New York, New York - As America marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia next year, visitors will want to head to Britain to see the impressive stately homes, castles, historic cities and villages which inspired and lead to that first permanent English-speaking settlement in 1607.
Jamestown was named after the English monarch at the time, King James I. His royal palace, Hampton Court, is just one of the "must-see" attractions on a trail suggested by VisitBritain, the tourist office for England, Scotland and Wales. Visitors will see some of the ancestral homes from where those first settlers came from, their parish churches, villages and museums recounting the historic journey, and commemorative statues, windows and plaques marking their extraordinary achievements.
Many of the crew who sailed to Jamestown on the first three ships (the Susan Constant, the Discovery and the Godspeed) were from the eastern counties of England surrounding London. They set out from England in December 1606, and landed in Jamestown in May 1607. Historic towns and villages throughout those English counties can be easily visited within a touring vacation by car or train.
Flying into London Stansted Airport with new airlines MAXjet or Eos Airlines, visitors are just a short drive away from Harwich. This historic coastal town was home to Captain Christopher Newport, who had overall command of the voyage to Jamestown in 1606. Harwich is one of Britain's oldest recorded towns, and visitors will want to spend time at the Maritime Museum featuring displays about the Royal Navy and the town's naval and shipping history. Visitors exploring the town's narrow streets lined with historic buildings will also want to see the Redoubt Fort, an anti-Napoleonic fort overlooking the harbor.
An hour from Harwich, Otley Hall is a stunning 15th century moated hall, which was the birthplace of Bartholomew Gosnold, captain of the Godspeed. Two other members of Gosnold's family also sailed to Jamestown with him. Bartholomew Gosnold, a seasoned explorer, had previously sailed to the New World in 1602 and named Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard (naming it after his daughter, Martha). Visitors today can take a historic guided tour of Otley Hall and enjoy the gardens, which feature a re-created Medieval knot garden.
About 30 miles north-west of Otley, travelers tracing the roots of Jamestown and America will want to visit the town of Bury St. Edmunds. It is here that Bartholomew Gosnold lived, and the town today boasts a bustling center with many fine buildings. St. Edmundsbury Cathedral dates back to the 16th century, and the Cathedral Treasury is dedicated to the original Jamestown settlers. Moyse's Hall Museum contains local history collections, within a building dating back more than 800 years. The remains of a 14th century abbey can be seen, surrounded by the award-winning Abbey Gardens which feature a water garden, aviary, bowling green, sensory garden, rose garden, and the Pilgrims' Herb Garden which was opened by H.R.H. Prince Charles. Bury St. Edmunds offers a range of small hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation, ideal for a stay of a few nights to explore the area.
Heading north to the county of Norfolk, takes the visitor to a historic area relating to the infamous John Rolfe. Heacham is a small village on the coast where Rolfe lived as squire of Heacham Hall. He sailed to Jamestown in 1609, and married Pocahontas, the daughter of the Chief of the Algonquian Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia. Pocahontas visited Britain with Rolfe before her death on her return to Jamestown.
Heacham Village Church features a memorial tablet to Pocahontas, and she is also featured in the village sign. Visitors stopping off at Heacham can today enjoy two sandy beaches along with a number of shops, restaurants and pubs. Pocahontas Lake marks the village's fondness of their Indian princess, and the nearby Norfolk Lavender fields, which are open to visitors, waft a gentle scent over the village during the summer months.
Following the coast up through eastern England to the county of Lincolnshire, visitors can go to the village of Willoughby where John Smith was born and baptized; he later became president of Virginia. Willoughby St Helena Church has a photograph of his registry entry, and the font at the church today is the same one from which he was baptized. Nearby is the market town of Alford, where Smith went to school; visitors can see Alford Manor House Museum in a thatched manor house dating back to 1611, which has just been refurbished. Alford boasts a selection of art and antique shops, and many Victorian and Georgian shops and cottages.
