September 1, 2015 - Stratford upon Avon and Warwick

We had an early start to a busy day! We left Tyler’s at 5:45 this morning and dropped him in Birmingham, about 1-1/2 hours north of here before heading back to Stratford upon Avon. I did the driving and Tobey navigated – quite an entertaining combination! The GPS had a hard time getting us out of the business complex in Birmingham and back on the M42 south, but with a few “take the fourth exit out of the roundabouts” (u-turns) we managed to get back on the road! Traffic going south was horrible and the 45 minute drive took almost 1-1/2 hours! Oh well.

We arrived in Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare around 9. After parking the car, we found a nice little café and had a breakfast of eggs on toast and tea. Our waitress was a college student from the University of Oregon who was spending her summer holiday working in England.
Just around the corner was William Shakespeare’s birthplace and childhood home.
We took a tour of the childhood home where William Shakespeare was born and lived. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway (not the actress) and they spend the first five years of family life here.

We entered through a museum which houses original copies of many of his works, as well as other interesting artifacts of Shakespeare’s life, before coming into the back garden of the house.

It was interesting to see the house where Shakespeare was born in 1564 and see what life night have been like for young William. We met one of his “father’s journeymen” in his leather business and learned how he made his living.Shakespeare's birthplace was a fascinating house that offered a glimpse into the early world of his life.

As we headed back to the carpark, we had to take note of the Jester Statue at the corner of Henley and Windsor Streets. The inscriptions read “O noble fool, a worthy fool” and “The fool doth think he is wise but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”

From Stratford upon Avon, we headed on to Warwick to see the castle. Warwick has a long and interesting history. As early as 914AD, Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, ordered the building of a 'burh' or an earthen rampart to protect the small hill top settlement of Warwick from Danish invaders.
In 1068, William the Conqueror built a motte and bailey fort, consisting of a large earth mound with a timber stockade around both the top and base. The picture below is The Mound, the oldest part of the Castle.

In 1088, Henry de Beaumont was appointed the 1st Earl of Warwick. For hundreds of years the castle passed through the Beaumont family. Much construction took place - wooden structures replaced with stone, towers and a dungeon built, and the barbican was built. The barbican is the outer defense of a castle or walled city, especially a double tower above a gate or drawbridge.

In 1604, King James 1, a Scottish king of England, gave the castle to Fulke Greville., along with the title of Earl of Warwick. Warwick Castle remained in the Greville family until 1978, when they sold it to The Tussaud's Group, part of the Madame Tussaud Merlin Entertainment.

We took the 12:30 Great Hall and Staterooms Free tour. Our guide, Richard, was fantastic. We were both nervous when we saw there were probably 50 people in line behind us thinking it would be hard to hear. Everyone was quiet and respectful and he did a fabulous job explaining the history of the castle – all without a microphone!

The Greville family had a penchant for parties and spending money. In 1871, fire swept through the private apartments, damaging the Great Hall before being controlled. When they needed to restore that part of the castle, they were the first family to apply to the government for financial assistance. The Great Hall is not restored to its original look because they spent half the money they received on parties, but it is still very impressive. There is a huge collection of armor on display.

I loved the ceiling in the Green Drawing Room – a reception room for men – even though I would not have been allowed in the room!

The chapel was simple, yet beautiful.

We were amazed that we could go through so many rooms in the castle and there were no ropes keeping visitors away from the artwork, furniture, or displays. The castle is said to be haunted, so maybe if you touch anything, Sir Faulke Greville’s ghost would get you!

We took the small climb to the top of The Mound. The view over the Castle property was beautiful. We could also see the church tower of St. Mary’s Church of Warwick located in the city.

At the end of our visit we went to hear about the “Horrible Histories” of the castle. It was a funny, yet informative, review of the history of Warwick Castle. We did not stay to see the show which showcases the birds, but we did visit their enclosures. These are just a few of the birds at Warwick Castle.



We didn’t take advantage of everything you could see or do at Warwick, but still enjoyed seeing the castle and learning more about its history. To really see everything we probably needed at least 6 or more hours. (They did offer a senior discount admission price – only $17.40 pounds – $26.50 USD – so we saved about $8 pounds per person!) For more information, you can check out Warwick Castle history at https://www.warwick-castle.com/explore/history-and-restoration.aspx
We headed back to Birmingham to pick up Tyler and manage to not get lost or make any wrong turns until we got into the business park! YEAH. I felt more comfortable on the road – driving on the wrong side as it is!

Back in Oxford, Tyler had a business dinner so Tobey and I had some dinner and relaxed. Tomorrow we will try the walking tour of Oxford. By the way, my leg is getting better and better!