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A LUXU RY BRE AK FOR TW O TO LONDO N
OCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014 ISSUE 182 £4.50
Durham Dales We reveal the secrets of this natural haven between the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Parks
Wildlife wonders Take a walk on the wild side with our month-by-month guide to Britain’s natural spectacles
Leading lights Discover our iconic lighthouses on the 500th anniversary of
The call of Cambridge
the charity that cares for them
Little Britain We put the spotlight on the small buildings that have history to rival that of our grand stately homes
Explore Cambridgeshire with our special county guide, featuring the top 15 experiences to enjoy across its famous university city and beyond
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Plus Wordsworth’s House| Bank of England Museum | Kennet & Avon Canal cruise| Aerofilms Collection
www.foxsoutdoor.co.uk
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t e n o c s t n
Features
28 36 44
Durham Dales Nick Morrison discovers the built and natural wonders to be found within the landscape of the often overlooked Durham Dales
Small wonders Faith Eckersall offers her selection of Britain’s small historic buildings, which are just as compelling as our grand stately homes
The Aerofilms Coll ection Captured by a pioneering airman, this collection of aerial images provides a unique record of Britain during the 20th century
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Bank of England Museum Anthony Lambert explores the story of the institution that has presided over the national finances since the 17th century
Britain’s lighthouses Jo Caird traces the 500-year history of Trinity House, the charity responsible for safeguarding our historic lighthouses
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Wild Britain We reveal where and when to discover the best of Britain’s wildlife with our month-by-month guide to our natural spectacles
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Essential Cambridgeshire Regulars 68
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Why Cambridgeshire?
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Reviews
With its beautiful fens, historic university The latest books and DVDs on Britain city, museums, windmills and wildlife, 26 The Intern Cambridgeshire has plenty to offer curious Helen Ochyra travels to Falmouth to try visitors, says Vicky Sartain a day in the life of its harbour master
Essential experiences Our selection of the top 15 things to see and do, from punting on the River Cam, to visiting Britain’s oldest nature reserve and scaling the heights of Ely Cathedral
Fact file Everything you need to know to plan your trip to Cambridgeshire, including where to stay, where to eat and when to visit
Competition
Win a luxury two-night break for two at the Hotel du Vin, Cambridge in the heart of the beautiful city
4 OCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014
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BACK ISSUES £4.50 Tel: 01858 468 811 Printed in England ISS N 0950-5245 © Archant Specialist 2014 News distribution: Seymour, 86 Newman Street, London W1T 3EX Tel: 020 7396 8000 Discover Britain is available on tape forpeople with impaired vision.
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Britain’s great journeys Take a cruise along the Kennet & Avon Canal, from Bath to Devizes
114 Creative spaces
Rydal Mount, William Wordsworth’s last home, Cumbria
Departments 06 08 11 19 113
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On the cover: Punting on the River Cam in Cambridge. Photo by Stefano Baldini/Robert Harding
T N U O M L A D Y R ; Y M A L A
Editor’s Note CONTRIBUTORS Nick Morrison Turn topage 28to read Nick’s guide to the treasures of the unsung Durham Dales. “Even though I grew up in nearby North Yorkshire, it wasn’t until I lived in Darlington that I started exploring this unfairly neglected corner of England that has so much to offer visitors, both in historical interest and natural beauty,” he says.
The Scottish Highlands and islands are some of the best places to observe the annual red deer rut
Take a walk on the wild side FOR A SMALL ISLAND NATION, BRITAIN IS HOME TO A SURPRISING
array of wildlife. Yes, we may not have lions, tigers or vast herds of wildebeest roaming our countryside. We can’t claim to have awe-inspiring deserts or towering glaciers either. And we can’t compete with Continental Europe for its range of mammals, reptiles or butterflies. But we can boast some pretty awesome wildlife spectacles and experiences, so long as you know where and when to look. Starting on page 85 you’ll find our month-by-month guide to just a few of those we think everyone should experience just once in their lifetime. For those of you up for an extra challenge, we’ve also included our round-up of where to find our rarest resident species. If all that has you craving something a little more sedate, then how about a tour of Britain’s smallest historic sites (page 36); a cruise down the Kennet and Avon canal (page 42) or a long weekend spent exploring the treasures of the Durham Dales (page 28) or Cambridgeshire (page 67)? As I leave you to consider future travels around Britain, it seems like an appropriate moment to let you know that this is my last issue as editor of Discover Britain. Six years, three redesigns, one rebranding and just under 40 issues since I first took charge of this magazine, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who buy or subscribe to it. I only hope that you continue to enjoyDiscover Britain as much as I have enjoyed creating it!
