The romance and beauty of Britain is real my friend. There is an Australian RU-vidr that lives in England and she said whilst walking round the armoury in the tower of London she realised that fairy-tales are real. I loved that she felt that because that is exactly how i feel and why i love my country so much 🇬🇧🙂 really enjoy your channel
I've been to that castle with the moat. I live in Hastings not far from Bodiam. I can confirm there are 50lb size carp fish in there. Huge buggars, but not life threatening..
Probably traps were laid and wet clothes make you heavier so in combat they would be weighed down. Ready to have a medieval sword in the throat.. Standard.
Buildings, Parks, Woodlands etc owned by the National trust are generally open to the public. You pay either a fee per visit, or about £84 as an individual member per year or £140 as a couple. There are discounts for under 25s and children. Membership allows unlimited visits to all National Trust properties when they are open. An individual visit e.g. to Bodiam Castle or Corfe Castle costs £11 as a comparison.
also hever castle is the best castle in the UK by a long margin. its peak tudor design so ascetically pleasing and not really built for defense, but visually stunning.
@@MrDaiseymay i had to do a delivery there at 8am on winters morning with heavy fog, and the guy working there was saying someone a ghost the night before, im sure he was winding me up, but still i was creeped out.
I live in a village in Gloucestershire which has a manor house which still owns many of the houses and farms, and land. It is quite feudal, but means new building is limited, and rents are kept low as they only want tenants who live full time in the village, not weekenders. It is a living, working village, full of involved people . I love living here.
"It is quite feudal" But 'feudal' in a _modern_ sense - and no bad thing: England is - for the most part - more about Evolution than Revolution. Give me a member of the Landed Aristocracy ANY day over a London-based firm of property speculators or (even worse) some jumped-up ex-politician in the House of 'Lords' (yeah, thanks for that, Tony)!
Britain is often romanticised when it’s not being demonised for its history but what you saw was the gorgeous National Parks areas and landscaped gardens. We no longer have swathes of forests or wilderness like the States. I loved visiting the States to head into woodland so vast that you can wander for days without coming to the edge. You have so much varied terrain and wildlife, I think I’ve romanticised North America! I’m proud to be British but I wish we weren’t so densely populated that we no longer have large forests.
I enjoyed your reaction to this video, especially as I once romanticised about the beautiful St Michael's Mount. I now live a few hundred yards away from the causeway and when I look across at the island every day, fog permitting, I still feel the same! 🙂
Alligators only live in Southern USA and the Yangtze river. As far as I know there are no castles with moats in those areas. You are more likely to find them in water hazards on golf courses.
no therewere no animals of any description in moats, most toilets would overhung to drop into the moat, they were basically sewerage for the castle, makes sense as to stop people swiming.
I was born and raised in a small village and I had freedom to walk along the lanes and cross the farmers fields, I now live in a town and want to move back to the place I grew up.
Smoke from the chimneys - The first time i was in the Cotswolds, was one year in late autumn (fall), with all the colours of the leaves, the green grass, and smoke coming from the chimneys of the cottages. Dusk comes earlier in the fall and that also added to the magical touch. The scene was the nearest image of a Magic Kingdom that I can remember, in all my travels round the UK.
I’ve visited three of the castles in this video, St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and Corfe castle in Dorset while on family holidays, and Bodiam castle in East Sussex which is around an hour’s drive from where I live. I’ve also visited Harlech and Caernarfon castles in Wales. The one I visit regularly is Arundel castle in West Sussex which is about 7 or 8 miles away from my house. We really do take it for granted!
You have to come over for a few weeks dude & ypu can fully enjoy your experience. To truly enjoy Britain & Ireland. So you're not rushing about to each place.
The gardens are actually more stunning from ground level. That's what they were created for and seeing them as they were meant to be appreciated is breathtaking.
You can buy membership to the National Trust for £84 per year, which gives you fee entry and parking to over 500 of their properties, including all the places you just saw. So if you ever came over for a decent length of time, it's something to consider, and an incentive to plan different areas to visit.
Whats really cool is when you visit a Castle and they have mock battles and Jousting competitions (usually put on by an organisation such as "The Sealed Knot".) The Black Knight always makes an appearence.
Castles ! Just up your street Connor 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed the video.❤ It's no use, you'll have to come to the UK, buy a National Trust subscription and go round all the castles !
