Some friends of mine will be traveling in England in late December. They want to see some old England sites, not just the touristy sites. Can anyone recommend some good sites for real English atmosphere?

that is such a big question because although it is a small country there is so much there. Many stately homes have Christmas events which are lovely. Hampton Court Palace has a good Christmas show - this palace is west of London. Henry Viii built it and this June it is 500 years since he was crowned so there will be events marking that.

Thank you, Joanna. I passed this info along and my friends are very excited about the events for Henry VIII.

Where abouts is she going? Does she have a car/or will walk a little? there are loads of places i could name...many free and of the beaten track if you give us a vague idea where she'll be and how she wil be getting around

They will be renting a car I am sure. They do not like to go on scheduled tours, rather take their own time and their own interests into consideration.

They came back from England so enthused and happy about the trip. They loved it! My brother bought several vests and came home looking like a right proper Englishman. He took so many pics and wants to go back. He says it was wonderful. He walked every day to visit many places and so enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the people.

I'm glad they had a good time. Where did they visit? By the way, what you call vests, we call waistcoats (vests are worn under the shirt).

I did not know you call them "waistcoats" - I always wondered what a waiscoat was, now I know. The ones he bought are what we call pull-over sweater vests. They are very nice and make him feel better dressed. He is concerned now about the summer months coming up and not being able to wear the "vests".

They had plans to visit the Giant's Causeway and many other places, but had so much fun where they were in England. They visited Buckingham Palace, of course, and several other palaces and temples/churches and took so many pictures. I do not know all the places they visited. They stayed at a huge, historical hotel on the Thames and loved it so much they did not want to leave. I do not remember the name of the hotel, but it is luxurious and huge!

My brother said he so enjoyed walking in St. James (I think that was the name of the park). He said it was so beautiful.

If it was huge and famous and on the river, it was probable the Savoy Hotel. It used to be where the entrance road is the only legal road where driving on the right is allowed. This was so the the hackney carriages could let the passengers alight by the door. If they stayed there they must have a few dollars as it is quite expensive.