SUTTON Travels

27 December 2021

Great Yarmouth Norfolk England UK

Great Yarmouth, also called Yarmouth, is a popular resort town in the historic county of Norfolk on the east coast of England.

I arrived by train from Leeds, through Peterborough and Norwich.

Although it was November, it was a nice day at the beach.

Several attraction were closed but here are a few places recommended for families.

There is a Royal Aquarium, which I did not see. And the ARC cinema.

In the city centre, there are a variety of shops and a market place.

Here's a short video of the shopping street walking from the beach to the city shopping centre.

If you are interested in history, there are several places to visit. Here are a few examples.

Great Yarmouth Minster

Near the old Row Houses- An English Heritage site

St George's Theatre

Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon

And a glimpse of the medieval town with a tower and parts of the old wall.

This monument commemorates the Trafalgar Victory on 21 October 1805. The city remembers Lord Nelson who was born in 1758 in Norfolk.

I enjoyed a full English breakfast and fish n chips

I took two day trips on busses from the central depot.

On one trip I went south to Lowestoft

and the other trip was over to Burgh Castle and the historic Roman Fort

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23 December 2021

St Mary-le-Bow Church Cheapside City of London England

St Mary-le-Bow church was originally built about 1080 by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. The stone came from Caen and is the same as in the nearby Tower of London.

A tradition has it that people born within the sounds of its church bells (Bow Bells) are Cockneys.

The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the church. It was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren then destroyed during World War II in 1941. It was rebuilt in reopened in 1964. Below ground, the crypt dates to 1080 and is one of the oldest rooms in London.

Church sign below the Bow Street sign.

Nearby is the churchyard.

Captain John Smith preached here about the settlements in Virginia. His statue is in the courtyard.

John Smith above and text below the statue

A wall plaque marks refers to the birth of John Milton

A view of the western door

And entrance in the courtyard

Church website

History of the Church on AMAZON and elsewhere

Google Map of St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside

16 December 2021

HMS Belfast on the Thames London England UK

The HMS Belfast is a World War II Royal Navy warship on the Thames River in London. It is an IWM (Imperial War Museum) site on the Queen's Walk near Tower Bridge. I took the photo above in 2021.

After paying for my visit at the dockside office, you walk past the small gift shop and down a ramp to the main deck and the commemorative bell. My photos are from 10 November 2021.

The tour route is marked with arrows. Entering a door, I arrive at one of the many gun turrets. HMS Belfast was one of the ships firing over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

As you walk about the ship, you glimpse life

as it was for the sailors decades ago.

Toilets

Workroom

A massive kitchen...

Stores (a nice look back at old products)...

a dentistry

and a bunk for some kip

There's plenty of ammo below.

Of course, there's a ship's cat.

I took a break for a light lunch before seeing a few more rooms and guns.

You can walk about nine decks.

Get a pilot's view...

and appreciate an amazing experience.

So, it's easy for me to recommend a visit to HMS Belfast and the other IWM locations.

Here's a view of HMS Belfast and the area from the Shard, which I took in 2018.

Photo: HMS Belfast on the Thames with the
Tower of London upper right and Tower Bridge to the Right (East)

Notes

On board HMS Belfast

Arrows mark the tour route.

Numbers indicate what numbers to press on the included audio guide

Some areas require ladders or small steps.

There are toilets on board

There is a café on board

There are activities for families--see the website

Tube stations: London Bridge, Tower Hill

Google Map of the area

Address: The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2JH

The 5 IWM (Imperial War Museums)

IWM LONDON
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS, LONDON
IWM DUXFORD
IWN NORTH- MANCHESTER
HMS BELFAST, On the Thames in London

Visit Places Nearby

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

the Shard

Cruise the Thames

Learn More About HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast at D-Day

HMS BELFAST 1938-2018: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary.

HMS Belfast Books Google Link

Models of HMS Belfast on AMAZON

15 December 2021

Imperial War Museum-North Manchester England, UK

The Imperial War Museum-North is in Manchester England. The museum focuses on telling the story of Britain at war since the First World War.

The storyboards, photos, and objects are organised in a timeline. The museum uses more than 2,000 objects, photos and interactive displays to reveal the history and impact of war.

Large objects like the following fill spaces between large pods focused on specific topics.

A letter of welcome to Americans expresses gratitude.

Cultural events mix with war news as in this 1918 poster.

This contact sea mine is a reminder of the war surrounding the UK.

The legacy of war has many dimensions. The tower of luggage reminds us of the homeless, refugees, and immigrants.

There's a café and gift shop with some unique items.

Periodically during my visit, a special 360 presentation was announced. This takes place in a large open area where the walls of the pods serve as giant screens. Some seats are better than other to follow the action or read the captions.

As with many museums, the lighting causes a glare for items under glass and is sometimes too dim to read posted texts.

Some notable items