Summer 2023 UK Sites – Conwy

So apparently I’ve had this thing going on. Said “thing” was the post about my Scotland leg of last summer’s visit to the UK. I started it last fall and kept picking away at it. It never felt right – and I don’t think it’s my best – but a few days ago I decided the heck with it, I was going to finish and if it sucked then so be it.

And it’s as if someone pulled a cork. With that out of the way I have this urge to start talking about a few individual sites I visited, places which made an impression on me for one reason or another. Don’t worry – I visited 63 separate sites but only expect to post about a few. I’m going to start with one of the simpler ones, Conwy, mainly the castle but also a little about the town.

I used this image in an earlier post but it’s one of my favorites and I wanted a picture showing the entire castle. I took this while walking along the walls.

Wales in the 13th Century

Before I get to Conwy, a bit of background seems appropriate. Those of you familiar with the English conquest of Wales can skip this however I will be brief.

Basically, England had been having trouble with its Western neighbor for a long time. The Welsh liked to raid into the more fertile, wealthier English lands and just caused trouble. Various English monarchs had tried to do something about it. They established the Welsh March where nobles held lands bordering Wales in order to suppress them. Sometimes this worked, sometimes not, depending on the strength of the English. There were occasional treaties but these never changed the situation much. And yes, I’ve just condensed 250 years into one paragraph.

When Edward I became King of England he decided enough was enough. His father, Henry III had negotiated a treaty with the Welsh in 1267 but Edward didn’t care for it, invaded Wales and signed a new treaty ten years later. Within a few years this evidently wasn’t good enough and he set about on a full-scale invasion and conquest. His strategy was a new one. Once he entered Wales and took control of a section of territory, he built strongholds, towns , and settled nobles loyal to him to hold the area. This took a long time but by 1300 the conquest of Wales was largely complete. Sure there were uprisings and small-scale battles – and I believe Wales became independent for brief periods thereafter – but in general Wales became part of England from that point on.*

My impression – and I read on this maybe two decades ago so this as well as the previous paragraph is VERY generalized – is that Edward I succeeded where his predecessors had failed for two main reasons. One was persistence. This was a personal characteristic but Edward I has always come across to me as someone who, once he set his mind to something, pursued it relentlessly. He just did not accept that his vision of what should be wouldn’t eventually become reality. The second was his castle-building and the placing of armed forces in Wales.

An interesting contrast is sometimes drawn between Edward’s success in Wales and his failure in Scotland. One reason is certainly that Scotland was able to raise enough manpower to field actual armies and that during key battles English commanders, quite frankly, screwed up. But the other is that he did not build a bunch of castles in Scotland and settle his people there. The reason for that is simple – money. He had spent so much on his Welsh fortifications that the treasury just did not have the funds to pay for something similar in the North.

Conwy Castle

Initially I had thought about visiting several of the North Wales Castles – Caernarfon, Harlech, and Beaumaris – in addition to Conwy. A good chunk of what are often called Edward I’s Iron Ring of Castles. But the reality of having just so much time in the UK set in. In the end, Conwy was one of the easiest to reach by rail from Shrewsbury and it became my choice though I think Caernarfon could be an option for a future trip.

The building of Conwy Castle and the settlement of the town was part of Edward’s Welsh conquest. The site was designed to dominate and control the River Conwy, a major waterway, and the Conwy valley, located in Northwest Wales. Building began in 1283 and was completed by 1287. In addition to the castle, walls were built and a town established. The area had been settled before this however Edward expanded this by laying out a town grid pattern and enclosing a substantial area within defensive walls.

Conwy Castle dominated the landscape from the moment I got off the train. I set off in its direction, found it easily – and then wandered around for a decent amount of time before I found the entrance. There was some construction taking place so one obvious route was closed off but I finally saw where others were walking and made my way there.

The Castle was not hard to find. The way it dominates the landscape is impressive.

One of the interesting aspects of Conwy is that it does not have a gatehouse, just gates. I’d categorize the structure as mostly intact but it does not have a roof and hasn’t since the 17th century. There are three levels you can make your way around, mostly, though none of these are 100% complete. But it is well-maintained, has fences in various places for safety, and is compact.

West gate entrance from the West Barbican. This was a small area and I couldn’t step back far enough but there are towers on either side of the wall.

The overall impression I have of Conwy is that it is utilitarian. Yes, it is designed to be imposing and dominate the area, but it’s actually relatively small and compact. The castle has eight towers within a fairly condensed space. The various rooms and halls are much smaller than at Lincoln Castle or the Tower of London.

There’s a Conwy Castle floor plan at this site in case you want to have an idea where in the castle I’m talking about.

After passing through the West Gate the first area I reached was The Outer Ward. This is a fairly large open space where soldiers could train and people could move about. And obviously, in the event of an attack, it serves as the place where defenders move about into positions.

The Outer Ward, the largest open space within the walls.

Adjacent to the Outer Ward are several rooms including the Great and Lesser Halls and the Chapel. This was an area where I strongly felt Conwy’s more strictly military purpose. These rooms are substantially smaller than in Lincoln or Dover Castle or The Tower of London, the castles I had visited previously. I’m sure the people living there were comfortable but with Conwy, it was designed to be impressive from the outside. The inside was not meant to be an ostentatious show of wealth.

This is The Great Hall. You have to use your imagination a bit. The floor of the hall has fallen in revealing storerooms below. Think of this space as having an entire floor at the level of the doorway at the far end of the picture, or the raised area to the left. It is quite small compared with rooms of the same name in other castles I saw in the UK.

Beyond the Outer Ward and rooms is a smaller space, the Inner Ward. This included the King’s Hall and Chamber. Edward did visit Conwy in 1294 and was actually besieged there in 1295.

The Inner Ward, looking toward the East Barbican and entrance. The stones on the ground on the left mark the site of the granary.

The King’s Hall, located on the south side of the Inner Ward.

Beyond the Inner Ward is the East Gate passage and East Barbican.

Looking at the East Gate Passage from the East Barbican. This barbican is quite a bit larger than the one on the west which borders the river.

This is the space between the outer wall and the various rooms, halls, etc. It was wider than I expected.

The upper level doesn’t take all that long to walk, depending on how many towers you want to go up. I only climbed a couple.

Looking down into the Prison Tower. Interestingly this is right next to the Great Hall. I can’t imagine people were confined in here for very long. If they were it wouldn’t have been pleasant.

What I liked about Conwy, beyond the connection with history, is how easy it is to get a sense of. It is small, compact, but fairly complete. The various rooms are well-labeled. There isn’t a lot of wasted space. Master James of St. George designed a very functional stronghold, though I do wonder if there was some sort of design flaw. There are reports of leaking roofs and rotten timbers by the 1320’s though this may have been due to poor care and maintenance.

From a visitor perspective, I grew to appreciate the lack of a roof in a mostly intact building. In a complete castle such as Lincoln or Dover, I’d wander around inside, look at signs to various rooms, see fireplaces, etc., but I didn’t have much sense of where I actually was within the structure. Locations such as this or the Stuart Palace in Linlithgow allowed me to know where I was in the building and have a feel for the layout.

This picture is taken from the East Wall looking to the West. Immediately below this on the right is the Chapel and beyond it is the Inner Ward.

After I left the Castle I walked the Conwy Town Walls. I mainly walked four sets of UK walls; here, Lincoln Castle, and the York and Chester City Walls. There were bits and pieces elsewhere such as at Dover. Where Conwy was unique was in the texture of the stones which were rough and uneven, and in the slope.

There was a pretty good grade down to the river.

From outside the Walls.

This model was inside the castle. It shows the town layout including the walls. I am not sure how much of the walls along the river remain. I did not walk any of it there.

While in Conwy I also visited The Church of St. Mary and All Saints. It was located fairly close to the walls so I hopped off, visited it, then resumed my wall-walking.

