Roberts Travel Blog

24/05/2026

Hellens Manor takes its unusual name from the medieval family of de Helyon, who leased the manor in the 14th century. Over time the name “Helyons” gradually evolved into “Hellens.”

The story of the permanently locked gates- during the English Civil War, Fluke Walwyn rode out from Hellens to support King Charles I. According to local tradition, the great iron gates were shut behind him and never reopened after the Royalist defeat. The gates remain locked today as a symbol of loyalty to the Crown and are one of the manor’s enduring legends.

There is a “scientific garden” which has sections showing what plants are useful for a whole host of medical ailments. Plants grown to ease stomach problems, bloating and indigestion:

* Peppermint – indigestion and nausea
* Fennel – wind and stomach cramps
* Chamomile – upset stomach and relaxation
* Lemon Balm – stress-related digestive discomfort

Coughs, Colds and Chest Complaints-Traditionally used for breathing problems and infections:

* Thyme – coughs and sore throats
* Sage – throat infections
* Hyssop – chest congestion
* Rosemary – circulation and colds

One of the most striking modern features in the grounds is the stone circle. Although it looks ancient, it is not prehistoric like Stonehenge. It was created in recent years as a contemplative landscape feature inspired by Britain’s ancient ceremonial circles

24/05/2026

A few weekends ago we visited Hellens Manor, near Ledbury in Herefordshire. It wasn’t somewhere we’d heard of and is privately owned so tours of the house are by ticket only.

Hellens Manor is one of England’s oldest continuously inhabited manor houses, with parts dating back to the 12th century. The house combines Norman, Tudor, Jacobean and Georgian architecture, reflecting almost a thousand years of English history. In reality it’s a a bit of an architectural mess which makes it characterful!

It originally belonged to Harold Godwinson, later King Harold II, before passing to William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Over the centuries, Hellens became associated with powerful noble families including the de Baluns, Mortimers and Walwyns. In 1326, Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella are said to have waited at Hellens for the Great Seal of England during their rebellion against King Edward II. The manor later survived the English Civil War, when Royalist owners supported King Charles I and the house was briefly seized by Cromwell’s forces.

One of the most famous true stories is bout Hetty Walwyn’s imprisonment.In the early 18th century, Mehitabel “Hetty” Walwyn fell in love with a man her family considered socially unsuitable. After attempting to elope, she was locked in an upstairs bedroom by her mother and reportedly remained confined there for around 30 years until her death in 1728. Scratched onto a windowpane in her room is written “ It is a part of virtue to abstain from what we love if it will prove our bane.” A row hangs from the ceiling to a bell so she could call for whatever sh needed.

14/05/2026

Kensington Gardens is one of London’s most historic and elegant royal parks, covering around 265 acres beside Hyde Park. Although many people think they are the same park, Kensington Gardens became separate in 1728 when Queen Caroline, wife of King George II, redesigned the area with formal avenues, ornamental lakes and landscaped gardens.

A Peter Pan Statue was installed in 1912 by author J. M. Barrie. He secretly arranged for it to appear overnight beside the Long Water where Peter lands in the story.

The Round Pond, despite its name, is actually octagonal and has long been used for model sailing boats. Kensington Gardens also contains the ornate Italian Gardens, once used by Queen Victoria, and more than 300 species of trees and wildlife, giving the park a peaceful atmosphere despite being in central London.

14/05/2026

How many times have I gone past the Albert Memorial without actually stopping to look at it properly ? So the other weekend we did just that ! And it was fascinating!

The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens was commissioned by Queen Victoria after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861. Construction began in 1864 and the memorial was officially opened in 1872, although the great gilded statue of Albert was added later in 1875. The monument was intended not only as a tribute to Albert’s life, but also as a celebration of Victorian achievement, science, trade and culture.

At the four outer corners of the memorial are enormous sculptural groups representing the four continents known to Victorian Britain: Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Each group includes human figures and a symbolic animal, reflecting how the Victorians viewed the wider world and the reach of the British Empire.

Europe is shown with a powerful bull. The figures represent learning, stability and civilisation, reflecting how Victorians saw Europe as the cultural centre of the world.

Asia includes an elephant and richly dressed figures suggesting trade, wisdom and exotic wealth. It symbolises the importance of eastern commerce and culture to Britain.

Africa features a camel and figures intended to represent North African and Middle Eastern peoples.

America includes a bison and figures representing Indigenous peoples and settlers. It was meant to symbolise expansion, natural resources and the “New World”.

Together, these statues were designed to show Albert’s international outlook and Britain’s global connections during the height of the Victorian Empire.

29/04/2026

We visited Kensington Palace having only ever seen it from outside. It’s eclectic and a full on experience for your senses with both delicate features combined with gaudy and outrageous!

Kensington Palace was originally built in 1605 as a private mansion known as Nottingham House. It became a royal residence in 1689 when William III and Mary II purchased and expanded it, commissioning architect Christopher Wren to transform it into a proper palace and has over 500 rooms in total.

Queen Victoria and Princess Diana are two of the most significant royal figures associated with Kensington Palace, each leaving a distinct mark on its history.

Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace in 1819 and spent her early childhood there under the strict “Kensington System,” designed to control her upbringing which included constant supervision, was not allowed to descend stairs without holding an adult’s hand, and interactions with other children was restricted; to have a simple diet, only eating plain roast mutton; not to have her own bedroom; but to sleep in the same room as her mother, and no footmen were allowed in the Princess bedroom.

