The Gordon Russell Design Museum celebrates the design pioneer Gordon Russell and his furniture…read morecompany of which Broadway was his home. Built on the principles of good design that was accessible to all, Gordon Russell Ltd produced high quality, innovative designs evolving from the Arts and Crafts style to fully fledged Modernism. This is one of those small iconic museums that I run into (almost by accident) when walking around a new place in a domestic or foreign land. A particular piece of furniture might not be my style, but even with my untrained eye, this stuff is gorgeous. They also have a nice little gift shop and on the day I was there, the volunteer docent was a wealth of knowledge.

Bleh. This is a typical garden centre shop, but a lot, lot smaller. Full of the typical concessions…read moreand statues and weird expensive stuff that you'd probably never buy. The alcohol section is, however, quite interesting... but the rest of it, you could probably never experience it and not miss a single thing.

This is a great places to go to find cool bits and bobs. The craft shop is my favourite bit,…read morethere's all the normal crafty things you'd expect to find and also a brilliant tea room that does the best cakes, a section that has loads of local foods, beers, ciders, wines and gins which you can try :). There is also a garden centre and a seperate building that has lots of little local businesses in like an art gallery, furniture shop, cook shop etc. It's GREAT!

I'll always have special memories associated with Eastnor Castle as my wife and I were married…read morethere. Located about two hours west of London and about an hour west of Oxford, Eastnor is a picturesque, Gothic Revival castle built in 1810. The Hervey-Bathurst family owns the castle today, and lives there, but it is open to the public during certain times and one can book the castle for weddings and receptions. For selecting this site for the once in a lifetime event, there were a number of factors which guided us: pictures of the castle found first in a Castles of England book and then online which were breathtaking, good Web site and email communications (a must if you are to plan a wedding from overseas!), the proximity to London and ease with which to get there by train, cost (the exchange rate was a little better than it is today!), and the ability for the wedding party to stay overnight in the castle. For all of the effort it took to plan a wedding overseas, it was well worth it. The staff at Eastnor was the epitome of excellent service, looking out for our every need. They connected us with many superb service providers such as musicians, hair stylists, bakers, florists, and so on. Staff kept us on track with our planned activities (dinner, carriage rides through the grounds, dancing, karaoke, cake cutting, and casino). Everything went smoothly. We thought we would be safe by booking a date in May, but the lovely English weather was terrible the day before and the day after the wedding - fortunately, the skies parted just for us on the wedding day itself and indoor contingency plans did not have to be used. The interior of the castle is gorgeous, and we had so much fun going fro room to room, marveling at the grandeur. The drawing room was designed by Pugin who also worked on the Houses of Parliament. In true castle fashion, there are some secret passageways connecting some of the rooms. Staying in these rooms overnight was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the whole experience. If anyone has any questions about having a wedding at Eastnor, feel free to contact me. The countryside of Malvern Hills around Eastnor Castle is lovely, and I hope we can get back there soon for a visit.

is eastnor castle worth the visit? heck yes!…read more there is a lot of rich history tied to this castle. many people book it for corporate events or weddings. if you book it for a wedding you're able actually stay in the castle. the castle is so big that there's areas where you can hire performers/entertainers to have stations where you can keep your guests entertained. you can put up a tent and eat outdoors. staff here are really nice. they provide castle tours and the part i love the most is they let you touch or sit on some of their old furniture. you don't see that in the states. i couldn't help but sit on as many chairs/furniture as i possibly could. one of the eastnor tour guides said "if you treat people like adults they will behave like adults". therefore you don't ruin things!!! ahh.. if only every historic landmark thought that way. eastnor castle is definitely 2 thumbs up! if you're visiting the UK and eastnor castle is open for a visit. i say make the drive out and see it for yourself. if you're looking into eastnor castle as a place to get married. then i say you got yourself a very magical venue! it looks amazing and i can only imagine how the pictures would turn out. fun fact: madonna actually paid to get the chandelier cleaned. tips: *free wifi doesn't really work. *not open everyday throughout the year. *they allow you to take pictures. *there's plenty of restrooms in the castle. *love the gong that they allow you to hit at the bottom of the stairs.

