If you are interested in history then you could find that the Fulham Palace and gardens are worth a look. They were formally the home of the Bishops of London and is still owned by the Church of England. They have recently been restored and excavations have revealed other, larger buildings were on the site prior to the palace. They are free to enter and have a museum and the gardens still have some very old plants and trees in them. Part of the gardens were converted to allotments during the war and these still remain today for the use of local residents. The gardens adjoin the churchyard of the neighbouring church but the palace does have it sown personal chapel. The museum contains paintings, stained glass and masonry as well as a display showing the history of the palace.

This makes interesting reading for anyone interested in old buildings and how they fitted in to their surroundings when they were built as well as how they have developed over the years. There is also an art gallery which has pictures of things related to the house. There is a café so visitors can refresh themselves either before or after taking their tour of the building and grounds. If you do decide to visit then you may find that a hire car will be of benefit because it is likely that you will be tired after walking thee extensive building and grounds and being able to ride back to where you are staying is likely to be a welcome option.

When I tell people that I was born and raised in Colorado, they generally assume that I am of the southern persuasion and steer clear of me and that I am through and through American with no ties to the old world. And while the second assumption is largely true, I do have a fiancée that has friends and family in England.

After proposing to my all-of-a-sudden fiancée we just assumed separately about where and how the wedding would be held. We both assumed that it would be in our respective home states, but she also thought that we would make the trip to England and have a second ceremony there so that the rest of her family could attend. When we finally talked about what was going to happen, she won. We “decided” on two ceremonies, but I negotiated my way into picking the venues.

Finally, after a lot of research I decided that the venue in England had to be one in which Big Ben or the London Eye was in the background for our second set of wedding photos. After we decided on the London Eye, we began planning our trip. She left transportation up to me as she’s not a fan of driving anyway. A few hours of deliberation later I decided that we would rent a car to make sure we made it to the ceremony (at least) on time. Thank god she had been to England before, it was much different.