In this guide, we travel to York, the capital city and crowning jewel of North Yorkshire. It is one of the ‘must visit’ destinations in the North of England, with its history stretching back to the Roman conquest It is among a select handful of English cities to have most of its medieval walls still intact, and within those walls, wonky medieval buildings and higgledy-piggledy streets abound.
We visit Arundel Castle, a historic castle and stately home located in the town of Arundel in West Sussex, England. It is one of the country’s most iconic and well-preserved medieval castles, boasting a rich history that spans over a thousand years. Arundel Castle has been the ancestral seat of the Howard family, the Dukes of Norfolk, since the sixteenth century. Today, Arundel Castle is open to the public.
Random Hall in West Sussex was built in the sixteenth century. The house was originally a farmhouse and has undergone various renovations and expansions over the centuries. Today, it operates as a hotel offering accommodation, dining and event facilities.
The King’s Arms is one of the oldest inns in Abergavenny. It was built between 1680 and 1700 by Louis Hurley, and is a fine example of a sixteenth to seventeenth century coaching house. Today it is a privately owned hotel, offering a range of room types for guests to stay in.
Today, Hever Castle is a quintessential fortified medieval manor house, nestled in the bottom of an idyllic, gently sloping valley. The setting makes the picture-perfect English postcard; sculpted lawns with pretty lily-covered moats; all around you, immaculately tended flower and herb gardens abound. We discover how the castle looked in Anne Boleyn’s day as we travel back to the sixteenth century…
On 28 August, the Queen’s Chamber Books for Elizabeth of York records, ‘Itm the same day to the mariners that conveyed the Quenes grace over the Severn besides Chepstowe’. The temptation is to immediately conclude that a ferry conducted the King and Queen across the River Severn into England at the point where the current bridge spans the river, close to the foot of Chepstow Castle, where the royal couple had been lodged. While this might be true, further close inspection of a later entry in the Chamber Book (dated 27 September) clarifies that the Queen moved from Chepstow to ‘Walstone’ before arriving at the next stop: Berkeley Castle.
This entry is a retrospective payment made to ‘Robert Alyn for his costes prepayring logging for the Quene from Ragland to Chepstowe by the space of twoo dayes, from Chepstowe to Walstone, ij dayes, from Walstone to Berkeley, ij dayes.’…
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Cadhay is a Tudor manor house in rural East Devon. About ten miles east of Exeter, it is a Grade I listed building and now offers luxury holiday accommodation for large groups. Well equipped for self-catered stays, Cadhay offers a unique retreat in a beautiful, remote setting.
Dover Castle is located in the historic town of Dover in Kent, England. One of the largest and most enduring castles in England, it dates back to the eleventh century. The mighty palace-fortress sits atop the White Cliffs of Dover and is an iconic symbol of English sovereignty.
Brancepeth Castle is a historic medieval fortress located in the village of Brancepeth, County Durham. It stands on the site of a former Norman motte-and-bailey castle and has a rich history dating back over nine hundred years. It has a recently renovated flat for up to three guests to stay in.
After travelling for around four weeks, and lodging for a week at Raglan Castle, Elizabeth of York and Henry VII began their homebound journey.
Bordering Wales and England, Chepstow Castle sits atop of the cliffs overlooking the River Wye in Monmouthshire’s Wye Valley. it was the next stop on the 1502 progress.
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