British and Irish Castles

With Summer coming to a glorious climax, the gardens of Hidden England are in full bloom. For garden enthusiasts the opportunities are endless.

Explore more than 10 acres of wonderful gardens in the process of restoration at Easton Walled Gardens - with a cottage garden, turf maze and auricular theatre all new for 2006. Relax in the enchanting mix of formal gardens and semi-wild woodland at Grimsthorpe Castle or in the magical Duchess’s Spring Garden at Belvoir Castle where woodland gardens nestle in a natural amphitheatre.

If rare and unusual plants are your interest you can buy them at Barnsdale Gardens, and at the same time explore the fascinating gardens created for television by the late Geoff Hamilton. Or if a more relaxed lakeside walk is your style than visit Belton House or Burghley - and at Burghley you can also explore the 15 acre Sculpture Park created in the previously lost lower garden created by Capability Brown.

For a fascinating insight in how a formal garden is being transformed see the Gardens of Rockingham Castle. At Rockingham series of new radial yew hedges will provide opportunities for vistas and walkways connecting with the 19th Century Rose Garden.

Work in progress at Rockingham on a series of garden ‘rooms’ designed to contain deep borders of stunning herbaceous andshrub planting, with each room being given a different character.

All the houses and gardens of Hidden England are now open for the Summer Season.

For times and admission costs please visit the Hidden England website. We look forward to seeing you. It’s the perfect time to visit the Gardens of Hidden England.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stephen

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England has many castles and most make claim to being haunted but Chillingham castle situated in the county of Northumberland with it’s dark dank dungeons and medieval torture chambers has gained a sinister reputation. It has been declared the most haunted castle in England!

The castle dates back to the 12th century and has been continuously owned by earls. It has a turbulent history and its spooky reputation has brought it to the attention of TV programmes exploring the world of the paranormal.

The castle has several ghosts in residence. The most famous being the ‘blue boy’ who upon the stroke of midnight is heard to cry out and moan in agony. The pathetic wailing has been traced to a secret passage in the castle cut through a ten foot thick wall.

It is said that when the cries of the distressed spirit eventually die down, a soft halo of light appears over a nearby four poster bed. Anybody brave enough to sleep there may catch sight of a sad faced young boy dressed all in blue surrounded by ethereal light. At some stage in the castle’s history the entombed remains of a young boy and fragments of blue clothing were discovered behind a wall in the castle. Indicating that he was perhaps the victim of a foul deed!

Another ghostly regular at the castle is ‘Lady Mary Berkely, who is said to be eternally searching for her husband, who had indulged in an hot blooded affair with her sister and eventually ran off with her. Lady Mary, desolate and broken hearted lived on in the castle alone with her young daughter. But in spirit she searches the corridors of the castle for her wayward husband!. The soft rustle of her dress can be heard as she passes visitors on the turret stairs.

These two ghosts are just two of the most sighted but there are others waiting to send shivers down your spine if you are brave enough to visit the castle, especially during the hours of darkness!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LINDA PRESTON WORKS AS A PROFESSIONAL PSYCHIC & WRITER OF PARANORMAL ARTICLES. HER WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED POSITIVELY IN NATIONAL MAGAZINES. SHE CAN BE CONTACTED VIA HER WEBSITE AT http://www.psychicreadingsbylinda.co.uk

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All residents of Edinburgh love the Castle. It looms over our daily lives like a guardian. A sentinel. Huge and imposing atop a solid lump of rock, directly in the heart of the city. One of the most stunning castles of Britain and Ireland, it is still however quintessentially Scottish.

Very few cities in the world can lay claim to such a dramatic backdrop and it is always a surprise to Edinburgh residents exactly how underused this dramatic and majestic setting is. Alex Arthur, the famous Edinburgh boxer has more than once indicated his desire to fight a world championship fight on the castle esplanade. It would certainly be an emotional place for any Scotsman or woman at the pinnacle of their sport. Add a lone piper on the castle’s battlements, for many years now a mainstay of the Edinburgh Tattoo, and I daresay you wouldn’t be able to fight due to the tears in your eyes.

Edinburgh Castle though is more than a monument. It is a living breathing castle. A citadel within a city, complete with streets, places of worship and administrative offices. Every day at 1pm, the one o’clock gun startles hundreds of shoppers in nearby Princes Street with a loud blast and an elaborately faked scene on Calton Hill where a large ball falls from the top of Nelson’s monument as if blown off by the castle’s Howitzer.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Edinburgh Castle, for residents and tourists alike are Scotland’s crown jewels. Held under guard in the heart of the Castle, these are the symbol of Scotland’s nationhood. From the beauty of the sceptre to the downright magnificence of the Stone of Destiny, it is hard for any Scot not to feel a stirring of patriotism upon setting eyes on them, even though the stone is inextricably linked historically more to Scone than Edinburgh.

Whether you are a resident or a visitor, Edinburgh Castle has something for you. It’s beauty is absolute, it’s symbolism unchallenged. There was a day when it was a place of defence. Now it serves a more peaceful function. However, us Edinburgers can rest easily in the knowledge that if she is ever called on again she will do here duty again. And then some.

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