Looking back to the Castle, imagine the fantastic Italian night-time fireworks over the Mere, where wooden rafts with mechanical dolphins and actors dressed as mermaids upon them, “swam” across the lake. Robert Dudley devised this spectacle to press his hopes for marriage to the Virgin Queen.
There is an intriguing suggestion that William Shakespeare watched from this spot. Why? Because in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Oberon comments: … “My Gentle Puck, come hither, since once I sat upon a promontory (a hill surrounded by water) and heard a mermaid on a dolphin’s back, uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath (singing) that the rude sea grew civil at her song, and certain stars (fireworks?) shot madly from their spheres to hear the sea maid’s music.”
Continue along the path diagonally over the open field (not to the right) for a rest on a snug little bench at the edge of a small, wooded copse and pond. In the hot summer weather this can be dry.
These trails follow the same route as the leaflets but provide more detailed and deeper information at each point of interest (and we will keep adding more as we go!).
Please note – these trails are developed and optimised for a mobile experience so may not work effectively on bigger screen sizes.
Important – Using these trails and clicking their links will require mobile data (no more than accessing web pages), please ensure you are aware of your data limits and costs before using them.
Each point contains everything you need to locate it, as well as links to mapping services for its location.
At each point you will find further information pages and links to help interpret where you are and what you are looking at.
If you spot a mistake or encounter a problem please let us know by providing your feedback on the dedicated form linked below.
Report an issueTrail Content © - Kenilworth Town Council and Partners