Monthly Archives: September 2023

Let’s start today with a pub quiz question.  Who was Queen Adelaide? Did you even know Britain once had a Queen Adelaide?   Would it help if I told you that before her engagement to a royal duke she was … Continue reading →

This week’s post is going to continue the story of the gardens at Belvoir from the rebuilding of the castle in the early 19th century through to the current ambitious restoration project. Historic England’s  description of the site gives no … Continue reading →

Alan Titchmarsh calls  Belvoir “everyone’s idea of what a castle should be”.  However, while it might look like an impregnable fortress in fact it’s  a “fake” stronghold, built in the mediaeval style in the early 19thc. It is the fourth castle on … Continue reading →

Last week’s post ended with this rather strange picture of the Virgin Mary sitting in a garden with a unicorn in her lap and the Angel Gabriel dressed as a hunter chasing after it with dogs.         … Continue reading →

If I asked you to think about mediaeval gardens  I’m sure a few things would quickly come to mind…. monks, monasteries and herbs and then if you recall paintings you might have seen  on Christmas or greetings cards you might … Continue reading →