Promenades Travel

Dr Mark Shearwood has written a piece for our blog exploring the life of ‘The Hanging Judge’ or ‘the Most Hated of James II’s Protestant Collaborators’. Mark leads our tour ‘The West Shall Rise for Monmouth’, on which we delve into the story of the Monmouth Rebellion, and visit Taunton Castle, where Judge Jeffries conducted one of his many Bloody Assizes. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ekSWz_qS #uktravel #history #historian #touroperator

Dr Samantha Harper shares some insight into why monumental brasses exist… The emergence of these sorts of memorials and their growing popularity in the 14th & 15th centuries ran in parallel to the increasing emphasis of church teaching on Purgatory —the limbo place one went after death if not quite good enough for Heaven, but not bad enough for Hell. Two ways existed to shorten time in Purgatory: performing good deeds during life, and gathering prayers for your soul once dead. The rising 'middling sort'— tradesmen, merchants, country knights —lacking the funds for large-scale stone effigies and tombs, favoured these memorials to remind congregations that they had existed, and still required their prayers. To this end, the brass figures often had scrolls coming out of their mouths saying 'Of your mercy, please pray for the soul' or other such sentiments. This same motivation saw the embellishment in this period of many medieval churches and ecclesiastical buildings. Windows, altar cloths, side chapels and other decorations, often embellished with coats of arms or merchant marks of the patrons. Chantry Chapels or small altars might be created by the better-off, with a priest to say daily mass for the departed, funded by an endowment. Look closely at the brasses - they were designed to catch the eye, and tell the beholder something of the life, ambitions and self-identification of the deceased in a bid to win prayers which would speed them to life ever-lasting. Have you spotted these special memorials in your local churches? Check out our tour with Dr Samantha Harper ‘Discovering the Medieval Churches of the Cotswolds’, taking place this April. Final chance to book! https://lnkd.in/epg2ubyd Special thanks to Samantha Harper

We love reading customer reviews! Book your place on our Short Break based in Taunton and find out all about the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 with expert guide and historian Dr Mark Shearwood. ‘The West Shall Rise for Monmouth’ tour was introduced to the Promenades Travel calendar in 2023 and was a great success - here are some reviews from last year’s guests. There’s still time to book your place for this year! Find out more on our website https://lnkd.in/er_N_7yY #history #historian #uktravel #travelcompany #tourguide #taunton #somerset #customerexperience #customerreviews

Monumental, or memorial, brasses are a type of engraved tomb decoration found in churches mainly in England, but also across Europe. Popular from the 13th to the 16th centuries, these flat sheets of decorated brass lay within shallow cavities in the stone slab of the floor marker. This style of tomb decoration is often found on processional routes such as aisles, or near minor altars within the church. They therefore do not obstruct activities in the church in the same way that large 3D monuments and effigies do. These memorial brasses are a symbol of status and were increasingly used by wealthy merchants and knights in the later medieval period. Many brasses are found in the wool churches from that time which were funded by wealthy wool merchants and farmers who were trying to secure divine favour and a place in heaven. Around 4,000 such brasses survive in England although there would have been many more, some being stolen, damaged or lost over time. The image shown is of a fantastic brass in the church of St John the Baptist in Cirencester. It depicts Reginald Spycer, a merchant in the town who died in 1442. He married four times and all four women are buried and depicted alongside him: Margaret, Juliana, another Margaret, and Joan. The Spycer effigial brass is one of ten in this church, six are for merchants, two are knights, and two depict priests. Some exquisite monumental brasses can also be seen in the church of St Peter and St Paul, Northleach. The burials of the wool merchants of the town, Thomas and John Fortey, John Taylour, William Midwinter, Robert Serche and Thomas Busshe, are all marked with such monumental brasses and make up one of the finest collections of brasses in the country. As with so many medieval things, monumental brasses saw a revival in popularity in the nineteenth century and there are a few examples around the country from the twentieth century. Visit the churches of Cirencester and Northleach as well as many more on our tour: Discovering the Medieval Churches of the Cotswolds, with Dr Samantha Harper, taking place 08/04/2024 - 11/04/2024 Through this tour of ecclesiastical buildings in the wonderful Cotswolds, you will learn how to read a Medieval church and recognise the different architectural styles, the functional parts, and understand the motivations behind the decorations you will see. Can you join us? https://lnkd.in/epg2ubyd #uktravel #englishhistory #history #churches #churcharchitecture

