For many visitors to England, one of its most endearing features is the myriad of little villages dotted across the landscape, particularly in the southeastern county of Kent. Quaint old pubs, stone churches dating back hundreds of years and so much else of historical significance are all part of what draws certain New Zealanders back every so often. The 40 pictures below are a glimpse of 10 days spent in England in May 2003, four of those in Kent, two in the Oxford area, and four in London.



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1. Friendly Englishman at a red postbox "off the beaten track" in rural Kent - distinctive red postboxes and telephone booths can be found in quite remote spots at times
2. White Horse pub at Bearstead Green
3. Pub sign at Molash in rural Kent
4. Church in the very pleasant village of Chilham
5. More of Chilham which is "gathered around the village square"
6. The entranceway to the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral
7. In the city of Canterbury (shortly before a heavy downpour)
8. Wickhambreaux, a little village in the middle of nowhere



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9. Heading west on the M26 (en route from Maidstone to Oxford)
10. Henley-on-Thames, just inside Oxfordshire
11. The city of Oxford (photo taken from an open-top sightseeing bus)
12. The Bridge of Sighs
13. Brasenose College, one of many which make up Oxford University
14. Embarkation point for punting on the river
15. Farmstay outside the lovely old village of Ewelme, Oxfordshire
16. Long Crendon in rural Oxfordshire



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17. Leeds Castle in Kent, promoted as being "the loveliest in the world"
18. The walk through the countryside from the castle to Leeds village
19. King Henry VIII pub in the village of Hever
20. Roadsigns in rural Kent (in miles, of course)
21. Village sign for Wadhurst
22. Ye Olde Thirsty Pig (a little crooked at that), central Maidstone
23. A tourist indicating that this country lane is really not very wide
24. Converted oast houses in the countryside south of Maidstone



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25. View from 14th Century church at Goudhurst - the church tower is 500ft above sea level and dates from 1638, a storm having destroyed the original
26. The "original" Leicester Square in Penshurst, Kent
27. Countryside scene - the road leading away from Penshurst
28. A walk in the "countryside" - in fact this is one of the many green areas within greater London (near Chislehurst)
29. Buckingham Palace in London
30. Bearskin boys inside the palace grounds
31. The Mall (pronounced "mell") leading away from the palace
32. View from the London Eye looking towards Parliament Buildings and Westminster Abbey. The ferris wheel takes 30 minutes to complete one circuit - well worth it!



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33. The clock tower which is usually known as Big Ben, along with Parliament Buildings, and the London Eye at left
34. Perhaps the "classiest-looking" bridge in the world, Tower Bridge
35. Travelling over the bridge
36. Distinctive pub in central London
37. Tourists (and "locals") in Trafalgar Square
38. Traffic gridlock in Trafalgar Square, 4.56pm on a Wednesday - people were getting out of taxis to walk to their destinations more quickly!
39. Oxford Circus a short while later, fairly heavily populated with people
40. Late spring in London and the days are warming up. Ideal weather for outdoor games. No prize for guessing who's just lost this round!



 Anaheim and more
 Paris in the spring
 The Loire Valley

Page compiled by Malcolm Sparrow - June 2003