Read part 1 of our adventures in: Warwick Castle
This was taken just before my mum-in-law and I gave the men the slip. Men can get so testy on road trips!
Back to the tour then:
Medieval Living
Okay. I know I had flu but I'm struggling to find out why there was a Henry VIII exhibit at the castle even though he never had any history there. I think the purpose of the castle is to show you how people lived through the ages so this part of the exhibit gives a beautiful glimpse into medieval privileged living.
Chapel, Great Hall and State Rooms
The castle went into a state of disrepair in the late sixteenth century and the name of Warwick itself became extinct as the last Earl of Warwick, Ambrose Dudley, died in 1589. In 1604 the castle was given to Sir Fulke Greville by King James I. Greville converted the castle into a country house and some of the opulence and beauty of that time is reflected in these rooms.
Royal Weekend Party
This last bit was lovely because it was so tangible. The story revolves around an event in 1898 where Daisy, Countess of Warwick hosted a weekend party at which the Prince of Wales and Winston Churchill were guests.
And finally, I don't often post pictures of myself because I am shamelessly vain but here is a self-portrait:
Such wonderful photos Emm, thank you for taking me along with you. I hope you and the family have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteJodi
What a lovely journal post about your visit. I really enjoyed it. Maybe someday I'll get over that part of the world to see for myself. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting that they have those waxwork figures there. From your pictures they look quite good, but sometimes I think they over-do it. I went to a French château, Château d'Ussé which had what looked like shop window dummies dressed up to do scenes from Sleeping Beauty. They were awful! On the other hand, I visited Drake's house near Plymouth and the local re-enactment society (I think that's who it was) were there in costumes, some "working" in the kitchen, others acting out various little scenes, and they were very good indeed.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what a fabulous place! I can't wait to go myself. I loved your SP :-)
ReplyDeleteAh they may have been rich but they certainly don't look happy - I'm sure Henry's ex-wives (at the very least) would agree with me ;) Then again waxworks have always given me the creeps - then again I've seen worse - at least they don't project moving faces on them like some exhibits I've been to. My mother dragged me and my sis to every stately home and castle in London and the South East as kids - I don't think we got as far as Warwick - thanks for the insight.
ReplyDelete@ Jodi: Thank you for coming along!
ReplyDelete@ Mrs Mecomber: Thanks for stopping by - your blogs are awesome! I think perhaps I will get over to your side of the world before you get over to mine!!
@ Sheila: I have seen some pretty sad wax models in the past. I wonder if these aren't in better condition because it is the Tussaud's group? I was expecting Madame Tussauds to be a bit tatty actually but when we visited last month they also seemd to be well kept. So were the models in Drake's house real, live humans??
@ Going2Oahu: Thanks for stopping by! You have lots of blogs!!! How do you keep up!?
@ JAPRA: Yes - you just have to go! Try go for one of their special evenings in the summer perhaps?
@ Graffiti: Hiya! I really like your blog so thanks for stopping by here. I can't imagine it must have been much fun as a child - it's better to develop interests in this type of thing as you grow older, I think. At the Doctor Who exhibition, they had this funny projection onto David Tennant's face (well, the model) and it was just plain weird. It did not look like a proper human being - it was just wrong. So yes, I agree with you - wax models can sometimes be creepy.
Great shots Emm! JJ and Jezz would LOVE to visit and see castles. Maybe when we move to Europe we will do a tour of castles. But that will take a while....for now we are in SA.
ReplyDeleteYes, the "models" in Drake's house were real live humans, and they were there to answer questions too, really quite knowledgeable. I hadn't realised Warwick Castle was part of the Tussauds group. That would explain it.
ReplyDelete@ Mireille: There are forts in South Africa that you could see, even if they aren't Medieval Castles! By the way - have you been to Maropeng yet?
ReplyDelete@ Sheila: I like the idea of the models at Drakes. Gosh - so many places I want to see in this country! Yes - I didn't even know there was a "Tussaud's Group" before our trip but they do a very good job.
We loved Warwick Castle. Went there when they had the ice rink and the Jack Frost character wandering the grounds.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they ask "were your ears burning" in England or South Africa to really say "I was talking about you." So I won't say that because it might be confusing to you. Check out http://halfirishrover.blogspot.com/2009/01/badges-we-dont-need-no-wait-yes-we-do.html
I was talking about you!
@ Fantastic Forrest: An ice rink sounds awesome! It would go really well with the festive vibe at Warwick Castle! Thanks again for the award!
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