When most people think of England, it’s likely that the Queen, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben come to mind. But to experience the true heart of England and its remarkable history, you must travel beyond London’s city limits.
| Watch Editor-in-Chief Sandy Klim prepare Sticky Toffee and Date Pudding Part One Part Two |
- The play's the thing
- Breathe life into a stone
- Her infinite variety
- A dish fit for the gods
- Parting is such sweet sorrow
- Explore England through David's photos
- Treat yourself to English pudding with recipes from The Pudding Club
It was my first visit to England. I had looked forward to this trip for months, but besides flying into Gatwick Airport on the city’s outskirts, I never actually entered London. I saw none of this great city’s signature landmarks.
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| Located in the home where Shakespeare was born and raised, this bed is an era-appropriate replica. |
Buckingham Palace? No.
Big Ben? Nope.
The London Eye?
Uh-uh.
Instead what I saw was a region of England that possesses a healthy dose of history, was home to a literary genius, and overflows with some of Mother Nature’s best work.
London is a fantastic place, but THIS is England.
Located northwest of London, the Cotswolds is a classic example of England’s rural countryside, with its picturesque villages, historic castles—both preserved and in ruin—and distinctive gardens that treat your eyes to vivid colors nearly year-round. Just to the north is Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace and home of literary giant William Shakespeare.
For those visiting London, the Cotswolds is just a short drive away, yet it delivers a wholly unique experience that stands in sharp contrast to London’s most popular tourist attractions.
With the assistance of memorable phrases originally penned by The Bard himself, the following are memorable places to go, sights to see, and epicurean treats to savor in England’s Cotswolds.
“The play’s the thing”
–Hamlet
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| All Saints Church, located on the grounds of Billesley Manor Hotel near Stratford-upon-Avon. |
Technically not in the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon is located just minutes to the north, so any visit to the region begs for a sojourn to this charming market town. In addition to being Shakespeare’s birthplace, it also serves as his final resting place. His tomb can be viewed in Holy Trinity Church, just a few blocks from the home where he was born and raised, the aptly named Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. A visit to both is an absolute must for anyone who is a fan of his work, as well as those interested in learning about life in a small English town at the turn of the 16th century.
If there is anywhere in the world to see a Shakespeare play, this would be it. The Royal Shakespeare Company makes its home right where it should in The Bard’s hometown, and everyone is excited by the current transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which was originally constructed in 1932 and is long overdue for an upgrade. Although no specific completion date for the new theater has been set, it is expected to open in 2010. In the meantime, the nearby Courtyard Theatre is ably serving as the new theater’s stand-in.
“Breathe life into a stone”
–All’s Well That Ends Well
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| England's castles give visitors a glimpse into the past. |
If the walls could talk in the Cotswolds’ historic buildings, what tales they would tell! Sprinkled throughout the region are centuries-old castles in various states of preservation.
Warwick Castle has existed in one form or another for more than a millennium, with most of its current structure completed by the end of the 14th century. Today, the castle’s owners have transformed it into a Disney-inspired attraction, providing tours of its various rooms dressed with period furniture and waxwork likenesses of historical figures (created by Madame Tussaud’s), and featuring roaming performers who interact with guests while in character. These characters teach visitors about life as a serf (or a princess!) in the Middle Ages while providing an interactive photo opportunity that bridges centuries.
After visiting a castle that has been carefully preserved to give the illusion that it was recently built, the dramatic vision of the ruins of Kenilworth Castle stands in stark contrast as an example of how fragile these aged structures truly are, no matter how well they were constructed.
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| Warwick Castle and its performers provide guests with an authentic historic English castle experience. |
Kenilworth was built in the 1100s and survived numerous sieges and attacks over the centuries. Despite being built to withstand army onslaughts, though, it had no defense against the centuries of neglect that denigrated the castle into disrepair, now standing as a literal shell of its former self.
It’s not a castle, but Blenheim Palace can hold it own in beauty and history with England’s most storied castles. A gift from Queen Anne to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in the early 1700s, the sprawling estate features parks, lakes, fountains and formal gardens. Sir Winston Churchill was born in the palace in 1874 and was a frequent visitor throughout his life; the palace tour includes both his birth room and a permanent exhibit on his life amongst its magnificent stateroom collection of tapestries, paintings, porcelain and furniture.
Planning a trip around visiting English castles is a common vacation for many, but a special treat is spending the night in one of these historic structures. One castle enjoying its new life as a modern-day hotel is Thornbury Castle in the southern region of the Cotswolds. I had the unique pleasure of spending a night in this 500-year-old castle where King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed to avoid the plague in 1533. Thankfully, my visit was under much more auspicious circumstances.
“Her infinite variety”
–Antony and Cleopatra
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| Hidcote Manor Gardens. |
Mother Nature’s “infinite variety” can be found throughout the Cotswolds, from the numerous traditional English gardens to the less traditional tree garden, the Westonbirt National Arboretum.
One of England’s most celebrated gardens, Hidcote Manor Gardens features a series of outdoor “rooms,” each with its own unique character. I visited during autumn, and while much of the property was expectedly absent of color other than green, there were still quite a few “rooms” filled with brilliant hues. By its very design, individual gardens at Hidcote bloom at different times of the year, so as you pass from one space to the next, you never know what colors await around the next corner.
Another treat I enjoyed by visiting in the fall was a stop at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum. Like many gardens in England, trees and shrubs in different sections bloom at different times of the year. There were no blooms on its trees when I was there, of course, but fall colors were on full display. I spent a good deal of time admiring the National Japanese Maple Collection—aptly nicknamed “The Acers.”
“A dish fit for the gods”
–Julius Caesar
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Memorable vacations often revolve around epicurean experiences, and this trip was no different for me. As this was my first visit to England, I’m afraid I must commit the ultimate breech of dining etiquette and skip right to the end of the meal, as I had never before engaged in the heavenly treat that is English pudding. The term pudding is often used synonymously with the word dessert in England, but true pudding is a moist cake that is typically steamed instead of baked.
While many restaurants put forth great effort and take immense pride in their puddings, few can say they celebrate it in the manner of Three Ways House Hotel in Mickleton. The hotel and its restaurant are home to the Pudding Club, an organization that has successfully re-established many traditional recipes that had disappeared from the pudding landscape in England. The club’s weekly meetings feature seven traditional puddings presented and consumed amid affectionate pomp and circumstance.
Embracing its role as a champion of pudding, Three Ways House puts its guests staying onsite “in the mood” with seven pudding-themed rooms. On my visit, I had the pleasure of staying in the room named for my favorite pudding—the Sticky Toffee and Date Room—complete with a recipe for its namesake painted directly on the wall beside the bed. Talk about sweet dreams!
“Parting is such sweet sorrow”
–Romeo & Juliet
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Alas, all good things must come to an end, and my visit to England and the Cotswolds was no exception. Had I the means and the time, I would have extended my stay from one week to several more, but that is what return trips are for. I have an overwhelming urge to return to the Cotswolds and explore more of the region, but maybe on my next trip to England I should actually visit London to see what it has to offer.
Then again, maybe I can visit London AND make another stop in the Cotswolds. Because, really, can you ever get “too much of a good thing?” (As You Like It).