#mybrittrip

[carolmunro]

Three pigs and a rabbit today. There are a wealth of farm attractions that can be visited throughout Britain and these can be especially appealing if there are small children involved. The ones I show here are Hatton Country World near Warwick, The National Museum of Wales at St Fagans near Cardiff, Charlecote Park, Warwickshire (although the availability of the pigs are a little sketchy there) while the rabbit is from the Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire. Many places such as Hatton and the Farm Park have a host of other interesting attractions for kids and adults including tea rooms, playgrounds and interactive displays - so check out the websites to see exactly what is on offer as these are great for a day out. Hatton Country World https://hattonworld.com St Fagans https://museum.wales/stfagans/ Charlecote Park www.nationaltrust.org.uk Cotswold Farm Park http://www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk Brit Tip: While a day could be spent at Cotswold Farm Park, consider also making a visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford. https://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk has all the info! #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #england #britain #unitedkingdom #cotswolds #cotswoldwildlifeparkandgardens #cotswoldfarmpark #charlecotepark #hattoncountryworld #stfagansmuseumofwelshlife #stfagans #wales #mybrittrip.com @brittrip2017 @rgtmum (at Hatton Country World)

[carolmunro]

Thank you to everyone following my Instagram posts!! In conjunction with my mini blogs on Instagram I have my NEW website up and running...take a look at ALL my posts in one place, plus a photo gallery and selected merchandise! If you like all things British, Brit Tips and Brit Facts AND following the road less traveled then this is a blog for you! www.mybrittrip.com #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip @rgtmum @brittrip2017 #www.mybrittrip.com #teacup #tea #britain #unitedkingdom

[carolmunro]

So today I have some rooms to look at. From the sumptuous dining room of a great country house like Charlecote Park, Warwickshire to the small but very pretty parlor of a Welsh cottage and the still functioning kitchen also of Charlecote Park, it is amazing to see how much work would have gone in days gone by to make the tea (dinner) for the Welsh cottage let alone the huge evening dinner at the country house. Of course such large and elaborate meals would not have been possible without servants. Here is a list of positions within a typical country house, perhaps like Downton Abbey. There was a hierarchy so we begin with: The Upper Staff Hierarchy The Butler The Housekeeper The Cook or Chef The Ladies Maid or Valet Followed by the Lower Staff: First Footman Second Footman Head Nurse Footman Chambermaid Parlor Maid Housemaid Between Maid Nurse Undercook Scullery Maid Laundry Maid Pages or Tea Boy And that is only the inside staff, there was another hierarchy for the lands and stables... Which would you rather have, all those servants or just you and your fire and kettle? Brit Tip: Many of the country houses we can now visit have kitchens that can be viewed, however if you visit the National Museum of Wales, St Fagins, near Cardiff you can see a whole range of cottages as they would have been from the 16th century to the 1960's. It is a fascinating look at how modernization took place... For more info see https://museum.wales/stfagans/ or www.nationaltrust.org.uk #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #stfagins #nationalmuseumofwales #charlecotepark #nationaltrust #kitchen #diningroom #dinner #tea #www.mybrittrip.com @brittrip2017 @rgtmum (at National Trust - Charlecote Park)

[carolmunro]

What are these? Three mystery objects from three interesting and famous places today. If you know let me know! Actually I do have some clues and will reveal all at the end of the post. Photo 1. A flowerpot and a pine cone...does this have something to do with insects? Maybe one of our most endangered insects? In England red mason bees (Osmia bicornis) are critically endangered. Unlike bumblebees they are solitary and don't make honey. They do however like to make nests inside reeds, hollow wood or empty snail shells. They are wonderful pollinators and are estimated to be 120-200 times more efficient than the bumblebee. Having mason bees around your orchards and gardens will dramatically increase the yields of many kinds of fruit. Photo 2. This is in probably London's most famous department store and more precisely in the food hall. Harrods has one of the most amazing food halls in the world. Harrods itself was founded in 1824 by Charles Henry Harrod. He began the store as a drapers, but by 1832 had already expanded in to the grocery business. The store moved to Brompton in 1851. By 1880 the store employed 100 people. Today 5000 staff from 50 countries work at Harrods, it has over 300,000 visitors on a busy day and is the largest department store in Europe having over a million square feet of selling space. Photo 3. This was an exhibit in 2016 at the Tate Modern, London (more to come on Tate Modern in a later post) by Brazilian artist, Cildo Meireles (1970). They represent capitalist imperialism of American influence in Brazil. Fun Fact: The Duke of Edinburgh was banned from Harrods when Mohammed Al-Fayed owned the store and royal warrants removed. (See my post Royalty, https://mybrittrip.com/2017/08/23/royalty/ for more on royal warrants). Extra Fun Facts: Harrods will sell you a gold bar and it has a dress code... More info on bees can be found on www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/how-to-grow/everything-you-need-to-know-about-mason-bees/ or for Harrods check out Wikipedia and this is a great blog about the three Coke bottles www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/blogs/coca-cola-not-you-know-it #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #tatemodern (at Tate Modern)

[carolmunro]

