Oxford

Oxford, also known as The City of Dreaming Spires, is famous all around the world for its University. For about 800 years it has been a home to royalty and scholars, and since the 9th century an established town, however people are known to have lived in the area for thousands of years. 

Although it boasts for its modern side, it preserves its history, university life and fabulous buildings intact. 

With its mix of ancient and modern, there is plenty for both the tourist and resident to do. 

Oxford was first settled in Saxon times and was initially known as Oxenaforda, i.e. Ford of the Oxen, fords (crossings) being more common than bridges at the time. 

Oxford was heavily damaged during the Norman Invasion of 1066. 

Oxford's prestige was enhanced by its charter granted by King Henry II, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the Kingdom. The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records.

During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London.

In the 19th century the Oxford Movement within the Anglican Church drew immense attention to the city as a focus of theological thought. 

By the early 20th century, Oxford experienced rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s.  

On a personal note, it is the city where the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius is located, which I will be examining for my PhD. 

Angel Wine Tower

The first wine tower in Europe, the Angels Wine Tower Bar, offers a thrilling and delicious complement to any dining experience with more than 4.000 bottles of wine in a soaring glass case. It offers a unique entertainment for customers at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Stansted Airport, London, which also hosts live bar angels, as they are known, who fly the air to retrieve ordered bottles. 

When someone places an order for a bottle that is not within reaching distance one of the restaurant staff is hoisted into the air to gather the selected bottle. So the visitor is not only given the wanted bottle, but also receives free entertainment. 

WW II Sea Forts

The WW II sea forts here were designed by Guy Maunsell, from whom they received their name, and were settled in their current location in 1942, at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Mersey in an effort by the British to reduce German Bombers in the east coast of England. 

Maunsell designed two types of forts, one navy and one for the army. 

The strongholds of the Navy consisted of seven individual towers, five of which had anti-aircraft weapons, headlamps illuminating the night sky and a control tower. 

Each tower was mounted on massive concrete columns, which were used as foundations. The columns were assembled on land and transported to the desired spot. 

According to historical accounts the forts shot down dozens of bombers until the end of the war. They were eventually decommissioned in the 1950's and since then have been used occasionally for many other purposes, such as various marine research in the area or even as a basis for 'pirate' radio stations. 

Hastings

Hastings is a city in the South of England known for its historic fishing beach. Built on 1000 years of fishing and seafaring history, Hastings Old Town has a character all of its own. Becoming a Cinque Port in the 11th century awarded the townsfolk special rights of independence in return for supplying the Crown with ships and crew to defend the English Channel. This character and close working relationship with the sea lives on today. 

If visiting this lovely city take a little time to stroll through the town's narrow streets and also watch the fishermen at work on The Strade beach. In order to see the city from above and admire the spectacular views climb up the East Hill or the West Hill and see the first Norman castle in the country. 

The Net Shops depicted here are unique to Hastings. They were used as stores for nets, rope and other fishing gear that had to be kept dry to prevent them from rotting. They are believed to date from the early Victorian period. The reason they were built high and in orderly rows is because there was a lack of space on the Stade at this time as the beach was much narrower. This is because the large groynes and harbour arm which prevent the natural easterly flow of the shingle were not present.

The Old Town is known for its narrow streets and passages, also called 'twittens', and are home to all sorts of traditional traders, speciality shops and eateries. It is probably the best place to find an unusual gift, antiques (especially books and furniture) and local delicacy. 

There is an attractive mix of medieval, Regency and Victorian buildings, three landmark churches and numerous historic pubs have retained the atmosphere of a traditional town centre. Daytime or evening,the Old Town offers a warm and friendly welcome and countless fish and chips restaurants!

The Strade, or 'landing place', is home to Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet. Boats are pushed across the shingle by tractors to be launched at high tide. On their return they are pulled back up the beach by winches and their catches, including herring, mackerel, Dover sole, cod, bass and plaice, are unloaded and sent to the fish market. 

Hasting's mackerel and herring drift-net fishery, and Dover sole trammel-net fishery, have been awarded the Marine Stewardship Council certificate for their eco-friendly fishing methods and the sustainability of the fish stocks. 

Like many places in the U.K. we even visited the Greek Orthodox Church in Hastings, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. 

Shipwreck Museum, Hastings

The Shipwreck Museum is located in Hastings, a small city in the South of England, just opposite France. The museum is sited in the middle of the shoreline 'maritime ark'.

In 1989 it received a Museum of the Year Award, whilst the Queen visited it in 1997 and the Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Prescott MP in 2003. 

The museum tells the fascinating stories of the shipwrecks which have been discovered around the area and has numerous artefacts from these wrecks on display.

The museum explores the remarkable geological and environmental circumstances that have helped to preserve the wrecks. 

The stories of the wrecked ships displayed here are not only related to Britain, but also involve Danish, French, German and Dutch history. 

The two main attractions are the Anne Wreck and the Amsterdam Wreck. The Amsterdam was owned by the Dutch Government. 

The intended voyage of the Amsterdam was from Amsterdam to the port of Jakarta (which was known as Batavia then) in Java, via the supply port, now Cape Town, that was founded by the Dutch East Indian Company. She was exporting silver and supplies, and was to return to Europe with spices, fine silks and porcelain.  It was finally wrecked locally in January 1749 and was preserved in the beach 3 miles west of Hastings. 

Also parts and weapons from other ships are found here, for example the S.S. Storaa and the HMS Royal George. 

The S.S. Storaa was a British government owned merchant ship, sunk on the night of 2nd-3rd November 1943 whilst in Convoy C.W.221 from Southend to Cardiff. She was carrying a cargo of 2.500 tons of tank bodies to be assembled for the Allied invasion of Europe. However the ship was sunk off Hastings by the German E-boat Schnellboote E 138. The Storaa sank in 30 seconds due to the great weight of the cargo. 

A historical evolution of sailing vessels is evident through the seals displayed in the museum, dating back from the 12th-16th century. 

The 13th century seal of Bergen, Norway, shows an open ship of Viking type, but the similarly dated seals of Hythe and Poole in England show the addition of castles at the bow and stern. By the 16th century the seal of Lord Charles Howard of Effingham shows a ship with several decks.  

Another ship's wrecks displayed here come from the Invincible, which was built by the French in 1744, captured by the British in 1747, and eventually sank on a sandbank off the Isle of Wight, on 19 February 1758.

One exhibition is placed in a dark room (above picture), dated back to the 8th-9th centuries AD and is believed to be a Saxon Dugout Canoe. It is a type of primitive boat that is typical of prehistoric vessels. 

The last artefact displayed is a tombstone, recovered from the shipwreck. This tombstone records the death in childbirth of the mother , Julia Jahncke in the then Danish (now American) Virgin Islands, in March 1858. Julia was aged 31 years and Franz only 13 days. This tombstone was made in Europe and seems to be the only one made for the grave. The cemetery at St. Thomas has been searched and the graves of Julia and Franz are unmarked. What is interesting, however, is the fact that the inscription is in English.