6. Holiday

Joe was due for ten days leave, he and Lucy discussed the options – they could travel to Paris or they could take a train journey through England up to Scotland.

They decided on England. After all, they had been living in the country for twelve months; they should see some of it.

They announced their plans to Jack and Julie who became quite excited about the prospect of travelling the country by train.

At last, after four weeks of anticipation the day came to travel to the train station to board The Flying Scotsman. Lucy had booked two co-joined sleepers.

Joe read to the family some of the history of Peterborough as the train steamed through it.

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Peterborough began as a Saxon settlement. The Danes invaded it in 870 AD and then abandoned the settlement. In about 1000 AD a wall was built around the settlement to protect it from marauding Vikings. It was called St Peters Burgh. (Burgh was the Saxon word for a fortified settlement).

In 1070 AD an army of Danes (Vikings) and some Saxons attempted to overthrow William the Conqueror. They sacked the abbey at Peterborough and burned the town. However Peterborough soon recovered from the disaster and was rebuilt.

During the Middle Ages Peterborough was a small and relatively unimportant town controlled by the Abbot. The main industry was weaving wool.

When Henry VIII closed all the monasteries and abbeys in England, Peterborough Abbey was not excluded and it closed in 1539. However in 1541 the abbey church was reopened and made a cathedral. Also in 1541 Kings School was founded.

By the late 17th century the population had grown to around two thousand. The main industry in Peterborough was still wool manufacturing. But there was also some malting and from the 17th century clay pipes were made in Peterborough.

Like all towns in those days, Peterborough suffered outbreaks of plague. It struck in 1574, 1607, 1625 and 1665–67. Each time a significant part of the population died but Peterborough always recovered.

Mary Queen of Scots was buried in Peterborough Cathedral after her execution in 1587.

In 1643 during the civil war parliamentarian soldiers desecrated Peterborough Cathedral. They disapproved of images in churches and so they destroyed paintings and stone carvings. However the Old Guildhall was rebuilt in 1671.’

Joe finally realised his wife and children had fallen asleep. ‘Not that interested in history,’ he thought. ‘Oh well, I think it’s interesting.’ He read the remainder of the chapters to himself.

The next historical city was York – surely they will be interested in the history of York. Our biggest city is named after it. We have a couple of hours before we arrive there and they’ll be ready for another history lesson by then. As the locomotive was approaching York Joe pulled out his history of Britain book and started to recite. Lucy and the kids feigned interest.

York has changed hands several times in its history. It was founded by the pre-Roman Britons originally named Eborakon meaning ‘place of the yew trees’. The Romans changed it to Eboracum in 71 AD and made it their capital. York became so important in Roman Britain that a palace was built in the city and the emperor Septimus Severus stayed there from 209-211. The most enduring legacy of the Romans is the city walls, around which you can still walk today.

The Romans left around 410 AD when the Anglo-Saxons who named the city Eoferwic replaced them. Little remains of the Saxons as their wooden buildings have not survived. Edwin, King of Northumbria constructed a church, especially to be baptised, and this is considered the first York Minster.

Roman City Walls

The Danish Vikings led by Ivar the Boneless, invaded York around the mid 9th century AD. The Vikings changed the name to Jorvik and left a legacy of street names behind. Gata in Danish means ‘street’, leading to current street names such as Micklegate and Castlegate. In the 11th Century, a succession of rebellions and invasions from Norway led England into the hands of the Normans.

William the Conqueror became King of England and medieval York became the base of his operations in the North. He built two castles, one on each side of the River Ouse. All that remains of these is the Northern Clifford’s Tower. There were several uprisings against the Normans but these were suppressed with unprecedented savagery. Most tellingly, the population of Yorkshire fell from 8,000 to 2,000. The Normans also brought York into economic importance. The Minster was rebuilt in the Gothic style over the years 1220–1482, and the Archbishop of York was only second to the Archbishop of Canterbury in terms of religious influence.

At the end of this period, during the War of the Roses, York was a centre of power for the Lancastrian cause. Edward IV never forgave the city for being sympathetic to his enemy and ruled with an iron fist. The top of Micklegate Bar was decorated with the heads of the leaders. York’s economic influence also began to ebb away at this time.

York also suffered under Henry VIII’s reformation. In April 1644, York was besieged by parliamentary forces under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax. King Charles’ cousin Prince Rupert rushed to York’s aid. However, York surrendered to the Parliamentary army. Many important buildings were destroyed but Fairfax convinced them to spare the Minster.

Joe decided that he would forgo the history lessons and let the family watch the scenery go by until they reached Edinburgh.

At last the locomotive steamed into Waverley station in Edinburgh where Lucy had arranged accommodation at what was reputed to be the finest hotel in the city: The North British Hotel. They settled into their suite and took a stroll along the famous Princes Street with its exclusive shops and lovely pubs and restaurants.

The Embassy had arranged a car to be available to them during their stay and good use was made of it. They toured all around Scotland taking in the lochs and mountains in the highlands. Joe even played a game of golf at the famous St Andrew’s Course.

Finally their holiday was nearly at an end. They caught the train back to London and the next day Joe was at work and the children were at school. Lucy was once more having tea parties and playing cards with her friends.