The River Thames is a one of England's most significant rivers. It starts life at Thames Head, which is near Kemble, Gloucestershire and winds its way down through Oxford, Reading and London for a total of 210 miles. It is tidal until Teddington on the west side of London. There are 47 locks along its length, with Buscot Lock being the smallest. The River has a total of 104 bridges crossing it. The widest part is on the eastern end of the estuary at 18 miles, while one of the shortest is 60 feet at Lechlade. Despite Charles Dickens mentioning the River Thames at London in his novels as being full of stinking sludge, today many species of fish can be found in both the estuary and up as far as London. 25 species of fish are known to be in the non-tidal part of the River. Similarly to the canal system (see https://Wordpress.com/post/mybrittrip.com/569 'Wonderful Canals' for more info) you can rent a houseboat for a week or two and take in the complete river system, stopping at night along the way and enjoying the many facilities of the many river pubs and the pretty locks. Henley is a great stop: See my post https://wordpress.com/post/mybrittrip.com/176 for more info on Henley too. So take a moment or a few days and explore the slow paced life of boating on the Thames. For those with only a day or hours to spare, a short river cruise will show you some of the wonderful sights of your destination. Photos are the River Thames at London, Oxford and Henley plus bonus two more of Henley... Fun Fact or Tip: The River Thames is the only river in Europe to have a national trail, The Thames Path, along its entire length... More Thames info can be found on www.visitthames.co.uk/about-the-river #theriverthames #thames #london #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #www.mybrittrip.com @rgtmum @brittrip2017 #henley #reading #kemble #oxford #river #houseboat (at Henley on Thames)

[carolmunro]

Well today I thought I would show some beautiful examples of stained glass in churches. Of course there are magnificent examples in cathedrals all over the world but I really enjoy looking in the old small parish churches and being surprised by the sheer beauty and reverence of their windows. Some are very old such as my pic from St David's Cathedral in Wales where some of the glass has survived since Medieval times, but my pic from Coventry Cathedral tells a very different story. It is still possible to see an example of hand painted stained glass in the ruins of the cathedral, dating back to 1450 and painted by master glassmaker John Thornton. But if you visit the 'new' cathedral, the particular example of stained glass I show here is less than 60 years old. Designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens, this window in the baptistery has 195 panels. In front stands the font, itself carved from stone brought in from Bethlehem. It is an impressive experience to see this window with the sun shining through and then realize there are even more... Fun Fact: Colored glass has been made since ancient times, both the Egyptians and Romans had discovered how to mix different chemicals to make the different colors. Stained glass in churches dates back to about the 7th century. Many themes can be present in a window besides bible stories and biblical significance. The family of the church's principal benefactor(s) or royalty may also be present for example. More information can be found on www.coventrycathedral.org.uk or www.know-britain.com/churches/coventry_cathedral_7.html #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #coventry #coventrycathedral #stainedglass #glass #cathedral #www.mybrittrip.com @rgtmum @brittrip2017 #church (at Coventry Cathedral)

[carolmunro]

Secrets of the British Museum...Well if the Paddington movie is anything to go by, London's British Museum holds more than a few secrets. The British Museum was founded by Sir Hans Sloan in 1753. Sloan was an avid collector during his life and at his death had over 71,000 objects in his collection. This collection he bequeathed to the nation. In the same year an Act of Parliament established the British Museum. Six years later the Museum opened to the public and has always had free admission "for enquiring minds". Apart from some time during the two World Wars the Museum has remained open ever since. Today more than 6 million people visit annually. There are many interesting pieces including the Rosetta Stone and preserved Egyptian mummies. The first Egyptian mummy was bequeathed in 1756. It is interesting to note that the Museum's Assyrian collections have formed the basis of understanding the ancient Middle Eastern script, cuneiform while the Rosetta Stone helped unlock the mysteries of hieroglyphics. Thousands of years later, following Captain Cook's around the world voyage, several pieces were donated including a Tahitian mourners dress. Today the Museum is one of London's biggest attractions with an astounding number of collections, and where a visit will yield some interesting and fascinating secrets and possibly some questions of your own. Fun Fact: Eccentric donations have included, a trunk of a tree gnawed by a beaver, a stone resembling a loaf of bread and a live tortoise from North America... Extra Fun Fact: The Winged Bull exhibit was ambushed by a gang of robbers as it was being transported to the Museum in the 18th century. You can still see a mark from a musket ball on the statue today. www.britishmuseum.org has all the information. #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #britishmuseum #london #england #www.mybrittrip.com @brittrip2017 @rgtmum #museum (at British Museum)

[carolmunro]

West Bay, Dorset...West Bay is situated along Dorset's Jurassic Coast. The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site, 96 miles in length that stretches from Studland, Dorset to Exmouth, Devon. The site covers 185 million years of geological history and features rock formations such as arches, sea stacks and pinnacles as well as coves and the possibility of finding fossils. (See my Lyme Regis post for more fossil info). West Bay itself is only about 1.5 miles from the market town of Bridport and features two fine shingle beaches. It is a great place to set up camp for a family holiday as it is easy to maneuver around the area when visiting the local sights. Activity wise, West Bay has plenty of walking opportunities along the cliff path and to Golden Cap, one of the highest points along the cliff line or to play a round of links golf along the cliffs. There are also opportunities for great fishing trips whether it is out in the sea for mackerel or crab or fishing from the new Jurassic Jetty. Food, such as locally caught seafood or fish and chips can be found in the pubs, the restaurants and the outdoor food carts in the summer... For more info take a look at http://www.westbay.co.uk and information on the Jurassic Coast can be found at http://jurassiccoast.org #miniblog #mybrittrip #brittrip2017 #brittrip #dorset #westbay #bridport #jurassiccoast #lymeregis #fishing #beach @rgtmum @brittrip2017 #www.mybrittrip.com (at West Bay, Dorset)