A castle by any other name… Stokesay plus a glimpse of Wales by da-AL

da-AL Architecture, Blogging, Church, England, Europe, Flamenco & the Sitting Cat, History, Love, Novels, Sacred Spaces, Self-Publishing, Travel, Uncategorized, Vacations, Walking, Writing
The lush moat and land around Stokesay Castle make me smile!

Oh, England, your castles are fabulous living museums, each unique and wonderful, let me count the ways of them… Wait — never mind — according to this list, there are over 2,500 of them if one counts ‘fortified manor houses,’ a.k.a. castles too! After London, where we visited the British Museum here and here and here, then Bath, and Avebury, a little of Wales with Stokesay Castle, then Harlech and Conwy and Penrith and Ullswater, as well as later the Kelpies of Scotland…

(L-R) Stokesay Castle gatehouse, courtyard, manor, church, and graveyard.

Stokesay Castle of Shropshire, England, is a manor (an important house owned by important people) with enough fortification to deem it a castle even though it was more of a house than a… Well, dear reader, hopefully by now you get the idea…

Stokesay Castle gatehouse features interesting wood carvings.

Built mostly in the 13th century by leading wool merchant Laurence de Ludlow over another castle that continues to partially survive, it’s regarded as the finest survivor of its type. It’s so impressive that there’s a sort of replica of it in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Stokesay Castle is amazingly well preserved.

There’s the gatehouse with fabulous carvings featured on Wikipedia, the courtyard with a well, and the main part that includes a couple of towers, and a hall.

If I woke to these beautiful views each morning, I’d wonder if I were still dreaming.

The views are marvelous from any angle. I love promoting fellow WordPress bloggers — there are more photos of Stokesay Castle at this blog and at this one.

Green as far as the eye can see surrounds Stokesay Castle.

There’s a charming graveyard at a church alongside the manor.

Fortunately, my honey and I were only visiting the graveyard next to the church.

“Flamenco & the Sitting Cat” and “Tango & the Sitting Cat,” my upcoming novels, feature romance between an older woman and a younger man, so this gravestone especially intrigued me. Violet Enid Grace Dawson nee Richard, (18th April 1899 – 14th September 1991) was 18 1/2 years older than George Frederick Dawson (25th September 1917 – 27th October 2010)! So sweetly were they buried together that surely they were happy together…

Hoping the couple buried here enjoyed a good times together…

On our way to the rest of our U.K. adventure, we spent a night in Wales. Who knew that in the market town of Dolgellau we’d eat delicious Indian food and homemade bread at a pub near the 200-plus-year-old bed and breakfast where we slept. Ty Seren is Welsh for Star House. Our following morning began among hikers and cyclists, all of us chatting over our mouth-watering hot Welsh breakfasts thanks to our charming hostess/cook, Sharon Watkins…

If we had more time, we’d have delightedly stayed longer in Dolgellau, at Ty Seren with Sharon Watkins.

What’s the oldest place you’ve ever slept in?…

39 thoughts on “A castle by any other name… Stokesay plus a glimpse of Wales by da-AL”

  4. I travelled around Wales once with a friend, that was nice … nostalgia … 😉 I will make a note of that B&B, one never knows … 😉

    The oldest building I slept in was Hotel Dagmar in Ribe (Denmark’s oldest city), built in 1581, but it has not been a hotel from the beginning. The rooms are furnished with old antique furniture, every room differently, it is quite an experience. The restaurant of the hotel is fine as well, and at about 9 p.m. the city guardian comes with staff and lantern into the restaurant and sings his song. (Trying to lure you to Denmark … 😀 )

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  7. Thank you for sharing a part of your life and the beautiful pictures!!.. 🙂

    Until we meet again..
    May love and laughter light your days,
    and warm your heart and home.
    May good and faithful friends be yours,
    wherever you may roam.
    May peace and plenty bless your world
    with joy that long endures.
    May all life’s passing seasons
    bring the best to you and yours!
    May the dreams you hold dearest
    Be those which come true
    May the kindness you spread
    Keep returning to you!
    (Irish Saying)

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  8. What a wonderful post – I love traveling with you, Daal. We’re trying to update our HVAC system – I can’t even imagine the cost of update that beautiful castle. But it sure is fun to imagine waking to those views, walking those grounds.
    I got to stay in Bangor, Wales, a trip after graduating high school. It was beautiful but I wish I’d applied myself to enjoying the area and residents more and less to being a silly American teenager.

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  14. You were obviously delighted by your U.K visit and thrilled by the history you embraced so enthusiastically. It’s a shame you spent so little time in Wales…the country has more castles per square mile than any other country in Europe! They however, have stood, else crumbled to ruin for hundreds of years and will always be there for you to return to.

    Travel broadens the mind and satisfied our curiosity. So pleased you had a most enjoyable time in the U.K.

    I must say, Ty Seren is a great name for a house! To sleep in a star, ’tis the stuff of dreams! 😀

    Hoping all is well. Have a great weekend.

    DN

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