Warwickshire

Christmas at Warwick Castle

Originally built from wood by William the Conqueror in 1068 Warwick Castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. It’s been home to many important historical figures, possibly the most well known being Richard Neville who was nicknamed the Kingmaker due to his actions during the Wars of the Roses. But, learning about the history of the castle wasn’t really my purpose for visiting last weekend. (It vaguely had been but it soon became clear that Christmas at the Castle was very much its own thing and I wasn’t going to learn much about the history while there – I bought a guidebook for that!). This visit was part of an annual tradition with a friend to visit a Christmas light show or market every year. We’ve done this for a very long time, only having to cancel plans during COVID lockdowns. You can read about some of our past adventures here and here.

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Throwback Thursday: All Saint’s Parish Church, Leamington Spa

Built in 1842 this Grade II listed church designed in the Gothic Revival Style, is close to Jephson Gardens and the Royal Pump Rooms. It is one of England’s largest parish churches.

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Royal Pump Rooms – Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum

Since the 1780s Leamington Spa was one of the places where the wealthy would “take the waters” for their health. In 1814 the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths was officially opened becoming the largest and most prestigious of all the spas in Leamington.

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Jephson Gardens, Leamington Spa

A friend and I picked Leamington Spa in Warwickshire as a good day trip location roughly half-way between where we each live. Our first stop was to wander around Jephson Gardens. Around five minutes from the train station the gardens, which are named for Dr Henry Jephson who promoted the town as a spa destination, were created in 1831 and have been a popular attraction ever since.

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Throwback Thursday: Leamington Spa Railway Station

Leamington Spa Railway Station was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1852 but this Art Deco designed station replaced it in 1939 and the station was Grade II listed in 2003.

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Charlecote Park

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Charlecote Park is an impressive 16th century National Trust property on the banks of the River Avon in Warwickshire. Not only are the interiors beautifully decorated, but it is surrounded by a deer park where we were fortunate to get quite close to the deer, and the River Avon is literally on its door step.

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Ryton Organic Gardens

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On a spectacularly sunny day in June a friend and I travelled to Ryton Organic Gardens, near Coventry. She’d heard about the gardens because of the on site vegetarian/vegan café and we thought it would make for a good day out.

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St Andrew’s Church, Rugby

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On one of my recent outings I had to change from a train to a bus in Rugby and found myself with roughly half an hour to spare. Taking a short walk from the bus stop I spotted St Andrew’s Church and decided to pop inside.

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Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden Part 2: The Garden

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One of the main attractions of Kenilworth Castle is the reconstructed Elizabethan garden. They have a remarkable history of their own, set aside from that of the castle. Lost for more than 400 years, the garden which Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, created for Elizabeth I has been recreated to its former glory by English Heritage. It is the first ever recreation of an Elizabethan garden on such a scale and as you’ll see, they have done a quite remarkable job.

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Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden Part 1: The Castle

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On a fantastically sunny day in June I decided to head out to Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire. It’s an English Heritage property that had been on my radar for a while because of the reputation of its reconstructed Elizabethan garden and because it had been some time since I’d paid a visit to some proper ruins. In the end it proved to be even more spectacular than I had imagined.

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