Very jealous of its traditions, Great Britain has to offer to the visitor much more that mysterious castles or picturesque villages. The literature, the visual arts and architecture form, with the very diverse landscapes that one there meets, the inheritance of a nation in balance between the needs for the modern world and its traditions.
Great Britain was never invaded since 1066, and the inhabitants knew to preserve their traditions. The Romans who unloaded into 43 remained three hundred and fifty years, but their culture and their language were quickly swept by the people come from the north of Europe which succeeded to them. The bonds of the island with Europe were slackened in XVIe century when the church Anglican replaced the catholic tradition.
Great Britain is member of the European Community today, but it cultivates its nonconformism jealously, even if he applies to small details like the fact of leading on the left; the opening of the Channel tunnel hardly seems to affect this essential feature of the national character. The architectural heritage of Great Britain is rich in old castles, cathedrals and beautiful residences surrounded of landscape parks. The inhabitants are very attached to their habits, from the simple village dances to the great monarchical ceremonies.
Great Britain is a small island made up of a mosaic of very varied areas, whose inhabitants knew to preserve their cultural identity. Scotland and Wales for example are distinguished fundamentally from England, since they have their own legislative assemblies.
The south-east of England at a glance
The areas which surround London today correspond to the layout of the old Saxon kingdoms. Each one profits from the proximity of the capital, while having in heart to preserve its characteristics. It is in this part of the country that the universities, the palates, the castles, the residences and the cathedrals are which were the theatre of the outstanding events of the history of the country. The landscape around is harmonious and calm - hills green and round, flat fertile of East Anglia, long sandy beaches of the edge of the English Channel.
Blenheim Palace is a masterpiece of framed Baroque architecture of very beautiful gardens. The buildings of the university of Oxford are a kind of anthology of the English architecture of the Middle Ages at our days. Christ Church College is the most important building.
The castle of Windsor is the oldest royal residence of Great Britain. The round tower dates from XIIe century; it then supervised the accesses of London by the west.
The cathedral of Winchester was built in 1097 on the ruins of a church saxonne, but the city itself was already an important bastion of the Christian Church since VIIe century. The northern porch is typical English Gothic.
The cathedral of Ely shelters some of the most beautiful sculptures of all Great Britain. The current octagonal cupola was built in XIVe century, after the collapse of a first tower Norman; it dominates the marshy plain alentour.Sur the campus of Cambridge, the buildings of the university alternate with gardens and lawns. The vault of King’ S College is a masterpiece of the architecture of the end of the Middle Ages.
The cathedral of Canterbury is the spiritual center of the church Anglican. She shelters stained glasses - in particular those of the western part of the nave - which count among most beautiful of the country and the frescos of admirably preserved XIIe century.
The royal House of Brighton was built for the Prince regent; it is one of the most beautiful monuments of the country. The cupolas and the minarets drawn by John Nash are inspired by the architecture of the Indies. The house recently restored found its splendour of antan.
West at a glance
The west of Great Britain forms a longe peninsula, broadside in north by the Atlantic and the south by the English Channel, which finishes in Land’ S End, the most extreme point of the island. Cultural tourism in the large cities, walks romantic in the loneliness of the moors and the prehistoric, or simple monuments stroll along the coasts of an area to the soft climate, whatever the type of stay which they chose, all the holiday makers are under the charm!
Exmoor. The covered moors of heather and the wooded valleys where live in freedom of the wild ponies and the stags stop abruptly with spectacular cliffs of Devo.
Wells, charming brood city with the foot of the hills of Mendip, is famous for its superb cathedral with three turns whose rich person western frontage decorates himself of a crowd of statues. Not far, you will be able to see the episcopal palate surrounded of ditches and the enclosure of the cathedral, which dates from XVe century.
At St Ives, an appendix of Tate Gallery introduces contemporary artists having chosen to work in the area. This very coloured work of Patrick Heron forms part of the permanent collections.
Dartmoor is an at the same time vast wild place (945 km2) and of a great beauty. The landscapes are punctuated bridges of stone, villages picturesque and jagged granite rocks.
Bath, “bath” in English, owes his name with the old Roman thermal baths located at the heart of the old city, very close to a splendid medieval abbey. With his lines of houses of the XVIIIe century to the frontages color of honey, conceived by John Wood the Old one and John Wood the Young person, Bath is one of the most pleasant towns of England.
Stonehenge, arranged in several times from 3000 before our era, is a known prehistoric site of the whole world. It would act of a sanctuary dedicated to the sun-worship. To move and raise the enormous stones represented a true exploit.
Salisbury is proud of its cathedral, whose slim arrow inspired one of the most beautiful tables of John Constable. The enclosure counts remarkable medieval buildings.
The gardens of Stourhead, inspired of paintings of Lorraine and Chick, are a true work of art. The artificial prospects, plays of shade and light, small monuments as the neo-classic Pantheon which is detached on a bottom from greenery very studied constitute a whole of a great beauty.
Wales at a glance
The landscapes of Wales, splendid and varied, invite to many activities: to climb the tops, to go in the forest, to fish in broad rivers or to benefit from a virgin littoral on kilometers. The English holiday makers appreciate the many seaside resorts for a long time of them. One does not count the castles, the abbeys in ruin, the large residences and the cities with remarkable architecture. One should not especially neglect the deeply impregnated Welsh culture of Celtic traditions.
Posted: January 14th, 2008 under Travel in general.
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