.jpg)
Downtown Alnwick is full of old-world charm,
from its quaint hotels and lively pubs to the cobblestoned streets running
through the old city walls. Here you can venture to places such as The
Chocolate Shop (yum!), found within the fortressed walls, to the famous Barter
Books, found outside the walls.
Barter Books is one of the largest
second-hand bookshops in Europe. The bookshop is in the Victorian-age Alnwick
Railway Station, dating back to 1887. The station was in use until 1968, and
was used as a storage unit during World War II. Just a few years after the
station was transformed into a bookstore, the owners discovered a World War II
poster from 1939 featuring the slogan, "Keep Calm and Carry On." They
began reprinting the design and turned it into a global phenomenon!
Visitors to Barter Books will note that it
uses a barter system (in addition to cash), where customers can exchange books
for other books. It has many incredible, homey features that bibliophiles will
adore, such as the open fires (in winter) and a buffet with coffee, tea,
cookies, and light meals. Throughout the store, you'll find several sitting
areas, including a children's room with toys. There are glass cases featuring
antiquarian books (such as Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species'), and several
train station features incorporated into the architecture. There is also a
model train that links the various rooms!
Many of England's cities and towns have apothecary gardens — historical plots containing plants turned into treatments centuries ago by doctors, herbalists, and shamans. Most such gardens exist today to teach visitors about the history of medicine, and the Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle is one such.
"These plants can kill." That's
what the gate leading into the Poison Garden says, and it's emblazoned with a
skull and crossbones for good measure. Behind the bars is the deadliest garden
in the world, and you can take a guided tour through it! Here you'll learn
about hundreds of deadly plants as well as 100 infamous killers...
The duchess created this garden in 2005,
wanting to add something unique to her garden with plants that would tell a
good story. The garden's mission is to educate visitors about common (and
uncommon) plants that are toxic. Children, particularly, are both educated and
entertained by stories such as the "killing jars" of the Victorian
era, which held laurel leaves that killed spiders or butterflies but left them
intact — great for collectors.
When visiting, you'll be remanded not to
smell, touch, or taste anything, though the occasional visitor faints from
inhaling toxic fumes. Some of the species found in the garden include the
source of strychnine, hemlock, cannabis, coca, the source of ricin, foxglove,
deadly nightshade, and opium poppy.
Explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies! Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...
YES! I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!
- o Introduction & Geography of England
- o Portsmouth
- o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
- o London
- o The British Museum & archaeology
- o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
- o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
- o Buckingham Palace & royalty
- o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
- o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
- o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
- o Abbey Road & British Invasion
- o Leeds
- o Royal Armouries & middle ages
- o York
- o Jorvik & Vikings
- o York Castle & archaeology
- o Haltwhistle
- o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
- o Vindolanda & archaeology
- o Alnwick
- o Alnwick Castle & architecture
- o Poison Garden & herbs
- o Barter Books & WW2 history
- o Alnmouth
- o North Sea & train history
- o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
- o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
