Great West Way® Travel Magazine | Issue 03

Pictured
left-right:
The Great
Park by
horse
drawn
carriages
with
Windsor
Carriages;
The Royal
Crescent,
Bath
opened in 1900 for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. While
in Bristol you can head back further in time to the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I, who found St Mary Redcliffe ‘the fairest,
goodliest, and most famous parish church in England.’ Inside
the church there is a colourfully-painted wooden sculpture
of her, believed to be painted by a contemporary.
Head 30 minutes north of Bristol and visit Berkeley
Castle. Considered by many as a hidden gem, it was built in
1153 by the Berkeley family, who still live there today! Over
the centuries it has changed from a forebidding fortress to
a welcoming family home. Henry II gave the Castle to the
family in 1153 and it has received royal guests ever since:
Edward II, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, the Countess of Wessex
and the late Queen Mother have all visited Berkeley Castle.
Travel throughout time and history, from the Keep with its
dungeon, the room where Edward II is said to have been
murdered, to the Drawing Rooms with their fine upholstery,
chandeliers and silver lamps. Finally, if you have time to
explore more of the Cotswolds, the Prince of Wales and
The Duchess of Cornwall live at Highgrove, near Tetbury,
Gloucestershire. You can visit their impressive gardens on
selected dates, and also pop into the Highgrove Shop in
Tetbury which sells luxurious souvenirs and organic treats
inspired by the gardens.
EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS
îWhile kings and queens of England were traditionally
educated by a personal tutor at home, times have changed.
Both Prince Harry and Prince William went to Eton College,
which you can visit on a guided tour between May and
September. While the Duchess of Cambridge went to
Marlborough College - stop for afternoon tea at the café
she used to visit with friends, The Polly Tea Rooms. A
little off the Great West Way, there’s the esteemed Oxford
Colleges. King Edward VII and King Edward VIII are both
alumni. As one of the best universities in the world, it also
attracts royals from other countries. Both HM King Abdullah
II of Jordan and Harald V, King of Norway studied there.
SOVEREIGN PLACES
îMalmesbury is England’s oldest borough with its stunning
12th Century Abbey still very much in use today. Visit the
original Market Cross, the Norman Abbey with its tomb of
King Athelstan and the free Athelstan Museum.
And have you noticed that some place names in England
have ‘royal’ in the title? Although the prime minister and
organisations can request the addition, for either their royal
heritage or current royal connections, it is ultimately a gift
bestowed by the queen. Along the Great West Way you can
visit the Royal Borough of Windsor and the Royal County
of Berkshire - thanks to the location of Windsor Castle,
one of the Queen’s three official residencies. Take some time
out here to visit the Castle's wartime pantomime pictures
revealed in the Waterloo Chamber, or to experience Great
Park by horse drawn carriages with Windsor Carriages -
The only carriages licensed to operate tours throughout the
Great Park. There’s also the Royal Borough of Kingston
Upon Thames, as well as Royal Wootton Bassett, near RAF
Lyneham - the most recent place to receive the Queen’s
blessing. Be sure to visit Jubilee Lake when you’re there.
A BED FIT FOR A KING OR QUEEN
îSometimes nothing but a 4-poster bed and some
medieval tapestries on the wall will do. See what it’s like to
live like a royal by staying at a hotel with royal connections.
There’s the effortlessly elegant Cliveden House Hotel,
where Meghan Markle - now the Duchess of Sussex -
got ready for her wedding to Prince Harry. There’s The
Georgian House, which although built as humble kitchens
for George, Prince of Wales in 1719, occupies a privileged
position in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
In Bath, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa has often
found its opulent interiors and prime setting in the World
Heritage City attractive to visiting royals. And a short
journey from Bristol you’ll find Gloucestershire’s Thornbury
Castle - where Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed when
they visited in 1535 (ask for the Duke’s Bed Chamber).
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