Exploring history in London & abroad with my camera
There are several parks in Lugo as well as gardens and green spaces but I only spent three days in the town and so time for exploring was very limited. Nevertheless I managed to visit a few parks in Lugo. The Park of Rosalia Castro The Park of Rosalia Castro is outside the Roman walls,…
Nantes is a wonderful city in which to spend two days, or longer if you have longer. This is just a taste of many hours of walking. Do visit! The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul... The Ducal Palace... The Erdre River and the Loire are important in the history of the city, bringing…
London's Open Garden Squares Weekend is this weekend, 9 and 10 June, and I have been visiting some of the gardens which will be open. If you are in London, or within reasonable travelling distance of London do visit - you won't be disappointed. Most of the gardens are normally closed to the public and…
Read More "Docklands Gardens north of the Thames, Open Garden Squares Weekend"
The weather forecast suggested a chilly day with showers and so we decided on a day in Castelo Branco. We had visited before, in 2013, and had enjoyed the gardens. Portugal is changing and from searches on the internet it seemed as though there were considerable developments in Castelo Branco. The Bishop's Palace Gardens are…
On the north coast of Brittany, there are two wonderful gardens: the Jardin Botanique et Exotique in Roscoff, and the Jardin Georges Delaselle on the Île de Batz.
A short, 15-minute ferry trip took us from Roscoff to Porz Kernok on the island where we set off to walk to the gardens, via a…
The formal gardens of the Ducal Palace in Vila Viçosa were closed for restoration work and so all my photographs were taken from or through windows. But you could wander elsewhere in the Palace grounds and as it was a warm and sunny day I wandered! The formal gardens are magnificent! Absolutely immaculate, with amazing patterns and screeching peacocks -…
I remembered Boschendal as an elegant and beautiful home and I was keen to visit again. This information board at the Manor House is curious because it doesn't mention the De Villiers family who owned and developed the farm from 1715 until 1879. In 1902 Boschendal was bought by Cecil Rhodes.
Walking around the Stellenbosch Village Museum had been hot work and we needed refreshment! The Stellenbosch Botanic Gardens are popular at all times of the day.
The streets in Graaff Reinet are lined with trees and the gardens are beautiful - a startling contrast to the surrounding austerity of the Karoo. A description of the town in 1889 says: '...By bringing into it the waters of a small river, the people have made of this originally sterile spot a delicious oasis. All the…
Battersea Park is one of the earliest Municipal Parks in London, first proposed in 1844. James Pennethorne created a design which was further developed by John Gibson, working for the Metropolitan Board of Works. The marshy ground was filled in and landscaped with material excavated from the Surrey Docks, and the Park opened to the public in…
Read More "Battersea Park – Thames Tour, Bradshaw’s Handbook, no.119"
