England
Recent Articles
Horse Guards
During our family trip to the United Kingdom, we visited Horse Guards in London, where Erin stood beside a mounted guard and his horse. It was an opportunity to encounter a tradition that continues as part of everyday life in the city: soldiers on horseback carrying out ceremonial duties at a historic royal entrance. Horse […]
Warwick Castle
We visited Warwick Castle during our family tour of the United Kingdom. Its massive stone walls and towers brought us face to face with the kind of fortress that had helped shape England’s history. Behind those defenses were generations of families whose wealth, alliances, and ambitions could influence who wore the crown. The castle began […]
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey holds an extraordinary range of lives and stories within its walls. Monarchs have been crowned here, writers and scientists honored, and an unknown serviceman laid to rest among some of Britain’s most recognized figures. Visiting during our family vacation in the United Kingdom gave us a chance to consider how one place became […]
The Shepherd Gate Clock
At first glance, the Shepherd Gate Clock looks familiar: a round face, Roman numerals, and hands marking the time. Look more closely, however, and the dial reveals twenty-four hours instead of twelve. The hour hand makes just one complete circuit each day, pointing downward at noon and upward at midnight. Installed outside the Royal Observatory […]
The Tower of London
During our family vacation in the United Kingdom, we encountered the Tower of London, a fortress whose history reaches back nearly a thousand years. Seen from the Thames, its stone walls suggest the protection it offered those within, and the difficulty of leaving for those held there as prisoners. William the Conqueror began building the […]
Madame Tussauds
Coming face to face with people from another century was part of the appeal of Madame Tussauds. We had to include this wax museum in our family vacation in the United Kingdom. Figures such as Beethoven and Mozart gave familiar names a physical presence, offering a playful way to encounter people whose music and stories […]
Cutty Sark
During our family vacation in the United Kingdom, we visited Cutty Sark in Greenwich. Its tall masts and intricate rigging offered a connection to a time when moving goods across the world depended on the wind, the design of a ship, and the skill of its crew. Launched in Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1869, Cutty Sark […]
The King’s Arms
During our family vacation in the United Kingdom, we came across the King’s Arms on King William Walk in Greenwich. Its brick exterior, hanging sign, and flower-filled window boxes were part of the streetscape we encountered while exploring the area. Behind that familiar pub frontage is a story preserved partly through the memories of local […]
The Lions of Trafalgar Square
Four enormous bronze lions rest at the base of Nelson’s Column in London’s Trafalgar Square. The column commemorates Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died during Britain’s victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Although the column was completed in 1843, its now-famous lions were not added until more […]
County Hall
We have stayed at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall a couple of times while visiting London. Its location on the South Bank of the Thames, beside Westminster Bridge and directly across from the Houses of Parliament, makes it an especially convenient place from which to explore the city. Yet the building offers more than […]
Roman Baths
When our girls were young, we took them on a trip through England. One of the places we especially wanted to visit was Bath, so we drove into the city and toured its famous Roman Baths. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Romans built an elaborate bathing and religious complex around Britain’s only natural hot springs. […]
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
This photograph of Emily was taken outside Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in Shottery, a small village just outside Stratford-upon-Avon. We had come to explore the places connected with William Shakespeare, but this house tells a story from before the plays, the Globe Theatre, and the fame. It takes us back to Shakespeare as a young man […]