I really enjoyed this visit. One reason Conwy Castle is so memorable for me is that it remains largely as it was during the Middle Ages. After Edward I it never received a great deal of attention and was derelict by the 17th century. Castles I had been in to that point, particularly Dover and Lincoln, had been in continuous use into the 20th century with, as you may expect, modifications over time. Another reason is that this is a place that exists for one purpose – military. It is compact, efficient, and has minimal wasted space. After having seen castles that doubled as Royal Residences, the utilitarian nature of Conwy was a sharp contrast.

References

*My two main sources for this include:

Davies, R.R., The Age of Conquest: Wales, 1063-1415, New York: Oxford University Press (1987). ISBN: 9-780198-201984

Prestwich, Michael Edward I, New Haven: Yale University Press (1997). ISBN: 9-780300-071573

 

Now for Kalamazoo

I was hoping to make Kalamazoo and the International Congress on Medieval Studies last year. Unfortunately I had a family event in New York scheduled for the same time. However I am registered and will be attending this year.

I have not been since 2015, my longest gap since I first went in 1999. The basic reason was work, at least through 2019. I had a new position beginning in 2014 – they called it a promotion but going by the paperwork-to-pay-raise ratio I’m not sure. With the new responsibilities I never got there and since COVID things have been a bit disjointed.

Based on the schedule it may look very different from when I last went. There are three days instead of five and it seems that the epicenter has moved from The Valley to West Campus. I have a Kalamazoo section of this blog but I’m not sure it’ll be much use any longer, other than the weather being uncertain – anywhere from snow flurries to heat is possible (and sometimes both in the same Congress).

My last couple of years attending I had thought about getting a hotel room rather than staying in the dorms. Leeds convinced me that this would be a mistake, at least for me. At Leeds I was staying in an airbnb downtown, about a mile from campus. When sessions ended I just walked back there. I had almost no socialization other than brief conversations following sessions. I am not a part of the Medieval Academic Community. I have no projects I’m working with people on, no real existing networks. When I have been at Kalamazoo in the past, by staying in the dorms I have made connections with people, drunk some free mediocre wine, gone out to dinner, etc.

So while I’d likely sleep better in a hotel, I will be on-campus. Even this will be different. The Valley dorms are still available (for one last year) but I’ll be staying in the Western Heights Residence Halls. This appears to be a bit of a communal living area. Individual rooms but a common area for about 15-20 people as well as shared bathrooms. None of this bothers me and it looks far more “plush” than the Valley Dorms which I have referred to as “camping with walls.” There may even be temperature control in the rooms!

Leeds vs Kalamazoo

I’ve had people ask me to offer my thoughts on comparing Leeds with Kalamazoo. This will be briefer than I initially thought it might because, quite frankly, I found them similar. Sessions were quite good and the format is largely similar though I do like the use of strands to offer thematically similar sessions – however you see that at Kalamazoo with, for example, Sessions I, II, and III of “Exploring Late Antiquity Frontiers” (not real sessions, I don’t think). The largest difference, as I mentioned, had to do with my accommodations and not staying at the Leeds Conference.

Leeds is a bit more compact though I suspect Kalamazoo will be this year. However going by my 2015 and earlier memory, Kalamazoo was much more spread out with sessions in the valley area as well as the Western section of campus. While there are shuttles this often involved a great deal of walking. Sessions in The Valley area were also subject to excessive heat during warm years. I had plenty of 3 p.m. sessions where I needed an extra caffeine boost to get through, even after windows went up. I didn’t notice this at Leeds though the weather was moderate enough that temperature control may not have been needed.

A big difference between the two is the amount of signage. I mentioned this in a previous post. You have to work pretty hard to get lost at Leeds. I was quite impressed by this. In Kalamazoo you sort of wander around a bit before finding your building though with smartphones and map apps this is likely less troublesome these days. Each building – I believe – also had complimentary coffee (and, I assume, tea).

Food was hit or miss. The main dining hall where I took evening meals had a very good selection. The midday meal was another story. The queue at the main dining hall was impossible unless, I assume, you were right next to it when it opened. There were various small cafes in other buildings. There the food was less dependable. I generally ended up with a pre-fab sandwich wrapped in plastic and a bag of chips (crisps).

I would certainly attend Leeds again if it happened to fit in my schedule. Absent some strange happenstance, like having free airline points I’d need to use or lose on a trip to England before the end of July some year, I’d be hesitant to pay the extra airfare. Certainly if it fit with one of my trips to Europe or the UK I’d be happy to. Though I’d stay on campus this time.

There is one significant difference which concerns me when it comes to Kalamazoo. My sense is that Leeds would get along fine if no Americans were there. Sure, it would lose some numbers and a few presenters, but it would soldier on. I don’t believe the reverse is true for Kalamazoo. At least when I attended it seemed as if international scholars made up a large portion of attendees and presenters. I’m not going to add numbers or anything but this is my impression. With travel budgets being slashed and an increase in remote/distance interactions it concerns me with Kalamazoo.

This may be a reason why Kalamazoo is now three days instead of five. I am hopeful that it is as rich of an experience as it has been in the past. I’ll report back on that after the Conference, as well as detailing how many books I leave with.

 

The Final Leg: Scotland and the Stuarts

Evidently when I say I’ll make a followup post in a few days, this is code for in a few months. I apologize for that. Once home I was busy and quite frankly, I don’t know a lot about the Stuarts who were the feature family for my last three days in the UK.

My stay in Stirling was different from the other three towns. I was in a lovely Airbnb but it was located on the outskirts of town, over a mile’s walk from the city center. So while I made my visits to various places, I did little in town once I was finished with that. Once I’d made my visits and got back I never felt up to walking the mile or so back to look for a pub or restaurant.

After leaving Lancashire I had a little time the first evening so I walked about a bit, including to a market. I was able to see the newer version of the Stirling Stone Bridge. The original which features so prominently in the Battle of Stirling Bridge was taken down and replaced by a 15th century version. It’s still stone and old. However this bridge is substantially wider than the one that existed in the 13th century if the accounts of the battle are at all accurate. Rather than only being able to ride horses two abreast I suspect you could fit five or six.

The Stirling Stone Bridge. I walked over this twice a day.

The following morning was Stirling Day. There wasn’t great signage from where I was staying but the Castle is impossible to miss from anyplace in town. So I set off in its general direction and eventually came across a track up Gowan Hill which was marked. It was a good hike but the hill had some pretty steep grades broken by more level sections so it wasn’t too bad overall. And by this time I’d spent a month walking about 10 miles a day, sometimes up hills, so the hike was not a problem. There was a sign off to the side (and straight up) giving directions to The Beheading Stone. I mulled over going that way, googled the stone and looked at some pictures, and thought better of it. I’ve seen rocks before.

I reached the Castle a little before opening and wandered around a bit. Stirling Castle gave me a different impression than most of the English castles I had seen. In England they tended to be tall, with, in most cases, towers and spires; projecting wealth, majesty and power. Stirling was different. It has a lower profile, is blocky and massive and seems to be a part of the earth. It dominates the Stirling landscape and the Forth valley and looks almost like an extension of the natural rock formation. I’m not sure how to accurately describe this impression.

Stirling Castle from about halfway up the path.

I took several pictures to show the way the castle dominated the Forth Valley. My Airbnb was located in the cluster of houses at the far right towards the top of the picture.

There are a couple of interesting features inside the castle, some medieval and some not. There was a fair amount of emphasis placed on the Stirling Heads. These are round wooden carvings created around 1540 under James V. The subjects of the carvings range from important contemporary and historical figures to mythological. They were also fascinated by unicorns.

Within the castle are various displays and exhibits so you can see, for example, the Queen’s Hall, the King’s Hall, waiting rooms, etc.

This is the Queen Anne Gardens on the south side of the castle. They were not actually built by Queen Anne but took her name. They date from the 17th century.

Wooden head depicting one of the Seven Labors of Hercules, battling the serpent.

