Photos and the City

Tag: travel

  • Linlithgow Palace

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    It was about time to leave Western Scotland and cross over to the Eastern side, to my second to last Scottish home. But as always I fit in some stops along the way. The first one, the very impressive ruin of Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    Situated between the town of Linlithgow and Loch Linlithgow the Palace was the perfect stopping point between Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle, it was favoured residence of the Stewart kings and queens from James I.

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    In September 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie visited the Palace on is march down south this fountain was made to flow with wine in his honour, shortly after that in 1746 the Government troops destroyed most of the Palace buildings.

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    A royal manor house probably existed on this site from the mid-twelfth century, when Kind David I founded the burgh. Linlithgow’s position made it an ideal site for a military base, and in 1302 the English king set about transforming it into a secure stronghold built mostly of earth and wood. (Marie-Stuart.co.uk)

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    1424 a disastrous fire destroyed most of the town and the royal manor. James I, immediately started to rebuild the church of St. Michael and Linlithgow Palace as a grand residence for Scottish royalty. The following kinds made significant additions.

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    After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, the Royal Court became largely based in England and Linlithgow was used very little. Parts of the Palace started to collapse. King James then had it renovated and rebuilt.

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    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian, Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

    Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian, Linlithgow Palace, Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, ruins, UK, West Lothian,

  • The Gardeners Cottages

    My winter minibreak in England is over, so let´s head back to last summer. During my days at Loch Lomond, I stayed in the smallest of the Gardeners Cottages near Bellanoch adjoint to a walled garden.

    The Gardeners Cottages

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    Once the home of the gardeners who planted and tended the ground of Arden House, the Gardeners Cottages form a row, their backs against the wall of a Victorian walled garden. And today they are very cosy and comfortable holiday cottages!

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    Arden House must have been a grand estate once, along the driveway to the cottages are many other stunning buildings and cottages, a coach house and I think one sees a little bit of the former big house, now divided into flats and apartments.

    Once called Bannachra Estate until the Glasgow merchant George Buchanan bought it in 1770.

    The Buchanan family sold Arden and Bannachra to the Lumsdens in 1864. The Lumsden family, perhaps best known latterly for their connection with Burmah Oil, continued in residence at Arden House until the 1980’s when it was sold and converted to flats. (The Vale of Leven)

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    I tried to find out a little bit more about the history of the estate and found some stories about big parties around Christmas for all the children from the surrounding areas.

    The Walled Garden

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    My days at Loch Lomond were quite wet but the walled garden must be a beautiful place to relax and slow down during drier days. Such a beautiful place!

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    Loch Lomond

    And there is even more! A little pathway brings you to the shores of Loch Lomond and a little private beach.

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    Disclaimer: I paid my stay at the Gardeners Cottages, as I also paid for every other stay during my time in the UK, but felt so in love with the place that I wanted to share it!

     

  • London!

    It was time to say goodbye to my cosy home in Lacock and the wonderful Cotswolds area – I can´t wait to come back next time! Another cab ride later, the only one that was actually planned as there are no buses on Sundays I boarded the train to London.

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    This time I stayed in the very elegant South Kensington area and got a room with a view – what a skyline! Besides having theatre tickets I hadn´t planned anything special for my days in London and spent most of my time just wandering around and exploring the city.

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    The Thin House, right around the corner from my hotel. Maybe the thinnest house in London? Thurloe Square, where the house stands on the corner, was built in 1840-1846 and most of the houses were designed by George Basevi. Around two decades later the Metropolitan District Railway was working “on a new transport advancement”, today known as the Tube, and bought a few of the houses. Five were demolished and some of them had their back gardens drastically reduced – South Kensington station opened in 1868.

    With the railway lines just a few feet away from the south side of Thurloe Square, the triangular site of former Nos.1-5, remained vacant for many years. However, prolific local builder William Douglas saw its potential for seven artists’ studios. The wedge-shaped red brick block was built between 1885-1887. The large north-facing windows are perfect for letting in lots of light for the artists to work in. (Memoirs of a metro girl)

    On the narrowest side, the house spans 6ft (1,8m)and spanning 34ft (10,36m) on its widest side. A studio flat in the building went on the market for £900.000 in 2016.

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    The Dior exhibit was sold out but I explored some of the other rooms, it´s always a must.

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    Little Ben – a miniature clock tower in Westminster mimicking Big Ben, erected in1862.

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    The usual walk along the Thames.

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