Geograph - photograph every grid square

On Saturday I travelled down to London on the train; I had booked a ticket to see the Holbein exhibition in the Queen’s Galley beside Buckingham Palace. My ticket was for entry at 3:15 in the afternoon. Arriving at Paddington Station with no plans for the morning and walking down into the underground to catch a tube train I was thinking of maybe going to Kensington and visiting one of the museums, but then I thought it is a reasonable day weather-wise, it’s not raining, which is a rarity...

For anyone living in the counties of Herefordshire or Worcestershire the line of the Malvern Hills is a familiar sight on the horizon. In fact, the hills form part of the boundary between these two counties, the southern slopes of Chase End Hill, the most southerly of the hills, is in Gloucestershire. The origin of the name Malvern is probably from the ancient British moel-bryn, meaning "Bare-Hill", The Malvern Hills are formed around 680 million years ago. The hills are the eroded...

If ever we needed a reminder of the importance of vaccination it is now with the world fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo The events which took place 225 years ago today in Berkeley, Gloucestershire were a milestone in medical history. In was on 14 May 1796, that Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox vaccination, a step which eventually resulted in the eradication of smallpox almost two centuries later. Edward who was a physician in Berkeley had noticed that...

I was in Ironbridge back in the summer and whilst visiting some of the museums I took a couple of photographs of the cooling towers of the Ironbridge Power Station which ceased generating electricity in 2015. Knowing the towers were to be demolished during the coming winter I thought it would be good to return when the leaves have fallen thus hopefully getting a better view of them. I’ve been thinking over visiting in recent weeks but the dull and very wet weather of November had put me...

The Battle of Worcester Worcester played an important role in the English Civil War for it was here that the first and last fighting of the war took place. The first battle was at Edgehill in Warwickshire on 23 October 1642, however, exactly one month early on 23 September the first action of the war took place at Powick Bridge just two miles from the city of Worcester. This was a skirmish rather than a battle, when the Royalist cavalry under Prince Rupert pushed back the Parliamentary...

(Approx. 5 miles) The National Trust owned Brockhampton Estate includes 1700 acres of mixed woodland and open parkland, working farms, orchards and a picturesque medieval timber-framed moated manor house. There are a number of waymarked suggested walks around the estate ranging from 1½ miles to 3¾. This walk embraces parts of three waymarked routes, the Carriage Ride, Parkland Walk and Orchard Walk, thus as the different titles suggest the walk offers variety. The walk passes through a...

The Severn Way follows the course of the River Severn from its source high on Plynlimon in mid Wales, from where it flows to the east, entering England and flowing through Shropshire before turning south and flowing through Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. If following the path downstream the way ends in Bristol which is a little odd in that the city is on the River Avon, not the Severn, though I suppose this is to reward the walker with an objective, rather then finishing somewhere on...

Climbing the tower of Worcester Cathedral Photo Having visited Hereford last week and climbed the cathedral’s tower I thought it about time I climbed the tower of Worcester Cathedral. I have been up the tower before but many years ago, it must be at least thirty years ago. I work in the city of Worcester and the sound of the cathedral’s bells are ever present. With the exception of Durham, few of England’s cathedrals are in a more attractive setting, with Worcester Cathedral...

Last month I visit Salisbury and whilst there I climbed the tower of the cathedral, this inspired me to see if it was possible to climb the tower of one of my local cathedrals. Within a radius of 25 miles of my home there are three cathedrals, Gloucester, the tower of which a climbed a couple of years ago, Worcester and Hereford. Checking the website of Hereford Cathedral I noted that the tower is currently open on Wednesdays and Thursdays and being on leave took to opportunity to visit....

Today, 4th May 2014, is the 543rd anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury, a significant battle in the Wars of the Roses. Margaret of Anjou, Queen of the Lancastrian King Henry VI and their son Edward, Prince of Wales were marching north aiming to cross the River Severn at Tewkesbury to meet up with supporters in Wales. As the Lancastrian Army headed north it was being pursued by the Yorkist Army under King Edward IV. This pursuit culminated in the bloody battle at Tewkesbury which...

Driving along the A38 into Tewkesbury on Thursday afternoon, crossing the Mythe causeway I was aware of something was different. It was one of those moments when something you are familiar with is different but you’re not sure exactly what, you know the feeling, something is missing. To my left the railway embankment between the Mythe Tunnel and the River Avon looked very different; it had been cleared of trees. Later that day I asked a friend “What’s happening to the railway embankment...

Ever since I was a small child I have been familiar with Dunstall Castle, as a child I imagined it was the ruined remains a real medieval castle. Photo Later I discovered it was in fact a sham castle, or a 'folly', one of a number built around Croome Court and its parkland for the 6th Earl of Coventry. Dunstall Castle was designed by Robert Adam in 1766/7. Over the years of neglect it had crumbled and lost its central turret. In 2009, along with the Panorama Tower Photo and...