Following Stirling Castle I went to the Church of the Holy Rude. Yes, this is the name, people think I’m joking when I say it. The name stems from The Holy Rood, the True Cross. The first Church on this site was built in the 12th century but it burned down. The present structure dates from the 15th.

View of the Church from the Castle. The cemetery must have some notable people buried there as tours were taking place as I walked over.

Consecration Cross from the Church of the Holy Rude. These note locations within a church where the Bishop anointed it during consecration. I thought I’d show something besides another nave.

The next day I visited Edinburgh – pronounced Edin-borough for ignorant Americans like I was before this trip. The first thing you see on exiting the train station is The Scott Monument, in honor of Sir Walter Scott. I wandered over and walked around but I was there well before it was open and am not sure I’d have bought a ticket in any case.

The Scott Monument. It is impressive.

I had decided before leaving that morning that the Cathedral and Castle were my two main spots to visit and they were not hard to find from the station.

In the upper left of this picture you can see the Towers of St. Giles Cathedral, or the Edinburgh Kirk if you prefer. To the right of the cathedral is the castle.

There was a decent climb but I wouldn’t rate it on a scale of UK hills as much of it was stairs. It was quite easy to navigate however. Once you finish the stairs you come out on High Street and The Royal Mile.

I had a little time before the Kirk opened so I strolled up and down the street. I’ll mention that there are two items prevalent in Scotland which leaves little doubt where you are – kilts and whiskey. There was a museum nearby, The Scotch Whiskey Experience. I did not tour the museum but visited the gift shop where they had for sale the smallest bottles of booze I have ever seen. Think of the little ones you see on flights, then scale those down to about 1/10 the size. If you want to get a pet mouse drunk these would be just the thing.

While in Scotland I saw probably a dozen kilt shops. I didn’t buy one. Nobody needs to see my legs.

St Giles was impressive, as were all of the cathedrals I saw in the UK. There was a church on site from the 12th century but the present structure dates from the 14th.

St Giles Cathedral.

The altar, viewed from the nave.

I wanted to show a picture of at least one choir, or quire, though this is far from my best one. Though you can’t see it, each of the segments is actually a seat, reserved for some individual, either of high clerical or secular office. So one would be for the bishop, another for the King (or Queen) of England, etc.

From the Cathedral I made my way to Edinburgh Castle. Similar to Stirling, it was more massive than towering. It was also a Royal Residence.

Edinburgh Castle.

There was a lot to see here. Various rooms the Royals lived and worked in, guard halls, kitchens, etc. They also have a unique feature, the One o’clock Gun. Basically, they fire the gun each day at 1 p.m. Crowds gather near where the gun is placed and wait for it. It reminded me of people clustering around the Prague Astronomical Clock. I myself did not wait around for the gun to fire but was on the grounds when it did and it’s loud. I did not enter a large section of the castle. The Scottish Crown Jewels are housed in what is called The Royal Palace and there was a long line so I passed on it.

The Great Hall

After leaving the Castle I ate lunch at a nearby pub and checked one more item off my to-do list by having haggis. It was good. Somewhat spicy but not overly so. I’d have it again.

Haggis with neeps and tatties. The haggis itself is underneath the potato. My airbnb host recognized it immediately when I showed him the picture.

I wandered around High street and the Royal Mile for a bit before heading back to Stirling. It is quite the tourist trap and at the time I was glad I wasn’t with a companion or I’d have likely been wondering how to ship things home. If shopping is your thing I highly recommend it.

For my final day I had originally decided to visit Glascow. This made sense, right? I had three days so I’d take in Stirling and the two largest Scottish cities. But on the train back I started looking at what medieval sites there are in Glascow and didn’t come up with much beyond the Cathedral. I was half convinced I’d do something different and asked my airbnb host who confirmed that Linlithgow would be worth a visit.

I don’t know what I might have seen if I’d stuck to my original plan but in retrospect I was quite glad I changed it. The town is the site of a royal palace constructed beginning in the early 15th century and is the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots. The palace is well-preserved and makes for a very nice place to visit. It happens to be one of the sites without roofs but in good shape otherwise. This is something I’ve come to appreciate as, when you are higher in the structure you can get a nice feel for the layout. Conwy Castle was another similar location.

Linlithgow Palace. It is not a castle, built for defensive purposes but constructed as a royal residence. St. Michael’s Church is immediately to the right.

You could walk around several levels of the palace, an inner courtyard, and below the ground level were the kitchens and storerooms. They did not have furnishings, etc., such as were at Stirling and Edinburgh Castles. I really enjoyed this visit – if you’re in Scotland I highly recommend it.

The Central Courtyard of the Palace. The structure in the center is a fountain, built in 1530. There was some renovation work taking place so this was as far back as I could stand to take a picture to try to capture the scale.

Taken from the upper level of the palace. I included this to note that as I was taking pictures up there the thought crossed my mind that this was my last opportunity to accidentally drop my phone. This would have been a Very Bad Thing though I’m sure I would have dealt with it. I need to find a case that allows you to hook a lanyard to it.

For those thinking of visiting, not just the UK but any place, I encourage you to think about visiting some of the less famous sites. Linlithgow makes a nice example of why. When I visited a large site like the Tower of London or Lincoln Castle, people there were very businesslike – and busy. At Linlithgow, those working the site were students on their summer jobs. They had a passion for and ownership of the site you don’t see, or I didn’t anyway, at these busier locations. I spoke with a couple of them shortly after entering, spent several hours walking around, and spoke with them again. There are portions of the palace where all levels were intact but in other areas only the walls remained and the levels above the ground were gone. There was a lot of renovation going on – you can see the scaffolding in most of my pictures – so I asked if there were plans to restore the upper floors.

I was surprised by the response, “We’ve talked about it. The problem is that we don’t know exactly how they were laid out or what the different rooms were for. We don’t want to do something historically inaccurate.”

I felt the same sense of ownership and enthusiasm visiting Debbie at The Halls in Norwich as I did here. And I had the same experience visiting local churches where parishioners rather than the National Trust were in charge. Nothing against the larger sites or those working at them; they do a great job. But I really enjoyed having the time to have one-on-one conversations with people who didn’t have to worry about a crowd moving through a section of a castle.

Right next to the palace is St. Michael’s Church. It was first built in the 13th century but most of the present structure dates from the 15th when it was rebuilt following a fire.

St Michael’s Cathedral. The steeple is designed to represent the Crown of Thorns Christ wore at his crucifixion. It was built in the 1960’s during a renovation. Evidently a lot of people dislike it and preferred something of stone. I’m on the fence – it is certainly distinctive.

St. Michael’s nave.

I wanted to show one image of a stonecutter’s mark. I believe this was first pointed out to me in Norwich. As a church was being built or undergoing major renovations, numerous stonecutters and stonemasons would be hired for the project. Each of these craftsmen would have a distinctive mark to place on something they were responsible for. I started taking pictures of these during the trip.

Stonecutter’s mark from St. Michael’s Church.

Linlithgow was my last tourist day in the UK. One place in Stirling I did not visit was the William Wallace Monument. I kept thinking I would but it closed by, I believe, 5 p.m. in the evening and was a good distance from where I was staying. The following day I traveled to London, stayed overnight at a hotel and caught a flight home the next day.

Summary of my UK Trip

I really enjoyed my 33 days in England. In retrospect my decision to turn the rental car in was the correct one. I did miss popping by some small farm or eating at an out-of-the-way restaurant. However I could get just about everywhere I wanted to by rail and this was quite affordable. If I visit again I won’t even think about a car. Without a car I had the added benefit of getting in a lot of walking. I had days where I made as much as 18 miles, others with as little as 3 but I suspect I averaged about 10 – I saved screenshots from my phone app but haven’t bothered to tally them. Other than a few very warm days I enjoyed this.

Much to my surprise, as time went on I found myself more interested in churches and cathedrals than castles and royal residences. It’s hard to explain why but each cathedral I visited exuded its own character.

