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Published: October 18th 2023
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Today we got up early, were among the first for breakfast, caught a cab, and were at Victoria Station to meet our tour group by 8 am! We were headed to The Cotswold with Evan Evan tours.
Our first stop was Burton on the Water. It is a quaint little village on the River Windrich. It is known for its low bridges and stone houses. There are 5 bridges built between 1654 and 1911, each cut from Cotswold stone. They give Birto on the Water the nickname of Venice of the Cotswolds.
During the Middle Agest, the Cotswolds became rich from all trade. Much of the money was dedicated to the building of churches, and many large “wool churches“ remain today. Once wool trade ceased the area attracted wealthy landowners and prominent figures to purchase second homes in the Cotswoods. The only drawback was the many regulations for maintaining homes, much like those of the national historic register in the United States.
By the way, you may wonder what the name Cotswold means. Cots means sheep in closure. Wold means gentle Hills. So Cottswald means an area of gentle hills with many sheep.
We had some free
time in Burton on the water, so we walked around, crossed some of the bridges, marveled at the stone homes, and found a place to have tea. It seems on this trip we have become very British, having tea almost every day.
You might wonder how British afternoon tea began. The concept of Afternoon Tea appeared during the mid-19th century. Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, introduced the concept of Afternoon Tea in 1840. The Duchess got hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon, and the evening’s meal wasn’t until 8 pm. That meant there was a long time between lunch and dinner. Because no one wants to wait that long to eat, the Duchess asked for a tray of tea, bread, butter, and cake during the late afternoon. It became a habit of hers, and she began inviting friends to join her in her room to enjoy this afternoon snack. We have certainly enjoyed partaking in this British tradition!!
The next place we visited was a Blenheim Palace. It was built between 1705 and 1722 and is one of England’s largest palaces. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and became the birthplace and home of Sir
Winston Churchill. It is beautiful, very ornate, and filled with Churchhill memorabilia. It has been the site for frequent movie filming, which include Harry Potter, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Mission impossible, and also the TV series. Queen. Charlotte: a Bridgerton story.
My favorite room was the long library, which had thousands of books, many reading areas, a grand piano, and a gorgeous pipe organ. I think I could live in that room!
Bampton was the last stop on our journey. It is one of the oldest towns in England. Archaeological evidence suggest it was established in the iron age, and was occupied during the Roman era. It is often mentioned in the doomsday book of 1086-a financial document, commissioned by William the conqueror, to find out how much his kingdom was worth.
Bampton used to be self-sufficient, with 25 to 30 shops. It’s still a beautiful village, with a proud heritage. Even though it doesn’t have as many shops and businesses, it still has five public houses/pubs.
The big draw in Bampton is the fact that Downton Abbey, the TV show, was filmed there. According to our guide, not much else goes on in Bampton. We
visited the Church of Saint Mary’s the Virgin, as well as church gate house. The church was originally built in the 10th century and then was remodeled in 1270. Services are still held there today as well as many community activities. I was impressed by the condition of the church and buy the mini old graves in the cemetery.
Once we left, Bampton, we headed back to London, had a quick dinner, and headed back to the Balmoral house to pack. We were leaving our favorite place to fly to Dublin to join a tour of Ireland, for this adventure will continue.
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