One of the finest Elizabethan houses in England

Advantages: Lots of history, plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: Quite expensive for non National Trust members

...If you have ever wondered what an old English country manor house looked like in its heyday then you might want to consider a visit to Hardwick Hall. Perched on the top of a hill between Chesterfield in North East Derbyshire and Mansfield in North Nottinghamshire this house can be seen from the M1 motorway. If you are travelling southbound between junctions 28 and 29 it can be seen in the distance to your left. Hardwick Hall was the family home of Elizabeth Hardwick, usually referred to as "Bess of Hardwick", who eventually became, through marriage, the Countess of Shrewsbury. Hardwick Hall is now in the care of The National Trust. Five hundred years ago Elizabeth Hardwick was the second richest woman in England, with a fortune surpassed only by that of Queen Elizabeth 1. With this incredible wealth came an enormous amount...

micksheff 03.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Hardwick (England)

Celebrating England

Advantages: looks cute
Disadvantages: retired

...Everybody my age had TY beanies, they were adorable! My close circle of friends and I were huge collectors and between us we have most, if not all, of them going! One of these is England the Bear. England: The name is pretty self explanatory. This bear represents the country England. Whether it is bought as a souvineer by a tourist in England, or by somebody whose home country is England and they are proud of that, this bear is there to represent it. Appearance: To look at, England from a distance seems plain, almost like a basic white bear. Indeed, his fur is white, which goes hand in hand with the whiteness of the England flag. Around his neck there is a little red, white and blue bow - the colours of the Union Jack. This alone is cute, and then on his chest you will notice a little England flag has been stitched on. This adds to...

Amy69 23.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of TY England the Bear

I Want A House With A Pink Roof!

Advantages: excellent price, comes with furniture and doll's, good quality for what you pay!
Disadvantages: tiny hinges make assembly a bit faffy.

...Last year my daughter joined a new nursery and fell in love with the wooden dolls house they had. Deciding this would be a perfect Christmas present, I started having a look around. My first port of call was my old trusty, ELC. They do stock a beautiful doll's house, unfortunately it's £100 price tag was really pushing my budget, especially because the doll's and furniture weren't included and had to be bought in sets ranging from £15-£25. My quick calculations priced the total cost of the doll's house, a set of doll's and the bare minimum amount of furniture to be bordering on £200. I then saw an advert on TV for a Christmas catalogue with a doll's house for just £39.99. I looked it up on the website, and was impressed with how it looked. What swung it for me in the end was that it also included a set of 4 doll's AND 5 sets...

Rhiana 26.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Chad Valley Wooden Dolls House

* The Bunny House *

Advantages: Funny , Plot
Disadvantages: May Send Out Wrong Message To Young Girls!

...Recently I have been swapping DVDs with my friend ; I've been borrowing her 'up-to-date' movies and she's been watching my 'rom-coms'. One of the DVDs which I borrowed from my friend was a film called ' The House Bunny'. The House Bunny is an American romantic comedy film released in the United Kingdom on 10th October 2008. This film stars Anna Faris , (who's previous films include , Just Friends and My Super Ex Girlfriend). Running time of the movie is ninety seven minutes (seven minutes over one hour and a half). Shelley (Faris) is a playboy playmate living a luxury life in the playboy mansion. Soon after her twenty seventh birthday , she is told that she is now too old to be a playboy bunny and so it 'thrown out' of the playboy house. Feeling upset and lonely , she tries hard to fit in with other girl groups , although soon...

xdonzx 21.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The House Bunny (DVD)

A Wooden Album by Crowded House?

Advantages: 'Woodface' includes some of the most sublime love songs ever written
Disadvantages: It's all a bit much and much the same; the tracks that do dare to be different, don't fit

...on board. Consisting of 14 tracks in total, ?Woodface? was the album that really began to get the band noticed across the pond, particularly in England, where it spawned many top 30 singles including some of my personal favourite songs. Crowded House are a band I largely recognised as an acoustic outlet where the tunes, although magnificent, are mainly there to support the weight of Neil?s and Tim?s often emotional and imagery laced lyrics. The thing I like about Crowded House, and something that is particularly noticeable on ?Woodface? is the difference between tracks; some of them are light hearted and others frank portrayals of the bleaker side of human existence and because of such contrast, the band have managed to master an album full of shadow and light which is both endearing and challenging to listen to. ?NOT EVERYONE IN NEW YORK...