If I visit again – and it’s tempting – I’ll focus on the southern part of the country, from Kent to Cornwall. I do think I’ll stay 3-4 days in Norwich. This was my favorite place to visit and even after two days I feel there’s more to see. Also, I didn’t visit Sutton Hoo. I don’t have a good reason for this. It’s near a a rail line and not too long of a trip from Cambridge. I’d like to see Stonehenge as well. And I’ll probably incorporate some time for Ireland into it.

A few favorites from the trip:

Favorite Castle – This is a tie between Lincoln and Conwy. Lincoln is much larger and more impressive but there’s something about the utilitarian nature of Conwy – it has one purpose and being a nice place to live isn’t it.

Favorite Cathedral – I think Durham because of the history with shrines to both Bede and Cuthbert. Westminster Abbey and York Minster were certainly impressive though.

Toughest Climb – It’s a close choice but I’m picking Lincoln Castle and Cathedral. The main reason is it’s straight up on a city street with no let-up, unless you want to pop into a pub or shop. It was also quite warm the day I visited. Stirling Castle may be as much of a climb but it’s broken up and some is in the shade. Durham gets an honorable mention as you get to climb twice – the cathedral is up on the river bank and so is the train station – on the other side. Dover also looks impressive but as it was raining we took a cab up though we walked down.

Favorite place I stayed in – Shrewsbury. I loved the old town feel. Everything is circular and cobbled plus my airbnb was right in the heart of town. Though The Clarendon Arms in Cambridge was my favorite pub.

Favorite Meal – I’m going with the Fish and Chips at Clarendon Arms. I had Fish and Chips four times. Once in London where I almost gave up on it. Also at Newtown and Linlithgow which were quite good. But Clarendon Arms was the best. I will say the the English are very creative with what they do with a burger.

Next Trip

I had been thinking that I would spend a month in Italy this coming summer. I have set that aside. My next big trip will be to spend a month or so in France in 2025. I might have visited this year except for Paris hosting the Olympics. I’d prefer not to be around while the setup is going on for that. This is probably a good thing as I have just started taking a French Class. I have a little French but I won’t be going someplace for a month unless I can carry on a conversation in the native language. Italy will have to wait for 2026.

This year I am tentatively looking at going to Prague for 10-14 days in September. I spent three days there a little over a year ago and loved it. And the historical sites are great. Unlike for much of Europe, these were not damaged in World War II. It is an exception to my previous language statement – so few people (internationally) speak Czech and it’s such a prominent tourist destination that English is quite prevalent. I’ve been told Holland is similar.

So this was my first big international trip. I could ramble on for another thousand words but will leave off here. I enjoyed England and being able to visit some iconic historical sites was outstanding. I am certainly open to visiting again. There is a lot yet to see.

 

From Heathrow Airport: Skipton, Chester and Lancashire

Largely composed while in Heathrow Airport, London. Finished up at home.

July 8 opened a 3-day period that was a little different from how I had spent my UK time so far – I actually behaved in a social manner and interacted with people.

On the 8^th I met some friends of mine in Skipton. I hadn’t seen them in quite some time – several years – and it was good to catch up. I arrived in town first and while waiting took in the Church of the Holy Trinity. This Church was first constructed in the 12^th century but as with so many, suffered damage and most of the present building dates from the 15^th century. However it is a very nice parish Church and I enjoyed wandering the grounds and inside.

Church of the Holy Trinity, Skipton.

Seems I’m always posting photos of a church’s nave. Thought I’d add a little color with some stained glass.

Once my friends arrived we took in Skipton Castle. This is a very nice, small, but mostly complete castle. The oldest construction dates from the 11^th century when it was built as a Norman Keep. However the castle was expanded and strengthened in the 14^th century. One of the things I liked about it was that each room had a pretty nice description of what it was and how it was used. However they hadn’t plugged in a lot of furniture, models, etc. For myself, furniture moves and changes over time so I’m more interested in seeing the stone structure, the hearths, etc.

Skipton Castle. In this case, the interior side of the gatehouse.

As with most, the castle is on a hill providing a strong defensive position along the River Aire. We also were lucky enough to run into an individual with some local knowledge of the castle’s chapel.

No, this is not a round window with a river view. This is looking straight down through the seat of the privy. If you’ve ever wondered why the poorer sections of towns tend to be downstream . . .

Following this we sat around, drank tea – or they did anyway, more on this below – had lunch and discussed a various number of issues past and present including Leeds, other medieval topics, and of course we chatted about nothing in particular. I enjoyed this. Hopefully it won’t be another 8 years before I see them again.

As I’ve already mentioned, on Sunday I took in Durham. For my final day from Leeds I decided to take in Chester. Every place I’ve been has been interesting but Chester was not what I expected to find. Sure, there was the cathedral, but there were other things to see that didn’t fit with my usual pattern.

The Cathedral was my first stop but I saw some interesting architecture on my way there, including black-and-white patterns which the city is known for. This style of building became popular in the 15^th and into the 16^th century and Chester has a lot of it. There’s a section of town called The Rows which has it in abundance which I don’t believe I reached but there was a fair amount in other areas.

Some black-and-white buildings on my way to the cathedral.

Parts of Chester Cathedral were closed off as they were set up for performances called The Mystery Plays. Still, I was able to take in most of it. As cathedrals go it was smaller than a lot I’d seen but once I started reading up on it, it also has a longer history than many, with much of the structure dating from the 11^th century. It’s interesting enough that I want to do an entire post on it once I have the chance to investigate further so I’ll be quite brief here. I did like seeing the red sandstone.

Chester Cathedral

In 1929, workers discovered some ancient ruins in Chester while excavating. On further examination, they discovered the remnants of a Roman Amphitheatre. There was a tussle at the time between people wanting to place a road there and those wanting to preserve the site with the preservationists winning out. In the 1960s additional excavations took place revealing the entire facility. What is there today is partially original construction and partially reconstructed.

Roman Amphitheatre, Chester. Photo taken from the city walls.

This site was a short walk from the Cathedral. It is interesting to walk through it, including on the floor, and imagine what it must have been like as a participant. I was quite taken with a tethering stone they had found intact. Was it used to tie animals waiting to be released? To tie people waiting to be mauled? Both or neither?

I don’t think I’d care to be tied to this during Roman Games.

Excavations also revealed the remnants of an old Roman tower. Not coincidentally, a portion of the tower was incorporated into the City’s Medieval Walls.

Remnant of Roman tower at the base of the medieval walls.

I took the opportunity to hop on the walls and stroll through them. If it had been good weather I may have walked the entire length and spent more time in town but it was cold and wet. Instead I walked them until a 90 degree left turn would have been taking me directly away from the rail station and hopped off there. This also happens to be the location of King Charles’ Tower. This tower originated in the 13th century though it has undergone some modifications since then.

Section of Chester’s Medieval Walls. It was a pleasant enough walk except for the rain.

King Charles’ Tower. Some sources call it the Phoenix Tower but King Charles is what the sign on the walls said.

From Leeds I took a train to Lancaster where I was social again. This takes a bit of background so bear with me. Last October a nephew of mine was getting married in California. My sister and I decided to get there a couple of days early and take in some sights. One of these was Yosemite National Park.

Within the park there is a trail you can walk down to see a grove of giant sequoia trees – let me say that if you have the chance to see these, please do. Just mammoth in size. In any case, it was getting late in the day, pretty much dusk. Partway down we came across a couple walking up and took a moment to rest and chat. They were British and I mentioned I’d be going to the UK for a month the next June and July. To keep this story short, they invited me to stay at their place in Lancaster one night which I accepted.

So heading into this part of my trip the story I told people was, “There’s a good chance that I’ve participated in the first 20-30 minutes of any self-respecting horror film. I met two complete strangers on a dark forest path, they invited me to spend the night at their house in a foreign land which I accepted. There’s a possibility I’m about to be sacrificed to druids.” Of course I didn’t believe this.