Really enjoyed going here as a family will definately be going back. Shows the history of…read moreTewkesbury, fascinating facts again another good one for the kids. Have great exhibitions here during the year

Charming venue in the Cotswalls; definitely worth a visit if in the area. The hall is ornate and…read moresound is good. Seats are not the most comfortable but more than adequate and not unusual for a countryside theater. The Basel Symphony Orchestra is performing tonight with Mozart, Ravel and Stravinsky on the program. Very enjoyable event.

The Town Hall is a very mixed bag. Buying tickets in person or over the telephone is a pleasure…read more However the same experience online - at least for the Literature or Science festivals - is a nightmare. The venue itself is imposing and spacious, though very crowded for big events like popular LitFest talks. The acoustics in the main hall are pretty bad, but staff do their best to overcome that. Overall, if there's something you want to see, go and see it! Your experience shouldn't be either ruined or greatly enhanced by the venue.

If you want to learn about history of cider-making this is the right place!…read more Discover for yourself how apples were harvested, milled, pressed, fermented and finally turned into that drink that we know today. You would also learn about apple varieties, colours, and even get a brief glance into apples in history and geography. There is also Bulmers board room and managers office, as well as old cellar. Throughout your visit there are quite a few films, audio explanations and interactive displays which breaks up standard reading. The cafe is very reasonably priced with teas served in china.

I really liked this, it was informative and brought together a lot of aspects I knew something…read moreabout already, which made it all make sense to me. It does entail a lot of reading though, so may not be too good if you don't learn much just by reading. Or in fact if you've got toddlers or young children. There's a lot of glass (bottles etc) on display so you couldn't really read everything and ensure none get smashed at the same time! For older children there are little quizzes and colour-in pages to keep them interested. The displays are also quite colourful and some are interactive. There is a lot to go through in a small space though and it is well worth a visit. The ticket price includes a self-guided tour and a taste of some of the produce. There is also a gift shop and a café which are reasonably priced.

I could get lost and spend the rest of my life in this wonderful library. The selection is almost…read moreinfinite.

I always get the feeling that The Chained Library inspired Terry Pratchetts Unseen University…read moreLibrary where the books had lives of their own (and magic as all books do) and had to be chained down. There were books at Hereford Cathedral long before there was a 'library' in the modern sense. The cathedral's earliest and most important book is the eighth-century Hereford Gospels; it is one of 229 medieval manuscripts which now occupy two bays of the Chained Library. Why were the books chained? Well books were valuable and this stopped them being stolen. Hereford Cathedral's seventeenth-century Chained Library is the largest to survive with all its chains, rods and locks intact. The books have a chain attached and then they are attached at the other end to the shelf. This means you can carry them to a desk and read them but that is as far as you would get with them. No way to pop them in your bag and go. :0) The new display shows how it was originally and is available for research (you can just visit and look). I have been priviledged to study in many great libraries but this one does not have guards standing over you as you can't nick them. There has been a working theological library at the cathedral since the twelfth century. The Mappa Mundi is a medieval treasure, quite large and quite fascinating. (and amusing). It is a map of the world as 13 th century scolars thought it was. The map bears the name of its author 'Richard of Haldingham or Lafford' (Holdingham and Sleaford in Lincolnshire names and spellings change over the centuries). Recent research suggests a date of about 1300 for the creation of the map. Superimposed on to the continents are drawings of the history of humankind and the marvels of the natural world. Here be dragons..wonderful. This is probably the most important map in the world. C'mon history can be fun!!!

This is an absolutely wonderful little shop that I think a lot of people forget exits in Gloucester…read moreselling mostly Beatrix Potter books mugs and other bits and bobs. It's based on the Beatrix Potter story of a poor tailor and a cat and some mice on Christmas Eve which is set at this very shop. Upstairs there is a little museum telling the tale of Beatrix Potter and has a lot of rare items that belonged to her. Even if you don't have any children and are grown up go anyway I think no matter how old you are you will still find it quite magical.