About the Company

Gardens and Castles of England is a well-established Family Business with members living in the Midwest of USA, Bristol in the West of England, and London. Keith and Carolyn Thornton live in Des Moines, Iowa and are the main guides for tours in England.

Keith was born and brought up on a farm in the rural North West of England and has life-long hobbies of gardening, horticulture and English history. Working in agriculture, he has lived mainly in England but also for an eight-year period in Spring Green, Wisconsin as well as two years in Guangzhou, China and more recently in Bucharest, Romania. His worldwide travels include visits to Australia and South Africa, all of which allowed him to study gardening in very different worldwide locations. Keith moved to the USA when he married Carolyn and over the last five years they have visited stately homes and gardens throughout England.

Fall Tour to England 2006
September 11th to September 20th

The English Lake District

The Hotel for the first four nights of our stay overlooks Lake Windermere and the surrounding mountains of the Lake District.

Places of interest to visit are as follows:

  • The Village of Hawkshead, including the Grammar School of William Wordsworth, and Hill Top, the 17th Century Farmhouse owned by Beatrix Potter where her collection of china, furniture, paintings, and doll houses are on view.
  • Scenic Grasmere and Dove Cottage - the home of William Wordsworth originally built in the 17th century.
  • Two outstanding Gardens on drives via Ambleside through mountains and lakeside scenery.
  • A daytime Steamer cruise on Lake Windermere during your free time or a Jazz/Buffet cruise in the evening; or Blackwell House, internationally renowned as an Arts and Crafts Museum.
The City of York and the Yorkshire Dales

We shall spend four nights in the City of York at a Hotel overlooking the Minster (the largest Gothic Cathedral north of the Alps) where there will be an opportunity to attend one of the Services.

York and the County of Yorkshire have many places of interest including:

  • Antique shops and the ancient Shambles, the old City Walls to walk, a floodlit river cruise, or the Ghost Walk of York!
  • The City of York houses the National Railway Museum and the Jorvik Viking Centre as well as the York Art Gallery.
  • The Yorkshire Dales and the James Heriott Countryside.
  • Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Gardens; this is a World Heritage site encompassing 12th Century Cistercian Abbey and an Elizabethan Mansion House.
  • Cliffords Tower for a wonderful view of the City.
  • You may wish to arrange your own walking and hiking trails through the fells and around the lakes or in the Yorkshire Countryside.

Cost: $3,250 per person includes hotels (Bed, Breakfast, and Dinner) in Bowness-on-Windemere and York. Return airfares from Des Moines, ground transportation, and garden entrance fees. Lunch and tips not included. Lunch will be taken in a variety of interesting pubs.

For further details, daily itinerary, and booking form, please contact:

Keith Thornton & Carolyn Lynner
711 56th Street
Des Moines, IA 50312

Phone/Fax: (515) 279-5598
Email: katyee41@mchsi.com


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