Bentwaters Cold War Museum

   At the end of July I was lucky enough to visit Bentwaters Cold War museum in Ipswich.

   It is £5 for entry, and is only open the first and third Sunday of every month due to it being volunteer-run (so quite restricting)! The museum itself focuses more on the history of the former airfield rather than the cold war itself, however one of the exhibition rooms does contain a wad of information about the build up to the cold war, the Cuban missile crisis, and the Vietnam war. A collection of planes are situated outside the museum, and there is also a little cafe.   

   I'm in the process of doing individual posts about the trips I've done over the last two months, so the next post will be about Saffron Walden and Audley End.

   More info on the museum

Average Historical fiction novels

   Right, we've had best and worst... so here's my 'average' list of historical fiction novels.

1. Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
2. Trinity by Conn Iggulden
3. Hereward by James Wilde
4. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory (don't judge me, I love Anne Neville)
5. The Eagles' Brood by Jack Whyte
6. The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham
7. Lionheart by Stewart Binns
8. Carrie's War by Nina Bawden
9. Pirates by Celia Rees
10. The Strangled Queen by Maurice Druon. 

Historical Fiction - Best and Worst

   I've recently finished reading a novel by the 'acclaimed' Anne O'Brien about King Henry IV's second wife: Joan of Navarre, and it got me thinking about other history novels and whether accuracy matters, and whether writing them in the 'first person narrative' makes a difference in quality.

   The novel itself unfortunately is on my 'worst list'... for the sole reason of it being in the first person narrative. Joan comes across as petulant and childish, but she might not have been had we seen her from another person's viewpoint - Henry IV's, for example. And this is meant to be a love story? Come off it. There was no romance whatsoever, and he loved her at first sight? Give me a break. It's just too fanciful. In regard to accuracy I don't think this matters too much when Joan is applied due to there being scant information about her, however Anne could have made this a brilliant novel had she written it in the third person and included the battle of AGINCOURT! She completely skimmed over it. Baffling. On goodreads I gave this 3/5 stars, and I'm beginning to think that was too generous.

   Best:

1. The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
2. Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell 
3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
4. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman
5. Harold the King by Helen Hollick
6. A King's Ransom by Sharon Penman
7. Holy Warrior by Angus Donald
8. Dan Leno & the Limehouse Golem by Peter Ackroyd
9. Falcons of Montabard by Elizabeth Chadwick
10. The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd  

   Worst:

1. The White Princess by Philippa Gregory
2. The Queen's Choice by Anne O'Brien
3. The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney
4. Anarchy by Stewart Binns
5. Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
6. The Forest Laird: A Tale of William Wallace by Jack Whyte
7. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
8. The Last Conquest: 1066 by Berwick Coates
9. The King's Mistress by Emma Campion
10. The Fallen Queen by Emily Purdy   

   Next on my history fiction 'to read' list is The Winter Crown by Elizabeth Chadwick so that should be far better quality than The Queen's Choice. 

Historical Days Out - Hertfordshire edition

   1) St Albans/Verulamium

   It is such a beautiful city rich with Roman history. Above is a picture of the Roman wall in Verulamium park, and the reason the grass looks pretty much dead is because it was a scorcher of a day!

  

The old theatre in Verulamium

Sopwell Priory

   2) Berkhamsted Castle.

   Another motte-and-bailey. Originally built in 1066 after the battle of Hastings, this was a strategic move by William due to the fact that Berkhamsted was on a key route to the midlands via the Chiltern Hills. Over the years it had many owners, ranging from Thomas Becket to Piers Gaveston, and by the 16th century was in ruins. 

3)   Waytemore Castle, Bishop's Stortford.

   And, yet another motte-and-bailey built after 1066 (haha!). This one is situated in a park and not far from the Wetherspoons. What a great town! 

Bungay Castle

   About a month ago I visited Bungay Castle on the Suffolk/Norfolk border.

   This is another one of 'Bigod' castles, and, in the middle of the 12th century was briefly confiscated by King Henry II, only to then be besieged during the 'Revolt of 1173-1174' (when Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry 'the Young King', Richard and Geoffrey Plantagenet rebelled against Henry only to then lose). 

   By the end of the 13th century it had been restored, however soon fell to ruin again. What is left of it today includes the curtain wall, the twin towers of the gatehouse and some of the keep (so for 50p you get your money's worth) ;).

Historical Days Out - Kent edition

   Kent is one of my favourite counties... and is probably one of the best counties for castles!

