by Helen Kain | Nov 30, 2025 | Beautiful Towns, England, Featured, Unique Places to Stay
There’s something delightfully unhurried about the rural British approach to the festive season. While city lights dazzle and department stores pulse with urgency, in the countryside, Christmas arrives by way of gardens, greenhouses, and the smell of mulled cider. On...
by Helen Kain | Jun 28, 2025 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Featured
Set high on the hill beside the Cathedral, Lincoln Castle has always loomed large—both literally and symbolically. , On a recent visit with my husband, Glenn, and our youngest daughter, Lauren, as we wandered its stone walls and peered into the prison cells, I...
by Helen Kain | Jun 22, 2025 | Cathedral Tapestry, Cathedrals, Featured
Forty-two cathedrals, ten years, and one curious Canadian I didn’t set out to build a catalogue of cathedrals. Or stately homes. Or rebellious reformers. Or ecclesiastical power plays. I just liked beautiful places. It began with a trip to Devon and a visit to...
by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2025 | Castles & Stately Houses, Featured, Victorians (1837–1901)
While Osborne House dazzles with its grand Italianate design, Swiss Cottage tells a different story—one of practicality, education, and industriousness. Nestled in the estate’s grounds, this charming alpine-style cottage was more than a playhouse; it was a...
by Helen Kain | Jun 8, 2025 | Castles & Stately Houses, England, Featured, Georgians (1714–1837), Ready to Publish
Nestled in the rolling countryside of Norfolk, Houghton Hall is a testament to the grandeur of 18th-century Palladian architecture. It’s easy to be dazzled by the symmetry, the scale, and the sheer elegance of it all. But behind every arch and column lies a mind—and a...
by Helen Kain | May 21, 2025 | Castles & Stately Houses, Featured, Victorians (1837–1901)
Tucked away on the Isle of Wight, Osborne House was more than just a royal residence—it was Queen Victoria’s sanctuary. Built between 1845 and 1851, the estate became the private retreat where Victoria and Prince Albert could escape the rigours of court life and...
