England
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Grampa & Gramma
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:03 pm
England
We flew from Dublin to Bristol and drove only a short distance south to Axbridge, Somerset. Great great grandfather Henry Swerse Bright was born there in 1815. The town was established in the 10th century, the church (St. John the Baptist) was built in the 15th century, and has undergone several (recent) renovations.
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- We looked in the graveyard for Brights but found none. One Swerse. The phone book and historical records for Chedar, 2 km to the east, has a lot of Swerses. Swerse was the big man in Chedar! Great grandfather Henry J. was born in Bristol in 1839 and moved to Illinois where grampa Andrew Reeves was born in 1877. We haven't found any records of the Brights in Bristol yet.
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- The town square (with good pubs for breakfast and lunch!) There used to be a central market cross but now a parking lot.
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- High street, much as it was "back then". King John's Hunting Lodge on the left, now the town museum, and the blue house on the right is for sale for +L300K!
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- We stopped in Glastonbury on our way to our cottage. Glastonbury Abbey was destroyed in the 16th century but it is still an imposing place. It is the "New Age" capital of England now! Our cottage was in Somerton to the south, and very comfortable. Somerton is a 17th century town that still looks the part. The cottage (semi-detached!) is newer.
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- The Somerton town square, with rebuilt market cross (hexagonal "gazebo" once the site of the cross).
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- Glastonbury
Russ & Judy
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Grampa & Gramma
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:03 pm
Re: England
Salisbury Cathdral - we had a wonderful tour, just the three of us most of the time. A classic!
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- The West Front with all the Saints, each with the symbol of their mission so that they are all identifiable!
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- I want a tomb like this but I'll have my cat carved into it!
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- We lunched at the Haunch of Venison on the square. Guess what I had!
Russ & Judy
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Grampa & Gramma
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:03 pm
Re: England
From one cathedral to another, this time the 4000 year old one at Stonehenge! No Druids were there when we were! When I was there in 1995 you could still wander among the stones, but not now - too many people! We also visited the 3rd century Roman Baths at Bath. It is pretty amazing - they had different temperature pools, saunas, steam-heated floors, etc. Bath was our only really, really rainy day.
We also visited gardens near Illminster. We also drove out to Lyme Regis on the Channel/coast, where it was misty and rainy, like it should be!
We also visited gardens near Illminster. We also drove out to Lyme Regis on the Channel/coast, where it was misty and rainy, like it should be!
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- Stonehenge
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- Bath
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- East Lambrook Mannor Garden
Russ & Judy