TRAVEL
in St Mary’s Church in the grounds of the castle. She is the only English queen to be buried on private land. Her marble effigy gleams in the gloom by the altar next to a dark room with a re-enactment of her lying-in- state. It is quite eerie to gaze at her waxen face which looks uncannily life-like. For a few moments, I am caught in my imagination on a time-warp, travelling back into ancient time, as if I am at her funeral joining the other mourners. A requiem hymn plays softly in the background to add atmospheric authenticity for visitors to the church. Some people claimed to have seen her ghost in the garden, always dressed in green, and she came to be known as “Te Lady in Green”. Te castle has endured a chequered history and changed hands throughout the centuries. Today, Sudeley Castle is owned by Lord and Lady Ashcombe and visitors are welcome to tour the castle and the beautiful gardens. One of the most popular villages in the Cotswolds is Bourton-on- the-Water, a true showcase of feng shui at its best. It is charming and although not exceptionally attractive, yet every day, coach loads of tourists descend on the town patronising the shops, restaurants and the touristy attractions in the area. Its secret weapon is the River Windrush, which flows gently through the town spreading amazing chi in every nook and corner. Just strolling along the river with willow trees weeping into the water is sublimely tranquil. It has prospered on the back of tourism thanks to its good feng shui. Te enchantment of the Cotswolds
can be truly appreciated from a vantage point on Broadway Tower, a 1024-feet high 3-storey tower on a beacon hill built in 1798 for the 6th Earl of Coventry. It was reputedly built as a folly for the wealthy Earl to indulge his wife as a holiday retreat and to show her all the land he owned from the viewpoint on the Tower. It is the second highest point on the Cotswolds escarpment and on
56 FENGSHUIWORLD | JULY / AUGUST 2013
Golden fields of rapeseed.
The tomb of Queen Katherine in St. Mary’s Church at Sudeley.
a clear day, an unrivalled view of 16 counties over a radius of 62 miles is visible. From this high elevated point, the aerial view shows its geographical landscape endowed with several “Dragon Hills” harbouring “Dragon Dens” in the valleys, with rivers
coursing through the plains that are like vast ming tangs to the towns and villages. Despite my fear of heights, I climb up the wind-swept vertiginous battlement at the crown of the tower and survey the magic that Cotswolds. I will be back.
is the
Helen Oon is the author of the Globetrotter Guide to Malaysia and the Wildlife Guide Malaysia (
www.newhollandpublishers.com).
www.fswmag.com
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