Posted: Thursday, March 30, 2017 10:30 am

Bodine Castle and a century in LIC

by Ron Marzlock, Chronicle Contributor

Queens Chronicle

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No, it’s not the Adams Family home. This was the famous granite castle built by John Bodine (1818-1887), a wealthy wholesale grocer. It was built in 1853, only 200 feet from the East River. Bodine ran … (View original article)

First time buyer? Not sure how to get on the ladder? Pockets full of gold weighing you down and alienating friends? We’ve got the answer! Buy a freaking castle.

Enough dancing to the tune of oh-god-I’m-never-going-to-own-my-home, just hurry up and put a deposit down on Wilton Castle, a grade I listed fortress that comes with its own manor house, moat, watchtower, and dungeon.

The frankly ridiculous property, a mile outside Ross-on-Wye, is on the market for £1.5m.

Orig… (View original article)

Walt Disney World plans to implement new security measures at its Magic Kingdom on Monday that’ll make it more difficult than ever to bring prohibited items into its Florida theme park.

Effective April 3, Magic Kingdom guests will been screened by security prior to boarding the monorails, ferryboats and buses that lead into the park, a Disney spokeswoman confirmed this week.

“As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the arrival experience for guests at the entrance to Magic Ki… (View original article)

Published:
17:31 EDT, 1 April 2017
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Updated:
18:03 EDT, 1 April 2017

As a Geordie boy, I spent my formative years in and around Northumberland. 

The 1960s and 1970s were a time before those cheap and easy flights to sunny destinations, and most of my holidays were spent either on the beach at Tynemouth (normally in a kagool) or exploring the local countryside. 

As my family didn’t own a car, everything had to be within easy reach of a bus or train.

I… (View original article)

A number of Wales’s historic sites — including a medieval chapel and ancient abbey — are getting ready to welcome visitors this Easter following a £2.6m investment from the Welsh Government’s historic environment service Cadw.

Improvements have been made to a number of historic monuments over the past twelve months, ranging from refurbishments of shops and visitor centres, improved on site information for visitors, opening access to previously closed off areas and restoring parts o… (View original article)

Kent has seen visitors come from far and wide to view the fantastic and beautiful gardens on offer.

The county is not called the Garden of England for nothing, but where are Kent’s best gardens?

National Gardening Week 2017 will be celebrated from April 1016 in order to celebrate gardening and encourage people to learn more and get involved.

See below for our list of 15 beautiful gardens you should visit over National Gardening Week 2017.

Sissinghurst Ca… (View original article)

The Beach Boys were favourites when a talented group of 40 young musicians from a Horsham school performed in a castle to help raise money for charity.
They took part at Arundel Castle in ‘Celebrating Sussex Childhood’ for Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice, young people’s charity Winston’s Wish and also supporting Home-Start Arun.
The event was held in the Baron’s Hall and was hosted by Mark Spofforth OBE, High Sheriff of West Sussex, in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk an… (View original article)

Food fans are being given the chance to take a sneak peek behind the scenes at one of the North East’s biggest restoration projects.

On Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2, to coincide with the return of Durham County Council’s popular Bishop Auckland Food Festival, Auckland Castle Trust is throwing open the doors of two historic sites, that are being transformed as part of its £70m revitalisation scheme.

This includes the former Backhouse Bank building in Bishop Auckland Mar… (View original article)

Aberdeenshire’s hundreds of castles showcase the country’s rich historical and archaeological heritage.

Perhaps nothing screams Scotland quite so powerfully and dramatically as a rugged castle set amid a swathe of epic scenery, swirling in ghosts and oozing romance.

If you are a fan of castles, then Scotland, with more per hectare than anywhere else in the UK, is the country to visit – with around 300 standing proud in Aberdeenshire alone.

This… (View original article)

Renowned for its own love story, Haddon Hall, one of the most romantic houses to have survived the middle ages, is hosting a Wedding Fair on Sunday, April 2nd, from 10.00am – 3pm.
Now available for civil ceremonies for up to 100 people, the Wedding Fair gives couples an exclusive insight in to how their big day could look, with a ceremony in either the Elizabethan Long Gallery or the Tudor panelled Parlour and a wedding toast in the Elizabethan Banqueting Pavilion in the picturesque Tudor… (View original article)