Category: Travel
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Weekend’s at Ditchley Park
Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire Though I didn’t make the short drive from Oxford on Saturday afternoon to see Ditchley Park, I recently read an interesting story about it in the Churchill biography by Roy Jenkins. I’ve always heard that Ditchley Park was offered to Churchill during Second World War because the weekend house for…
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Churchill and the Order of the Garter
Winston Churchill received the Order of the Garter in 1953 This past May one of the commemorative events for Churchill 2015 was held at the spectacular and resplendent Blenheim Palace. In 1705, Queen Anne presented Blenheim Palace to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, on behalf of a grateful nation. Second World War Prime…
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Burning Moments that Can Change History
East Bergholt, Suffolk The country house ‘Stour’ was purchased in 1957 by Randolph Churchill, son of the Prime Minister, upon deciding to move from London. It’s still in private hands, and we were quite fortunate to be able to visit due to the generosity of its current owners, Mr & Mrs Kelly. The organisers of the…
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Churchill’s Beloved Chartwell
Chartwell, Westerham, Kent We had a visit to Churchill’s beloved Chartwell on Wednesday morning. One of his private secretaries related a delightful story about each time the PM would arrive at the gates of the driveway. As one makes the final stretch of the drive, you come up a hill and then wind down and around…
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Time for a Pint at Ye Olde Bell
Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire This past Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to meet Randolph Churchill for the first time. What a name that would be to live up to. He’s the great-grandson of Sir Winston, grandson of Randolph and his first wife, Pamela Digby [later Harriman] and son of Winston S Churchill MP. His Grandmother is…
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The Duchess of M
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire At present, I’m sitting on the fast train out of Oxford Station heading for London’s Paddington Station. [Insiders tip: On the weekends you can buy a “Cheap Day Single” and upgrade to First Class for ₤5.] It’s late morning and after a lovely breakfast at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford where we’re…
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Full Rear Assault
White House Hotel, London I was pleasantly engaged in a chat with three fellow travelers on my journey and all of a sudden, from behind, a full rear assault by a woman of a certain age and a somewhat familiar face. She stormed me from behind and I didn’t see it coming whatsoever. She forced her…
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A Swords Length in the Commons
White House Hotel, London On our tour of the Houses of Parliament, we continued on from the House of Lords through the Central Lobby which is the lobby that lies between both of the houses of parliament. The rules of the House provide that any constituent, at any time can come into this lobby and demand…
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The Palace of Westminster
London We had an 8:45 departure this crisp Monday morning from the hotel. First stop The Palace of Westminster or more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament. I have been to London many times before, and there’s much to see but I’ve never been to visit the inside of the Houses of Parliament prior…
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A ‘Full English’ on the First Morning in London
Endel Street, London Time for a ‘Full English’ breakfast I had an excellent night’s sleep last night after being out at a drinks party at a friend’s flat over in Marylebone until 1:30 AM. What jet lag? I’m sitting here at a small sidewalk café just off Covent Garden after having had an excellent little…