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| Coopers Hill Slopes |
Last weekend, my friend (and co-worker) Tamryn invited me to get out of town and join her and her partner David at their flat in Weybridge for some time in suburbia. We had a lovely (though somewhat soggy) visit touring several National Trust sites!
First stop: Runnymeade for tea, the Magna Carta and John F. Kennedy memorials.
First stop: Runnymeade for tea, the Magna Carta and John F. Kennedy memorials.
The tea portion of our journey didn’t quite sort out as planned in Runnymeade, but we were able to get some nice scones with cream and jam (so delicious) from the cafe as they were closing up around us...then we wandered across a soggy field to the John F. Kennedy Memorial.
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| American soil |
The Memorial was unveiled by HRM Queen Elizabeth II in 1965 (Jackie and children were in attendance) and reads "Let every National know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty": from the inaugural address of President Kennedy, January 1961.' The land it stands on has been granted from the Crown to the USA - for these 20 minutes or so, I had returned to American soil!
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| The JFK Memorial |
A few hundred yards away stands the Magna Carta Memorial. It is believed that the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215 by King John here in Runnymeade as it the mid-point betwee Windsor Castle and London. “It has since formed the basis of the constitutions and statues of many other countries in the English-speaking world, including the United States of America. It underlines the Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which goes well beyond its original purpose as a definition of the limitations of royal power.”
Next we stopped into the Air Forces Memorial, also in Runnymeade. It’s a lovely space, with stunning views, for reflection on the sacrifice of those who lost their lives fighting for the country.
Finally, we took a drive into Windsor for some whirlwind shopping (my whirlwind, excellent investments, all), a proper tea at The Crooked House and - due to limited time - some exterior views of the Castle. The tea house sits adjacent to Windsor’s Guildhall (site of Prince Charles’ wedding to Camilla). A secret passage (now blocked) to Windsor Castle is “reputed to have been used both for the illicit meeting between King Charles and his mistress, Nell Gywn and for taking provisions to the castle kitchens.”
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| The Crooked House |
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| Windsor at dusk |
Sunday morning broke deceivingly sunny (!!). Tamryn, her mother Heather, and I enjoyed a traditional British breakfast at St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club. The setting (including regulations on proper attire on the Courts) was everything I envision when I hear “Lawn Tennis Club.” The ladies tol me the courts here are the second oldest in the nation, after Wimbledon.
Heather very kindly invited me along to join her in a (presumbly sunny) afternoon out with her and her mother Kitty in the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Garden Wisley. Suffice to say, the rain did not hold off - but I explored the gardens under the protection of my sturdy rain hat while the ladies enjoyed a light lunch and, you can probably guess, tea!
To wrap up the afternoon, we collected Tamryn and went to a small art museum, The Lightbox, in Woking. Not surprisingly, after taking in the exhibits, we enjoyed a bit of tea. =)