Twenty miles south-west of Alford, is Tattershall Castle where John Smith learnt the art of horsemanship and jousting. The 15th century castle is a dramatic red brick tower featuring elaborate brick vaulting and stone fireplaces, and a double moat. There are four floors with a rooftop courtyard. A battlement walkway offers magnificent views across the surrounding countryside, with Lincoln Cathedral visible on clear days.
Heading south to the county of Kent, the regal St. George's Church is the final resting place of Pocahontas, hidden in the riverside town of Gravesend. Long a place of pilgrimage for American visitors, the town commemorates Pocahontas' burial in 1617 with a plaque and stained glass windows in the church. In addition, a statue of Pocahontas that was unveiled by the Governor of Virginia in 1958 can be seen by visitors today in the church gardens.
20 miles away, visitors can find Leeds Castle, the ancestral home of Sir Thomas Culpeper, Governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683. Passed down through generations of the Culpeper family, the castle's aviary, maze, grotto, golf course and what may be the world's only museum of dog collars are sure to delight. Set in 500 acres of parkland, the castle also plays host to an annual hot air balloon display.
On the north Kent coast, the small town of Reculver is where Jamestown Chaplain Robert Hunt served as vicar of the town's church from 1594 to 1602. The ruins of the 14th century church are on the edge of a cliff overlooking marshes and the ruins of an ancient Roman fort that guarded the north end of an estuary, which in those times separated the Isle of Thanet from mainland England. Today, all that's left of Reculver church are two spireless towers called "the Twin Sisters," which are a well-known landmark and navigational aid by sea and land.
Britain's capital, London, is a perfect inclusion on the historic quest for travelers, starting with a visit to Hampton Court Palace, the former residence of King James I, namesake of the Jamestown settlement and the James River in Virginia. In addition to its beautiful green lawns and majestic clock tower, the palace was also the site of a meeting with English Puritans in 1604 that led to James' commissioning of the King James Version of the Bible.
In the City of London, St. Mary le Bow Church was the parish church of Captain John Smith. Rebuilt twice after the Great Fire of London, the church is famed for its 'Bow Bells' indicating that to be a true 'cockney,' a baby must be born within the sound of the bells. On nearby Bow Lane is a statue of Captain John Smith.
Another "must-see" is St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church on Giltspur Street, the largest church in the City of London, and where Captain John Smith worshipped and is buried. In addition to his final resting place in the south aisle of the church, Smith is commemorated on a beautiful stained glass window on the church's south wall. The eulogy from his tomb is reproduced on a copper memorial plate near the site of his grave: "Here lyes one conquered that hath conquered kings." Smith spent the final years of his life in a house in the nearby Snow Hill neighborhood. A walk through Snow Hill today allows visitors to easily imagine what life would have been like 400 years ago, with Smithfield Meat Market dating back 800 years and narrow streets and alleyways lined with specialty shops, old pubs and parts of the old London wall on view.
The Museum in Docklands, located close to the departure point of the three ships at Virginia Quay in London where there is also a 'First Settlers Monument', will feature an exhibition telling the history of the Jamestown settlement and of descendents. The exhibition, on from November 2006 through May 2007, will include items on loan from Jamestown Virginia.
Before heading back to the US, visitors will want to see a special 267ft New World Tapestry which is on display at the Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol through October 2006. The museum uncovers 500 years of history including British exploration and trade, and an interactive experience 'pow-wow' recreates the meeting of English settlers and native American Indians. Bristol is an hour-and-a-half from London by train and downtown Bristol includes a wealth of attractions along the harborside. For a convenient return to the US, Continental Airlines fly non-stop service from Bristol International Airport to New York.
For more information about visiting Britain to see sites connected with the Jamestown settlement, visit www.visitbritain.com/usa which includes information on tracing your ancestry and links to the British commemoration site for Jamestown 2007. Or call toll-free 1-800-462-2748.
