Bannockburn is the site of the Scottish nation’s birth. Had it not been for the victory Robert the Bruce won over the forces of the English King Edward II  in 1314 Scotland would almost certainly have been absorbed into England, as Wales was under the previous King Edward – Edward I, known as Longshanks and also as the Hammer of the Scots. (Not that the intervening 700+ years have eroded Welsh identity entirely away nor the three hundred since the Union of the Parliaments diluted the sense of Scottishness.) But Scotland as we know it would not exist, its separate legal and educational system not even a fleeting thought.

While the fact of the battle is undeniable there is no archæological evidence of the actual battle site, most of the soldiers’ accoutrements being perishable, its exact location is now a matter of conjecture informed by historical sources and topography.

We visited the Visitor Centre in April. This is the major information board:-

There was also this tableau of the battle site constructed from historical references:-

The tour guide (a genial Englishman) was very informative and there were some cartoonish films no doubt intended to appeal to children filling in some of the background to the battle.

On the small hill outside the Visitor Centre there is a huge flagpole flying the Saltire of Scotland. It is situated within a rotunda:-

Inside the rotunda is a cairn which bears the inscription “For God and St Andrew Robert the Bruce King of Scots planted his flag near this spot when the Scottish patriots under his command vanquished the armies of Edward of England at the Battle of Bannockburn, 24th June 1314.” Below that is a quote from the Declaration of Arbroath, the assertion of Scottish nationhood sent to the Pope in 1320. “We fight not for glory nor for wealth nor honour but only and alone we fight for freedom which no good man surrenders but with his life.”

In the background above can be seen the statue of King Robert seated on a horse which dominates the area beyond the rotunda:-

Rotunda and flagpole seen from the path to the statue:-

View down to suggested battlefield site:-

I mentioned the village of Aldborough some years ago. The day we went the English Heritage site was closed. In September 2023 it was open.

It’s a small site up a lane in the village but it opens out into somethig more substantial. There is also a small museum attached.

We wandered round both.

Roman perimeter wall/ditch:-

A smaller (closed off) building on the site contains a Roman mosaic:-

Another mosaic:-

Information in the museum about the above two:-

This one was under glass in the museum:-

I didn’t mark the passing of former US President Jimmy Carter when it occurred on 29^th December, but do so here now.

In all his actions he seemed to be a thoroughly decent man, his instrumental part in the Camp David Accords testifies to that.

That acheivement apart, history might have got the better of him when he was in office – as it usually does for political office holders: events, dear boy, events – but in his long period of being a former President he has a large body of good works to be remembered by.

James Earl Carter: 1/10/1924 – 29/12/2024. So it goes.

Ramparts at Avebury:-

If you follow the path round you come to the outer circle of stones complete with grazing sheep:-

Standing Stones from road:-

Inner circle of stones with people communing with the spirits of the past:-

Some of the large stones at Avebury.

We were amused to see some of the people at the site hugging the larger stones as if they actually were portals to the past or of some spiritual significance. To the people who erected them they probably were; but in the end nowadays they’re just stones:-

Standing stone and rampart:-

I had noticed that Avebury wasn’t far from the direct route back north from our trip to Bath etc so made sure to visit the site on the way back up.

We parked in the National Trust car park and walked to the Henge. I didn’t realise until after we returned and travelled on that it is the main road which actually cuts through the site.

Welcome Board :-

The site is extensive and consists of several stone circles and earthworks.

Stone circle from “avenue” into the site:-

Closer view of inner circle:-

Looking back to ‘avenue’ entrance:-

Showing part of Avebury village:-

‘Avenue’ from rampart:-

I haven’t done one of these posts featuring postcards from the Empire Exhibition 1938 in a while. The tower was officially known as The Tower of Empire but was dubbed Tait’s Tower after its architect.

A colourised photo of The North Cascade and Tower by Night at the Empire Exhibition 1938:-

Black and White Photo Postcard, North Cascade and Tower:-

A Fountain and Tait’s Tower, Empire Exhibition 1938, with Palace of Engineering:-

As well as the old Roman pools and archaeology the Roman Baths in Bath act as a museum with various exhibits to see.

Head of Sulis Minerva. The Roman name for the baths (and Bath itself I think) was Aquae Sulis – the waters of Sulis. Sulis was a local goddess and was merged by the Romans, as was their habit with foreign gods, with one of their own, in this case Minerva:-

A late Roman brooch probably Celtic in origin:-

Roman coins of various denominations:-

I forgot to post this picture among the archaeological ones. This is the Frigidarium, the cold plunge pool bathers went into after the main baths:-

There were various illustrations around the walls of how certain things might have looked in Roman times. For some reason the humans depicted mainly seemed to consist of scantily clad women.

This is a video of the water inflow into the baths. (It needs tilting by 90 degrees. My video editing skills are non-existent):-

We couldn’t go to Bath and not visit the Roman Baths. It’s not cheap but there’s a lot to see and they provided us with one of those audio guides.

Baths from bath level:-

Upper level. Note sculptures/statues. Roman gods or emperors as I recall:-

View to left of above:-

Bath Abbey from Roman Baths:-

On our trip down south last year we had always planned to stop at Lichfield to view the Cathedral. It’s an impressive building, the only mediæval Cathedral in the UK with three spires:-

The West Front (above) is adorned with statues of kings, queens and saints:-

South spire:-

The east spire was shrouded in scaffolding when we were there:-

Mediæval tomb to south side (possibly of a bishop?)-

The Cathedral was badly damaged during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (once called the English Civil War.) After the Restoration of the Crown King Charles II was instrumental in having repairs done. His statue stands in this corner:-

There were also renovations carried out in Victorian times.