MATTHEW HAVERCROFT Editor
6 OCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014
discoverbritainmag.com
iF a Et h Although Britain might be known for its grand stately homes, Faith decided it was time our smaller historic buildings got their turn in the spotlight. “What makes all these places so special is their humanscale. You cannot help but connect to their past lives and their purpose, and I find that intimacy both moving and inspiring.” See page 36
Anthony Lambert Anthony reports on his experience of paying a visit to the Bank of England Museum in the City of London, where he learned about its important role in shaping our national finances since 1694. “It is said that money makes the world go round, and this museum informs visitors about the turbulent role of perhaps the world’s most famous national bank,” he says. Turn topage 52
Jo Caird Jo traces the 500year history of Trinity House, the charity responsible for safeguarding the future of Britain’s historic lighthouses. “I find lighthouses, particularly the ones I have written about in this issue, fascinating as symbols of man’s battle with the elements,” she says. “I would love to live in one if I could!“ See her feature onpage 58
T O H S O T O H /P A P H N
Mail
Your words Let us know your thoughts on themagazine. The writer of each letter published receives a prize book We need you! Don’t forget to share your travel photos with us. It’s easy to
Wales watching It was lovely to read about Carmarthenshire in your latest county guide, (Essential Carmarthenshire, August/September 2014). I live in Brecon so most of the places you included are familiar to me. However, I’ve never visited the Dolaucothi Gold Mines, and was
upload them. Just log on to www. discoverbritainmag. com and click the ‘Readers’ Gallery’ tab and login/create an account, then simply follow the easy steps. We’d like to see the places that have inspired you. Here’s one taken by reader Mathew Leeke from Kenilworth. “It was an unexpected shot taken in winter in the village of Flash, in the Peak District,” he says.
surprised to find that it’s a National Trust site. As I’m a member of the charity, I shall be sure to visit. I also enjoyed the Snowdonia section you ran earlier this year, (Essential Snowdonia, February/March 2014). More on Wales, please! P EVANS, BRECON
Gallop to the hills Your feature on the white horses Mane ( attractions , June/July 2014) was interesting. I once volunteered to help re-chalk the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire and was surprised to find how many others turned up for the event. One legend suggests that the horse is in fact a dragon, and that it was on the nearby flat-topped mound called Dragon Hill that St George slayed the beast. The middle of the hilltop is bare chalk, said to be the dragon’s blood. S TURNER , BY EMAIL
Email us with your thoughts at
[email protected] Follow us on Facebook at ww w.facebook.com/discoverbritainmag and Twitter at @We_love_Britain From the editor:
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[email protected] Write: Please write to Letters to the Editor, Discover Britain, Archant House, Oriel
Beach memories What great pictures in your seaside gallery (English seaside holidays, August/ September 2014). It was amazing to see how people used to dress for the beach – men in Sunday best! If they could see Blackpool beach’s skimpily attired crowds today I can’t help wonder what they would say. My nearest beach is Brighton and I’ve found many equally amusing archive images on a general internet search. I do enjoy looking at old pictures – maybe it’s because they make me feel young! KERRY MOORE, HAYWARDS HEATH
Making tracks The welcome news that Wedgwood will present its redeveloped visitor experience in 2015 gives an excellent opportunity for London Midland TOC to stop trains at Barlaston and Wedgwood again. We have already had 14 years of ‘bus-titution’ and our most recent change sees a seven minute train journey from Stoke taking 50 minutes on the bus. Not a good start for our international visitors. ROBERT MCMILLAN, STOKE ON TRENT
Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1BB. We welcome your letters, but reserve the right to edit them. Please include a daytime telephone number and, if emailing, a postal address (this will not be published).
