Friday, I drove from Colchester to Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, mainly to see the University of Cambridge, but also the town and surrounding area. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are made up of many Colleges. There is really no main campus, but the Colleges are spread out all over town. Both towns are very old and quaint. Cambridge was beautiful! Here are some of the Colleges I saw in Cambridge:
Entrance and building for King's College
After I left Cambridge, I went to Anglesey Abbey in Lode, just NE of Cambridge. AA used to be an Augustinian priory for monks during the reign of Henry I. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, they were expelled and it became a private home. It now belongs to the National Trust of England.
Near Cambridge, is a small town named Ely. It is famous for its beautiful cathedral.
I saw these precious little duckies outside of the cathedral!
Also in Ely, is the home of Oliver Cromwell. He is best known as Lord Protector of the England, Scotland and Ireland in the mid 1600's. He was an intensely religious man and became an independent puritan.
I stopped to see Kentwell Hall also listed on the National Trust Register. Kentwood Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It was built in the mid 16th century and was occupied by many generations of the Clopton family
Just next to Kentwell Hall were these adorable homes!
Across the lane from these homes and Kentwell Hall was Melford Hall, the ancestral seat of the Parker Baronets. Beatrix Potter was a relative to the Parkers and was a frequent visitor at Melford Hall.
Saturday, I drove the Mersea Island, (pronounced Mercy). It is an island in Essex in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries southeast of Colchester. The island is split into two main areas, West Mersea and East Mersea and connected to the mainland by The Strood, a causeway that floods at high tide. Mersea has been inhabited since pre-Roman times and was a holiday destination for people who lived in Colchester. A church on the island is thought to have existed since the 7th century. From the 16th to the 19th century, the island became popular with smugglers. It was also a focal point for troops in WWI and WWII and observation posts are still on the island.
I tried to get there around high tide so I could see the causeway flood. The water came up over the road, but it didn't flood. My hostess said that people have been stuck on the island for hours because of high tide. When I was leaving about 3:00, there was no water even near the bridge, in fact it was just wet mud!
Mersea Island
The Strood, causeway to Mersea Island at high tide
Yacht Club
Home (I want) on the island
I ran into some pirates on the island! Arrrrrrghhhhh!
Huts for rent
I ate lunch at Mersea Oyster Bar
Back in Colchester near my B&B I walked to the Priory. St. Botolph's Priory was the first and leading Augustinian convent in England until its dissolution in 1536.
St. Botolph's Priory
I tried to get there around high tide so I could see the causeway flood. The water came up over the road, but it didn't flood. My hostess said that people have been stuck on the island for hours because of high tide. When I was leaving about 3:00, there was no water even near the bridge, in fact it was just wet mud!
Back in Colchester near my B&B I walked to the Priory. St. Botolph's Priory was the first and leading Augustinian convent in England until its dissolution in 1536.
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