Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sunday Drive!

It's no secret that I have a special affinity for English Cottages and English Villages, so with the weather being just right for a nice drive, I thought I would set off on a Bloggy Drive to some of England's Villages. Why don't you come along with me?

Barnard Castle

Our first stop will bring us to Barnard Castle, which is a town in Teesdale, County Durham, England named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/looknorthnecumbria/weather/calendar_competition/september/images/barnard_castle_v_hutchinson_470.jpg

Set in County Durham, Barnard Castle is a historic market town. I'm already loving the area, I mean look at the streets and the old buildings.....maybe we should hurry though, looks like it's going to rain.

http://www.weddingpages.co.uk/data/logos/1656.jpg

The castle was founded by the Normans shortly after the conquest, but enjoyed its heyday under Bernard de Bailleul during the latter half of the 12th century. The castle passed into the hands of the Balliol family (of which the Scottish king, John Balliol, was the most important member), and then into the possession of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. King Richard III inherited it through his wife, Anne Neville, but it fell into ruins in the century after his death. The remains are now in the care of English Heritage.

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Barnby Dun

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Churches/WRY/BarnbyDunStPeterAndStPaul.jpg

Barnby Dun is a village and civil parish situated north of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is twinned with Kirk Sandall and the parish has a population of 8,524. Barnby Dun was home to the Thorpe Marsh Power station before its closure in the middle 1990s. It has a fourteenth century church, St Peter & St Pauls. At present Barnby Dun is an ever growing, thriving village.

http://www.barnbydunchurch.co.uk/assets/images/Front_Page02.jpg

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Bilston

And here we are at Bilston, situated in England's West Midlands region. There is quite a bit to see around here, there's the Lighthouse, there's a couple museums OR we could go for a swim?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/images/2006/11/22/dscf1_427x320.jpg
Bilston Town Hall

http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/interesting/StLeonards/Front.jpg
St. Leonard's Church


Situated just two miles south-east of Wolverhampton, it was extensively developed for factories and coalmining. Many houses were constructed in the Bilston area. Between 1920 and 1966, the council replaced most of the 19th century terraced houses with rented modern houses and flats on developments like Stowlawn, The Lunt and Bunker's Hill. Bilston has had a market in the town centre for many years.

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CASTLE NORTHWICH

It's been so much fun but I'm getting a little tired of all the traveling we've done today, so I think this will be our last one for now.

Northwich is a town in Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane. The town is about 18 miles (29 km) east of Chester and 15 miles (24 km) south of Warrington.

The area around Northwich has been exploited for its salt pans since the Roman period, when the settlement was known as Condate. The town has been severely affected by salt mining with subsidence historically being a large issue. However, recent investment in mine stabilisation is set to change the town with the 'Northwich Vision' providing a roadmap for a programme of development work into the future.

Image:Northwich centre.jpg
Northwich's main shopping area

Image:St helens witton.jpg
St. Helen Witton Church

Image:Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
Town Bridge

I guess we'll end this visit at one of my favorite places, the library.

http://www2.valeroyal.gov.uk/internet/baseres.nsf/all/pg_450_northwich_library.jpg/$File/pg_450_northwich_library.jpg
Northwich Library

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Well I hope you enjoyed this drive as much as I did, I think maybe next Sunday we'll go to Scotland or Ireland? We'll see!

16 comments:

smilnsigh said...

Oh sighhhhhhhhhhhh... Thank you so much for that lovely Sunday drive!

And I'd so love a tiny English cottage. But... a bunch of us could all live in that beeeeeeeutiful Northwich Library, ya' know. :-))))

Gentle hugs,
Miss Mari-Nanci
In The Mind Of A Grandmother

Mari said...

I loved this drive. I think it would be fun to visit each one!

Cathryn said...

Hi ~ Cathy Glass in Kentucky. Your blog is amazing. Somehow I found you from a link on someone else's site. I've already tried a recipe and actually have it set to where I get your updates directly. I sure didn't now you lived in England. The pictures are beautiful. I felt like I was there. Your blog is great. Keep up the good work. Lord Bless, Cathy in Kentucky

Michelle said...

Thank you for this lovely post..Just what I needed today.Please e-mail me for the new blog address and explanation of why I switched..

Susanne said...

The architecture is so lovely in England! Thanks for the tour!

Kelli said...

Thank you for taking us along, Sandra! I'm drooling over all those castles!
~Kelli

Cindy said...

thanks for the great Sunday drive--perfect day for it!

Lulu said...

what a lovely drive it was..I love England and Ireland.Never been there, but it calls to me somehow..
have a good week..

Anonymous said...

England would be a lovely place to visit or live.. beautiful buildings and lots of history. You could spend a life time there and never see it all.

Cheri said...

Barnard Castle looks so beautiful to visit! I love these tours you take us on. Did you ever think of doing anything with travel for a job?

threesidesofcrazy said...

Thanks for the tour. Barnard has to be my favorite with the way it appears to hang on the cliffs over the river. Too bad it fell to ruins!

Blessed Beyond said...

how beautiful!! I love all the things you share with us all. I love keeping up with your blog! It is always so uplifting! Let something for you on the blog. Hugs and Blessings,

rebeccamm said...

Ireland next...please!!

Steve and Eden said...

Thank you for the lovely drive!

Kirstin said...

How beautiful! My dad was stationed in Lakenheath, england which apparently is a village in Suffolk. He and my mom moved there shortly after they got married and that is where I was born. I love looking at all the pictures my mom had from there. We only lived there for 6 months after I was born.

Karen said...

This was delightful. Thank you for the tour!