And it didn’t happen. They were very nice, we spent the better part of two days together including a night at their house, and they took me around Lancaster, Lancashire, and Cumbria. It was a mix of ancient, medieval, and just interesting places.

I’ll note that as they didn’t have a particular interest in medieval history, when we visited a place that had an admission fee, we didn’t go in. I’ll happily drag my sister into places in London and Dover but didn’t subject them to the same.

This was the case for the first site we visited, Lancaster Castle. There appear to have been fortifications on site at least from shortly after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century but the present structure dates, probably, from the 12th century with modifications continuing to the present day. It is presently being renovated as it was closed as a prison just in 2011. One of my comments to my hosts was that as it was used for something else for so long and until so recently, there may not be much medieval inside. This may or may not be true and certainly the reconstruction will try to be historically accurate. However by this time I had seen plenty of castles and little countryside beyond what you can catch from a train window. We did spend some time in the cafe chatting.

So I took some pictures of the exterior and we went on our way.

Lancaster Castle. And a bit of a finger. I joke that if someone could find every photo of mine with finger in it, they could do a nice identity theft job using the prints.

Right next to the castle was the Lancaster Priory. This was initially founded in the late 11th century as a Benedictine Monastery and as with most sites was added to and modified over time.

Lancaster Priory

The nave.

Now for a bit of English countryside. I missed out on some things by not renting a car as originally planned. One of those would be to have a delay caused by sheep crossing the road. This was partially rectified as we drove across a tidal flat – on a tidal road – to Morecambe. And found cows. I don’t know why but they were taking the road to move from one part of the flats where they were grazing to another.

Very polite cattle. They must be used to traffic as they moved to the side and let us pass.

My hosts drove me through a beautiful area I didn’t know existed, The Lakes District. While there we stopped by a stone circle. I appreciated this as I hadn’t gotten to Stonehenge. Based on comparing pictures I believe – but am not 100% certain – that this is Castlerigg. It’s hard to see from the picture but there is the larger stone circle and within it, protruding inward from one side, is a smaller set of stones in a rectangle. I can surmise – but do not know – that this may have been a gathering place with the rectangle reserved for VIPs. But I don’t really know. Another item to read up on.

Castlerigg (I think) Stone Circle

The one other medieval site we visited was Brougham Hall. This was quite interesting and extensive. Parts of it date from the 13th but most from the 15th-16th centuries. It is more of a fortified manor than castle however it appears to be strategically located to assist with Scottish wars and is sited on a hill with a nice view of the surrounding countryside. This is a site undergoing extensive restoration. There is the main exhibit which is quite substantial. And there are even more extensive ruins near the site.

A portion of the interior of Brougham Hall.

All about the restored section are ruins. What stories will they tell?

So this was Lancaster. We also visited the very nice city museum but I have enough pictures up already – it was very good. I want to toss in one additional picture. When I was in Cambridge one of the people at Clarendon Arms said to me, “You’ve probably never had a proper cup of tea, have you?” We took care of that in Lancaster. I have to say that if I liked tea, this certainly had more tea flavor. I don’t particularly like tea. Heck, I don’t really like coffee – but I use the morning caffeine boost.

My hosts decided to immortalize my tea-drinking.

So this was a nice leg of the trip. From here I made my way to Stirling where I would spend my final few days in the UK. I’ll get a post up on it in a few days.

 

On a UK Train III: Medieval York

Composed on a train between Stirling, Scotland and London. All photos are taken by me.

As I type, my 33-day UK visit is coming to an end. I could, and likely will, write a fair amount about my overall perceptions of the trip, sites I’ve seen, and living in the UK for 33 days. I’ll leave this until I’ve had a few days to reflect.

I started to compose this to cover the entire final 9 days of my trip but I think that will be a bit much. Instead I’ll split things up. I’m not sure how many posts I’ll do in all but for this first one I’ll concentrate on York.

York was the one place I was certain I would be visiting from Leeds, well before I boarded the plane to London. It has a great reputation as a Medieval City with all sorts of things to see. So this was my destination the day following IMC.

Church of All Saints’ Pavement, York

My first site was All Saints’ Church, Pavement. I visited it using my usual scientific method of, “See what looks like an old church, Google it, take a look if it’s old.” They had a pretty nice handout at the entrance and most of my information will come from it, including that the full name is, “The Parish and Guild Church of All Saints Pavement, York.” There’s a mouthful. There’s a tradition that a church was first built on this site in 685 for St. Cuthbert however firm evidence dates from the 10th century. It was almost completely rebuilt in the 14th century which much of the present building dates from.

I’d have zoomed in on it more if I’d read the pamphlet through before taking pictures but the bronze door knocker dates from the 12th century.

The church was very important during the Medieval Period, until 1386 even possessing the (supposed) plate on which John the Baptist’s head was given to Herod. The handout doesn’t say what happened to the plate after this. In any case, this was a nice Church, smaller in size now than it was during the Middle Ages as the chancel was removed in 1782.

The nave. The blue-paneled ceiling dates from the 15th century.

I took a quick stroll through The Shambles and have to say I was disappointed. Sure, it had some overhanging buildings so chamber pot contents didn’t land on the shop below, but it was just a couple of hundred yards of tourist-trap shops. So this was less than what I was hoping for though you could certainly buy things and a very bustling Shambles Market was nearby.

View down The Shambles.

I next made my way to York Castle. To be more accurate, I visited Clifford’s Tower. There are a few other bits of the castle complex here and there but the tower is the most complete, and by far the most prominent, feature.

Clifford’s Tower

A wooden castle was built on this site by William the Conqueror in 1068 as he set about subduing the North. This was partially destroyed by fire in 1069. It continued to be of wood and suffered from periodic damage until the present limestone keep was built from 1245 to 1270. As the photo shows, it was built with a classic motte and bailey design. Other buildings were built around it, few of which survive.

The keep itself is fairly straightforward though there were two floors and Henry II visited it several times in the 12th century. Among the more notorious chapters in its history is its being the site of a massacre of Jews in 1190. Basically a rabbi led a large number of Jews into the castle to escape violence. The angry mob shouted for either conversion or death and the majority chose suicide. The castle was lit on fire by the Jews and burned down.

York Minster wasn’t open to the public that day until 12:30 so I decided to walk the Medieval City Walls. York’s medieval walls are nearly complete and stretch a bit over 2 miles. I did not walk the entire circuit. It might have been something to check a box with but they were fairly standard throughout without many features beyond the four corner “bars” or gates. So I strolled along until it approached the Minster and hopped off.

York’s city walls.

I still had some time before the Minster opened and turned into the York Museum Gardens. This was quite fortunate. The main medieval site was (were?) the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey. St. Mary’s was a Benedictine Abbey founded in 1088. With Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540 it went out of use and gradually fell into disrepair. This is one of those cases where ruins can be very informative. The original abbey layout has been marked on the ground with various rooms and buildings labeled.

The ruin of St Mary’s Abbey. It was one of the most prestigious in England in its day.

One other item is an old Roman multangular tower. Unfortunately they must have been planning an event so close access to it was roped off that day. Evidently the tower was once part of a Roman fort and was later incorporated into York’s Medieval defenses.

Roman Multangular Tower. I would have liked a closer look.

I could write a lot about York Minster or Cathedral but will save this for a later full post. It is big, it is impressive, and it has a lot going on. Its completion also took a while. Construction of the current building took place from 1230-1472 though there are some older bits here and there. In addition to the Church is an Undercroft Museum. While it has information on the medieval cathedral, much of it is devoted to Roman York.

York Minster is so large that from ground level it was hard to get enough distance for a good picture of the entire structure. I like this one from the walls, showing its three towers.