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K C O T S R E P U S ; E K E LE W E H T A M ;E S G A IM Y T T E G ; E G A IT R E H H S LI G N E
LUNDY THE UNIQUE ISLAND EXPERIENCE
It is difficult to pin down why Lundy Island has such an effect on people... It is true that Lundy is different from any other island and that it is in a wonderful part of the country, situated off the coast of North Devon. Why not take a short break and stay in one of Lundy’s lovingly restored buildings. There are 23 self catering properties which offer visitors an extraordinary range of buildings in which to stay, from a thirteenth century Castle, a late Georgian house, Lighthouse and Fisherman’s Chalet. There is also a campsite which will cater for forty people. From April until the end of October is when the Islands own passenger and supply vessel, MS Oldenburg, carries both day and staying visitors from Bideford or Ilfracombe, three times a week. Winter breaks are available from November to March by helicopter flying from Hartland Point on Mondays and Fridays. An exhilarating flight provides spectacular aerial view of Lundy and the North Devon Coast. Season by season, from dawn to dusk the visitor on Lundy is offered endless interest and delight.
For further information & bookings Tel: 01271 863636 or visit www.lundyisland.co.uk
In the news
For more of the latest news, go to discoverbritain mag.com
Keeping you up to date with the latest news, tours, discoveries and places to visit across the British Isles
A RCHA EOLOGY
STRIKING GOLD Schoolboys unearth the oldest metal object ever to be found in the UK A group of Alston schoolboys has unearthed one of the most significant recent archaeological finds in the UK. The boys, aged from seven to 10, were on a local dig at Kir khaugh, arranged by the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership’s 'Altogether Archaeology' project, when they saw a glint of gold that turned out to be a 4,300-year-old ornament, probably worn as a hair tress. The ornament is one of the earlies t
EXHIBITION
Treasure trove Staffordshire Hoard goes on display at new Birmingham gallery Hundreds of Anglo-Saxon items from the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found, will now be on permanent display in a new dedicated gallery at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery from October. Discovered in a field near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield in Staffordshire, in2009, the hoard is Britain’s largest recorded
metal objects to worn be found the UK and may have been by ainfirst-generation metal worker who could have travelled to Britain from overseas in search of gold and copper. The intricately decorated tress is a rare item dating back to around 2,300 BC, a period known as the Copper Age (pre-Bronze Age). The tress was found in a burial mound alongside three beautiful flint arrowheads and a jet button. The tress, along with the arrowheads and the button, will now be analysed by various specialists. www.northpennines.org.uk
‘treasure’ ing of over 3,500 items, including gold, 1.442find, kilosconsist of silver and 3,500 cloisonné gar nets. 5.094 kilos of Visitors to the new gallerywill now be able to find out more about the exquisite craftsmanship used to create the items in the hoard, many of which are martial or warlike in character, but there are also a number of unidentified objects, which continue to intrigue exper ts. www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk discoverbritainmag.comOCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014 11
slug News
IN BRIEF THE MUMMIES' RETURN The Atkinson in Southport is due to open a new permanent Egyptian gallery in October. Visitors will be able to smell the perfume of the Pharaohs, get up close and personal with a mummy, admire beautiful beadwork and see a sarcophagus lid that is 3,000-year's-old. Many of the artefacts had been hidden away in storage for 40 years. www.theatkinson.co.uk POOL RESOURCES The Grade II*-listed Cleveland Pools, a 200-year-old Georgian lido in the historic city of Bath, is set to be fully restored and reopened to the public after securing funding of £4.1m, including a development grant of £366,200. The open-air swimming baths are the oldest in the country and were first opened in 1815 following the Bathwick Water Act, which prohibited nude bathing in the river. www.clevelandpools.org.uk
MA RITIME
All aboard Full scale replica of the world’s first iron-hulled boat officially opened to the public in North Lanarkshire, Scotland The Vulcan, a 19th-century boat that revolutionised maritime design around the world, has returned to its srcinal home on the Monkland Canal in the town of Coatbridge, Scotland, as an innovative heritage exhibit following the completion of
ironworking in North Lanarkshire, and the Vulcan’s role in revolutionising shipbuilding. The opening of theVulcan also coincides with the formal announcement of the scheduling of the remaining sections of the Monkland Canal by Historic Scotland,
