After leaving Cornwall, we travelled to the Isle of Wight by ferry from the south coast of England. It was only a 35 minute car ferry ride on a lovely summer’s day. There were two attractions to see; ‘Osborne House’ and the tourist steam railway.
Osborne house was built as the family home for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Here they could live as a family with their 9 children for 3 months of the year. At Osborne House the family could be away from the palace routine and resume a more normal family life. On display are plenty of family paintings and the original furnishings are still in the house. Including the bed in which Queen Victoria died in while staying at Osborne House. In the nursery are a collection of family trees for each child. The tree shows how Queen Victoria arranged the marriages of her children they were all married off to various heads of European Royal families. Today in many of Europe’s noble or royal families are great great grandchildren of Queen Victoria including Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II.
Photo 3135 Osborne House
The beaches along the Isle of Wight have beach huts for hire as this sign explains
Isle of Wight Railways
Photo `1246 Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight steam railway runs one or two train sets along a branch line that junctions to the electrified passenger line at Smalltown junction.
The Isle of Wight steam railway runs one or two train sets along a branch line that junctions to the electrified passenger line at Smalltown junction.
The “suburban” electrified line uses ex London Transport underground trains that have been pensioned off into the sunshine above ground. This is an extreme example of re-cycling!
Island Line train Photo 1268
Oxford
From the Isle of Wight we travelled back to the mainland and then on to Oxford.
One of the first things we noticed on our visit to Oxford was the hundreds of students and their push bikes. We decided the best way to see Oxford was on a 90 minute walking tour. The walk took us into 3 colleges; New College, Exeter and Lincoln, each of these colleges have their own church (chapel), dining room and library
Photo 1282 Inside quadrangel of an Oxford college
Our guide explained college life and tradition as well as showing us the tree filmed in the 4th Harry Potter film. We also visited the college that was the setting where Inspector Morse (of the BBC TV series) had his fatal heart attack in the final episode.
One of the first things we noticed on our visit to Oxford was the hundreds of students and their push bikes. We decided the best way to see Oxford was on a 90 minute walking tour. The walk took us into 3 colleges; New College, Exeter and Lincoln, each of these colleges have their own church (chapel), dining room and library
Photo 1282 Inside quadrangel of an Oxford college
Our guide explained college life and tradition as well as showing us the tree filmed in the 4th Harry Potter film. We also visited the college that was the setting where Inspector Morse (of the BBC TV series) had his fatal heart attack in the final episode.
Photo 3215d This photo shows the entrance to the Bodelain library.
It is here on graduation day that around 200 students walk from the library to the next building which is the theatre were they receive their honours. We were not able to see the library as the public can only see the library on a library run tour and they were all full for the day. Overall the town of Oxford is best seen by walking around.
We visit a ‘Cold War’ Bunker in the suburbs of York
Between 1961 and 1991 England built many bunkers across the country. This was as a reaction to the tense relationship between Communist Russia (USSR), the USA and the rest of the Western World referred to as the ‘Cold War’ period. The one we visited had been built in the suburbs of York.
Photo 3223
The bunkers were staffed by trained volunteer observer personal. The purpose of the bunkers was to monitor the effect of the blast and fallout of radiation if (when) a nuclear bomb was dropped on England. The information gathered would be forwarded onto the authorities. The bunker had a communication, and a decontamination room designed to seal off the bunker on or after any devastation from the outside world. All of this was sitting in the backyard of many English suburbs, it did look out of place and from a bygone era.
The bunkers were staffed by trained volunteer observer personal. The purpose of the bunkers was to monitor the effect of the blast and fallout of radiation if (when) a nuclear bomb was dropped on England. The information gathered would be forwarded onto the authorities. The bunker had a communication, and a decontamination room designed to seal off the bunker on or after any devastation from the outside world. All of this was sitting in the backyard of many English suburbs, it did look out of place and from a bygone era.
Hi Dorothy and Gary, Lucky you, really want to see Orborne house as members of my family (History) worked there as cooks and wheelwrights. Lovely trains too Gary. I like the steam engines the best!
ReplyDelete