During recent renovation work the foundations of an old Roman fort and walls were discovered, as well as artifacts, beneath the minster. A portion of The Undercroft Museum preserves these and discusses them. If you visit York Minster this is definitely worth the time. And as entrance is free, it is certainly worth the money. Though I do blame it for running my phone out of charge. Fortunately I was just about through the museum when this happened. Even more fortunately, the rail station is easy to get to (plus I had seen it from the walls) so I didn’t end up wandering the city without access to a map app.

Part of the wall of a Roman Basilica, estimated date is about 300.

If my phone hadn’t died I might have chosen to visit the Jorvik Viking Museum. However I couldn’t take pictures and it was getting to be late in the day with a museum closing time of 5 p.m. So I took myself back to Leeds instead.

So this was York. There is a lot to see but for some reason I found Norwich more appealing. York is very much for tourists. As I was one myself I shouldn’t resent this but it didn’t have the feel of Norwich. But if you’re in England and interested in the Middle Ages you shouldn’t miss it.

 

Searching for Saints – Durham Cathedral

From the perspective of someone who knows little about medieval architecture – though I intend to read up on it – as English cathedrals go, Durham is middling, at least from a size/scale perspective. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still impressive. But for sheer size and majesty it doesn’t compare with York Minster or Westminster Abbey (not a cathedral, I know, but still). And yet it inspired the Geek in me as much as any place I’ve been.

The towers of Durham Cathedral, taken from along the Wear River. This and all pictures in this post were taken by me.

Durham Cathedral.

I wanted at least one picture showing the towers from close up. I know I mentioned Durham isn’t the size of some other cathedrals but it’s still impressive.

Part – yes, part – of the burials outside the cathedral. All cathedrals I’ve visited have burials within but this is the most extensive external set of graves I have seen.

This grave is of Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham from 1345-81.

But it’s as full of history as any place I’ve been, at least when it comes to Dead Holy People. I went there on Sunday because from what I could see Durham didn’t have a lot else going on in Medieval terms which made it a nice place for a half day visit, most places being closed Sunday mornings. There is Durham Castle but this happens to be used by Durham University and is not open to visitors (though I believe there are tours). I thought I’d have a nice train ride, visit the Cathedral and ride back.

The entrance to Durham Castle which also happens to be the entrance to Durham University.

I actually don’t know what this is except it’s next to the castle and has a motte-type form. It was blocked off so you can’t get close to it. I’d like to think it’s Medieval and part of the castle defenses but don’t know.

The reason I wanted to visit Durham was to see the final resting place of Saint Cuthbert. Let’s face it, when it comes to English Saints, is anyone bigger? He spent a good chunk of the 7th century traveling about Northumbria before becoming a hermit for about a decade. He was then briefly (and unwillingly) the Bishop of Hexham but died soon afterwards.

There were some miracles associated with him while living but they took off after his death. His resting place was Lindisfarne but due to the threat from the Vikings, monks decided to move him. At some point in the transference the cart carrying his remains became stuck and nothing anyone could do could get it moving again. Then he came to a monk in a dream and told him his remains should be taken to the current site of Durham. Once the monk related the dream and they agreed to transfer him there, the cart became unstuck.*

Stained glass depicting Cuthbert.

I was not disappointed with seeing Cuthbert’s shrine. The sense of connection with the distant past was profound. I was wondering if I was allowed to take pictures. No signs said not to and nobody was there to ask but I know we were asked not to at Edward the Confessor’s Shrine in Westminster Abbey. In any case, I took pictures, nobody scolded me, and so far the Saint hasn’t taken umbrage with me over it.

The Shrine of Saint Cuthbert.

With Cuthbert’s body is the head of Saint Oswald. This was a bonus. But the real surprise – and I feel silly for not having known this ahead of time – was to find the shrine and resting place of Bede.

Bede’s shrine is located in the Galilee or Lady’s Chapel which was built in the 12th century. It was pretty much the last portion of the cathedral I saw – I evidently entered it backwards but it worked out just fine this way.

The Shrine and resting place of The Venerable Bede

Cuthbert and Bede? Talk about a place just filled with history. So I decided to post about it. As I’ve said before, there are pictures, there are books, there are websites. But there’s something about being there, feeling that history, that antiquity, experiencing this connection with the past. This is why I came to England.

Tomorrow I’m going to visit Chester. I’ll spend Tuesday and the night at a friend’s in Lancaster and on Wednesday I’m off to the final leg of this trip to Stirling, Scotland and wherever I chose to visit from there.

But again, Cuthbert and Bede? Yup, I’m excited about seeing that.

*I feel bad that I’m separated from my books or I’d probably offer more on Cuthbert, as well as Bede. Then again, this is a geek-driven post so maybe all the detail stuff is extraneous.

 

Leeds IMC – Yes I Made it

I’m here! Actually this is day two of the Leeds International Medieval Congress. But I was pretty tired after yesterday. Today was no shorter but I’m much fresher.

You really can’t miss it when you start getting into IMC territory.

I’ll save a longer post comparing my thoughts of Leeds vs Kalamazoo though to be honest, it doesn’t feel that different. Sessions have been quite good and there are medievalists all about. The biggest difference so far isn’t between the conferences but with me. At Kalamazoo I always stayed in the dorms. Here I’m in an apartment a mile away. So my socializing/networking is much reduced.

The other big difference? Not buying any books. And I want to. 75% off display copies? And I have to pass? Painful. But I don’t want to think about shipping costs and most of these folks will be at Kalamazoo next May.

Aaaarrrggghhh!!! All those books – and none will be going home with me.

I do need to give a shout to the conference organizers. There is no doubt that a portion of campus has been taken over by Medievalists. I’ve had three people ask me what’s going on.*

And you can’t get lost. Not if you can read a sign. They have these banners pointing you toward every relevant building you might want to get to. I really appreciate this.

These signs are great – and they’re everywhere.

So I’ve made it here, to an event I’ve been wanting to attend since making my first Kalamazoo in 1999. Life is good, except for going home bookless. I’ll post more on it when I’m back in the states.

*Is there something about me where people think I know where places are? Except for London, every city I’ve been I’ve been asked how to get someplace, including a truck driver in Shrewsbury trying to work his way through the one-way streets. Except for one person asking me where an IMC building is, I’ve disappointed them all.

 

On a UK Train II

Begun on the train from Shrewsbury to Leeds, finished in Leeds after giving up on very poor wifi. All photos are by me unless otherwise noted.

I am currently traveling from Shrewsbury to Leeds and with a couple of hours to spare, more spotty wifi, and another swaying train I thought I’d give another post a try.

I hate to use the term charming – seems overdone – but I don’t know a better way to describe Shrewsbury. It’s located on a spot on the Severn where the river nearly crosses back on itself. The area within this is called the loop. It’s a bunch of narrow, curved, one-way streets filled with shops, restaurants, pubs, etc. It really looks like a shopper’s paradise. Fortunately I’m not much of a shopper. The curved streets also had another impact as I’d head off in what I thought was a completely different direction from where I had previously gone and before long I’m seeing the same church or shop or pub. And since about 270 of the 360 degree circle of town led to one point or other of the river, I soon gave up using it as a reference point.

And this is one of the town’s wider streets.

There is quite a bit of history in the town but everything is so compact that I saw everything I was looking to see inside of about six hours. I also didn’t get my walking in to the extent I had in Cambridge and London – still getting 8 miles or so a day but not the 15 or so I’d been doing previously. Then again, every so often I got a special bonus like a puppet show yesterday morning.

I have no idea what they were about here but it was interesting. If I hadn’t been standing next to my luggage waiting on a cab (which never came – my fault) I might have wandered over and asked.

My first visit in town was to Shrewsbury Abbey. This was founded in the 11th century as a Benedictine Monastery. Much of it was destroyed during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries so it was a fairly quick visit for me as only the present-day church survives.

Shrewsbury Abbey. I took some interior shots but wasn’t happy with them so I’ll refer you to this one of the nave from the Abbey’s Wikipedia page.