   1). Hever Castle

   Hever isn't really a castle, it is more of a stately home, however it is still wonderful and the grounds are gorgeous. Probably most famous for being the seat of the Boleyn family, it went to the crown after Anne's execution and Henry bestowed it upon Anne of Cleeves. When I visited in 2015 it was £15 a ticket, though judging by its website it is a little more expensive now - Click.

   2). St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury

   St Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory to England in the late 6th century to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. It is not known if it was he that successfully converted the Kentish king: Æthelberht, or if it was the latter's wife: Bertha, however by the early 7th century Æthelberht was certainly a Christian. The building itself was consecrated in 613. Entry to the abbey is fairly cheap - (£7.20 each), and this includes an audio tour. 

   3). Chatham Dockyard.

   Unfortunately no pictures for this one as I was in primary school when I last visited (will need to again sometime!). There is a Victorian ropery, historical warships, and you can board the HM submarine Ocelot (I thought this was very cool when I was 10). 

   My next post will be about Bungay Castle.

Historical Days Out - Norfolk edition

   Here we go.

   1). Castle Acre (village and castle) - near King's Lynn.

   One of my favourite 'ruined' castles. Unfortunately, because I visited in winter, the priory nearby was closed... so I suppose it's another excuse to pay the village a visit!

   2). Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell. 

   In Norwich's city centre, this little gem of a museum is only £6.20 each and contains so much from a WWII pub to a WWII living room. I'll definitely revisit when I'm next in Norwich.

   3) Thetford (see a previous blog post).

Next up, Kent!.

Historical Days Out - Suffolk edition

   Like in the previous two posts, it was difficult picking just three.


   1). Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich.

   This was quite a discovery to be honest, and it is free entry! 

   2) Sutton Hoo

   Sutton Hoo is the site of Anglo-Saxon burial mounds (late 6th, early 7th century). One contained a ship-burial that is thought to have been the resting place of Rædwald, ruler of the East Angles - and this is what the site is most famous for. At around £13 for entry, it is relatively cheap, and if you pick a good day (like I did), you'll enjoy it immensely. 

   3). Orford Castle.

   

   King Henry II is behind this castle (building work began in 1165, concluding in 1173), and we have the Bigod family to thank for this remarkable keep as Henry wished to have a royal castle that 'outdid' the Bigod strongholds in Suffolk (including Framlingham). The keep is the only part of the castle left, but, believe me, it is the BEST keep i've ever been to. At around £8 each it is under-priced imo.

   Norfolk will be up next.  

Historical Days out - London edition

   This was difficult... but here are my three hotspots for London.

   1). The Imperial War museum.

   Breathtaking. The Holocaust exhibition was my favourite (recommended age to enter this specific exhibition is 14 and over, for obvious reasons!). Last time I went, I didn't have time to visit the WW2 section so i'm revisiting it tomorrow! (Free entry).

   2). The Tower of London

   This is quite expensive (£22 each last time I visited, although, that included the Agincourt exhibition in the White Tower), however, it is worth it. Constructed after the conquest, this stronghold was once a royal residence, housed a variety of animals including leopards, an elephant, and lions, and was a gaol by the Tudor period. 

   3). Westminster Abbey.

   Famously commissioned to be built by Edward the Confessor on the site of St Peter's Abbey, it was consecrated only a week before Edward's death, and Harold Godwinson was the first King to be crowned here. At £21 a ticket this is also expensive, but so worth it. 17 monarchs are buried here including Edward the Confessor, Edward III and Henry V, and writers such as Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling occupy 'Poets' Corner. 

   In my next post I'll do historical hotspots for Suffolk.  

Historical Days Out - Essex edition

   So, change of plan, instead of royal bastards this post will be about 3 historical hotspots in the best county in the country - Essex.

   1. Hadleigh Castle (in ruins)

   Overlooking the Thames estuary, the castle is in ruins and is free entry. Built initially in the 13th century, it wasn't until the 14th that it got the attention it craved (Edward III rebuilding it so he could spend quality time with his mistress Alice Perrers - probably!), and by the 16th century was in ruins. 

   Take my advice, though, visit after it's been sunny for a week (if that's possible), because it gets very muddy!

2). Colchester Castle.

   Although the castle itself is Norman, its origins date back to the Roman period. It is also considerably smaller now than it would have been 900 years ago. I first visited the castle as a child, and my last visit was a few years ago (around £7 for an adult ticket). 

   Be prepared for school trips though!

3). Kelvedon Hatch 'Secret' nuclear bunker.