I have learned Connor that you really love castles, and you also love well trimmed grass. Hope one day you can acquire a castle of your own. No, there were not any crocodiles in moats* *centuries before they did not use this word.... the water around a castle was known as "the flood"
Connor, if you're going to spend time in the UK and want to visit castles and mansions, it would probably be worth you joining the National Trust as you'd then get both large discounts on entry fees and a list of their properties. They do have some which they rent out for holidays too. There's also English Heritage, Cadw, Historic Scotland, nidirect and other organisations.
@@Thursdaym2I don’t think there were any crocs either, however cool it’d be. Imagine how freaked out a sieging army would be seeing these living dinosaurs, although having said that, I doubt they knew the existence of dinosaurs in that era either
One thing you always have to remember is you don't see rubbish from above or when people are touring places. Also, tourists doing vlogs don't go to all the run down, poorer areas of Britain. All the same the historic features of the UK are so awesome. You really must try and watch and react to some of the Time Team videos.
Nothing - and I mean, really, absolutely nothing - is more extraordinary in Britain than the beauty of the countryside. Nowhere in the world is there a landscape that has been more intensively utilised - more mined, farmed, quarried, covered with cities and clanging factories, threaded with motorways and railway lines - and yet remains so comprehensively and reliably lovely over most of its extent. It is the happiest accident in history. In terms of natural wonders, you know, Britain is a pretty unspectacular place. It has no alpine peaks or broad rift valleys, no mighty gorges or thundering cataracts. It is built to really quite a modest scale. And yet with a few unassuming natural endowments, a great deal of time and an unfailing instinct for improvement, the makers of Britain created the most superlatively park like landscapes, the most orderly cities, the handsomest provincial towns, the jauntiest seaside resorts, the stateliest homes, the most dreamily spired, castle strewn, cathedral-rich, abbey-bedecked, folly scattered, green wooded, winding laned, sheep-dotted, plumply hedgerowed, well tended, sublimely decorated 50,318 square miles the world has ever known - almost none of it undertaken with aesthetics in mind, but all of it adding up to something that is, quite often, perfect. What an achievement that is. Bill Bryson - The Road to Little Dribbling (more notes from a small island) “This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands,--This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.” Well known Tudor Playwright.
There are two guides by the former Editor of the Times, Simon Jenkins. One is 'Thousand Best Churches' [it doesn't include cathedrals], and the other is called something like 'Thousand Best Stately Homes'. And there are two main institutions who run the stately homes, English Heritage ( or its equivalents in the rest of the UK), which is linked to Government, and the National Trust. ( But some are still owned by their families.) Both of these institutions tend to have good gift shops and tea rooms - never forget the tea rooms - and you can have yearly memberships, which cut down the cost considerably if you're visiting a number of sites. My country really can be very beautiful.
A yard is an enclosed paved area at usually at the back of a house, often found in built up areas in towns, especially terraced houses that were built in Victorian or Edwardian periods.
There was a king who owned a crocodile in the medieval times. Can't remember which one now. Possibly Richard I, because it was given as a gift to him and Richard had spent a lot of time in faraway places, so I think it's something he might have brought back. There were legends in one area of England of the people hunting down some aggressive 'dragon' creature, but the 'accepted' belief now is that it was the king's crocodile in reality that had somehow escaped. Not sure how you wouldn't notice that crocodile thing you have has gone missing, but that's the story. Or maybe it was a real dragon and the crocodile thing was just a 12th century version of a cia cover story.
Drones are an absolute Godsend for programmes such as this (and much cheaper than helicopters)! I consider myself - quite literally - one of the luckiest people on the Planet to have been born in the British Isles: anyone who can't sense the MAGIC of these islands needs to get himself off to the nearest Soul Surgeon, for remedial therapy. You can keep your $100,000,000 yachts, your high-performance sports cars, and your gold-plated loos; for MY money (of which I have very little) THIS is REAL wealth!
We joined the National Trust in 1980 at St Michael’s Mount and have since visited many castles. Particularly enjoyed Bodiam, those in Northumberland and the Welsh borders.