I took a quick look at Shrewsbury Castle but did not go in. Interestingly, rather than being placed in a dominant position on top of the hill in the center of the loop, it’s on lower ground near the river. My understanding is that the interior little resembles the medieval castle as it is now the site of the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum. As there was an admission fee and, wonderful as they may have been I was not interested in the Shropshire soldiers, I satisfied myself with pictures of the exterior.

Shrewsbury Castle.

The Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery was another matter. I was very impressed by their Roman and Medieval collection of artifacts and the accompanying exhibits. Unlike the Castle and Abbey I spent more time there than I anticipated.

This stone marked the burial site of Marcus Petronius, a Roman soldier and standard-bearer. He was a soldier of the Fourteenth Legion Gemina. The stone was found at Wroxeter, just outside of Shrewsbury. Based on the Wikipedia page (dangerous, I know) it seems likely it dates from AD 43-67.

Shrewsbury had some old churches. Not as many as I saw in Norwich but still a fair amount. First I happened across the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Much of the Church dates from the 12th century. There was an art exhibition going on in the church I had to work around but I still managed to get some nice pictures.

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Shrewsbury.

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the nave.

The other notable Church I visited is St. Alkmund’s. From what I’ve been able to find, portions of the church date from as early as the 10th century but much from the 15th century on. I’ll confess to never having heard of Alkmund before but he appears to have been alive during the late 8th century. Whatever the case, he has a nice Church and evidently there are others.

St. Alkmund’s, Shrewsbury.

St Alkmund’s nave. I am no expert on architecture but even I can see that most of this is of more recent construction.

My next day saw me doing something of little Medieval relevance. My family’s most recent immigrant from the UK was born in Newtown, Wales, and came to the US in 1858. So I took myself to Newtown both to see his town and take a flyer on tracking down parallel relatives.

When I say flyer I mean it. I had looked into things and believe I have his baptism record. However I have written e-mails to the Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society, the Powys Family History Society, and the parish church with no response from any of them. Here’s the other flyer aspect of things. My mother’s maiden name (said ancestor is my great-great grandfather through my mother) – Jones. When I started digging into people named Jones living in and around Newtown, I gave up.

But I went there anyway. If nothing else I’ll have some nice pictures for our next family gathering. And I thought I might visit the town library and see if they had any genealogy records – you never know, right? The town library is closed Wednesdays. Not my day.

I did visit a single medieval site, Old St. Mary’s Church. This is a ruin though open to visit and with a restored tower. The Church dates from the 13th century and was abandoned in the 19th due to flooding risks. An interesting feature is the grave of Robert Owen. He was a prominent 19th century labor reform advocate and specified that he be buried here which he was, even though this was after the Church was abandoned. I visited The Robert Owen Museum in town and found that he attempted (and ultimately failed) to establish a settlement in New Harmony, Indiana. Now this is some distance from me – about a three-hour drive. But I have heard of it.

The Old St. Mary’s Church tower.

Robert Owen grave.

So not much medieval in Newtown and no success on the family heritage side of things – not that I was banking on finding anything. But a nice town and the family back home will be interested in that side of things.

My next day returned to things medieval with a visit to Conwy, mainly to see the castle. I debated between Conwy and Caernarfon for some time. Ultimately, while reputedly a more impressive castle, Caernarfon lost for one main reason – an over 2-hour train ride combined with a half hour or so bus ride meant at least six hours of travel time to reach the site and return. Conwy was a bit under 2 hours from Shrewsbury and the Castle is right next to the station.

I’m only going to show one picture of the castle here as I expect I’ll devote a full post to it later on. Conwy Castle, as with so many others, was established in conjunction with Edward I’s Welsh conquests, to leave a stronghold and forces in the hands of someone loyal to him, in this case William de Cicon. While I couldn’t identify it, apparently part of the structure uses old Welsh fortifications. The main castle was something of a lightning build and done between 1283 and 1287. Construction of a US road today takes more time.

Conwy Castle, photo taken from the Medieval Town Wall.

There were two other interesting Conwy sites. One was the Church of St. Mary & All Saints. This Church dates from the 12th century though most of the present structure is from the 14th and later.

The Church of St. Mary & All Saints.

The other fun thing to do in Conwy was walk the Medieval City Walls. These are in two sections but for the most part reach from the castle and loop around until they reach the sea (or is it the River Conwy? Affected by tides so I’m calling it an estuary, part of the sea) on the other side. There was a fair amount of pitch in the walk. Supposedly the entire length is 1.3 km (.81 miles).

A portion of the Conwy walls. The walk is uphill from the castle, then back down until it reaches the sea (river?).

My final Shrewsbury “day trip” was to Hereford. Up to this point my accent and failure to properly say English terms and names hadn’t gotten me into trouble – though there was an interesting exchange in a Cambridge pub where a couple of gentlemen asked me about punting where I thought they said “hunting.” Now we raised cattle in my youth. So to me, Hereford is pronounced her-ford. So I ask for a ticket. First I received one for Hartford. Then for someplace costing 83 pounds. Finally I discovered it is pronounced Hair-a-ford (I’m sure this isn’t proper phonetics but bear with me, I’m a stranger in a strange land. ;)). In any event, I managed a ticket and got there.

My main goal was the cathedral. Not only that but to see two features contained within the cathedral. This was the first day where I really struggled with being lazy. It was raining and I had to pack for Leeds, do laundry and other mundane things. But I kicked myself in the tail and am quite glad for it.

Hereford Cathedral dates from the late 11th century though as with most, much of the construction is more recent. There is a lot of interest within the cathedral such as the shrine of St. Ethelbert which I hope to cover later. But I made myself come to view two items I suspect I won’t get to see again.

Hereford Cathedral. I’m never sure which exterior to show with these.

I really wanted to see the Mappa Mundi. I sometimes wonder at this – there are plenty of pictures. But there’s something about seeing an item of such antiquity and meaning in person. The Mappa Mundi is a map of the world created around 1300. What’s special about it is it represents how educated people of that time viewed the world. Jerusalem, as the heart of Christianity, is placed in the center. Other known points such as Africa and Asia, are placed around it. Keep in mind this is not meant to be a geographically accurate map in the way we would think of one today. It’s not designed to help anyone get any place. But it is meant to show places and provide some information. Now there were maps at this time designed to help travelers however this is not one of these. Some items that struck me is their knowledge of the Nile as a very large waterway and that what other maps name Ocean (I did not see this name on the map but it may be there) still is the boundary of the known world. This is something I want to look into more when I get home.

The Mappa Mundi. There are representations in the exhibit showing how it may have appeared when new as well as English translations. Keep in mind that North is to the left – East is where North would be in modern maps. This is not a particularly good picture. There are far better images on line such as this one from Wikipedia.

The other item I wanted to see was The Chained Library. According to one of the docents, this dates from the 16th century. Evidently Queen Elizabeth saw the library, said it was in shambles, and told Hereford to either clean it up or it would be taken from them. Their solution was to chain all books and manuscripts so they could be read and referred to but not taken away and disturbed.*

A section of The Chained Library.

And a closeup, complete with a bit of my finger.

There was a ruined Dominican Monastery in Hereford which was pretty much on the way back to the station so I took a look. This Friary was established in the 14th century and demolished in the 16th century during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. There is a very nice flower garden planted around the site today.

Hereford Blackfriars Monastery ruins.

So this was the Shrewsbury leg of the trip. It was good but not as good as Cambridge. Part of this was that in Cambridge I found a nearby pub, Clarendon Arms, to hang out at each evening and chat and joke with locals at. They even joked about naming a barstool after me. And the Fish and Chips I got there restored my faith in the dish after getting a mediocre order in London. I had no such luck in Shrewsbury (for conversation, the food was VERY good).

In a bit I’m going to head to the University and pick up my International Medieval Congress registration packet. But I wanted to get this up before then. I am going to do some editing when I get back. This airbnb does not have a desk/office chair so I have my laptop on a stool and am typing from a couch.

