Category: Geography & Environment

The neighbouring towns of Ascot and Windsor in Berkshire lie just 20 miles from central London and while Ascot has its royal horse racing, Windsor hosts one of the most famous royal residences, Windsor Castle. This sits within 13 acres of high ground in a kink of the River Thames and has been inhabited by English/British monarchs since the early 1100s. In 1917, the royal family changed their German surname to ‘Windsor’.

The Castle is unmatched for age, size (having 484,000 sq.ft. of floor space) and architectural heritage, and is therefore very popular with tourists. In 1992 a fire destroyed 20% of it and the income from visitor admissions helped finance repairs.

King William I (c.1028-87) chose the site in 1070, partly for the adjacent forest in which to hunt and partly in defence of the western approach to London. It was such a good choice that a succession of monarchs has seen fit to invest in improvements. For example, Windsor-born King Edward III (1312-77) spent an enormous amount on upgrading it to a Gothic style and incorporating elements of chivalry. Equally lavish was the expenditure in the 1820s under the direction of King George IV (1762-1830) that gave it its awe-inspiring outer appearance of towering opulence and power.

(Image: Chrisedge at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

 

Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, complements the surrounding geological heights with its own towering architecture. The extinct volcano of Arthur’s Seat and its satellite vent known as Castle Rock, along with other prominences such as the Braid Hills, Craiglockhart Hills, Calton Hill, Blackford Hill, Corstorphine Hill and the Salisbury Crags form its natural setting. The man-made additions, the majority having at least four storeys, crowd into the historic Old and New Towns and the Marchmont districts. Many church spires populate the skyline and lofty Edinburgh Castle, seemingly grown out of Castle Rock, guards the city below.

For some centuries Edinburgh was the northernmost point of the Angle kingdom of Northumbria but it became part of south-east Scotland in a battle in 1018 and was designated the capital by 1437. It sits south of the Firth of Forth, with Leith serving as its gateway port town.

The Scottish devolved government is headquartered in Edinburgh at the Holyroodhouse Palace end of the famous Royal Mile, the route in the Old Town leading up to Edinburgh Castle. Tourists flock to the city in summer for the ‘Edinburgh Fringe’, a 25-day extravaganza of arts and comedy, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, performed throughout August.

(Top Image of view from Edinburgh Castle towards the Firth of Forth: Kim Traynor at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

For centuries British fishermen went wherever they knew they could get a plentiful catch and top of the list for many were the waters around Iceland. However, three vicious ‘cod wars’ between Icelandic and British trawlers broke out between 1958 and 1976 when consumer demand was increasing. Finally, Iceland declared a 12-nautical-mile (nmi.) territorial zone round its coastline and a 200nmi. Icelandic rights zone. The former meant that the first 12nmi. (calculated from low-water mark outwards) came under Icelandic ownership, while the latter meant that permission had to be sought to fish or conduct any other type of economic activity between 12nmi. and 212nmi. distance from the Icelandic shores.

The UK decided to reciprocate for its own waters, since Iceland’s action greatly impacted the British fishing industry. Beginning with the Fishery Limits Act of 1964, a series of laws have been passed which proclaim this same 12nmi. territorial encirclement and a 200nmi. Exclusive Economic Zone, as delineated in pink on the simplified map below:-

Abutting the eastern and southern zones are the areas claimed by Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. On the west and north are those of Ireland and Denmark again via its territory of the Faroe Islands.

(Top image: (Mick Baker)rooster at Flickr.com / CC BY-ND 2.0)

While the Crown owns thousands of properties in the UK,  just a few are registered to the monarch personally. Sandringham Estate in Norfolk is one such property. It has had a succession of royal owners since Queen Victoria (1819-1901) purchased it in 1862 as a country retreat for her London-based socialite son, the future King Edward VII (1841-1910), who proceeded to add entertainments, including a bowling alley, billiard room and all ‘mod-cons’ to a much larger re-building of Sandringham House. He also established the Royal Stud there in 1886.

His successor, King George V (1865-1936), loved the place and indeed died there. King Edward VIII (1894-1972) then briefly took possession but on his abdication was obliged to sell the Estate to his younger brother, King George VI (1895-1952), who both began and ended his days there.

Today, Sandringham Estate comprises 20,000 acres in which there are 13 villages, several small churches, a small railway station, large areas of farmland, conservation-oriented businesses, parkland, gardens, a museum and visitor facilities. Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) spent every winter there and most royal babies are christened in St. Mary Magdalene Church, a short walk from the House. Prince Philip (1921-2021) managed the Estate on the Queen’s behalf and retired there.

(Image: David Dixon at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Isle of Wight (IoW) is a diamond-shaped island two miles off England’s south coast and is much favoured by holidaymakers from the mainland. Its population is around 142,000 but it happily accommodates 15 times that number each year in tourists, with the trend veering towards short breaks of 4 or 5 days. Queen Victoria (1819-1901) so loved visiting the IoW that Prince Albert (1819-61) had Osborne House built in East Cowes as their private retreat and that is where she died.

