Coombe Abbey – Coventry

When people think of Coventry, the first place that often comes to mind is cathedral and the famous three spires, bombed during the Second World War leaving the city in ruins. The other common piece of history associated with Coventry is the statue which honours Lady Godiva, countess of Mercia in the 900s, who, according to legend, rode through Coventry naked on horseback to make her husband ease off on taxation of the people of Coventry. Today, however, I am writing about Coombe Abbey, which is now a hotel that was once a country house and, before that, an Abbey as the name would suggest. Just a short walk from my home, yet so beautiful. Sadly, the weather was not with me on my walk, however it made for a dramatic backdrop!

RAF Fersfield: Norfolk

During the Second World War, there were over thirty airbases located in Norfolk occupied by the US Eighth Air Force and a variety of Royal Air Force (RAF) units. These airbases were fulfilling different missions in the fight against Axis Powers. One of the most top-secret bases of the war was located just outside Fersfield, a village consisting of farm buildings, a church, and a tiny population. It was here that the brother of a future president lost his life while the RAF launched missions to help their covert intelligence operations in Europe.

The Roman Road: Poole

All my life, I have lived 2 houses away from a road called ‘Roman Road’, in 2 different houses, in 2 different towns, but still only 2 houses away. For context, I now live in Poole, Dorset, in the South Coast of England, before that in Corfe Mullen in Wimborne. The stretch of Roman Road near me is on the edge of Upton Heath, a Nature Reserve, which has always been a favourite place for walks, right on our doorstep.

Hadleigh Castle: Southend-on-Sea

Hadleigh Castle is in my hometown just outside Southend-on-Sea in Essex, and finding it so out of place in a bookshop nearly 100 miles from home was a nostalgic reminder of the walks around the castle I’ve been on while growing up. I bought the engraving and took it home to show my mum.