Witley Court

There are four main marvels at Whitley Court.  A ruined mansion, its huge manicured grounds, a rococo style chapel, and a massive, elaborately decorated fountain.

The mansion was dramatically gutted by fire sometime in the 1930's.  Today you can wander around it, guided by an audio tour, and marvel at its grandiose architecture.  The huge grounds, complete with a large pond, and rose garden, provide manicured paths for your strolling pleasure.  Attached to the remains of the mansion is a (still intact) rococo style church that used to serve the residents.  Definitely don't miss this.  We haven't seen anything like it outside of the continent!  Bring a picnic to eat on the lawn behind the manor and check out the magnificent fountain.  It's main sculpture is Perseus fighting the sea monster and it still erupts every 15 minutes by using pressurized water from a reservoir somewhere uphill.

Liverpool

Beatles fans, ahoy!  Liverpool is a lively city on the rise with a moody wharf (or quay, pronounced "key"), full of restaurants, shops, and all things Beatles.  You can tour the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, too, but you'll need to book those tours in advance.  They're not too expensive, there's just limited space.  Liverpool Cathedral has some of the most impressive bells in the country, so be around for the chiming of the hours if you want to have a listen. 

Down House

In a tiny country village just outside of London, lies Down House, the home of Charles Darwin. A visit the house is not just a lovely dose of countryside quiet, but also a fascinating journey into the life and character of the world's most famous scientist.  

His home life was classic Victorian, complete with children running to and fro, sledding down the stairs, and games of backgammon every night.  Tour his greenhouses, where he undertook so many experiments, and wander the garden path where he did so much of his thinking.  An audio guide walks you through the furnished part of the house, and a self-guided exhibit upstairs tells you more about the man and his work. 

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Greenway

If you're an Agatha Christie fan, then make the trip out to her beloved seaside home called Greenway in Devon.  Perched high above a river, on an island, the best way to access it is by ferry (parking is VERY limited, and must be pre-booked).  Visits to the house are by guided tour, then you can wander the grounds to your heart's content.  For people who aren't interested in Agatha Christie, it's just a big furnished house, but it's still a memorably beautiful spot.

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A la Ronde

This is a wacky old 16-sided house that overlooks the sea in Devon.

Mary Parminter, the wacky woman who built it over two hundred years ago, inherited his big fat business fortune, but she didn't just sit around waiting for suitors with $$$ in their eyes to put a fancy ring on her rich little finger.

Instead, she packed up her stuff and marched off to Europe, taking her sister and two girlfriends with her.  And the four girls toured Europe for 10 years, because why not?


When the girls came back from Europe, two of them decided to build their dream house by the sea, all on their own.  And they wanted it to have 16 sides and diamond-shaped windows, because why not?  And they covered the upper level of the house with seashells in intricate designs, and made friezes out of feathers in the living room. 

Dove Cottage

William Wordsworth's charming cottage nestled in the Lake District countryside.  Arrive in April and you will see seas of daffodils in bloom! 

Hilltop

Beatrix Potter's super-quaint home, nestled in the heart of the beautiful Lake District.  You will recognize many spots from her illustrations.

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The Eden Project

They took a gigantic lifeless abandoned mining pit and turned it into the garden of Eden.   

I tell you it's amazing.  The whole pit is now full of lush green plants of every imaginable kind BUT, as if that weren't cool enough, they decided to go ahead and build a few giant biomes, because hey, there's nothing good on TV right now.  They're the biggest greenhouses in the world! 

It's called the Eden Project.  And outside, it's England, where the weather hardly ever throws you a bone, but inside....paradise!  Like, literally, tropical paradise.  With waterfalls and exotic birds and lush, beautiful plants from every tropical environment.  It's been called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Warwick Castle and Warwick town

Warwick Castle (avoid embarrassment by pronouncing it correctly: "War-ick"), the largest castle in England still in one piece, is a grand piece of architecture and history!  The Earls of Warwick, who lived at this castle, have historically been some of the most powerful nobles in English history, at times even more powerful than the king himself!  

Warwick castle was a private residence for centuries, famous in the Victorian era for extravagant parties and being the center of aristocratic gossip and scandal.  Now it is open to the the public, furnished as it was in its Victorian heyday, and you (yes, you!) can wander the grounds, the house, the guard towers, the torture chamber, with your imagination (and costumed re-enactors) conjuring up a dramatic past.  Warwick castle is one of the most popular tourist sites outside of London, and it actually deserves it.  So cool! 

Warwick, the town around the castle, is also very historic and has managed to preserve its Medieval flavor nicely.  Wandering around Warwick is like stepping back in time.  Plenty of museums, parks, horse races, antique shops, and--of course--ghost tours await you.  Our first visit to Warwick is what actually inspired us to move to Warwickshire later.  You'll love it!

Extras:

The Mill Garden. There's a gorgeous garden along the river below the castle, with a great view.  Escape the crowd and take an extra hour there to unwind, reflect and soak up the English countryside.

