#WordlessWednesday Guildford Castle on an early Spring afternoon

#WordlessWednesday Silves in the Spring #Portugal

Wordless Wednesday ~ #Castles #Photography

http://somerville66.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/la-tour-de-bridiers-near-la-souterraine.html

La Tour de Bridiers near La Souterraine #Castle #France

Last week we were staying near the small French town of La Souterraine in the Limousin area.  Just on the outskirts of the town are the ruins of what appears to be a small castle.

The tower of Viscount de Bridiers was first built on its feudal motte towards the end of the 12^th century but after it collapsed, the tower was rebuilt in the 13^th century in the newly fashionable cylindrical style and the castle was enlarged in the 15^th century.  It was abandoned for many years until its restoration in 1993.

The tower itself is only open during the summer but we were able to walk all around the site.

We were surprised to discover a happy band of goats living inside the outer walls.

The most charming part of the grounds is the medieval garden with its guard lion and pig(?)

In front of the castle is a wide amphitheatre where, each August since 2006, the Fresque de Bridiers, a Son et Lumieres production, depicting the history of the area, has been re-enacted by 400 amateur actors.  In 2016 the story will be about a local soldier and a nurse at Verdun during the First World War.

And in 2021 https://www.tourisme-creuse.com/pays-sostranien/agenda/la-fresque-de-bridiers/?fbclid=IwAR3Z9Q4uwYDIgqDb-jN_cmIBkg7Q0I-2FBg62o677cLCQhf9J9iy6850l2I

I am thrilled to be included in this week's Capturing History Challenge at Ed Mooney Photography

This week's selection of Heritage sites are from all over the globe.

The Romance of the Nation

My love of history began when as a small child I flicked through the pages of a large green book belonging to my father.  In fact there were two green books each packed with illustrations and they were bound copies of magazines first published in 1934.

There were detailed diagrams of how things worked, including my favourite, a castle.  This picture showed the attack and defence of a fortress in the days of Edward III when the first cannons were beginning to be used, but catapults and ballistas were still needed for accuracy.

Other illustrations are of famous peopla or events such as this one of Cardinal Wolsey at the height of his powers when he built Hampton Court Palace.

Originally 52 issues of the magazine were printed, edited by Charles Ray and you can read about his other publications here.

Ray described The Romance of the Nation as, "A Stirring Pageant of the British Peoples Through All the Ages."

If it had still been loose copies of the magazines, I might have been tempted to cut out and dress these medieval dollies.

I don't think I ever made any of the complicated models.