The July meeting

This was a well-attended meeting.  The speaker, Maggie Piper, who is a Blue Badge guide in London, gave an in-depth account of two castles and a tower.  The first castle was Windsor and we were treated not only to an account of the history and layout of the castle, but also to the functioning of the events which occur within its walls.  Next, we moved to the Castle of May, the home of Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother.  Contrary to expectation, this had been a recent acquisition which the Queen Mother had bought (for a notional sum) soon after she was widowed.  We finally arrived at the Tower of London.  Although it was a place of dread for those who incurred the wrath of a monarch, it was, nonetheless, home to many members of the monarchy and the court surrounding them.

The talk was informative and interesting and kept members enthralled for almost an hour.  At the end, Maggie was thanked by Pam Marsh.  She then went on to judge the July competition entries.  The requirement was for a picture/photo of a castle and there was a substantial entry (see below).

Maggie Piper, holding the winning entry

All in all, this was a very enjoyable meeting.