For an extra awesome view of the castle rent a rowboat from St. Nicholas Park upstream of the castle and row practically right up to the castle walls.

There's a good ghost tour that runs a few nights a week.  Coordinate your timing if you're into it!  

Recommended Reading: 

 Terry Deary's Horrible Histories: Stratford-upon-Avon (fun kid's history book that actually talks a lot about Warwick)

About the legend of Guy of Warwick, here. 

Stratford-upon-Avon

For some reason, everyone knows the town where Shakespeare was born.  Sure, you don't know the birthplace of Thomas Edison, Gandhi, Columbus, or JK Rowling, but you DO know where Shakespeare was born!  This fact is a tribute to Stratford-upon-Avon's tourist bureau.  The marketing of the town is genius, but, (and here I must strongly disagree with other guidebooks like Rick Steves), this is no tourist trap but a place oozing with charm and history that is also "real".

We lived close by, and we never got sick of this place.  It's got everything.  You could spend half a day, you could spend a week.  It's an absolutley charming town with a world-class theater company, quaint shops, great restaurants, fun activities, street performers, markets, row boats on the river, horse racing, and all that's in addition to the retinue of Shakespeare-related properties you can visit, all of which are really different and really interesting.

The town has a quirky flavor, and tons of charm, besides being a grand celebration of all things Shakespeare.  You could spend the day visiting only sites about Shakespeare, from his birthplace to his grave, but simply wandering the town is also a delight.  The town is chock-full of fascinating little spots to visit, from Europe's oldest magic shop to a butterfly house to a barge cruise on the River Avon.  There are also ghost tours every night and several houses that claim to be England's most haunted building!
 

A visit to the Royal Shakespeare Company in the recently remodeled Swan Theatre is not to be missed.  Seriously.  Even if you don't like theater, you simply must go.  You'll thank me later.   This is Shakespeare performed by the best in the world.  You must get your tickets in advance!  Rsc. org.uk. 

Recommended Restaurants:
Carluccio's on Waterside - best Italian hot chocolate north of Italy
Hussain's Indian Restaurant on Chapel Street - perhaps best in UK?  get peshwari naan
Garrick Inn Pub - 14th century pub, awesome atmosphere, classic English experience
Barnaby's Fish and Chips on Waterside - famous fish and chips
Cafe Rouge - delicious French food, breakfast is especially good (get the croque madam)
Check out the candy/fudge shops in Henley Street near Shakespeare's birthplace

Recommended Reading:
Read the Shakespeare play you are going to see at the theater.  It makes the experience so much cooler!

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Minster Lovell Hall

Once upon a time in the 1400s, evil Richard III snatched the English crown for himself. He did this by having the true King and the King’s little brother murdered, and they were both just little boys. Their bodies, dead or alive, were cemented into the stairwell at the Tower of London. Anyway Richard III and his malevolent cronies were still revelling in the power and glory they had so dubiously achieved when Richard’s cousin showed up and killed Richard on the battlefield. {This is the end of the Wars of the Roses, which you may have heard of.} But this story isn’t really about the Wars of the Roses. It’s about one of Richard’s malevolent cronies, Lord Lovell. Because when I learned about his fitting and miserable end, I just had to go see the place where it happened.

When he saw Richard die in battle, Lord Lovell knew he was totally screwed and headed for the hills. He was one of the richest guys in England, at least until the moment Richard was run-through with a sword, but he knew that all of his wealth and property would be seized by the new king, and he himself would be executed in a manner like unto Braveheart. So he ran to one of his more out-of-the-way houses, Minster Lovell Hall, hoping to buy some time while they searched all his bigger mansions. It’s in a really lovely spot, by a pretty stream in a tiny village. I would hate to go to such a peaceful spot knowing full well that I was likely soon going to have my intestines pulled slowly out of a hole in my belly while I screamed. But I digress. He had to hide. Like really really hide. He had a small secret room made in his house that was only accessible through a secret door with a secret key. He dismissed all his servants, retaining only his most loyal old butler. He gave this most loyal butler the key and tucked himself away in the secret room. For years and years he lived locked away in a claustrophobic little place, and his butler would sneak him some food everyday.

Better than execution, I suppose, but then the old butler died. And there was no one around to tell about the secret room or the secret key or the secret Lord in there who needed to be fed. And Lord Lovell, locked inside, slowly starved to death!

That was the story anyway. People talked about it for a couple hundred years after the fact, but no one really thought it was true. Then in 1708, while doing some remodeling, the owners of the house knocked down a wall and discovered a secret room -- and a human skeleton inside! (And also the skeleton of a dog; he must’ve had some company.)

Since then the house has become a skeleton itself. But it’s still by a beautiful stream, in a hauntingly serene and pretty spot. It’s another one of those smaller attractions (with no tourists in sight) that is just as impressive/creepy as, say, the Tower of London with its skeletons of children in the stairs. Speaking of which, who sealed those boys in the stairs? Lord Lovell perhaps.

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