Health and Safety

England is generally a cleaner and more safe country to visit. Yet, there are always worries of getting sick or caught in an unsafe situation while traveling. Here is some more in depth information about traveler's health and safety in England...

Health Overview

Although Brits may complain, the National Health Service (NHS) provides an excellent service, including free emergency treatment at NHS hospitals regardless of nationality, which is better than most countries offer. Across the country, hygiene standards are high (despite what your nose might tell you on a crowded Tube) and there are no unusual diseases to worry about. Your biggest risks will more than likely be self-inflicted from overdoing activities - physical, chemical or other. Regardless of nationality, anyone will receive free emergency treatment at Accident & Emergency departments of NHS hospitals. Travel insurance is still advisable as it offers greater flexibility over where and how you're treated, and covers expenses for emergency repatriation.

Dangers & Annoyances

England is a pretty safe country, considering the wealth disparities you'll see in many areas, but crime is certainly not unknown in London and other cities, so you should take care - especially at night. When travelling by Tube choose a busy carriage and aim to avoid some deserted suburban Tube stations at night; a bus or taxi can be a safer choice.

Pickpockets and bag snatchers operate in crowded public places, so make sure your bag is secure. Keep money and important documents out of sight and out of reach, rather than in a handbag or money belt. In large hotels, don't leave valuables lying around; use the room or hotel safe. Some hostels provide lockers, but you need your own padlock.

If you're on a driving holiday, don't leave luggage in the car when parking overnight. Where possible, look for secure parking areas near TICs.

In large cities, avoid unlicensed minicabs unless you know where you're going as you could be scammed into paying for driving round in circles. Use a metered taxi, or phone a reputable minicab company and get an up-front quote.

Maidenhead

Most of our time will be spent in Maidenhead, working in elementary schools. This quiet town holds much history and warmth. With only a forty minute tube ride into London, it is an ideal spot for travelers to escape the city, and enjoy a suburb of London.






Maidenhead is probably most famous for the River Thames which passses within a mile of the town center. A river path on the right hand side runs downstream to Windsor (behind the photographer) and beyond towards London. Upstream under the bridges is Boulter's Lock and Cookham, then eventually Reading and Oxford. A pleasant place to stroll. The second bridge you can see in the distance is the A4 road bridge.The railway line to London Paddington was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1838 and terminated at Maidenhead Riverside, a temporary station on the Buckinghamshire (east) side of the Thames, out of view to the right of the scene above. The bridge over the Thames was not complete at that stage. The present station was opened in 1871 when Maidenhead Riverside station and another (Maidenhead Boyn Hill station) closed.
This is the High Street - The road is pedestrian-only at all times and used to be the A4 Bath Road. The A4 was diverted to a dual-carriageway section to the north of the High Street in the early 1970's. You can see how some of the original buildings looked if you look above the modern shop fronts; the same goes for this view of the High Street.A large shopping centre, Nicholson's Centre, stands on the site of Nicholson's Brewery, one of the town's four breweries, now all closed. The High Street and shopping centre and surrounding roads are now home for many national chains such as Boots, Marks & Spencer, Superdrug, Argos, Virgin (record stores), Woolworth, Next, W H Smith, Sainsburys, Mothercare, Miss Selfridge, Thomas Cook, Tesco and Waitrose. There are also take away food chains, banks, estate agents, a market (Tuesday - Saturday) and charity shops as well as some classy small local shops.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837.
It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham. Today it is The Queen's official residence, with 775 rooms.
Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September. They are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

What there is to see...
The State Rooms form the heart of the working palace and are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto; sculpture by Canova; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture.
The Garden
Described as a 'walled oasis in the middle of London', the Palace's garden is home to thirty different species of bird and more than 350 different wild flowers, some extremely rare. Visitors end their tour with a walk along the south side of the garden, with splendid views of the west front of the Palace and the famous lake.

Admission:

The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace
(includes audio guide)
Adult £15.50
Over 60/ Student (with valid ID) £14.00
Under 17 £8.75
Under 5 Free
Family £39.75 (2 adults and 3 under 17s)
A Royal Day Out
(The State Rooms, Royal Mews and The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace)

Adult £28.50 Over 60/ Student (with valid ID) £25.00 Under 17 £16.00 Under 5 Free Family £73.00 (2 adults and 3 under 17s)
How To Get There:

By train: London Victoria. (National Rail Enquiries Service 08457 484950 (UK)).
By underground: Victoria, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner.
By bus: Numbers 11, 211, 239, C1 and C10 stop on Buckingham Palace Road.
By road: Buckingham Palace is situated within the London Congestion Charge zone. Please see www.cclondon.com for further details.
By coach: A number of tour companies include a visit to the State Rooms in their sightseeing tours of London. For further details ask your hotel concierge.
Visit the Transport for London website for maps and information about London Underground and bus routes.
Address: Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA

Stud of the Family

I would be lying to myself to not add an entry entirely dedicated to the Prince known as William. Hearing his name unexpectedly makes my heart jump, along with the thought of even the smallest of the slightest possibility of maybe getting a glimpse of him while in England. And here he is...
Prince William is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.He was born at 9.03pm on 21 June 1982, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London. A bulletin announced that the Royal baby weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz.

