Author Archives: JB

Beamish, outside of Newcastle, England If you ever wondered what life was like in 19th and early 20th century northeast England, Beamish is the place to visit. This 300-acre open air museum is rated England’s best.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England We took a small jaunt today to visit one site of Hadrian’s Wall. This defensive fortification, begun in about 122AD, stretched 73 miles across the narrowest part of northern England, and the northernmost part of the Roman Empire.

Grantham, England Grantham has a special place in the hearts of many Britons, specifically those who were fans of Margaret Thatcher. She was born here, where her father owned a corner grocery store, and despite her humble beginnings, rose to lead her country. This is a photo of that grocery store today, housing a chiropractor/beautyContinue reading “Exploring the ‘hood”

Near Grantham, England Today we went to visit the home of the gentry at Belton, sometimes called the ‘perfect’ English country house estate. It was built in the late 17th century by Sir John Brownlow and was home to the same family for nearly 300 years. Each generation made their mark on Belton, commissioning theContinue reading “Visiting the neighbors”

Environs of Grantham, England This morning we traveled to Woolsthorpe Manor, outside of Grantham in Lincolnshire. This was a pilgrimage to the home of Sir Isaac Newton, born here in 1643.

Stamford, England We left York this morning via what had been the world’s largest train station when it opened in 1877. Now it’s merely a very nice very large station, with elevators, which we appreciated.

York, England Our main focus today was the interior of the Minster, the crown jewel of York. It evolved from the city’s first church, which was built in 627.

York, England While so much of the past is gone. a tremendous amount has been preserved here. It was a Roman provincial capital in AD 71, an Anglo-Saxon capital, a Danish trading center when the Vikings took over, and then a Norman stronghold.

York, England Today we left London from King’s Cross to reach York, in the north. (Missed seeing platform 9 3/4, but we’ve seen it before.)

London, England A great thing about London for us is the opportunity to see good friends and laugh about ancient history. That’s what we were doing yesterday, and today we made one more excursion to the National Gallery and then on to the National Portrait Gallery.