AnglOrony

Another visit to London for training reasons had been arranged in the new headquarter of our company. It happened to be just around another tourist's hot-spot .  A quick walk along the Tower Hill strikes with places rich in power and the past. This is the most important area not only in London's history but the whole of the British Isles. Tower of London view from the north side Among the many royal palaces and castles on the British soil, the Tower of London is a symbol of British history .  Surviving from the earliest moment of the Norman conquest in 11th century , its layout has been established by the 13th century and remained largely intact. Tower Hill Underground Station Most of all, it is a symbol of the Norman   ruling class that invaded Anglo-Saxon Britain a thousands years ago, that built castles and palaces and had been granted privileges and land.  The remains of this rule and a social divide are still present in the British society.  The a...

Inside-out it feels more like a museum but it is a fully working Royal household . One of the three official residences of The Queen, Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest home in continuous occupation in the world. A fortress rather than a palace - it had been established by William the Conqueror after his jarring conquer of Britain in 11th century.  The imposing towers and walls of the Castle emerge from every angle of the little market town of Windsor.  From having such a powerful resident, the town had enjoyed many privileges from the start and it continuous to be so. It had been one of the wealthiest towns in England in Middle Ages, the pilgrims to St George's Chapel were spending sums of money, like the tourists do now.  The prosperity however ended with Henry VIII Reformation technique, banning such superstitious practices, and the presence of the monarch sort of choked off the development into a larger town or city. The royals liked the terrains to stay ...

Conwy castle is one of the four finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th-century military architecture in Europe granted the UNESCO World Heritage Site . The other three are the castles of Beaumaris and Harlech and the castles and town walls of Caernarfon. All are located in North Wales in an area called Gwynedd (different to the county of the same name). Below, what used to be the main entrance to the castle on the West Barbican , from different angles. The castle was built on a rocky coastal ridge over River Conwy  estuary - it borders it from the south and east side, a strategically important point. It had been erected in late 13th-century, along with the outer fortifications, by  Edward I , while conquering Wales, to demonstrate English power over the land. The English kings and Welsh princes had been fighting for the control of the region for over two centuries, since the Norman conquest.  From the north, the castle now stands next to Conway Road wit...

Lancaster could have been called the Windsor of the North , where the magnificent home of the Queen dominates the idyllic landscape. Both have connections to the Royals, both have huge castles dating back to the Norman times, some 1000 years ago; both are tiny little towns with big history, charming alleys, nicely built streets with neat old houses. The major difference is - in Windsor Castle lives and meets the top of the British society - this is Kings' and Queens' official residence; in Lancaster Castle, the bottom of the society has been put behind the bars - it has served as a prison for a thousand years... As we walk (and read) along, we'll learn about loads more of grim stories, of which the most famous is the one that inspired Game of Thrones and that of the infamous Pendle Witches . The castle does not look immensely impressive upon ascending in the Summertime - the trees thick leafage covers most of the structure. Only the Gatehouse is visible (upper an...