Starting to get a tickle of Conference Fever. We’ll see how this compares with Kalamazoo. And I need to restrain myself from book buying. I’m not sure what shipping costs are and quite often sellers will extend the conference discount for a while afterwards.

Hopefully I’ll see some of you there starting tomorrow. I’ll be figuring out what to attend once I get my program, er, programme book. ;)

*Yes, based on the information from the website the chaining began after Elizabeth’s death and I suspect rather than her personally, the “clean it up” directive came from one of her representatives. But I’m going with what I was told. It makes a better story anyway.

 

On a UK Train I

I have 4 hours on the train from Cambridge to Shrewsbury and am going to at least attempt to do something constructive with my time. I am assisted by rather spotty wifi but I’ll give it a go. And yes, I’ve decided that until I get home this will be more travelogue than history blog.

So after a day spent exploring Cambridge I took Friday the 23rd to see Norwich, the 24th Lincoln, and the 25th for Norwich again.

I’ll first cover Norwich a bit. My reason for going back a second time is simple – every time I turned a corner another old building popped up and once I had the chance to check I found that yes, it was Medieval. I was just leaving a Church, St. Peter Mancroft, which I had wandered across, turned a corner and saw this.

And what to my wandering eye should appear . . .

When I drew closer, this is what it belonged to.

St. Giles on the Hill was constructed beginning in 1386 (according to Wikipedia) and as I reached it just as Sunday services were ending I was able to take some nice photos of the interior as well as the exterior.

Throughout Norwich this kept happening. Turn a corner, see what appears to be an old structure, find out the name of said structure, consult Wikipedia, and see that it is Medieval. Of course I took in Norwich Cathedral – more on this a bit further on – however this running across old structures and history loaded on history is a true highlight and why I visited a second day.

Another Norwich highlight was The Halls. I would have to look further to precisely date the construction however the site was first established in 1266 and at least some of the current structure dates from 1307. It was formerly Dominican and the most complete surviving friary in England.

The building itself is impressive. It is rented out for events and open to visit when not. On Sunday there was a Gamers’ group present but nobody on Friday. Except for Debbie. Debbie is a historian at The Halls and gave me something of an individual guided tour of the site. I believe she sensed a kindred spirit as neither of us have much formal history training but she is self-taught on medieval architecture and of course this site. She led me through, shared some insights and information and discussed current efforts to renovate the site to closer to its Medieval structure. I was impressed with her knowledge and her enthusiasm is infectious. Here are a few pictures.

Blackfriars Hall. Named for the color of Dominican robes.

St. Andrews Hall.

Becket’s Chapel. It had been used as a quarry. The roof will be replaced and as Debbie said, “At least no one will argue for keeping what’s there now.”

I will discuss Lincoln more briefly, both as I only took one day there and as striking the correct keys on a swaying train is proving a challenge! :)

I took in the Castle, Cathedral, and bishop’s palace. And there was a party going on with a live band and everything. But first you had to climb a hill. Those inconsiderate medievals gave NO thought to 21st century tourists when they located these structures. ;) I won’t say it’s more or less of a trek than to Dover Castle but it was a very good climb on a warm day.

I really enjoyed the castle. Not the size of Dover or the quantity of displays of The Tower of London. However there was a great walk of (mostly) intact battlements. And a surprise! I suppose I should have read up on this before I visited but while one motte incorporated into defenses is interesting, Lincoln had two; one of more traditional Norman structure and one housing an observation tower.

This is a motte incorporated into the walls as a battlement.

Lo and behold, here is another, housing what is called The Observation Tower.

As you can tell, I was quite taken with the double-motteing. :)

Lincoln Cathedral is magnificent and I’ll save more details for later. However I noticed that Norwich Cathedral, while large, was lacking some of the ornamentation I have seen elsewhere. Not Lincoln. There were extra decorative towers, visible flying buttresses. It reminded me more of Westminster Abbey, Mathias Church in Budapest or St. Vitus in Prague. These differences are interesting and something I will need to read up on.

I must read up on cathedral architecture – are these smaller towers ventilation shafts? Something else? Purposeless?

Lincoln Cathedral had many flying buttresses, including some you could walk under.

So I am on day 13 of 33 in the UK. It has been great though I clearly did not plan for the weather. I packed sweaters, rain gear, and so far except for a brief London shower it has been sunny and quite warm with highs from 25-32 (77-90 in US terms).

I’ll leave off for now and take in five days visiting Shrewsbury and points nearby, particularly Wales. Then it will be on to Leeds.

 

Yes, I am in England

This post will be quick and rough. However after going on so much about traveling to the UK some months back I wanted to confirm that yes, I am in-country and have been seeing things (and not in an illusory sense).

The trip did not get off to the best start. However I did have the opportunity to enjoy all of the Chicago O’Hare airport amenities that an 8-hour delay will allow. I ended up with an unplanned red-eye flight and my first day in London was with the benefit of virtually no sleep (I did doze a few minutes on the plane, not sure that counts).

This was not the best thing to see at the start of a trip

My sister and I went on a Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour that was positively, er, mediocre. They did not have a live tour guide but recorded audio where the driver moved to the next section when appropriate. As we were in stop and go traffic the entire time, most of the tour time was spent listening to music which gave me a headache, something no sleep had already set me up for.

Things were looking up when we visited Westminster Abbey

Things improved from that point and we saw Westminster Abbey, the Imperial War Museum, Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Bletchley Park (decoders – highly recommend this one), the Churchill War Rooms and two West Side plays. We found some nice pubs to take Noon and evening meals in and were left wondering where one goes for a decent breakfast.

In addition to this one we took in Wicked

The Tower of London was impressive, and not just from the outside

Following London we took a train to Dover and viewed the castle. My sister is more interested in World War II and much to my surprise, much of Dover Castle involved Operation Dynamo and the Dunkirk evacuation. We actually split off as she tackled the more recent events first while I explored the Castle, Keep, and grounds.

I don’t have a good picture to encompass the entire Dover Castle site. Shots taken from the beach just don’t do it justice – it is large. Once on-site I couldn’t find a way to get all of it in a single shot.

After this I bid my sister goodbye and traveled to Cambridge. Yesterday was a travel day. Today I visited the Fitzwilliam Museum, The Church of St. Mary the Great, a Polar Exploration Museum and since I was there (and over the years they have so much of my money) couldn’t resist popping into the Cambridge University Press Bookstore. I spent only a short time there as they will be at Leeds with a Conference discount (I hope) and books were telling me I needed to own them. I have also spent some time each of the last two evenings at a nice little pub called the Clarendon Arms. Good conversations have been had and yes, all of the world’s problems have been solved. ;)

From left to right are busts of Livia, wife of Caesar Augustus, Julius Caesar, and some dude. These are from 58 B.C. to 25 A.D. While the Fitzwilliam has some Medieval content – and LOADS of pottery – I was impressed by how much ancient material was on display, particularly Egyptian and Roman.

Tomorrow I will be taking the train to Lincoln and expect to be in Norwich the following day. Ely has been suggested to me as a possible stop to or from Norwich and I have not figured out what I’m doing Sunday the 25th yet.

So this is a quick run-down. I am here and having a great time. I may turn in my rental car before leaving Cambridge. I have not become as comfortable driving it as I hoped I’d be and I can get to most places I want to go by train. England has been far warmer than I packed for. I am wondering if all those sweaters and rain gear were really necessary but I have until July 16 to find out.

I am in Cambridge through the 25th with June 26 a travel day. Subsequent stays are:

June 26 – July 1 – Shrewsbury

July 1- 11 – Leeds – I’ll be at the International Medieval Congress the 3rd through 6th.

July 12-15 – Stirling, Scotland

July 16-17 – Travel to London and fly home

If you are interested in getting together at some point, let me know. I have some times pretty well set, some not.

I apologize for the roughness with images, captions, and I am probably short some links I should plug in. But I’m having a great time. And need sleep.