You can see the mound behind us![/caption]Britain is full of wonderful hidden gems. One of these is Fotheringhay, It's in Northamptonshire, not far from Peterborough, and is a place full of both history and beauty.
Fotheringhay is a gorgeous, very small village which we visited simply because I remembered going there as a child and being fascinated by its history. I've always been interested in the Tudors and this was the place given to Catherine of Aragon by Henry VIII, and where Mary Queen of Scots met her end, being imprisoned, tried and then literally losing her head in the castle's great hall, in 1587.
The castle itself was built over 1000 years ago, in around 1100. A king who has been very much in the news, Richard III, was born there in 1452 and soil from the castle - blessed by the Bishop of Leicester - will be used at his reburial tomorrow. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will also sprinkle a portion of the sample into Richard III’s coffin.You approach the castle via a footpath and it is now basically a mound, flattened on the top, which you climb up - only the earthworks and a conical motte remain. There is no building, and yet it's still a great place to visit. The climb is fun, the views are gorgeous (you are right beside the river Nene) and it's very peaceful.
[caption id="attachment_1120" align="aligncenter" width="940"]
The peaceful Nene Valley in Fotheringhay[/caption]Fotheringhay also has a beautiful church and an array of lovely stone houses. It also has a delicious restaurant, the Falcon Inn, where we sat down for a spot of lunch. However, it is a tiny village, so it won't take you very long to see what's on offer. Enjoy this taste of history!
We loved being in the country and have linked up with Country Kids this week!
If you like history, you may enjoy:
Visiting Selby Abbey, nearly 1000 years of history
Winchester, Wolf Hall and more
Looks like a lovely day out! Beautiful scenic views!
ReplyDeleteAshleigh x
I adore history and I love visiting places with a heritage slant to them though I've never been to Fotheringhay, like you I have a keen interest in the Tudors.
ReplyDeleteAngela
Your country is so rich in history, Sarah. I think your blogs deserves the award for brilliance in blogging, so I nominated you.
ReplyDeleteAnda, that's so nice. Thank you so much! And yes, I love all the history in the UK (and elsewhere too)
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Fotheringhay before but the castle sounds typical of the ones I like to visit. Great views too!
ReplyDeleteHi There,
ReplyDeleteLove your blog. I have just nominated you for a Liebster award If you’d like to accept and pass along the love, here’s all the information http://www.thewanderingmum.com/blog/liebster-award
I look forward to your future blog posts.
Amy (The Wandering Mum)
Fortheringhay looks absolutely beautiful. I love the shot looking down the valley. I could look at that all day! I've never heard of it before, but it looks like somewhere we would love.
ReplyDeleteWe're studying the Middle Ages this year and have followed Richard III in the news a bit. Love the pictures & history you've shared in this post -- it really does look peaceful!
ReplyDelete~Lee
It really was - a lovely place to visit
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! As an English and History teacher, I am a big fan of traveling to historic locations - what a cool place to visit!
ReplyDeleteIt was a great place - especially as it had the different connections. I love English and history - you are teaching two of my favourite subjects!
ReplyDeleteBritain sure have a rich history....and this place is one of those amazing historical places that we have here in Britain.
ReplyDeleteI was actually wondering where was it the other day - thanks!
ReplyDeleteEngland's countryside is beautiful and it is a shame to only visit London when travelling!
ReplyDeleteThis was a good history lesson, thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. I love history so this seems like a great interest to me. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteits amazing how our ancestors got to live in castles I know my English ones lived in them
ReplyDeleteWow, that's amazing. I don't think mine did!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of Fotheringhay before (what a cute name) and it certainly does look very pretty!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading the best book about Richard III by Josephine Tey. It would be great to see more of the country where he was born.
ReplyDeleteI love that book - it's fantastic. That book helped to change a lot of people's opinions about Richard too.
ReplyDeleteI always love posts that shed light on regional towns. Such an authentic part of each region.
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