Category Archives: buildings and structures

Very “Real” Estate ~ Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire ~ Church for Robin Hood and Maid Marian’s Wedding???

 In 633 A. D., King Edwin of Northumbria (King of Deira and Bernicia), a Saxon, whose kingdom at the time stretched from the River Trent, which marks the boundary between the Midlands and the north of England, to Edinburgh (Edwin’s borough), … Continue reading →

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The Village of Ewelme and Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk

In the wooded village of Ewelme in Oxfordshire, we discover an elaborate church monument incorporating a cadaver tomb at St Mary’s Church. An alabaster tomb, remaining essentially undamaged by time, is the resting place of Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of Geoffrey … Continue reading →

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Colchester and Colchester Castle, Oldest Recorded Town and the Largest Keep in England

Colchester, some 50 miles northeast of London, is an historic market town in the county of Essex. As the oldest recorded Roman town in Britain, Colchester is claimed to be the oldest town in Britain. For a time, it was … Continue reading →

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Very “Real” Estate: Axminster

Axminster is a market town and civil parish of about 6,000 on the eastern border of Devon. The town is built upon a hill and overlooks the River Axe. The town dates back to around 300 BC. There was once … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, commerce, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Industrial Revolution, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UK “Real” Estate: Coggeshall Abbey in Essex

In 1140, Coggeshall Abbey was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda as a Sauvignac Abbey.. It was designed to house the monks of the Savigniac order. The earliest English use of bricks as building materials can be found … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, buildings and structures, history | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scandal Abounds in Brocket Hall’s History

The official Brocket Hall website tells us, “Brocket Hall has one of the most intriguing of any of the great houses of Britain. Indeed the scent of scandal can be found in the fabric of the building back to its … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, peerage, real life tales, Victorian era, William IV | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Very Real” Estate ~ Whitehaven, A Port City on England’s Western Coastline

Whitehaven is a Georgian town situated on the west coast of Cumbria. It was one of the first post-Renaissance planned towns in England. At the end of the 16th Century, Whitehaven consisted of less than a dozen thatched cottages. By … Continue reading →

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Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, a Guest Post from Gianna Thomas

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on October 30, 2017. Enjoy!  Bless Sharon Lathan. She did a series of blogs about servants of the 18th and 19th centuries and had a reference to Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, fashion, food, food and drink, Georgian England, Guest Post, herbs, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hidden Key, a Guest Post from Sophie Turner

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on December 22, 2017. Enjoy! It was difficult to write about the public entertainments of Bath and other spa and seaside resorts in my last post without delving into architecture, because so much of … Continue reading →

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UK Underground: Chistlehurst Caves, the Setting for “A Touch of Emerald: The Conclusion of the Realm Series”

Yesterday, we had a closer look at Book 8 of my Realm series, A Touch of Emerald. This piece is on where much of the action of the story takes place. Near the railroad station in what is now Bromley … Continue reading →

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