English Heritage – Page 3 – My Days Out Blog

Lyddington Bede House, Rutland

English Heritage
The Bede House is the surviving wing of a medieval palace built for the Bishops of Lincoln. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the palace was passed to one of Henry VIII’s supporters. In 1600 the structure was converted to almshouses for pensioners or ‘bedesmen’, and later remodelling produced the current structure with the addition of chimneys, fireplaces, and subdivisions to provide 12 small ground-floor rooms.

The Bede House is next to the church and churchyard, which seem to have been built later. The building, on three floors, is of great interest, and contains on the first floor a very fine Great Chamber, later the common hall of the Bede House. The chamber retains its ornate wooden ceiling and sumptuously carved wooden cornice. The adjoining Presence Chamber has a similar ceiling. A room near the stairs is fitted out as it would have been when last occupied, by a widow.

On a later visit (Aug 2021) I identified the small watch-tower at the end of the currently uncultivated grounds, above the street corner with the High Street. At the lower level, the street footpath runs through it.

On reaching the end of the sat-nav directions, you need to park in the village street and proceed on foot. The EH pay desk is inside on the ground floor. The EH guidebook contains floor plans and much historical information.

General view from north — View from north

Portchester Castle, Hampshire

English Heritage.
Portchester Castle is the most impressive and best-preserved of the Roman ‘Saxon Shore’ forts in Europe, and was built in the late 3rd century. It is the only Roman stronghold in northern Europe whose walls still mostly stand to their full six metre height, complete with most of the original 20 towers.
It later housed a Saxon settlement, and after the Norman invasion a Norman castle was built in one corner. The castle was used in the middle ages, and was used as a prison during the Napoleonic Wars.
The size of the circuit of Roman walls is impressive, and the medieval keep is worth seeing and has an interesting exhibition in the basement. Rooms in the keep can be reached by modern stairs. Note that in fair weather the more agile visitor can ascend a narrow spiral stone staircase to the roof, from which there should be great views of the harbour, etc. (I didn’t try it in the rain).
The castle is right on the waterfront, so don’t omit to walk out of the seaward gate and have a look.
Visiting: If you pass the obvious car park to the left, there is a smaller one on the right a few yards from the castle entrance. Admission to the Roman fort is free, but there is a charge for visiting the medieval keep. An audio guide is available. The keep has modern stairs to all floors except the roof (see above).

Bishop’s Waltham Palace, Hampshire

English Heritage
Bishop’s Waltham was a medieval palace used by the wealthy Bishops of Winchester. Also on the site is the Bishop’s Waltham town museum, in a farmhouse adapted from the palace’s lodging range.
There are extensive ruins of this large palace still standing.
I happened to be nearby in the early morning, so had a look over the wall, but was not able to get inside.
Worth a look if you are in the area. Admission free.

Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland

English Heritage & National Trust
Fragments of the wall remain at various places along its 71-mile length. However the most substantial remains are in the uplands where it was most difficult to rob the wall for purposes such as road-building, farm buildings and field walls. To the disgust of antiquaries, a lot of the wall disappeared when a military road was built alongside it in the 18th century.

At Housesteads, sections of wall remain to a height of several feet, and the complete outline and foundations of a Roman wall fort can be seen. The land is now owned by the National Trust. There is a National Trust building beside the car park, and a English Heritage museum and ticket office near the fort and wall, about half a mile up the hill.

It’s well worth making the effort to visit the site (unless it’s pouring with rain, as it was during my visit). While travelling there, look out for the vast Roman ditch systems alongside the road that runs parallel to the Wall. Two more forts, walks, and a view-point are within a few miles, making the area a candidate for an all-day visit.

Lilleshall Abbey, Shropshire

English Heritage
An Augustinian abbey, dissolved by Henry VIII. It was later adapted as a Civil War stronghold. Substantial ruins of the Abbey church and other buildings remain, in a deeply rural setting. As one enters the nave, an inconspicuous spiral stairway on the left leads up to a viewpoint high up on the wall. There are some elaborately carved doorways.
It’s worth a visit if you are passing near Telford.

Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire

Kenilworth keep & ruins — Kenilworth keep

English Heritage
Kenilworth Castle was founded in the 12th century, and expanded in Tudor times to a semi-royal palace. In 1649 it was partly destroyed by the Parliamentary forces to prevent it being used again as a fortress. It was defended by a marsh and lake outside the wall of the great outer bailey.
The inner court contains the old keep, John O’Gaunt’s hall, and Leicester’s Tudor building. Leicester’s Tudor gatehouse (recently restored and opened) stands to the north of the outer bailey. An Elizabethan knot garden has also been recreated in this area.
The castle, though much ruined, is one of the most impressive of the English castles, and there is plenty for the visitor to see. It is also a regular venue for historical re-enactments. The interior of the Gatehouse is worth seeing, as is the new Knot Garden.
When I visited, Leicester’s Building was out of bounds and full of scaffolding – new viewing platforms are promised for the summer.
An audio tour is available.

Re-enactment

Click on image to enlarge

Lydford Castle, Devon

English Heritage
Lydford Castle is a small keep of Norman origin, rising above a mound in the middle of the village. In fact, the castle is not built on the mound – the mound was constructed around the lowest level of the structure when it was modified in the 13th century. It was used as a notorious prison for several centuries. It is now ruined and roofless.
The castle is worth a look if you are in the Lydford area. Apparently there are other Norman and Saxon defensive works to be seen nearby, so the downloadable audio tour to Lydford Castle and Saxon Town seems worth having.
Open at any reasonable time.

Wellington Arch, London

The Wellington Arch stands at Hyde Park Corner, close to Wellington’s Apsley House. On top of it is a great bronze statue, the largest in Britain, depicting the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war. Visitors can go inside the Arch, to view three floors of exhibitions and enjoy views from the balconies near the top.

A visit inside is interesting, and the exhibition explains that the Arch originally was elsewhere and also had a different statue on top.
One can buy a joint ticket for the Wellington Arch and Apsley House. To make a day of it, one can also view the various monumental sculptures nearby, and then walk through the park to the Marble Arch, checking some more old and modern sculpture installations on the way.
You can travel here by tube or bus.

Minster Lovell Hall & Dovecote, Oxfordshire

English Heritage.
Minster Lovell Hall is, or was, a 15th century riverside manor house. The ruins of a fine hall and corner tower can be seen, also a complete dovecote.
The ruins are quite interesting and worth a look if you are passing that way. The setting is pleasant and peaceful.
I found that finding the Hall was more troublesome than it should have been, because of vague or absent signage. First find the village, then find the church. Park up and look behind the church. The signs directing you to the dovecote are also rather vague, but if you look for a circular building with a pointy roof, you should be able to spot it in the middle distance.

Kenwood, London

English Heritage.
Kenwood was remodelled by Robert Adam between 1764 and 1779 into a majestic villa for the judge, Lord Mansfield. In 1927 Lord Iveagh bequested Kenwood to the nation, along with a collection of pictures. The Iveagh Bequest includes important paintings by many great artists, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough. Upstairs is the Suffolk Collection of portraits, notable for the costumes depicted. The Kenwood interiors are also worthy of note.

I didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy Kenwood before it shut but I did manage to look at the pictures, which include some famous and impressive works. Surrounding the house is some pleasant leafy parkland.

Admission to Kenwood is free to all.
Bus 210 stops near Kenwood.
If you are planning a 3-in-1 day visiting Fenton House, 2 Willow Road, and Kenwood, don’t try walking across the Heath – it takes too long for the purpose and it is too difficult to find one’s way. A taxi might be quickest. Or use Bus 210.