Local Places

	Local Places
	It is not actually necessary for me to travel far for some of my favourites - the Malverns and Stratford being two good examples. There are though, many places worth visiting that are even closer.

	Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens A recreated 18th century garden in the grounds of a 17th century house about 3 miles from my home. On 14th of May 2003 the house was auctioned - unfortunately my pocket money did not manage to meet the starting price of £850,000.

	Aston Hall An early 17th century house about 3 miles from my house - now a museum.

	Coleshill, Warwickshire Aerial view of a market town about 15 mins from my home - the church is well known to many as it is visible for miles perched high above the surrounding area. There are many old buildings in the town, including the Coach Hotel, an 18th century coaching inn, in the High Street. Below the town is the River Cole.

	Harborne This building in the leafy Birmingham suburb of Harborne is my favourite pub - the Bell. It is quite close to where I work, so lunch time trips out are possible.

	Ward End This early 19th century house is in my local park. It is used as offices.

	Yardley Old Village This picturesque scene is about three miles from my home. It is the old village in Yardley, and it is believed that the same master-builder worked here in Medieval times as worked at Coleshill further up the page. Near the village is a 15th century farm house called Blakesley Hall.

	The Spitfire Memorial About two miles from my home, during World War Two, the famous Spitfire was built at Castle Bromwich airfield and the Jaquar car factory. This huge sculpture commemorates the plane and its role in protecting England from invasion. It was designed by the great nephew of Tolkein, the writer of Lord of the Rings. Tolkein is linked to several buildings around the city as he lived here as a child.