The British Invasion: Part II - Hampton Court Palace and Salisbury Cathedral

[shanmonster]

My tour began on Tuesday morning. knightky and I trooped down to the hotel lobby to meet our tour director Steve and our tour mates. The bus came by our hotel, first, so we had our pick of seats. We chose a spot a bit more than halfway back. As you can see, we were certainly among the youngest of the group. I think there were only two others under 55, and I'd guess the average age at around 60.



Our first stop was Hampton Court Palace. We didn't go inside the building, but wandered around the gardens.



The entrance to the palace was guarded by a variety of fantastical stone figures.



Though the grounds were beautiful, I think the architectural and artistic highlight of the tour was our next destination: Salisbury Cathedral. Built in the 1200s, the cathedral is one of the most magnificent cathedrals in England, and an excellent example of the Early English Gothic Style. Take a look at these flying buttresses.



The beauty of the place is overwhelming. I could have stayed there for years, and still not photographed even half of the gorgeous elements.



Statuary details were everywhere I looked. This smirking fellow adorned the top of a small door in the cloisters.



Stained glass windows were to be found in great quantities, of course.



The ceiling above the pews left me awestruck.



I couldn't get over how many different crafts are used in the cathedral. Here's a sample of the ironwork.



This is the ceiling of a tiny, musty-smelling side room (maybe 5x10').



The cathedral also houses battle company standards from WWII. Here's a closeup of one of them.



And here is a view of the close, which is the largest one in the UK.



After grabbing lunch, it was time to head to our next destination: Stonehenge.

To see more and larger images, check out my annotated gallery for Hampton Court Palace and the Salisbury Cathedral.

Comments

[elanya.livejournal.com]

I have to say, I am looking forward to reading more about your trip, and you are doing great (much better than I would) at actually writing it up after the fact, and doing so in manageable portions :D

I miss England!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I miss it, too! Such history. Not a spot of land there that hasn't been trod and/or bled upon, I swear.