Stewkley, England

We left London and went north a little to Stewkley, to spend a week with our friends from NY.  Joyce and Walter are from England and now spend part of the year there.  We had a taste of village life in England and it was a very enjoyable week.  We went to the Harvest Festival service at the local Methodist church and had a wonderful ham dinner there with an auction.  We also got fresh eggs at the egg farm and had scones and tea in a house from the 16th century.  Doug played golf twice with his NY golf buddy, Walter, and we just had a pleasant, relaxing week with very good friends.

Joyce and Walter showed us their old stomping grounds at Oxford.  It included the Famous Turf Tavern (down allies and buried within some buildings), the Bear, and other just as famous Oxford landmarks. 
















Seems the taverns have a friendly competition as to who is the oldest.  The Famous Turf Tavern claims 1381 and The Bear claims 1242.  It was a sunny, warm day and we had a good time.  Even got treated to a typical Oxford sight, the rowing team.

St. Albans

On another day, Doug and I toured St. Albans Cathedral which is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain.  Alban is honored as the first Christian martyr of Britain for refusing to renounce his new Christian faith and being put to death in the 3rd century.  He was buried at the site of the Cathedral and for over 1700 years, pilgrims have come to pray for healing at his shrine (built in 1308).  The Cathedral has one of the longest naves in Europe.  Parts of it go back to the 11th - 13th centuries.  The High Altar Screen was erected in 1484 but the statues were taken out during the Reformation.  They were restored during the 19th century.

We also toured Blenheim Palace which is the home of Winston Churchill.  It is also the seat of the Duke of Marlborough.  Churchill was not in line for the Dukedom or he could not have been in the House of Commons.  I think he was a cousin to the Duke and I never did understand why he was born and raised at Blenheim.  They have a nice exhibit area about the lineage of the Dukedom, the history of Blenheim, and the history of Churchill.