English Heritage

Yes; who can deny the rich history ?
On one of the local rides around the country we inevitably reached Avebury; the place of castles and English Lordships and formidable wars of King Richard and contemporaries?

Old Sarum speaks of a site which houses extinct castles but nevertheless with its history still intact.

We entered the site with a fee... someone told me that it is a shame that we have to pay quite a bit to visit the site especially so when you visit churches...

The exact spot on a piece of map.

The Royal Residence of Kings of the past.

This reminds me of the Cambodian trip I made last year with my colleagues where I learnt the rich history of Cambodia through ruins, maps, and drawing on the walls.

Doesn't this remind you of some of the scenes you watch on movies?

Dad is most intrigued whenever HBO shows tell stories of King Richard, King Arthur and every other war about England. He will be glued and tell me English history through the stories and I will oblige by nodding and later fall alsleep. You can imagine his excitement when he walked up that wooden bridge just like when the soldiers entered the castle through the bridge on a moat.

Yes, we actually saw the moat; but it has been cleared of water now; only covered by natural growth.

From a height as you enter the place, we were again treated to a lovely sight...so windy and picturesque.

There on that spot with traces of a past building shows the the site of the extinct castle. The natural wild flowers add further beauty to a place already so beautiful.

A walk into the site was greeted with a common well; the place where gossip mongers gathered and talked till the cows come home. Where is this common well in our country? Everywhere.

As mentioned earlier in Emsworth, the local soil is mainly flint stones; very hardy and suitable for building purposes. We believe the castle must have been built with such stones which are able to withstand stormy weather.

Even after thousands of years, the site boasts of a serenity known to the past as a place suitable for agriculture, growth and family gatherings. But little do I know the actual history... there could have been fierce fights and wars. Why do we have to fight so much in life? After all, it is only a life and we should learn to live well.

This further depicts the material and site of courtyards and verandas ... what should we be thinking as we walked about ? We are thankful we have a chance to see it !

Dear Sara with a scarf around her walked up and down savouring in the beautiful place.
It was chilly.

Look at the flint; so prominently emplaced.

This country roadshow is a real treat to the girls. They told us that on their own it would not have been possible for them to travel so far and wide around the countryside. This is one occasion they sure love to have their parents around them. Who would take care of them best? Dad jokingly reminded them that when pa and ma get older, will they too bring us around like what we do to them? Good question dad. The Chinese though have a saying...it is easier to look down than to look up meaning; it's natural for the older ones to fend for the younger, 'defenceless' ones. Let's put it this way. We love the girls and it's a pleasure to have them around us whenever the opportunity allows. Hope they don't grow up so fast !

It's a huge effort to gather them now that they are all over. More to come; we hope.

So good bye to Old Sarum as we made our final exit on the bridge across the moat.
Unforgettable.

English Heritage.