The palace shaped her formative years, instilling discipline and a strong sense of duty. When she became queen in 1837, she chose to move to Buckingham Palace, but Kensington remained symbolically important as her birthplace.

More than a century later, Princess Diana made Kensington Palace her home after her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981. It became both a sanctuary and a public focal point during her life. Diana used the palace as a base for her charitable work, engaging with causes such as homelessness, HIV/AIDS awareness, and landmine removal. After her death in 1997,

It is said that Victoria represented the disciplined beginnings of a long reign, Princess Diana embodies compassion and modern royal influence.

Well worth a vidit

25/04/2026

We had a very nice lunch in the Orangery at Kensington Palace - not cheap but what you’d expect to pay in London. An imposing statue of a young Queen Victoria stands at the entrance. The statue was erected in the early 20th century, shortly after her death in 1901. It was part of a wider wave of memorials celebrating her long reign. The monument reflects Victorian heritage and the palace’s role as her childhood home and early royal upbringing in London.

We also visited the statue of Diana, Princess of Wales in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace unveiled in 2021 by Prince William and Prince Harry, on what would have been her 60th birthday. It was designed by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley and depicts Diana standing calmly in a reflective pose, surrounded by three children symbolising her dedication to humanitarian and children’s causes.

The setting in Kensington Palace Gardens is especially meaningful, as it was one of her favourite places while living there. The garden was redesigned with soft planting and flowers to create a peaceful atmosphere that reflects her warmth and compassion. The statue aims to capture her legacy as the “People’s Princess,” focusing on kindness, dignity, and her lasting global impact.

25/04/2026

We visited an exhibition called “The Last Princesses of Punjab” at Kensington Palace, that explores the lives of six women connected to the last royal family of the Sikh Empire. Centred on Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, a prominent suffragette and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, the exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of her birth and brings long-overlooked histories into the spotlight.

Through letters, jewellery, photographs, and personal artefacts, the exhibition traces the complex journeys of Sophia, her sisters Catherine and Bamba, their mother Bamba Müller, their grandmother Maharani Jind Kaur, and Queen Victoria herself. Together, their stories reveal how empire, exile, and identity shaped their lives in profound and often painful ways.

A central theme is resistance. Sophia’s activism for women’s suffrage is highlighted alongside Catherine’s humanitarian efforts helping Jewish refugees escape N**i Germany, and Bamba’s attempts to reclaim her family’s legacy in Punjab.

In the 1921 United Kingdom Census, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh made a striking political statement. Instead of simply completing the form, she wrote a protest comment refusing to fully cooperate with the census, aligning herself with the women’s suffrage movement.

Her message reflected the slogan “no vote, no census,” used by suffragettes to oppose a system that denied women political representation while still counting them as citizens. By doing so, Sophia transformed a routine administrative document into an act of civil disobedience, highlighting the injustice faced by women in Britain.

This small but powerful comment demonstrated her commitment to equality and placed her firmly within the wider campaign for voting rights, showing how even official records could become tools of protest.

A very interesting exhibition !

23/04/2026

20/04/2026

In 2019 we visited the Tutankhamen exhibition at the Saatchi gallery in London. It was very impressive so it was a no brainer that we had to go the “Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” exhibition at Battersea Power Station, running in London from 28 February to 31 May 2026.

Ramesses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled Egypt from 1279–1213 BCE. A powerful New Kingdom pharaoh, he led military campaigns, including the Battle of Kadesh, and built monumental temples like Abu Simbel. His long reign symbolised wealth, stability, and enduring architectural and cultural legacy. Not only was he a great builder but he put his name on the buildings other pharaohs built. If it weren’t for Tutankhamen-Ramses would’ve been the most remembered pharaoh !

The exhibition brings together around 180 original artefacts, many over 3,000 years old and rarely seen outside Egypt. These include statues, jewellery, masks, coffins and mummies of cats and other animals, all drawn from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The colours of the hieroglyphs is as though they were painted yesterday. The detail in the jewellery is quite amazing! The scale and authenticity of the objects make it one of the most significant Egyptian exhibitions ever staged in the UK and even better than the Tutankhamen exhibition imho.

A standout highlight—and widely considered the best exhibit—is the wooden coffin of Ramses II, displayed in Britain for the first time. This intricately decorated coffin once held the mummy of one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs and serves as the centrepiece of the show. Other notable items include colossal statues of Ramses, gold funerary masks, and finely crafted royal artefacts that illustrate the wealth and power of ancient Egypt.

20/04/2026

We did a visit to London to see the new Ramses exhibition which is on at Battersea. It’s the first time we’ve been here since the old power station re-opened.

Battersea Power Station, which sits on the south bank of the Thames, closed in two stages: the older A Station shut in 1975, and the remaining B Station in 1983. Its closure was mainly due to age and inefficiency—the plant dated from the 1930s–50s and had become costly to run. Stricter environmental regulations and a shift in the UK’s energy mix away from coal toward oil, gas, and nuclear power made it uneconomic to continue operating.

After closure, the building stood derelict for nearly 40 years !! Although several redevelopment schemes were proposed—including a theme park and various housing projects—none succeeded for many years. Its protected listed status, prevented demolition but made restoration complex and expensive.

The site finally reopened on 14 October 2022 following a major redevelopment.

The regeneration of the power station and surrounding 42-acre site cost around £9 billion in total. The project has transformed the area into a mixed-use development featuring shops, restaurants, offices, residential apartments, and new public spaces, including an extension to the Northern line.

The building inside and outside is mighty impressive as is the whole regeneration of the area !