It’s been a while since I wrote here – I know I’m notoriously bad for keeping up with anything that requires a regular commitment of time, I’m working on it but I do rather need to fit sleep in my hectic schedule too, much as an inconvenience that fact is to me – BUT! I just had to share some photos from my afternoon at Berkeley Castle and share with you what might, in my humble opinion, just be the perfect dress for spring and summer.
If you’re not familiar with Berkeley Castle, it’s a medieval beauty between Bristol and Gloucester and is the oldest continuously-occupied castle in England (it’s been the home of the Berkeley family for more than 850 years!) It also gets a special mention for being the location of one of histories most gruesome murders, or so some historians say. Edward II was locked up in the castle (you can see the tiny room he was kept prisoner in), persuaded to abdicate the throne, then never heard of again. Legend has it that he was murdered by having a red-hot poker thrust up his arse…Lovely.
There’s so much I could tell you about the history as, let’s be honest, there’s a LOT to unpack being as there’s almost 900 years of it. If you’re interested then I’d recommend visiting for yourself and immersing yourself in the medieval magnificence of it. If you want a more relaxed and ‘adult’ experience then I’d strongly recommend avoiding the school holidays when they tend to hold a lot of family friendly events and the volume inevitably gets turned up. It also makes it easier to get into the new restaurant that’s on site (I LOVE that they focussed on local produce and seasonality.)
Now, THE DRESS. I’m a sucker for a pretty dress, that won’t be a surprise to anyone. I therefore end up buying quite a lot of them from various alternative brands and they take up the majority of space in my wardrobe. Imagine my surprise, then, when this midi number from Amazon of all places ends up being one of my favourites. Not only that, but it costs less than £40. BONKERS! I feel rather like a gothic Disney princess when I wear it and so I ended up buying it in white and red too. I used to feel a bit…weird, for want of a better expression, about buying clothes from Amazon. I think I had preconceived ideas about the quality and I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to shout about buying something from there but this dress single handledly changed my thinking. You can find it in all its different colourways here. I can see there’s now also a version #2 of this black one with slightly different sleeves and a waist tie. Verrrrrry tempting…
It’s a fleeting visit as duty calls but here are some more photos I’ve picked out for you.
With love and not a red-hot poker in sight,
Amanda x
