Hey y'all,
Just got back from a two week vacation to the UK. I spent most of my time visiting what my brother termed 'piles of old rocks', and took LOTS of pictures. I thought you might appreciate some inspiration for your gaming.
Craigmillar Castle
A castle I visited just outside Edinburgh, Scotland, named Craigmillar Castle. It was built primarily in the 15th and 16th century. I have more information and a map that I will add later, but I thought a quick and dirty gallery post would be a good start. When you look at the pictures, consider the fact that over the stone walls, at least on the interior, was plaster and paint. a lot of times the exterior would be plastered too. Also, the large rooms are usually more than one story, since the wooden floors that separated the floors either rotted out or were taken.
Feel free to post any comments. I'll be putting a few more albums up soon
Tower of London
They don't let you take pictures of the crown jewels, but in the White Tower they have tons of armour and weapons, and I took a lot of pictures there, which I think is more intereting anyway.
Restormel
This is a castle down in Cornwall in the southwest of england. It was built in the 14th century.
St. Michael's Mount
One of the coolest places I have ever seen, straight out of a fantasy story. At low tide, you can walk out to the island. The rest of the time, it is only accessible by boat. I fisherman believed he saw a vision of St Michael on the island, and a benedictine priory was built there in the 12th century. However, its believed that St Michael's Mount is an island the Greeks called 'Ictis'. The greeks brought their ships to Ictis to trade for Cornish Tin (there are tons of tin mines in Cornwall, though very few are in operation today). This would date back to at least the 4th century BC. Anyway, here are some pictures, enjoy:
Hampton Court Palace
One time home to Henry the 8th, william & mary, and other british royalty, My favorite part of this palace is the remarkably intact old kitchens. Plenty of photos of the kitchens in here, which have been stocked to look like they would during the period. Also, there is a really nice model with miniatures representing what a day at the palace kitchens would be like.
Edinburgh Castle
Pronounced more like edinburruh, with a little roll of the tongue. Good ol' scottish brogue. Here's a really cool castle that shows great use of natural defences. This castle is in the middle of the city of Edinbugh, which is mostly flat. The hill/crag the castle is built on is the remains of a volcanic plug. The glaciers tore away all the softer materials around it, leaving the crag by itself. The Scottish Crown Jewels are on display here (and were indeed 'lost' in the castle for over 100 years). It has a great position, a couple of miles south of the Firth of Forth (a firth is the scottish name for a bay, I believe). Also, Craigmillar Castle (check above for the gallery) is only about 5-6 miles southeast.