   A few miles away from Brentwood, this bunker was built in 1952-53 as part of ROTOR and was maintained by the Home Office as emergency government defence. It is one of the very few nuclear bunkers left in the country that is open to the public... so if you ever find yourself in Essex then pay it a visit, please!!! (£7.50 for adult entry)

Royal bastard sons - Æthelred II edition

   Recently I haven't had the time to go on any historical days out, so I've decided to write a little post about Æthelred II's bastard sons.

   Technically, all of Æthelred's sons by his first wife (Lady Ælfgifu - historians have thought he might have had two handfast wives before his Christian marriage to Emma of Normandy), were bastards. The eldest was Æthelstan - died in 1014, then Ecgberht - died c.1005, then Edmund Ironside - died after the battle of Assandun in November 1016, then Eadred - died c.1013, then Eadwig - killed by Cnut in 1017, then Edgar - died c.1008. They also had several daughters, although only three can be confirmed - Eadgyth - who married Eadric Streona, Ælfgifu - who married Uhtred of Northumbria, and Wulfhild - who married Ulfcetel, an ealdorman of East Anglia. Out of Æthelred's bastard sons, only Edmund became king and that was mainly due to the result of Edward the Confessor's situation (exiled in Normandy), and, age. After the death of Æthelred in April 1016 and because of the threat of Cnut Sweinson, Queen Emma and her three children (Edward, Godgifu and Alfred) fled England and found shelter at her brother duke Richard's court in Normandy. Emma remained there until 1017 (she returned to England to marry Cnut), and her children took longer to return - Edward and Alfred in 1036 (Alfred was murdered, Edward briefly - not returning properly till 1042), and Godgifu after Edward became King.

   It is interesting to contemplate what might have happened had Edmund not died six weeks after the battle of Assandun. Was Cnut really happy for Edmund to have Wessex? Did he have a hand in the death of Edmund? Unfortunately, we will never know. However this is gold for the historical fiction writer as there is scope to introduce said various theories.

   In the next post I'll explore William of Normandy - the bastard son of duke Robert of Normandy, and his son, Henry I's numerous bastard sons.

Mountfitchet Castle

   The site is believed to have been an Iron Age fort (similar to Thetford and Colchester), then, over time like most other settlements, it became overrun by Romans, then Vikings then Saxons.

By 1066 it was in the hands of a Robert Grenon, who constructed a motte-and-bailey (presumably, as they didn't take long to build), with the later being replaced in stone in the 12th century.

   At some point the surname Grenon was changed to Montfitchet, and Robert's great-great grandson Richard was one of the barons who rose against King John and was thus the cause of an attack on the castle. And, surprisingly, was also one of the barons who ensured Magna Carta was recognised in 1215 (infamously at Runnymede). The above picture shows how much is left of the 12th century masonry, and we can only imagine what it once looked like. Shame, really.  

   These days, Mountfitchet Castle is a living history site where you're able to experience what it might have been like for common folk over 900 years ago. There are animals roaming about (including a peahen), and even though it's aimed at children I as an adult and an amateur historian got a lot out of it.

Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall

   Built by St Cedd in the seventh century - 654 (after having sailed from Lindisfarne), this chapel is one of the oldest in England. Situated on the walls of a Roman fort, that's how it found it's name ('on the wall'), and Cedd likely first used wood before changing it to stone so it would be more permanent. 

   Cedd was eventually made Bishop of the East Saxons (due to the success of his Christian mission), and also established Christian houses in Essex - at Mersea, Upminster, Prittlewell, Tilbury and even one in Lastingham (Northumbria). And it was at Lastingham that he died after falling ill, thirty of the monks from St Peter-on-the-wall having travelled from Essex in which to sit with him whilst he saw out his last days.

   These pictures were taken nearly two years ago and I'd love to return when (if) the weather permits it.

Combined Military Services Museum, Maldon

   When Maldon is thought of, the great battle of 991 usually springs to mind - when ealdorman Byrthnoth led the Essex fyrd to an immense defeat against the 'wicings' who'd been camping on Northey Island, when Æthelred II paid said 'wicings' tribute - according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, to the sum of '10,000 pounds'.

   Today, it consists of (to name a few things), a wonderful high street, shops aplenty, a quaint museum in the park, and the Combined Military Services Museum. 

   From a 10th century sword, right through to modern day rifles and firearms, this museum has something for every military enthusiast. 

   The ground level is filled with poleaxes, morning stars, maces, chain and plate armour, the first contains spy weapons (think MI5, James Bond and the KGB), grenades, missiles and sea mines, and the second level is more dedicated to uniforms and guns.

   Whatever period you're interested in, this museum has it. And at £5.75 per person it is well worth a visit.