Real Britain Company News…

We are not long back from a visit to the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides. Many visitors to the UK and Scotland get as far as the Inner Hebrides (think Skye and Mull) but very few make it out this far into the Atlantic! Not as ‘pretty’ as Skye and no Munros (greater than 3000 ft mountains), their charm lies in the very many ways it is so different from the rest of Britain. Gaelic is still widely spoken. All the islands are still actively religous; the southern islands of Barra and South Uist have a majority Catholic population, the northern are staunch protestants of one sort or another. Finding anywhere open on a Sunday is a challenge – like the rest of Britain 25 years ago.

I could go on …….however to the point of the blog. One of the major attractions of Harris are the spectacular hills made of some of the oldest rocks on Earth formed almost 3000 million years ago. Next weekend sees the start of the inaugural Isle of Harris Mountain Festival

The Conwy Honey Fair dates back more than 700 years to the reign of King Edward 1st, when local beekeepers were first given the right to sell honey within the walls of the North Wales town, every September 13th, from midnight to midnight, without charge. Unlike many other specialist fairs which have diversified beyond recognisition, this fair still maintains it’s tradition of being principally about honey and bees.

The air show at The Imperial War Museum, Duxford near Cambridge (used to be plain old RAF Duxford) is one of the high lights of the year for those who have an interest in aviation. This year the heart of the display is a celebration of the Spitfire which is 75 years old.

At the other end of the social spectrum from the last post, today is the big switch-on day for the lights along the promenade at Blackpool. Billed as the greatest free light show in the World, the lights have been going on at Blackpool since 1879! Catch a tram, grab some fish and chips and eat them al fresco – what else could you want?!

One of the major horsey events of the season at the lovely Burghley House in Linconshire, one of Britains’ finest stately homes, built and mostly designed by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587. This year they are celebrating the events’ 50th anniversary. This year Princess Anne, who won the individual European Championship title in 1971, will be there to present the prizes.

I must start my series on castles with the one closest to us. In 914AD Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, ordered the building of a ‘burh’ or an earthern rampart to protect the small hill top settlement of Warwick from Danish invaders. In 1268 William de Beauchamp beacme Earl of Warwick and founded the dynasty that will last 148 years and bring Warwick Castle to the height of its fortunes. The Earl’s of Warwick had a tempestuous history (see Warwick castle for details). However the present owners make much of Richard Neville who, during the Wars of the Roses, helped to depose both Henry VI and Edward IV, earning himself the title of Kingmaker.

The castle is well preserved and a great day out particularly for children, but it is very expensive to get in and many believe it is spoilt by over commercialisation. However it provides one of the best sights in England when viewed from the bridge in the town or Mill Street gardens.

Ever wondered what exactly is an Aunt Sally? The term now is used generally to describe an idea which is floated in order to stimulate discussion. It usually ends up being torn to shreds, and this gives us a clue to the origin. Aunt Sally is a game which is still played in pubs around Oxfordshire. Batons are thrown at a wooden skittle called a doll. The origins are uncertain but it came to popularity in Victorian times when the doll was dressed as an old maid. With thanks to The Online Guide to Traditional Games

Until we started this business I didn’t realise just how much Britain is associated with castles, and indeed, didn’t appreciate just how many there are!
Most of the fortifications that we consider as ‘proper’ castles were built during the Middle Ages (c.1000-1500). Unlike most other buildings, such as a church, a house or an inn, they served more than one purpose. A castle was a home for its owner and family, a place where guests could be entertained and often the local centre for administration and justice, but it was also built strong enough to defend its occupants while acting as a base from which attacks on neighbours or more distant enemies could be launched. Later buildings, which are often still referred to as a castle or have the word castle in their name, served only a single purpose, as forts built purely for defense or stately homes built solely as a residence.
Extracted from CastleXplorer with thanks

Over the coming weeks I am going to ‘explore’ some of my favourites.

Every year around this time a number of people jump off Worthing pier, on the south coast, and plummet into the sea with wings of various designs strapped to their bodies. It is a competition to see how far ‘human powered flying machines’ can fly before hitting the water. Most last about as long as it takes to jump off the pier but there are some serious competitors too. This year the longest flying time was 14.78 seconds.

Dumfries House, near Cumnock in Ayrshire, is considered to one of the UK’s most important 18th Century classical houses. In June 2007, HRH The Prince of Wales, under his title as the Great Steward of Scotland, headed a consortium of charities and heritage bodies to purchase this unique house, its contents and adjoining land, in order to keep this historical jewel intact and accessible to the public and to act as a catalyst for regeneration in the local area.
This year the Prince opened the newly refurbished house for the Summer season.