The IoW’s position forms a strait atop the English Channel called The Solent, thereby shielding the harbours of Portsmouth, Southampton and Lyminton, these being the departure/return points for 200 IoW ferries daily. There are remains of a WW2 radar station, historic forts and castles, as well as many shipwrecks in its waters. All but one of the island’s towns are seaward, with Ryde being the largest.

Farming accounts for 80% of the interior, some of which lies in the IoW’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The island’s 63-mile east-west chalk ridge is most conspicuous at The Needles on the westernmost tip. There was once a 120ft. tall chalk stack in the gap, but this eventually collapsed. Sand of 21 different colours can be found in the bay.

(Top image: Alwyn Ladell at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Two types of oak tree are native to the UK ~ the English and the sessile. Others have been introduced but it is the English oak, in particular, which dominates our tree population overall and has been here since the end of the last glacial period. These trees can live as long as 1,000 years, although there is one twice that age at Glastonbury, called Magog, still hanging onto life.

Other illustrious oaks include the King’s Oak at Rugby School, planted in 1909 by King Edward VII (1841-1910) and The Royal Oak in Shropshire, in which King Charles II (1630-85) hid before his escape to France in 1651. Therefrom hundreds of pubs take their name.

The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest is the UK’s largest. It is 800-1,100 years old and its canopy spreads to over 90ft. across. To hug it would need 4 men and 2 women with outstretched fingertips touching.

One reason there are so many oaks in Britain is that the 17th and 18th century Navy needed the timber for its formidable ships. HMS Victory, for instance, was constructed from 100 acres of oak plantation. The oak’s strength was key to creating England’s “wooden walls”, not only of its ships but in Westminster’s oak-panelled chambers of power.

(Top image of a protected ancient oak in Lincolnshire: Bob Harvey at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

There are two schools of thought about our estimated 41,400,000 moles and their underground activities. One is that they are a nuisance for disturbing the roots of crops and the smooth vista of golf courses, sports pitches and manicured lawns. The other is that they aerate the soil, provide drainage channels and eat the grubs that would otherwise attack crops and horticultural specimens.

Our one species of mole, a fossorial mammal, is present in England, Wales, mainland Scotland and a few of the small islands. It lives 3-4 years. It measures around 6″ long and is a master digger, making a tunnel network over a large territory which it patrols alone (apart from when mating), scurrying to pick up worms and insects that fall in and put them in its food store. Its dark, velvety fur can lie both ways to aid reverse speed.

It was thought that moles have two thumbs on each of  their broad front paws, but recent research has found that the ‘extra’ one is actually an elongated growth from their wristbone and has no joints. However, it does have a special type of haemoglobin to cope with low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels in its underground home.

(Image: Beeki at pixabay.com)

 

The city of Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital, has endured its fair share of bombings, both during WW2 and throughout ‘The Troubles’ (1968-98), which accounted for around 45,000 detonations. It has also seen the growth and decline of its manufacturing industries and had its Irish counterpart, Dublin, overtake it massively in size in recent decades.

Belfast became established thanks to its import/export trades in the period of the ‘Ulster planters‘ in the early 1600s. Its industries included linen-making, introduced by the Huguenots, and at one time Belfast was nicknamed ‘Linenopolis’. It was also known for whiskey distilling and heavy engineering.

Despite its ups and downs, Belfast has a knack for regenerating itself and making the best of its resources. In the 18th century this included cutting new channels bypassing the loops of the River Lagan in order to improve access to the docks. Tourists today flock to Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, as of course the shipyards are famous for launching the RMS threesome named Olympic, Britannic and Titanic. The Harland & Wolff shipbuilding company turned out numerous liners and tankers and their huge yellow cranes, ‘Samson’ (348ft. high) and ‘Goliath’ (315ft.) remain today as iconic landmarks.

(Image showing Samson & Goliath: Rossographer at geograph.ie / CC BY-SA 2.0)

‘Port of Departure (or Arrival):Liverpool‘ appears in many a search for records of family ancestors, since Liverpool’s west-coast location made it so convenient for those migrating by ship to or from Ireland and North America. Nestling just above the North Wales coastline, this Lancashire city has grown from a population of 5,000 in 1700 to almost 500,000 today.

It is famously the home of The Beatles and two Premier League football clubs, but its history lies in trade links with, primarily, the U.S.A. and the West Indies. King John (1166-1216) founded the port of Liverpool in 1207 to serve the estates he held as Lord of Ireland. The tiny fishing village subsequently received a gradual influx of craftsmen and merchants.

By the mid-1800s Liverpool had the second busiest docks after London. Shipbuilding, iron foundries, glass, soap, sugar and rope manufacturing made some very wealthy, others poor, with living conditions to match. WW2 bombing destroyed much of the slum areas and re-building saw the expansion of adjacent towns into what is now called Merseyside after the River Mersey at Liverpool’s edge. ‘Scousers’, or Liverpudlians, are known for their brand of dry humour cultivated from the mix of nationalities that arrived there in the shipping heyday.

(Top image: PaulDaley1977 at pixabay.com)