Richard Bach

The Museum of Witchcraft was the creation of Cecil Williamson, whose interest in witchcraft and magic began in childhood. Cecil initially founded a Museum of Witchcraft in Stratford-upon-Avon but after local opposition, moved to the Isle of Man and in 1951 opened The Folklore Centre of Superstition and Witchcraft. Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, was featured as the ‘resident witch.’ As time went on, the two men’s interests became increasingly divergent and Cecil returned to the mainland to set up a succession of witchcraft museums.

Eventually, Cecil settled in the Cornish village of Boscastle and opened the Museum of Witchcraft in 1960.

St Petroc himself  brought Christianity and established a Church here around AD 518. Petroc was a Welsh nobleman educated in Ireland. He set out with his followers in boats, or coracles, and the winds and tides brought him to the river Camel estuary. Here he built a Monastery, with a School, Farm, and Church to serve the monks and to minister to the area that became known then as Petrocstow – now Padstow. Petroc travelled widely and founded more Churches in Cornwall, Walkes and Brittany and converted King Constantine of Cornwall to Christianity.

In AD 916 King Athelstan of England conquered Cornwall, and granted Petroc’s Church the right of Sanctuary, one of just three Churches in Cornwall with that status. In Ad 981 a band of Viking raiders destroyed Petroc’s Church, leaving it in ruins. Around AD 1100 a new Norman style Church was built on this site and the thick walled tower base survives from this period. In the 1400s the Church was rebuilt, using Caen stone from Normandy, and remains to this day.*

*Information from a signboard outside the church

Prideaux Place (Cornish: Plas Prideaux)^[2] is a grade I listed^[3] Elizabethan country house in the parish of Padstow, Cornwall, England. It has been the home of the Prideaux family for over 400 years. The house was built in 1592 by Sir Nicholas Prideaux (1550–1627), a distinguished lawyer,^[4] and was enlarged and modified by successive generations, most notably by his great-great-grandson Edmund Prideaux (1693–1745) and by the latter’s grandson Rev. Charles Prideaux-Brune (1760–1833). The present building, containing 81 rooms,^[4] combines the traditional E-shape of Elizabethan architecture with the 18th-century exuberance of Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Gothic.

The house contains a fine collection of works of art, including royal and family portraits, fine furniture and the Prideaux Porcelain Collection. The recently uncovered ceiling in the Great Chamber is a masterpiece of the art of the Elizabethan plasterer. In 1968 the estate comprised about 3,500 acres, excluding the St Breock estate situated about ten miles away, also in the family’s ownership, inherited from the Viell family in the 17th century.^[5] The deer park is one of the most ancient in England, containing in 1968 about 100 fallow deer, increased from only about six in 1946 following World War II.^[6]

Land’s End is the most westerly point of mainland England, a dramatic clifftop headland near the village of Sennen where the Atlantic Ocean stretches unbroken towards the horizon.

Saint Basil

I opted for the Vegetarian breakfast but when it arrived it was not the best. The eggs had been cooked in a pan that was too hot; the bottom of the eggs were burnt and inedible, the mushroom was dry around the edges and the beans were tepid.

We had decided to go to Oxford for the day so that we could visit Christ Church Cathedral. We opted to use the nearby Pear Tree park and ride rather than drive into the city. After being dropped off in Oxford centre we walked to the Cathedral, stopping off at Blackwell’s sci fi book shop. It had a fabulous selection of board games to peruse. I behaved myself and came away empty handed.

We arrived at the Cathedral to find that you had to prebook a ticket which included a tour of the surrounding university complex. After we had booked the earliest available tickets (15.15) online, we noticed a sign near the shop that was advertising earlier tickets at 13.30. The earlier ticket time suited us better so we asked at the entrance desk if we could change our ticket time and were pleasantly surprised to find we could.

We pottered around a nearby shopping arcade and had lunch in Coffee Smith café where I had a small slice of orange, passion fruit and almond cake. Then we browsed the adjoining indoor market until it was time to make our way back to Christ Church to pick up our tickets.

When we started the tour, we had forgotten that the Great Hall that the Harry Potter dining hall was based on was part of the tour. The hall is awe inspiring and still used for dining every day during term time and for other events.

In the Cathedral I particularly enjoyed the stained-glass windows especially the newest St Francis window. We weren’t able to access the nave due to a performance by a quartet of singers taking place. There was a one-way system in play so when I had finished the Cathedral tour, I had to retrace my steps outside to re-enter the Cathedral to get my passport stamped. The Cathedral guide was very excited to be stamping a passport.

We got caught in a heavy deluge of rain as we made our way back to the bus stop via Blackwell’s main bookshop. The rain was welcome but not ‘just now’. We spent some time browsing the bookshop but once again I wasn’t tempted to make a purchase.

Enjoying the cool fresh air after the rainfall, we freshened up before having a pre-dinner drink in the bar. When it was time to walk to the nearby Brotherton’s Brasserie Italian restaurant it had once again started to rain. The food was delicious but the desserts were enormous!

We returned to the billet for a nightcap and packing before our journey home the following day.

We set off for Woodstock in glorious sunshine, stopping in Leamington Spa. We found a suitable place to park the car and stepped out in search of a suitable place for lunch. Café Royal with its Mexican twist tempted us inside. It was popular so we had to wait outside for a few minutes until a table became available. Mr C chose a panini which when it arrived was quite different to what is usually served. I chose cherry pancakes which turned out to be sweeter than I was expecting.

Before leaving Leamington Spa, we enjoyed browsing around the books in Waterstones, which had a refreshingly different selection of books than usual. I also dealt with a missed call about a problem with a hospital appointment that mum was supposed to have attended that morning. It hadn’t happened, hospital transport had left without her! I missed the person I needed to speak to and needed to call back later in the week to speak to him.

We continued on our journey to Woodstock and booked into the King’s Head, a Fullers Inn. I unpacked my bag whilst Mr C went on a recce of the town. He wasn’t gone long even though he went round the town twice.

Our room was up in the eves with a small window light and a fan that wasn’t working properly. It didn’t rotate so the air in the room was static and warm reflecting the humidity and heat of the air outside. There was nothing for it, we had to ’slum it’ in the bar downstairs with a cool refreshing drink, although much to Mr C’s disgust London Pride (in a Fullers pub) was off the menu. Whilst chilling in the bar I enjoyed colouring in one of my colouring books.

We went back to our room to freshen up, which was difficult in the heat, before dining in the Inn’s restaurant. I chose salmon with orzo, samphire and tomatoes and Mr C elected for pie and chips. Both dishes were delicious. After chatting at the table for a while, we took the remaining wine and sat outside in the warm, refreshing air.

R.A. Salvatore