I think I've mentioned before that I go to Corfe Castle in Dorset loads and those steep slopes you said about sledging down .... well I haven't done that, yet, but rolled down them hundreds of times. I do appreciate where I live so much and have the Jurassic coast next to me too. You can go to both in a day, easily as they are just down the road from each other. If you do ever decide to visit you will be more than welcome ( if you have a spare your or so), to mow my lawns. Smallish one in the front and big one in the back garden. ( only joking), it's because you seem to really like our grass.✌
I've just realised why this is such a strange collection of castles, because The National Trust doesn't own any of the big famous castles. Here in Wales, all noteable castles are owned by Cadw (Welsh for Keep)
The national Trust has alot of holiday cottages etc for rent as holiday homes some are amazing like light houses, expencive but for you to stay in a cottage older than your country is very doable. I used to live in a house in deepest darkest Shropshire near a castle, and the original part of our house was in thr Dooms day book so it was around before 1066. We had a couple of Canadians stay (family of frends) in the morning we asked did you sleep ok? No they didnt because they were freeked out at how old my bedroom wax, i had never thought about it apart from ducking to get through the door i am 5'2" and I still ducked. It was a stunning room huge beams and tiny window, it had a huge Croch (a thing they did with beams)!!!
I tend to find that there are 2 types of people city folk and country folk. In the country section that can be divided into countryside and sea side. I’m a countryside girl who was brought up by the sea. I can see the sea from every room in my house. When I travel the UK I find it extremely beautiful, lush green fields forests and pasture land. What I do miss is the sea, so I’ve moved to an island where I have the best of both worlds and am only 15 min drive from the sea where ever I am. I honestly hand on heart don’t think I could live in a city of any kind. I miss clean fresh air when I go to built up places.
I'm glad this film acknowledges that not all castles are particularly ancient, nor were they all built for defensive purposes, as I get the impression this confuses quite a lot of our American and other friends and visitors! I am in agreement with you Connor - the castle in every little boys' head is surrounded by a water-filled moat and has lots of battlements and towers, from which many a sow had shot many an arrow, in its' day! Caerphilly in South Wales is a particularly memorable one for me as it has the added feature of a part of such a tower leaning outwards as though caused by some explosion near the bottom of the once tall and straight building, as well as a watery moat - and I could hardly believe my eyes when I first saw it - sitting rather incongrously in the middle of this modern Welsh town!! Its unlikely to have been warm enough for alligators to survive in the UK, but the local rat population will most likely have ensured the waters were never very healthy and, if having been in them you didn't die in battle, there's a pretty good chance that Weil's Disease would have got you sooner or later in the absence of any antibiotic medicines! The one you mention looks like it is built on an articial hill probably is exactly that - or a built-up hill anyway. These are called Motte and Bailey Castles, by the way, and are quite an early type that were common around the time of the Norman Invasion in 1066. Another fine example is Clifford's Tower, within the City of York. There is a separate (but related) National Trust for Scotland, which also owns a number of broadly similar properties, estates and villages - and there are other, government agencies that manage many more of the larger ones such as castles and historic palaces and parks - English Heritage, Historic Scotland and their partner agencies covering Wales and Northern Ireland. And many more are privately owned - whether or not they're publicly-accessible. They naturally all use the romanticism to their full advantage: that's what they market and use to attract members of the public as well as tourists, in... And if you happen to live in country or even with a climate that doesn't support what is just unremarkable, everyday scenery to most of us, then I can appreciate that it must be very hard not to be swept away with such false ideas! But that's the beauty of having online friends who live in those places you want to visit, Connor! Alllow some of us to be your guides and see how they all fit into the reality of our everyday lives - or not, as the case might be! Were you familiar with the American TV series "Overlander," at all? Many of the filming locations were in Fife! Check out Dysart Harbour and the Pan ha', Falkland, and Culross, if you want, and see what you recognise!!
When younger, we used to go sledging from the Copper Horse statue at the top of Windsor Great Park Long walk, the local kids would wait for park staff to go pass in there cars before we continued sledding down the hill. 😂 fond memories
If you are in to castles and history these small islands we have our fair share and if you are like me i imagine myself back in those days ,fighting with swords and slaying dragons but that’s enough about my ex wife ?
I'm from Dorset and grew up in Poole with my mum and in Corfe Mullen with my dad. Used to work at the tea rooms at Corfe Castle with my ex girlfriend 😊
Corfe Castle: No, that hill wasn't built up to build the castle on, it's a natural hill, the castle was built there because it was easy to defend. I l8ve 7 miles away from Corfe.
