Watching the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession from Balmoral to London, historian, broadcaster, and social media sensation Alice Loxton, was struck by analogies with the funeral cortege of Eleanor of Castile in 1290.

Eleanor, wife of Edward I (and not to be confused with Eleanor of Aquitaine) was borne 200 miles by solemn procession from Lincoln to Westminster Abbey. To mark the places where her cortege rested overnight, Edward I commissioned twelve lavish stone monuments, later known collectively as the Eleanor Crosses. Although most were destroyed during the English War, some survive today, at Geddington (near Kettering), Hardingstone (Northampton) and Waltham Cross (Hertfordshire).

Alice Loxton sets herself the challenge to walk the route of Eleanor’s procession on the corresponding dates, visiting the site of each cross. She also detours to visit the artist commissioned by London Transport in 1979 to create the famous mural at Charing Cross Station depicting the original Eleanor Cross on the site (now replaced by a nineteenth century reconstruction).

Blending royal history with travel writing, this is a fascinating and engaging account of Queen Eleanor and life in the thirteenth century. Loxton has a gift for bringing history alive without dumbing down. This is a book that made me want to learn more about England’s medieval history but also to go out and explore some lesser- known historic sights, as well as more famous landmarks such as Lincoln Cathedral.

Emma Andrews