Rollright Stones - Oxfordshire

Today was the second day of our "Ancient Stones of England" tour. Yesterday was the famous Stonehenge. Today we visited the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire. While not as famous Rollright stones still provide a glimpse into England's mystical past.

The Rollright stones are actually three separate formations in close proximity to each other.

The King's Men stone circle: the number of stones are supposed to be uncountable. We all did try to count them but came up with different numbers. Many of the stones have broken over the 4-5000 years that the stones have been there.

The King's Stone which is just across the roadway. The stone sits on top of an ancient burial mound. A previous excavation of the mound has discovered an ancient burial urn.

The Whispering Knights is just down the road (1/4 mile or so). There are a number of stones in this formation somce of which are the size of King's Stone. These stones all appear to be leaning towards each other whispering some ancient secret.

This page contains much of the folklore that surrounds these 3 structures.

Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral

Stonehenge is just a bunch of rocks but yet it is so much more. It sites right between the fork of two roads and is easily accessible. The audio tour was a definite must if you ever visit. You learn about the construction of the various cyles of the henge and its possible uses. Also surrounding Stonehenge are a large number of barrows (ancient burial mounds) that were added at later dates. Leading from Stonehenge across a field and between two sets of trees is an ancient roadway that may have been used to bring the large stones from the sea.

Two things make Stonehenge amazing. The first is purely physical. How did the builders of Stonehenge get the stones there and, then, how were the worked & placed exactly where they were supposed to go. The second amazing aspect is mystical. What was Stonehenge used for? Nobody will ever know.

Our second stop of the day was to the famous cathedral in the town of Salisbury. The construction of the cathedral took 38 years (1220-1258). Its famous spire was added a generation later. The nativity scene that surrounded the altar was very neat. Large white angels hung down from the ceiling and almost appeared to be flying. In a separate building from the cathedral proper was the Chapter House. In this building one of the original 4 copies of the Magna Carta is on display. This copy dates from 1215. There are tower tours where you get to climb the tower (404ft tall) but they weren't running while we were there.

London: Harrod's & The Royal Victoria and Albert Museum

Today we took the train to London again.

Our first stop of the day was to the world famous Harrod's Department Store in the Knightsbridge section of London. The big difference compared to other department stores is the collection of luxury goods: mink coats, caviar, top designer clothes, etc. People come from all over the world to shop at Harrod's. If I had brought a cooler I would've picked up some meats & cheeses. But since we weren't heading right home and was good.

Our other stop of the day as to the Royal Victoria & Albert Museum located a short walk from Harrod's. This album was a little different. Its collections are all centered around different techniques: plaster, glass, iron, crystals, etc. A number of the exhibits were under renovation but it was still worth the visit.

Warwick Castle

In early November we went to Warwick Castle about 45 minutes north of Croughton on the M40.

The first mention of a structure at this location was in 914. With Danish invaders threatening, Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, orders the building of a 'burh' or an earthen rampart to protect the small hill top settlement of Warwick. In 1068, William the Conqueror built a motte and bailey fort on this location. In 1260 the castle as it looks now began to take shape. During the Civil War a royalist prisoners were placed in the dungeon and once scrached a note on the wall

Nov - Dec Update

Things have been pretty normal here. Since the time change it is dark at 4:30. A few mornings we've had hard frosts but the weather hasn't been too bad.

On Dec 1, a collegue and I went to see a Southern League (soccer) Cup game between Brackley Town and their local rival, Banbury United, who plays one division up from BTFC. The Brackley stadium has around 180 seats. Admission was free and the local newspaper, Banbury Guardian, reported that there was 720 people at the game. We stood on the side opposite the seats. It was a great atmosphere and BTFC won 4-1!.

On Nov 14th, I started coaching a girls section at the Sunday youth training at Brackley Town. Colin also goes to training with the U7's. We have practice every Sunday but will have off from mid-Dec - mid-January. The field is very muddy which makes things interesting.