MizzMolko 23.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Woodface - Crowded House

Portrait of a stately home

Advantages: Interesting, portraits, historical
Disadvantages: Pricey

...As a member of the National Trust I try to get the most out of my membership and spend some my weekends visiting places. Montacute was one of the places that was at the top of my list as it has a large collection of historical portraits from the National Portrait Gallery. SOME HISTORY: Montacute was originally built at the end of the 16th century by Sir Edward Phelips. He was a member of parliament under Elizabeth I. The same family lived in the house until 1911 and by 1931 it was up for sale as scrap! This seems so strange considering the history of the house. Thank goodness the house was taken over by the National Trust instead. The house is a mix of gothic and renaissance architecture. GETTING THERE: Montacute is a small village in Somerset. The village is located just off the A303 and the house is well...

tartlette83 08.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Montacute House (England)

house rules

Advantages: great
Disadvantages: have to wait for next seriwes

...House is a fantastic series and I missed the first one but got in to watching this in the second series, so I rushed out to buy the first series box set and I could not stop watching it, it is so addictive. If you love medical dramas then this is one for you as it's not all your normal diagnosis, each episode goes through a new medical dilemma they have to try and solve and they are not your usual colds and virus's. House is a medical programme with a diagnosis to be made, so each episode has you playing doctor trying to figure what has caused the patient's medical condition. House is an American drama and is about Dr Gregory House played by Hugh Laurie he is a fantastic doctor, unfortunately he does not seem to have the patience for patients, and Dr House is a Doctor who says what he wants and does what he wants regardless of other...

jo_field26 27.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of House

England Football Team Part 1

Advantages: Sven has improved the confidence of the players
Disadvantages: Not enough of the squad play abroad

...ORIGINALLY WRITTEN October 2000 A LIFE AS AN ENGLAND SUPPORTER Although I cannot remember the match my parents told me that I watched the 1966 World Cup final at the age of 4. I began watching England matches in 1970. I particularly remember a match at Wembley where England thrashed Belgium 3-1. It was a wonderful performance. Alan Ball and Geoff Hurst got the goals. In those days the Home International Championships were played at the end of the season. England would easily see off Wales and Northern Ireland. The big game was the final match, which was against Scotland. I think the score in 1970 was 0-0. 1970 WORLD CUP Afterwards the World Cup in Mexico began. England was drawn in a group with Rumania, Brazil and Czechoslovakia. The match with Rumania was a dour affair. I can remember Geoff Hurst scoring...

mrpaella 14.10.2000 (24.06.2006) · Read review
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Review of England

One of England's finest Country Houses!

Advantages: Lots of history, plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: Admission charges, house closed during Winter

.... As I stood at the entrance to this room I tried to work out how many times my own living room would fit into this vast space. As with most buildings of this age there are many tales associated with it from over the centuries and as you walk around the house there are information placards that tell the visitors of its rich life. One such story is that of Sir Henry Griffith's daughter, Anne who was promised the most beautiful house in England by her father. She spoke about this place constantly and dreamed of living here but just a few weeks before the final stones were laid she was brutally attacked and a few days later died from her injuries. It is said that as she lay on her death bed she made her sisters promise that if she died they would cut off her head and place it in the main hall. When Anne died she was initially buried in...

micksheff 06.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Burton Agnes Hall, East Yorkshire

England Cricket Team Part 1

Advantages: Side hard to beat
Disadvantages: Often wrong team selected

...ORIGINALLY WRITTEN AUGUST 2000 LIFE AS AN ENGLAND SUPPORTER I first started watching England on TV in 1970 at the age of 8. In those days the BBC1 commentators were Jim Laker and Richie Benaud. Peter West introduced each test session. 1970 England was due to play South Africa but this tour was cancelled due to the sports wide ban due to South Africa’s apartheid policies. Instead England played a test series against the Rest of the World. This team was a fantastic side and comprised of players such as Eddie Barlow, Clive Lloyd, Graeme Pollock, Gary Sobers etc. England lost the series 4-1 but it was no disgrace to lose to such a great side. My main memory is of Geoff Boycott scoring a magnificent 157 against a brilliant bowling attack. Later in the year England toured Australia and regained the Ashes...

mrpaella 27.08.2000 (31.05.2002) · Read review
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Review of England