ENGLAND – SURRY, SUSSEX and KENT (Brighton, Canterbury)
Day 4 Sat April 27 (continued for London)
Bluewater, Greenhithe. A large triangular shopping mall on two levels. There is no concentrated food court and I finally gave up trying to find Burger King.
Statue of Princess Pocahontas, Gravesend:. A statue of Pocohontas in a church graveyard. The dates on the monument were
Old Tavern Fort. It is a well-preserved 18th-century fortification and remained in use for defensive purposes until the Second World War. It was built during the American War of Independence to guard the Thames against French and Spanish raiders operating in support of the newly formed United States of America. It was redesigned and rebuilt in the mid-19th century to defend against a new generation of iron-clad French warships. By the start of the 20th century, the Thames defences had been moved further downriver to the estuary and the fort was disarmed.
ROCHESTER
Rochester Castle. Has a 12th century keep, but most is a ruin.
Rochester Cathedral. A lovely ancient cathedral dating from the 11th century. Closed when I visited.
High Weald National Landscape. Forest, hedgerow and open fields.
ON Pevensey Bay parking lot. A shingle beach with hundreds or wood posts to prevent erosion.
Day 5 Sun April 28
The Towner, Eastbourne. A civic building holding the Towner Art Gallery with the Turner Collection 2023 Free, theatres and other venues, it is four-story glass on one side and a multicoloured paint scheme.
South Downs NP
Beachly Head Lighthouse. Park and walk about .4 km to the top of the Beachy Headlands cliff (up to 535′ high). The 153′ high, red and white stripped LH sits on the beach. It was built in 1902.
Alfriston. A village with a population of about 800, it has several stone buildings, 4 churches, timber framed houses, pubs and restaurants. Touristy.
Charleston Trust, Lewes. A tiny place with a few houses, hay barn, restaurant and galleries (none were open).
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton
Go to THAMES VALLEY AND HAMPSHIRE (Oxford, Southampton) (below)
Tentative WHS: East Atlantic Flyway: England East Coast Wetlands
Islands: Isle of Sheppey
BRIGHTON
CRAWLEY
HASTINGS
Villages and Small Towns
Chiddingstone
Ditchling
Rye
Whitstable
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Kent and East Sussex Railway
Roads, Road Bridges and Tunnels
Cuxton: Medway Viaducts
Hindhead: Hindhead Tunnel
History, Culture, National and City Museums
Dover: Dover Museum
Hastings: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Hove: Hove Museum
Rochester: Guildhall Museum
Rye Heritage Centre
Worthing: Worthing Museum & Art Gallery
Art Museums
Margate: Turner Contemporary
House and Biographical Museums
Rodmell: Monk’s House
Tenterden: Smallhythe Place
Westerham: Chartwell
Military, War and Police Museums: Gillingham: Royal Engineers’ Museum
Natural History and Earth Museums: Brighton: Booth Museum of Natural History
Maritime/Ship Museums
Hastings: Shipwreck Museum
Ramsgate: Maritime Museum
Vehicle Museums
Maidstone: Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum of Carriages
Weybridge: Brooklands Museum
Aviation Museums
Balcombe: Wings Museum
Shoreham Aircraft Museum
Railway Museums: Kent: Peene Railway Museum
Open-Air Museums
Amberley: Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre
Sussex: Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
Tilford: Rural Life Living Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Bodiam: Bodiam Castle
Deal: Deal Castle
Gravesend: New Tavern Fort
Hailsham: Herstmonceux Castle
Upnor Castle
Walmer Castle and Gardens
Religious Temples
Guildford Cathedral
World of Nature
Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Botanical Gardens
Faversham: Mount Ephraim Gardens
Haywards Heath: Wakehurst
Wisley: RHS Garden Wisley
Caves, Sinkholes and Saltmines
Margate Shell Grotto
Reigate Caves
Trails 1 – Treks: North Downs Way
Zoos
Littlebourne: Howletts Wild Animal Park
Wingham: Wingham Wildlife Park
Aquariums
Brighton: Sea Life
Hastings: Blue Reef Aquarium
Planetariums: Herstmonceux: The Observatory Science Centre
Theme Parks, ‘Fun’ Museums and Miniatures
Brighton: Toy and Model Museum
Chertsey: Thorpe Park
Chessington: Chessington World of Adventures
Kent: Diggerland theme park
Margate: Dreamland Margate
Beaches
Margate Beach
Whitstable Beach
Well-being
Shepherd Neame Brewery
Oxney Organic Estate
Lighthouses
Broadstairs: North Foreland Lighthouse
Dungeness: Old Lighthouse
The Dark Side: Ramsgate Tunnels
Bizzarium
Kent/Devon/Durham/Yorkshire: Diggerland
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THAMES VALLEY AND HAMPSHIRE (Oxford, Southampton)
Chichester. Small town. I wanted to see the cathedral but it did not open on time. It has a tremendously high spire.