a £300,000 renovation programme. After undergoing an extensive internal refit, the vessel has taken up its new role as an interactive educational exhibit at Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, where a range of media and artefacts help to celebrate the history of the canals,
recognising the key role the waterway played in Scotland’s history. Once completed, this will officially acknowledge the Monkland Canal as a monument of national importance, helping to preserve its rich heritage for the future. www.scottishcanals.co.uk
DIVE RIGHT IN marine landscapes and Scotland’s hidden their wildlife are now just a click away after Scottish Natural Heritage launched online virtual underwater dives created using survey data, video footage, photography and sound recordings.www.snh.gov.uk
VIEWS
Seeing is believing THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER AND CORNWALL HAVE
been voted as the locations of Britain’s favourite views according to the results of a new survey. Over 7,000 respondents took part in the research, conducted by DigitalOutdoors.co.uk, to reveal that the nation’s top five scenic locations are the iconic White Cliffs, Lake Windermere, Glen Coe, St Ives Bay and the Isle of Wight Needles. When the results were grouped by county, Cornwall was found to have the highest number of sought-after views, followed by Cumbria and Devon. Do you agree with the results? Let us know your favourite UK views by contacting us at editorial@ discoverbritainmag.com or via Facebook or Twitter.
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A RCHA EOLOGY
DIGGING UP THE PAST Historic grave containing the remains of 100 people found in Manchester A long-term archaeological proj ect is now under way inthe Cross Street area of Manchester city centre as part of Metrolink’s transformational Second City Crossing. Gr ound investigations carried out alonghe t alignment of the tram route found the remai ns of over 100 people, interred 150 to 200 years ago and affiliated to the Unitarian Church, on Cross Street. The bodies will now be moved and reinterred. Peter Cushing, Metrolink said: “We recognise he t dutyand of care involved – that is why director we are, follo wing all fully statutory procedures are working closely with church and archaeological officials to ensure this work is completed sensitively and respectfully.”
QUIZ
A UCTION
Who am I?
FAMILY JEWELS
Use our clues to identify this great Briton
Agatha Christie’s lost diamonds to go up for sale at Bonhams
1. Born on 26 September 1887 2. Became assistant chief designer at Vickers aviation after the outbreak of the Second World War 3. Was behind the designs for Operation Chastise in May 1943 4. Knighted in 1968 5. Died in October 1979 Answer on page 113
CONSERVA TION
Divine intervention Have your say in the 2014 English Heritage AngelAwards PREHISTORIC ROCK CARVINGS ON THE
Yorkshire Moors, a vandalised urban church with hidden murals, one of the last working farrier blacksmith’s in the country, and an 18th-century water mill providing electricity for the national grid are among 16 heritage projects that have made it to the shortlist for the English Heritage Angel Awards 2014. The Angel Awards were founded in 2011 by Andrew Lloyd Webber to celebrate the efforts of individuals and local groups all over the country who put hours of hard work, passion and perseverance into saving vulnerable, damaged and derelict historic landmarks from being lost forever. English Heritage is now inviting
An Agatha Christie fan has discovered a purse of gold coins, a diamond brooch and a three-stone diamond ring in an old trunk belonging to the author’s mother. The trunk was purchased for £100 in the 2006 house contents sale at the Greenway estate, the Devon home of Agatha Christie. Inside the travelling trunk was a locked strongbox, but without a key the box remained sealed until years later when the trunk’s new owner was having building work done and saw the opportunity to wrench open the box with a crowbar. However, she had no idea that £10,000 worth of the Christie family jewels were locked inside. The jewels are mentioned in Agatha Christie’s biography as pieces that were earmarked for Agatha and her sister Madge to inherit from their mother’s collection. www.bonhams.com
members of the public to view the full shortlist and vote for their favourite. The shortlisted project with the most votes will wi n the annual English Heritage Followers and Telegraph Readers’ Favourite Angel Award. To cast your vote, visitwww.englishheritage.org.uk/angelawards
discoverbritainmag.comOCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014 13
News PHOTOGRA PHY LA NDMA RK
