Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, Conisbrough Castle, Roche Abbey

To visit some of the many attractions in England, we purchased an 'English Heritage' pass. The organization maintains various historical sites in England and as a member, you gain free entrance to all. Today, we visited three of the sites located in the south of Yorkshire.
Since we were out a bit early, we first stopped at a supermarket for shopping. We found it a bit strange that we had to pay for parking even for a short visit, but we dutifully paid for our parking ticket. When we returned to the car, unfortunately, we still had a parking fine because our camper van extended beyond the boundary line of the parking space…

Now we drove to 'Brodsworth Hall and Gardens', a large mansion with a beautiful and colorful garden layout.

Since the house opened a bit later, we first wandered through the garden.

Several gardeners were busy maintaining the many beds with colorful flowers.

Before the brief rain, we found shelter in a gazebo with the melodious name 'Summer House'.

We also walked across a long stretch of lawn that ended at the 'Target House'.

There, we learned in a small exhibition that the gentry enjoyed practicing archery for entertainment and then retreated to the house for a break and refreshment.

During the tour of the house, many of the rooms were open and furnished with pieces from earlier centuries.

Until 1988, the house was privately owned and inhabited, but it was then handed over by the owner to the foundation so that it could be preserved and made accessible to the public.

At the next stop at Conisbrough Castle, the keep of the old castle complex was mainly preserved.

We climbed the many steps and saw the old rooms that served as accommodation for Hamelin, the half-brother of Henry III, and his wife Isabel when they visited the castle.

From above, there was a wide view - which the guards also used to recognize enemies in time.

Our last stop was 'Roche Abbey', a ruined abbey, mainly the foundations were visible.

The approach was once again a bit difficult: We had good luck with the very narrow road and there was no car coming towards us…

Without paying an entrance fee, one could have seen the monastery complex from the side along a hiking path.

We wandered a bit over the grounds, looking at what remained of the once grand complex.