Bisham Abbey

Today I had a visit from a friend who lives in Tanzania. She's back in the UK for a short visit and I was very pleased to get to spend most of the day with her! We both enjoy walking and it was a lovely day, so we had a pleasant afternoon walking along the Thames between Hurley and Marlow and back. We rewarded ourselves at the end with a well-deserved cup of tea and some cake at the teashop at Hurley Lock.

This is a view of part of Bisham Abbey (pronounced Biss'am), a manor house on the site of what used to be a monastery. Henry VIII granted the house to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce settlement from him. Later, after it was bought by the Hoby family, Queen Elizabeth I was a regular visitor.

Today the complex of buildings at Bisham Abbey are run as a National Sports Centre on behalf of 'Sport England'. Athletes and sports teams come here to train. The buildings are also used for conferences, corporate events and private functions, as well as being a popular wedding venue.