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This event was cancelled due to restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 viral outbreak. Information that follows is only for historic purposes.


  • Date:07/05/2020 12:00 PM - 07/11/2020 12:00 PM
  • Location Holiday Inn, Winchester, Hampshire, UK (Map)
  • More Info:We'll be based at the Holiday Inn in Winchester while visiting sites in the Hampshire area of England.

Description


 From noon on Sunday, 5 July - Saturday, 11 July 2020, the Friends of Long Melford Building Trust will be our tour guides for a week-long, post-reunion tour of other sites in England.  There is room for only 40 persons; please book early.

Clopton Post Reunion Tour - Winchester & surrounding sites in England

Based at The Holiday Inn - Winchester

www.hiwinchester.co.uk/

There are both laundry and dry cleaning facilities at the Holiday Inn - Winchester.

Sunday, July 5 - Saturday, July 11, 2020 (Limit of 40 people)

(Review 2020 CFA Reunion activities in Long Melford here.)


Monday, July 6 - Lord Montagu's stately home at Beaulieu

Beaulieu Palace HouseBeaulieu Palace HouseOriginally built in the 13th Century, Beaulieu House was extended in the 16th and 19th Centuries and is today a fine example of a Gothic country house with the inside in a Victorian style.  It is still home to the current Lord and Lady Montagu.  Also on the grounds is the world-renowned National Motor Museum which houses around 250 vehicles manufactured since the late 19th Century.  Nearby at Buckler’s Hard learn how warships were built for Lord Nelson’s Navy and see models of the ships which took part in the Battle of Trafalgar.


Tuesday, July 7 - Portsmouth Docks and Spinnaker Tower

Portsmouth & Spinnaker TowerPortsmouth's Spinnaker TowerWhen Britannia ruled the waves, it did so from Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard, still the base of the Royal Navy.  The grand and historic warship, the HMS Victory, changed the course of world history when Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson pursued Napoleon’s fleets and conquered them at Cape Trafalgar.  The museum building holds the much older Mary Rose, a 16th Century warship which was King Henry VIII’s favorite.  Near the Spinnaker Tower, which has become an icon of the city, the successful makeover of Portsmouth added an outdoor shopping center.


Wednesday, July 8 - Winchester

Today Winchester Cathedralwe stay in Winchester to visit  Winchester Cathedral where many of England’s kings and queens are buried and which was Hogwarts in Harry Potter!  It is one of the finest medieval cathedrals in Europe with over 1,000 years of history.  Among the many famous who are buried there is Jane Austen.  Next we travel to the Hospital of St. Cross, founded between 1132 and 1136, creating what is said to be England’s oldest charitable institution.


Thursday, July 9 - Watercress Line and homes of Austen and WhiteJane Austen's HouseHome of Jane Austen

We start the day on the Watercress Line to experience the Golden Age of Steam Travel.  Then on to the humble home of the author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.  It was in this country cottage that Jane's genius flourished and where she wrote all her novels.  Austen’s house will be followed by a visit to the home of Gilbert White:  a priest, naturalist and ornithologist; his home is a treasure.  The rooms have been restored, following descriptions in White’s own correspondence and include items of contemporary furniture, family portraits, and bed hangings embroidered for him by his aunts.


Friday, July 10 - Osborne House via ferry ride to The Isle of Wight  

Osborne House, Isle of WightOsborne HouseOsborne House is a stunning  Italianate palazzo that was Queen Victoria’s beloved getaway on the Isle of Wight for 50 years, until her death in 1901.  Today Osborne House has been lovingly restored.  Visitors will have an intimate glimpse into the nursery and private rooms of the Queen and her beloved Prince Albert, who lived there with their nine children.


Saturday, July 11 - Return to Heathrow Airport

We will be taken by coach to the Heathrow airport for return to the US or to continue your privately arranged travel plans.  Since flights to the US leave very early in the morning, the coach will not arrive at the airport in time for you to fly to the US on Saturday.  Therefore, you can make a reservation at an airport hotel for Saturday night, 11 July (please make your hotel reservation prior to leaving the US), and a return flight reservation to the US for Sunday morning, 12 July.


A message from the Long Melford Planning Committee: 

“We very much hope that you enjoy the Reunion and Tour and look forward to the next Long Melford Reunion of the CFA in  2026.” 


Related Websites  

The Holiday Inn Winchester:

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/winchester/soawc/hoteldetail

www.hiwinchester.co.uk/

Beaulieu Palace & Motor Museum, Buckler's Hard:

www.beaulieu.co.uk

www.beaulieu.co.uk/attractions/national-motor-museum

www.bucklershard.co.uk

Portsmouth — Mary Rose, Victory Romsey Tower & Spinnaker Tower:

maryrose.org

www.hms-victory.com

www.spinnakertower.co.uk

Winchester — Cathedral, Hospital of Saint Cross:

www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk 

hospitalofstcross.co.uk

www.highclerecastle.co.uk (30 min drive from Winchester, but not on this reunion tour)

Jane Austen House, Gilbert White and a trip on the Watercress Line:

www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk 

gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk 

www.watercressline.co.uk

Isle of Wight — Osborne House:

www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne

www.isleofwight.co.uk/attraction/osborne-house


For more information, please contact:  

  1. CFA Secretary/Treasurer Pat Clopton-Wheeler at membership@cloptonfamily.net 
  2. CFA Vice-President Judy Timmons at reunions@cloptonfamily.net