Sea views Shipwrecked Mariners’ photography competition winner revealed Justin Minns, a photographer from Suffolk, has won first prize in the Shipwrecked Mariner’ s coastal photo competition for his image of the wreck of Steam Trawler Sheraton on Norfolk's Hunstanton Beach. The winning image was judged by a panel of experts, including Matt Havercroft, editor ofDiscover Britain; Kate Westaway, a marine photographer and TV producer; and Commodore Malcolm Williams, the charity’s executive. The runnerschief up were Devon's Dave Peake with his photo taken half underwater in Kingsand rock pool in Cornwall, 2nd and Gary Cox from Gloucester with his photo of Porthcawl Lighthouse inBridgend, Wales. www.shipwreckedmariners.org.uk
1st 3rd
Soap dispenser Coronation Street set turns into popular visitor attraction Fans of the television soapCoronation Street are now able to take a tour of the famous cobbles in central Manchester ahead of plans to demolish the site to make way for a new housing development. The soap is now being filmed in Trafford after over 30 years of filming at the former 'Weatherfield' set, but English Heritage have deemed the site as having insufficient historic or architectural significance to warrant a listed status. The set has already attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and although it is currently due to close at the beginning of October, this date may now be extended to accommodate demand. www.ticketmaster.co.uk/ coronationstreet
INTERVIEW
FIT FOR A QUEEN We caught up with authorAlison Weir, following the launch of her novel The Marriage Gameon Elizabeth I How did you conduct your research? I had all the research to hand, having done reams of it for six non-fiction books on ( or touching on) Elizabeth I, over many years. Do the former stately homes and castles of your Tudor characters inspire you? They do inspire me, immensely, and I feel that it is important to visit them because there is nothing like being on the spot to learn about the ambience, atmosphere (particularly important for historical fiction), details and geography. You may also pick up a fund of local knowledge. I visit these sites for
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pleasure too, and professionally, for book events, and on the themed historical tours that I lead. I have many times had the privilege of visiting, staying at, and/or dining in many his toric houses, palaces and castles. Hever Castle in Kent has to be my all-time favourite, but there are many close seconds!
Do you think Elizabeth I had a more monarchs? difficult time compared to male She had the disadvantage of being seen as hampered with all the perceived weaknessess and imperfections of her sex, and one of the reasons why she did not marry was because she feared the birth of a son who might be used to displace
her; but she used her femininity to advantage, and stressed the qualities in herself that were seen as masculine, and therefore admired. So I wouldn’t say that she had a far more difficult time, as queen, because of her sex. I think she rather revelled in that aspect!
Which character in all your novels has been the most fun to write , and why? Elizabeth, without a is doubt! a character she was! And there broadWhat scope for humour, fascinating speculation, and psychological insights into a complex character who was honed in a dangerous and insecure world. The Marriage Game is published by Hutchinson, priced £18.99, hardback. www.alisonweir.org.uk
X O C Y R A G ; E K A E P E V A D ; S N N I M N I T S U J ; V IT ;L L A W N R O C T I S I V ; D LT O T O H P N LI V E D ; T S U R T S L O O P D N LE A V LE C ; Y E L H C T I R C N O M I S ; Y M A L A
COMPETITION
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a two-night stay for two at a London boutique hotel just minutes from Oxford Street and within easy reach of the city’s iconic landmarks and attractions
W
e’ve teamed up with myhotels to offer one reader and a guest the chance to win a two-night stay at myhotel Bloomsbury, a popular four-star boutique London hotel in the heart of the city. If you love the buzz of London this prize of a two-night stay and complimentary breakfast at the Bib Gourmand-winning GAIL’s Kitchen provides the perfect getaway. Not only can you enjoy a weekend break, you can also soak up some of the capital’s culture by visiting local attractions such as the British Museum, the famous theatre district and the iconic Oxford Street. myhotel Bloomsbury, features 78 contemporary rooms including three exclusive suites, two of which, myplace1 and myplace2 offer balconies with stunning views across London’s serene Bedford Square. Once settled into your room you’re free to spend the weekend however you wish. Situated close to Tottenham Court Road and St Pancras stations you can enjoy easy access to London’s top attractions. For those who don’t win why not make the mostof myhotels ‘48 Hours in London’ package? For more information about this and myhotels, call: 0333 240 9094, or visit www.myhotels.com
THE PRIZE Enjoy a two-night stay for two on a B&B basis at myhotel Bloomsbury in the heart of London.