You are smart mentioning no drones and I doubt they used hot air balloons 😂 🤷♀️ but yes they must have been super clever architects/ landscapers/ quantity surveyors with a big visionary dollop! I live fairly close to petworth park and know the deer 🦌 park well. You can (and I do) walk your dogs there. Apart from parking it is free and a wonderful place in all seasons
Penrhyn Castle in North Wales was built by locals, and they were paid tiny tiny wages, as little as a penny. Many locals still refuse to go there, I think it costs quite a bit to enter. Lord Penrhy owned nearby quaries. Horrible man.
When you come here don’t go to the village in the Cotswolds, lake Windermere in the Lake District, Edinburgh in Scotland or any of the other main tourist areas where everyone else goes. Go to the lesser know places! Instead of London go to Manchester, there’s a far better vibe and energy there and you can go to the football, to the theatre, have great food and have a fantastic time meeting friendly people. Instead of Windermere go to coniston, buttermere or any of the other lakes, go to the Yorkshire dales, visit the cairngorms and the moray firth in Scotland, go to pembrokeshire in Wales, basically go the less walked path and you won’t regret it.
Yes, I live on the border of Rutland and Lincolnshire - the The villages here, and the countryside around, are just as old and pretty as anything in the Cotswolds - but it's practically tourist free. You can walk around the villages and public footpaths across the countryside without seeing anyone apart from an occasional local.
@@gillianrimmer7733 Oh yes I have. I come from the south west but had to live near Cambridge for several years. Stamford itself is pretty but that side of England is so flat. I cannot stand Cambridgeshire. It is desolate. Once you get out of the city it is depressing. It does not even begin to compare with Gloucestershire. It is unfortunate that so many visitors crowd the villages in summer but it is so beautiful (the largest designated area of outstanding natural beauty in the country) that it cannot be avoided. .
Don’t get fully drawn into the romanticism. There are undoubtedly beautiful areas but equally there are a lot of depressing areas! What this country should be doing is supporting , encouraging and treasuring the heritage skills and arts. King Charles is a massive supporter of this. As with buildings … just because it’s a new build, it does not have to be ugly.
I mean, I think I may have seen alligators in moats as an obvious joke in a cartoon or children's picture book, but I've never ever heard of that actually being a thing.
no, No alligators or crocodiles. Penrhy Castle, built on the fortune made from the local slate quarry, but the workers were paid a pittance for a short life of backbreaking, dangerous work and lived in hovels while the mine owner pandered to his whims and built his castle. That's capitalism for you.Textiles = cloth products predominantly wool but also linen and cotton.
Alligators were not in moats, they didn't need to be. Those moats were so infected with all sorts or crap if you touched the water it was a potential death sentence.
Regarding ''GARDENS'', when you are fabulously rich, and own thousands of Acres, having your ''GARDEN Lanscaped , bears absolutely no comparison with a plebs little patch.
You can hold on to your romantic perspective. Britain is so tiny that even in a big city like London, you’re only minutes away from beautiful countryside if you take a train.
Yes that's true but Britain also has a heavy industrial and some of the towns and cities around the the north of England are not so pretty. Vets outside the big cities we do have pretty little villages.
It's good that they don't show how littered the UK is with all kinds of takeaway plastic . Bolton near Manchester looks like one big garbage dump spread by seagulls and crows. For this view of the garbage, the town hall wants a council tax fee of £150 per month for a 30-square-meter apartment.
Very wise to avoid being overly romantic. With an intensive industrial past and a large population on a small island there are many shocking areas and architectural abominations. A lot of us are very poor at disposing of our waste and some decorate our roadsides and hedgerows with an assortment of litter and unwanted objects. Good point about the imagination of planners without easy/any access to ariel views. They planted trees with future generations in mind. The sites would have probably looked far from beautiful for some years after construction.
So many of the Big Houses lost or sold out after the WW1 /WW2. They provided jobs, homes & bought wealth to the local area. It was a time when the aristocracy & the working class held each other is high respect & trust. Mainly..
I’m never convinced that a post-medieval castle built in the ‘style’ of a medieval defensive castle is really a castle. They’re impressive and usually beautiful and sometimes historical but they’re sort of plastic castles. I’m always a little disappointed. That’s only my opinion though.