New article ‘The Black Prince: the chevalerie who would not be king’ Read it on the blog: https://lnkd.in/eWqiFy4R #travelcompany #history #historian #medieval #historyfacts #historylessons #europeantravel

Check out our latest YouTube video! Dr Rob Jones is at Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire, exploring its architectural history and the involvement of the de Valence family. Why not join us on our Short Break with Rob this August? ‘The Wye Valley Castles of the Marcher Earls’ - Find out more on our website We hope you have a great weekend! https://lnkd.in/e9iNiNFx #travelcompany #history #castles #historicarchitecture #uktravel #youtubethumbnail #youtubevideo

Check out our latest YouTube video! Dr Rob Jones is at Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire, exploring its architectural history and the involvement of the de Valence family. Why not join us on our Short Break with Rob this August? ‘The Wye Valley Castles of the Marcher Earls’ - Find out more on our website We hope you have a great weekend! https://lnkd.in/e9iNiNFx #travelcompany #history #castles #historicarchitecture #uktravel #youtubethumbnail #youtubevideo

Read our new article: ‘The castles of the Battle of Flodden’ in which we explore the invasion route of James IV of Scotland as he made his way to meet his fate at the battle of Flodden in September 1513. We visit these spectacular castles and the battlefield itself on our tour ‘Border Reivers – Rebels And Raiders’ A five-day tour exploring some of the key sites of the Border Reivers conflicts, as well as Holy Island and the battlefields of Otterburn and Flodden. Taking place 22/07/2024 - 26/07/2024 with historian Julian Humphrys. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eacwFHU4

We hope that 2024 has started well for you all! Check out our new article ‘Bruce, Bannockburn, and the Stewards who would rule’ and find out about our new tour ‘Scenes From The Troubled House Of Stewart’ https://lnkd.in/eHJNTSjJ #lookforwardto2024 #travelcompany #historyholiday #scottishhistory #historytravel #historytours #royalhistory

Need something to look forward to in the New Year? We are now saying goodbye to 2023 and looking ahead in anticipation of what 2024 will bring. We hope the New Year will be one of excitement and adventure, but also with times of calm relaxation. We design our tours to achieve both! Fuel your brain and relax your body on a Promenades Travel Short Break in 2024. We choose hotels which offer luxurious accommodation and facilities so that after a long day of learning and exploring with our expert tour guides, you can have a delicious meal, stimulating conversation, followed by a warm bed. You'll be staying in a four-star hotel or a boutique alternative, picked for their comfortable bedrooms, casual fine dining food options, and facilities that will often include a spa and fitness centre. Extra charges may apply, so take a look at our tour pages for details of inclusions and extras. Our tour prices include breakfast and dinner on each day of the trip and we work with the hotels to make sure all your needs are met so that you can get the most out of both the adventure and the recuperation. As you know, we only do history tours and, for us, the small-group nature of our trips is paramount to making sure you have the best experience possible. Not only does it mean you don’t have to struggle in a large crowd to hear the tour guide, but that you can ask every question and get in-depth and well-researched answers straight from the historian. It also means you can get to know your fellow history holidaymakers, and often make real friends. As we explore the places where history happened, then sit around a table for a delicious dinner, you can chat all things history and all things—anything-else. Book your historical getaway for 2024! We’ve got Short Breaks to satisfy all history lovers and you can find out all about them, including full itineraries, here: https://lnkd.in/dfnNcJsG The team at Promenades Travel wishes you and your loved ones a very Happy New Year, one filled with good times, learning, and adventure! We look forward to seeing you in 2024! #travelcompany #historytravel #englishhistory #historytours #historyholiday #newyearseve2024 #newyearsresolution #lookforwardto2024