Hayling Island. I ate here and slept here on the beach.
ON Hayling Beach. Cold and windy.
Day 6 Mon April 29
Portsea Island
PORTSMOUTH
Fort Cumberland. 18th-century defensive architecture – a pentagonal bastioned fort built by the Duke of Richmond. 1785-1810. It controlled Portsmouth Harbour and harbours to the east. Now a center of archaeology. I went to the Portsmouth Distillery in the fort.
Portsmouth Cathedral. It has had so many additions that its shape is unusual especially the large Byzantine-like nave added in 1990. Parts date to the 12th century.
Bursledon Windmill. A black brick tapering mill with a walkway, and rotating cap. Vanes are not functional.
SOUTHHAMPTON
Cobden Bridge, Southampton. An average road bridge over the River Itchen flows through Southhampton.
Southampton City Art Gallery. Almost all are bequeathed to the museum making for an eclectic collection. A large portrait of Napoleon. Free
Romsey Abby. 12th-century Norman church with a huge 3-story nave, multilobed columns and a wood arch ceiling.
Limewood Hotel. 5* luxury resort with hiking, horses and rest in the middle of a forest.
Go to ENGLAND – SOUTHWEST (Bristol, Bath etc)
DARE: Isle of Wight
Islands
Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight: Carisbrook Castle
Isle of Wight: Fort Victoria
Isle of Wight: Osborne House
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Lighthouses: Isle of Wight: St Catherine’s Lighthouse
European Cities
OXFORD
Oxford: Bate Collection of Musical Instruments
Oxford: Oxford Bus Museum|
Oxford: University of Oxford Botanical Gardens
Oxford: The Randolph Hotel
Markets: Oxford: Covered Market
Bizzarium. Oxford: The Headington Shark
Architectural Delights: Oxford: Blavatnik School of Government
SLOUGH
Villages and Small Towns
Hambleden
Henley-on-Thames
Lyndhurst
Thame
Airports: Southampton (SOU)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Caledonian Sleeper (London-Fort William)
History, Culture, National and City Museums
Burford: Tolsey Museum
Newport: Museum of Island History
Wallingford: Wallingford MuseumHouse and Biographical Museums
Alton: Jane Austen’s House Museum
Great Missenden: The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
Olney: Cowper and Newton Museum
Southampton: Tudor House and Garden
Military, War and Police Museums
Milton Keynes: Bletchley Park Museum
Winchester: Winchester Military Museums
Science, Technology and all Industry and Mining Museums
Swanwick: The Brickworks Museum
Religious and Sacred Art Museums: Dorchester: Dorchester Abbey Museum
Music, Film and Photography Museums: Milton Keynes: Național Film and Sci-Fi Museum
Sports Museums
Henley-on-Thames: River & Rowing Museum
Silverstone Museum
Maritime/Ship Museums: Gosport: Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Vehicle Museums
Drayton St. Leonard: Aston Martin Heritage Trust
Brockenhurst: National Motor Museum
Ryde: Isle of Wight Bus Museum
Aviation Museums
Middle Wallop: Army Flying Museum
Southampton: Solent Sky
Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
Railway Museums: Didcot: Didcot Railway Centre
Open-Air Museums:
Basingstoke: Milestones Museum
Chalfont St. Peter: Chiltern Open Air Museum
Chalton: Butser Ancient Farm
Rowner: Little Woodham
Castles, Palaces, Forts:
Calshot: Calshot Castle
Highclere: Highclere Castle
Milford on Sea: Hurst Castle
Newport: Carisbrooke Castle
Yarmouth: Yarmouth Castle
Vestiges of the Past: Bignor Roman Villa
Monuments
Runnymede Memorials
West End: Gordon of Khartoum statue
World of Nature
Chiltern Hills Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty
Colne Valley Regional Park
High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Botanical Gardens: Romsey: Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Trails 1 – Treks: Thames Path
Zoos
Andover: Hawk Conservancy Trust
Burford: Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
Southampton: New Forest Wildlife Park
Winchester: Marwell Zoo
Wooton Bridge: Butterfly World
Yaverland: isle of Wight Zoo
Aquariums: Portsmouth: Blue Reef Aquarium Portsmouth
Planetariums: Yarmouth: Island Planetarium
Theme Parks, ‘Fun’ Museums and Miniatures
Beaconsfield: Bekonscot Model Village and Railroad
Blackgang: Blackgang Chine
Brading: The Lilliput Doll and Toy Museum
Downend: Robin Hill Country Park
Ower: Paultons Park
Windsor: Legoland Windsor Resort
Windsor: Queen Mary’s Doll House
Hospitality Legends: Hurley: Olde Bell Hotel
Malls/Department Stores: Milton Keynes: thecentre:mk
Well-being: Bombay Sapphire Distillery
The Dark Side: Hellfire Caves
Bizzarium: National Poo Museum