Having been a recent convert to the National Trust and English Heritage, I find myself seeking out places to visit during the weekend and here are some of my favourites. My enthusiasm, as you will see, has even led me to visit independently owned properties too! Little gems all. If you visit Goodwood House for the…
Category: Historic Heritage
The beauty of architecture: The Grange at Northington
There is something very appealing about a partially derelict building – and something very sad about its abandonment too. My visit to The Grange at Northington evoked both of these emotions but principally, the great pity of an unloved but beautiful house. The track leading up to the mansion is basic, to say the least, but…
The Garrison Church – a memorial to the fallen
When walking along the seafront, close to Old Portsmouth, I often passed The Garrison Church without really thinking much about it. Finally, one day, seeing the doors open, I entered the building and became intrigued as to history of the site. Research tells me that it was originally part of “Domus Dei”, a hospital founded in 1212…
HMS Warrior
I fleetingly remember the excitement shown by my mother, an ex-writer wren, when HMS Warrior came to town in 1987. I seem to recall Warrior tea-towels, place settings, mugs and key rings being given to us for birthdays, at Christmas and well, at every opportunity. So truth be told, I never really wanted to hear any…
Singular Statues: #11 Sir John Betjeman
It was only when reading coverage of Martin Jennings’ recent statue of Charles Dickens, just unveiled, that I recalled that I have seen his work – and admired it – before. It’s at St Pancras International and it’s a statue dedicated to Sir John Betjeman who was instrumental in the fight to save Sir John…
A dream fulfilled: exploring a fort
I grew up in Fareham and Portsmouth so the Victorian land fort defenses on top of Portsdown Hill and the sea forts just off Southsea Beach were on my background radar as places of great interest and intrigue during my childhood. I was fed stories about all the forts being connected by secret tunnels which…
Venerable Ruins – Stonehenge
Give me the scoop on Stonehenge then, I asked my friend who had visited on many occasions when we passed by recently to see these venerable ruins. Old stones – prehistoric, she replied succinctly. Whilst maybe accurate, you really want a teensy bit more, don’t you when you visit. So – with guidebook firmly in…
Pawprint Series: Portsmouth to Arundel Canal
Having a dog is a great way to investigate a city you thought you knew well. Looking for new and interesting walks for The Hound has certainly lead me to discover parts of Portsmouth which I didn’t know existed. Having driven past it on the Eastern Road when travelling into Portsmouth, I decided to park…
Pawprint Series: Staunton Country Park
Staunton Country Park came as a very pleasant surprise to me as I had no clue it even existed – well, technically, I guess, it actually didn’t until 1987. It is a listed landscaped parkland and forest, encompassing approximately 1,000 acres of land near Portsmouth, Hampshire. The land it covers was actually a grand…
a3traveller.com 