British Studies Dover Castle and Canterbury
June 11, 2016

Today I took the optional trip to Dover Castle and Canterbury.
Dover Castle

















The current Dover Castle was built in the 1180's by Henry II. The high ground on which it stands has had a man-made fortification upon it since before Roman times. The medieval castle has only been attacked once when it endured a long siege by an invasion force led by Prince Louis of France in support of English barons rebelling against King John in 1216.
Primarily a castle is a defensive citadel. The high ground gives a vantage point to better see invaders. Surrounded by a great ditch, it is hard to traverse the immediate land without aid from the bridge. The walls are very thick and steep, with few openings. Inside there is more defense in the further reinforced keep.
  
During peace-time, the castle continued to serve many functions. It garrisoned troops, was the center of local village life, was a hotel for visiting royalty, and provided an appearance of strength to any foreigners.
   







I hung out with Brandy on this trip and we visited the Tower. Filled with medieval reproductions, this area allowed us a peek into some of the furnishings and customs of the past.





   

Once we climbed to the top, we gained a beautiful vantage point where we could see the town below.

After the this, we went on to see the Saxon Church and belltower.










  
This is the belltower. As we were approaching it, an otherworldly screech came from inside the tower. Brandy said, "That must be the home of the catgoat." CATGOAT!

My phone made this beautiful panorama for me.
Movie: Age of Ultron (I am a Marvel fan and parts of this film were filmed here in Dover Castle).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LIS 580 British Studies
Parlaiment
June 24, 2016

Image
Parliament Today we toured Parliament . The day after the Brexit vote and security did not disappoint. There were no lines and when we approached the ticket booth we were told that a docent would have to go get our tickets using the confirmation number from our pre-purchased reservations. After showing our tickets to the armed guards at the gate, we walked through a railed courtyard to another security point. This was much like other security checks with metal detectors and x-ray machines. I was welcomed by officer Gavin who waved me through with two thumbs up, "Stellar!", and a wink.  Tony was our guide and our tour began in the Central lobby. The tiled mosaics that form the headers for the four doorways leading from the lobby are the Saints that protect the UK: St. Andrew from Scotland, St. David from Wales, St. Patrick for Ireland, and St. George for England. The stonework and statues that form the walls are Kings and Queens of England.  The Parliament bu
Read more

LIS 580 British Studies
The National Library of Scotland, The Edinburgh Central Library, and the University of Edinburgh
July 1, 2016

Image
The National Library of Scotland Before our tour of the Edinburgh Central Library we hung out at the National Library of Scotland.  Here we toured the interactive state-of-the-art John Murray Exhibition. Some of us also got our Reader Card (thanks Cherie!). The Edinburgh Central Library Then we crossed the street to the Edinburgh Central Library . Our hostess and guide was Fiona Myles, Library Development Officer.  The Central Library opened in 1890 as the first public library in the city. Funded by a Carnegie grant, Carnegie actually laid the founding stone of the French Renaissance style building.  We began our tour in the B3 Level. This used to be the newspaper room. It is now the Edinburgh and Scottish History Collection. The B1 level holds the Music Library and meeting rooms. It has an exhibition space that, at the time of our visit, contained an exhibition on WW1. The University of Edinburgh New College Library In the afternoon we went to
Read more

LIS 580 British Studies
National Maritime Museum Library and Archive, Greenwich
June 15, 2016

Image
We traveled via the Ferry to Greenwich and even saw a Brexit protest on the water! National Maritime Museum Penny Allen, Librarian and Stawell Heard, Archivist were our guides through the  National Maritime Museum  (NMM) Library and Archives. We were given the opportunity to see some of the items that are part of the collection. Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the English Channel. The collection holds his qualification papers for the Merchant Marine, certificate of commendation for when he tried to save a shipmate who fell overboard, a crew list where he is listed as Master Mariner of the Emerald (captain), and several illustrations of his daring do. We also saw materials relating the heroics of Captain James Spratt during the Battle of Trafalgar, where he boarded and enemy vessel by swimming across to it (with his sword in his mouth!). The collection has tickets to the funeral and procession of the great Admiral Lord Nelson's body. Sometime
Read more