On 4 August 1982, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace.
After attending Mrs Mynors School, Prince William became a pupil at Wetherby School in London, from 15 January 1987 until 5 July 1990.
From September 1990, The Prince attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire, for five years until 5 July 1995. He then attended Eton College from July 1995 and studied Geography, Biology and History of Art at A Level.
Prince William was 15-years-old when Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind their mother's cortege at her funeral which was held at Westminster Abbey on 6th September 1997.
After a gap year in which he visited Chile, Belize, worked on British dairy farms and visited countries in Africa, Prince William chose to study at St Andrews University in Fife, Scotland. He graduated with a 2:1 in Geography in 2005.
After a period of work experience, Prince William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet.
He was commissioned as an army officer in front of Her Majesty The Queen at Sandhurst in December 2006 and joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant.
To mark a decade since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry organised two major events to commemorate and celebrate the life of their mother. The first was the Concert for Diana, which was held at Wembley Stadium on 1 July 2007, on what would have been The Princess's 46th birthday. The event featured some of their mother's and some of their own favourite artists. All of the artists were invited to perform by Prince William and Prince Harry.
The second event was a Thanksgiving Service for Diana, Princess of Wales held at the Guards' Chapel in Wellington Barracks, London. The service, held on 31 August 2007, the 10th anniversary of the Princess's death, was attended by members of the Royal Family, the Spencer family, charity representatives and friends of the late Princess. Prince William, Prince Harry and Lady Sarah McCorquodale gave readings.
In 2008, Prince William will serve on attachment to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force following the completion of his time as an armoured reconnaissance troop leader with the Household Cavalry Regiment.
These attachments will enable Prince William to share the working lives of airmen and sailors, and to make comparisons with his own experience to date as an Army officer.

More information on William available here!

Oh, and the Royalty...

The British Royal Family's surname is Windsor. They changed their name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor in 1917. They did this because when World War One broke out in 1914 and anit-German sentiment was at its height in 1917. In protest, King George V renounced all the German titles belonging to him and his family and adopted the name of his castle, Windsor.

Members of Royal Family

• HM The Queen
• HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (The Queen's husband)
• HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall Prince Charles is the Queen's eldest son and his wife
  (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948)
  • HRH Prince William of Wales (The Prince of Wales's elder son)
  • HRH Prince Harry of Wales (The Prince of Wales's younger son)
• HRH The Princess Royal (The Queen's daughter)
  (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950 )
• HRH The Duke of York
  (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960)
  Prince Andrew is a member of the British Royal Family, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II.
  • HRH Princess Beatrice of York (The Duke of York's elder daughter)
  • HRH Princess Eugenie of York (The Duke of York's younger daughter)
• TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex (The Queen's youngest son and his wife)
  (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964)
  Prince Edward is the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 1999.
  • Lady Louise Windsor (the Earl of Wessex's daughter)
    
• TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (The Queen's cousin and his wife)
• TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)
• TRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)
• HRH Princess Alexandra (The Queen's cousin)

HM = Her Majesty
HRH = His of Her Royal Highness
TRH = Their Royal Highnesses

Click Here to View an Entire Royal Family Tree

British Currency... The pound!

The British currency is the pound sterling. The sign for the pound is
The pound () is made up of 100 pence (p) exactly like the dollar is split into 100 cents.

Current coins are:

1 penny, 2 pence, 5 pence, 10 pence, 20 pence, 50 pence, 1 pound, and 2 pounds.

Current bank notes are:

the 5 pound note, the 10 pound note, the 20 pound note and the 50 pound note.

Old money conversions to money used today

• Six pence - 2½p
• One shilling (or 'bob') - 5p
• Half a crown (2 shillings and sixpence) - 12½p
• One guinea - £1.05

More Information about using the pound is available here!

Castles

Castles have been an important part of life in England since the early days of the Norman conquerors, and have served as defensive strongholds, homes, and historic sites throughout the years. castles in England are one of the most impressive attractions in England.

Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited stronghold in the world as well as the largest castle to be found in England. Windsor castle is a favorite residence of the current royal family, and has served the purposes of the monarchy since the days of William the Conqueror. Tours of the castle are available daily.

Knole is one of the most unique castles in England. Knole features 365 rooms (one for each day of the year), 52 staircases (weeks in the year), and 7 courts (days of the week). Of England castles with a Tudor theme, Knole is one of the best examples. Tours are available daily.

Hatfield House- England castles all come with fascinating stories, and Hatfield is no different. It was here that Elizabeth I first learned, while playing under a tree, that she had become Queen of England. This is one of the most beautiful resident castles in England, with lovely maintained grounds and exquisite artwork featured inside the castle, where tours are available.

Hever Castle and Gardens- This is one of the England castles that remains a favorite among history lovers. The former home of the famous Anne Boleyn, this castle has since been purchased and restored.

Woburn Abbey- This castle has a Wild Animal Kingdom with one of the most extensive collections of animals in all of England. Woburn Abbey was also one of the castles of England loved by Queen Victoria, and tours of the castle will include a view of her former bedroom.

Thornbury Castle is one of the delightful castle hotels England features. Castle hotels England has to offer generally combine history with modern luxury. The Thornbury Castle is 500 years old, and guests will experience the thrill of walking the same halls as Henry VIII, as well as many other historical kings and queens. Of the castle hotels England offers, Thornbury Castle is one of the oldest, and the only Tudor castle to be opened as a hotel. Whether you plan to spend the night in an English castle, or simply hope to make a tour of some of the more prominent castles in the country, the castles of England are one of the most fascinating sites in Europe. Tours of the castles of England can be arranged through travel companies, many which combine sightseeing with accommodation and other activities.

More information from the Castle Website Available Here...