port of Leith.

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Today Edinburgh is once again the home of Scottish Parliament for the first time in 300 years.

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Free at last from the fear of invasion Edinburgh was able to grow beyond its medieval walls. In the mid 18th

century the loch surrounding the castle was drained, North Bridge was built, and what is known as "new town"

burgeoned forth. No longer confined for space, plans were drawn up by James Craig for wide streets and grand

squares. It was Craig's plans which we should thank for building on only one side of Princes Street and Queen

Street, allowing for the beautiful public gardens opposite.

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Georgian Edinburgh grew throughout the remainder of the 18th and 19th centuries. The first public building,

Square. Many classical buildings such as the National Gallery of Scotland inspired by ancient Greece grace the city

centre and from these, Edinburgh became known as the "Athens of the North". Edinburgh blossomed into one of

Europe's cultural centres. This was the Edinburgh of James Boswell, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott; of the

philosopher David Hume and the political economist Adam Smith; and of the painter Sir Henry Raeburn and the

engineer Thomas Telford.

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Upholding its tradition for culture Edinburgh hosts the annual International Festival, three weeks of the very best

of music, opera, drama and ballet. Although the Festival only lasts for three weeks, you will find top class

entertainment of every sort, all year in Edinburgh.

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Apart from its varied and stunning Architecture, Edinburgh is a visually beautiful place, with many parks and

gardens, to take a leisurely stroll through, or simply sit and watch the world go by. For those who enjoy gardens

you are in for a treat! Edinburgh is the home of the world famous Royal Botanic Garden, which you will not want to

miss.

KILMARTIN LINEAR CEMETERY

The Kilmartin Valley is home to one of the most varied collections of

prehistoric sites in the whole of Scotland. Bronze Age cairns, Neolithic

chambered tombs, and enigmatic rock carvings, can all be found

within a two-mile radius from Kilmartin village. Further South is

Dunadd, the Dark Age fortress once home to the people after whom

Scotland was named. The most easily accessible group of sites form

the Kilmartin Linear Cemetery, a collection of Bronze Age cairns, all of

which can be reached on foot from the museum at Kilmartin House.

The linear cemetery consists of five cairns dating from the Bronze

Age, some of which overlay older sites. Intermingled with these are

Temple Wood Stone circle, and Nether Largie standing stones.

LOCH NESS

Loch Ness is the largest of

three lochs located in the Great

Glen which divides the North of

Scotland along a line from Fort

William to Inverness. The loch

is large by British standards,

being 23 miles long and a mile

in width, and averaging 600ft

in depth. Its catchment is hilly

and wet, and is drained by 6

major rivers which flow into the

loch. It contains over 2 cubic

miles of fresh water, and the

River Ness outlet, although

only 5 miles long, is one of the

greatest in Britain for average

flow.

A new Loch Ness mystery has unfolded

with the discovery of a huge underwater

cavern which sections of the media

have dubbed 'Nessie's Lair'. Auxiliary

coastguard and Drumnadrochit

businessman George Edwards made this

spectacular find when he was on a

coastguard training exercise on the

Loch. He picked up an abnormal signal

on his sonar. The depth of the Loch is

around 750 ft, and as he made a circular

manoeuvre with his boat he got a

reading of 812 ft on his sonar

equipment. George, who over the years

has seen many strange shapes on the

Loch, has been a tour boat operator for

12 years. His findings have been quoted

by experts as 'the most significant in

years', but it has only come to light now

as he was fearful of being accused of

promoting self-interest. Being a firm

Nessie believer, George says there must

be more than one creature in the Loch

and this cavern could lead to a network

of caves. He feels the time has come to

investigate the underwater caves and

has been contacted by a North Sea oil

company offering equipment and

experts to seek out 'Nessie's Lair'.
These are sonar readings George took

on his travels in his boat showing the

contours of the Loch.

STONEHENGE

Stonehenge is probably the

most recognisable and

enigmatic stone circle in

Britain. The structure has

fascinated people for

centuries, and there are many

theories as to what purpose it

was put to by ancient man.

Stonehenge has suffered over

the years from trophy hunters,

and the wear and tear of

many visitors. The structure is

now surrounded by a fence,

which although not

aesthetically pleasing is

helping to preserve the

monument from erosion.

Ancient Astronomy. Stonehenge has stimulated a great deal of

debate over the years, from experts and laymen alike. The first

account that the stones may have been aligned to key dates was by

William Stukeley, who noted that the axis of the earthen avenue

aligns to where the sun rises on the longest day.

In the 1960's an astrophysicist called Gerald Hawkins studied

Stonehenge alignments by computer, and concluded that the

Trilithons framed key dates in the megalithic calendar. Although the

alignments are not razor sharp in accuracy, they are accurate enough

to have been used by megalithic man for ceremonial and

astronomical purposes. The cycle of the moon is over a 18.61 year

cycle, and the observation of the sky must have been over a

prolonged period of time to incorporate the corrects alignments.

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

The half-timbered house where

William Shakespeare was born

in 1564 is Stratford's most

cherished historic place. It is the

most frequently visited of all

the tourist places. Descendants

of the dramatist lived there until

the nineteenth century, and it

has been a place of pilgrimage

for over 250 years.

Open daily, tours start in The

Birthplace which contains an

acclaimed exhibition of the

poet's life, William

Shakespeare: His Life and

Background They then carry

on through the house, which is

furnished in period style with

many historic manuscripts and

books.

Anne Hathaway's

Cottage

Exquisitely picturesque - the

second favourite

Shakespearian property.

Before marrying William

Shakespeare in 1582, Anne

Hathaway lived in what is

justifiably described as one

of England's most famous

buildings. Part of the

building dates from the mid-

fifteenth century, and some

of the furniture belonged to

the Hathaways and their

descendants. The garden is

outstanding.

UFFINGTON

The White Horse of Uffington

with its elegant lines of white chalk

bedrock, is thought to be the oldest hill figure in Britain. The image is a

stylised representation of a horse (some would say dragon) some 374

feet in length, and is thought to date back as far as 1000BC in the late

Bronze Age. Similar images have been found depicted on coins from that

period, and it is thought that the figure represents a horse goddess

connected with the local Belgae tribe. The goddess is generally believed

to be one form of Epona, worshiped throughout the Celtic world.

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