British Museum, 2026

Our first visit to the BM was in 1979, and there were many subsequent visits. In 2021, 2022, and 2024, we had apartments in Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and Pimlico, and thus the museum was within walking distance, sometimes just a few blocks, and there were many, many more visits. We feel like we know the place pretty well. Consequently, our lone 2026 visit was confined to a few favorites in the Celtic/Roman/British eras rooms. Use the search box for probably dozens of previous British Museum posts.

The Fishpool Hoard, deposited around 1464, during the War
of the Roses; some 1300 gold coins and several items of very
finely worked jewelry; largest Medieval hoard yet found in
Britain; we like hoards

Among the Fishpool jewelry

Incredible detail

Padlock engraved "all of my heart"

Bronze-cast church or monastery door knocker

Nice jaws of hell...alabaster, Medieval

We scarcely ever noticed aquamaniles before our visits to the Met
 in 2024; now we see them everywhere...for washing hands at the 
table; always on the look-out at Goodwill...

A Medieval citale...sort of a pre-guitar...converted in 1578
to a violin...inscription refers to Elizabeth I and her special
gentlemen friend, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

Seal of Chichester Cathedral, c. 1220; "you stood and you watched as..."
wait, no...

Aquamaniles everywhere...

The Dunstable Swan jewel; c. 1400; the swan an emblem
of the Lancasters...

"Museum closing, go home"

In London

So the blog will be in London for a while, doing museums, parks, shows, restaurants, miscellaneous scenery, etc. We'll be back in Winter Garden, June 23nd.

Dawn from our flat in Pimlico

British Out-Takes, 2026, 2

More British road-trip out-takes...

In Gloucester, gotta' love a city with a community toilet scheme, 
and proud of it; also St. Oswald's retail park

And a frog bench

And a hairstylist whose clients bring him fridge magnets

Ex cathedra

Apparently one of the more obscure northern saints

Sorry we missed it; a show called "The Full Bronte," at the Edinburgh
Fringe years ago, was one of the best we've ever seen

Cracked me up

Wool churches were particularly into the agnus dei thing

Still pondering; how do you shift gears?

She made me do it

Ever popular Sheela-na-gig at The Henge Shop, Avebury;
looks somewhat Cycladic to me...sort of

Royal Mail beautification campaign

Awaiting transport to 18th century Scotland

Flying just above us at Kilpeck, in the midst of multiple Romanesque
epiphanies

From Powys, one can see that Medieval castles had to
be defensible from every room

#1 "I am the Lord, thy Master, thou shalt have no other masters
before me..."

Not very old headframe; still in Wales

Sufficiently poignant that I will not provide a link to
Peter Cook's "My Experiences Down the Mine"

There are a dozen or more principal charity shop chains in Britain; "Cats
Protection" is new to us; maybe it's for protecting people from cats

Anatomically interesting Chester door fixture designating a 

female toilet; no male counterpart

In Chester; of course; used books and records

Still wondering what forest dogs are and whether they want to be rescued

British Out-Takes, 2026, 1

From our weeks on the road...apologies for any duplicates of the already-posted...think of them as running gags...

It was in the North, the fall of 2009, at a Home Depot-like
place, that we had our first lesson in sorting it out...in that case,
choosing the right trolley (we were (foolishly) purchasing
insulation for the exterior plumbing on our camper)...

So it was no surprise, when we got to Winchester, in 2026, 
that British stores were still helping us to sort things out

Photos by Vicki; notice I am heading for the exit, hoping
not to be apprehended...

Further sorting; but note there was no similar assistance for
sorting out mens' under-garments, which are also somewhat
complicated

Next to godliness in Winchester Cathedral

All over Wells we saw these more than life-size swan figures,
depicting scenes about the city

Also posters of the various swans of Wells

The police department swan was a bit of a shock...maybe OK for the UK

But might not have been OK in the US

At the parish church...pigeons are indeed a threat...hoping to
audition for the role of Holy Spirit in next year's Easter pageant

"Grope Lane"...per capita, Wells has to be the most fun you can have
in a UK city

Please remove shoes before playing the organ; shoe-born
feces foul the mechanisms

Diocesan dirty laundry

In the Wells Cathedral chained library

Soon to be replaced by an AI-controlled Holy Roomba

A huge selection of Holy Socks in the Wells Cathedral shoppe

A tribute to Well's Olympic long jump champ of yesteryear

Gold medal, world record...top that!

Now en route to Gloucester, via Bath, being
reminded that this is how, prior to 2009, we 
used to navigate

In Gloucester, wondering where the George is, not to
mention the Upper George