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Our View
s w e i
y RECOMMENDED r to s QUIET LONDON: Culture i h SIOBHAN WALL, FRANCES LINCOLN, PAPERBACK, £7.99 ’s One of a series of three understated little paperbac ks, Cultureillustrates those in a rare hushed areas where there’s space to think, to browse and appreciate your ti r Quiet Corners B surroundings. The author notes that her research across sister titles: g and Food & Drink, was not just about seeking places to avoid the crowds but to find n ti a peace and happiness. It turns out there are more of these spots across the capital r b than you might think. Smaller visitor attractions such as Strawberry Hill House e l e in Twickenham and De Morgan Centre in Wandsworth are featured alongside c s galleries, bookshops and cultural centres. Also recommended are a number of small D shops offering a serene retail experience. www.franceslincoln.com V D d n MUST SEE a FIRST WORLD WAR DVD s POEMS k THE BEATLES: A Hard Day’s Night o EDITED BY JANE o MCMORLAND HUNTER, (blu-ray and two-disc) b t NATIONAL TRUST BOOKS, £15.99 s HARDBACK, £12.99 e This specially remastered DVD follows t On the centenary a l a ‘typical’ day in the life of the e of the outbreak h of the First World Liverpool band as they tryto make it T War, this beautiful to their big show. John, Paul, George collection of poems and Ringo are due to catch a train to and illustrations, many London with their entourage, but it’s published here for not so simple, with plenty of hilarious the first time, brings THE MARRIAGE together the words incidents set to hinder their journey. GAME of ordinary soldiers www.amazon.co.uk ALISON WE IR, who experienced the HUTCHINSON, battlefield, alongside HARDBACK, £18.99 celebrated war poets THREE OF A KI ND Discover the secrets of a stately Full of intrigue, scandal such as Wilfred Owen, and tragedy, this Rudyard Kipling,
e v R EVERYMAN’S CASTLE PHILIPPA LEWIS, FRANCES LINCOLN, HARDBACK, £20
The British obsession with ‘getting a foot on the housing ladder’ is confirmed. From terraces to flats, bungalows to country mansions, Lewis investigates the changing fashions of our homes and the importance we, as a nation, place on our ‘castle’, whether freehold, leasehold
AE Housman and Siegfried Sassoon. The National Trust’s involvement in the collection stems from its care of places where these works srcinated; the war’s aftermath being the reason for the charity’s acquisition of country houses. The collection is sombre, reflective and leaves the reader in no doubt of the devastation and sacrifice of events. www.anova books.com
new offering from bestselling historian Weir retells the story of Elizabeth I, whose experience as an unpopular young queen is depicted as one wrought with danger at every turn. While some spread rumours that she is not a virgin, ambitious men line up to lead her politically astray, or attempt to trick their way into a position of power. Her one romantic ally, Master of the Horse, Lord Robert Dudley, is at the centre of the Tudor court’s malicious
or rented, and the status attached to it. Illustrations of homes throughout the eras show how inventive, and aspirational, we have been.
gossip; he is married and highly unpopular for his family’s past actions. Elizabeth must play the game and use her wits to keep hold of the crown.
www.frances
www.windmill-
lincoln.com
books.co.uk
pileear n you...
THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE GARDEN
A IN THE LIFE OFYEAR DOWNTON ABBEY
THE COUNTRY HOUSE AT WAR
GEORGE PLUMTRE,
JESSIC A FELLOWES,
NATIONAL TRUST BOOKS,
FRANCES LINCOLN,
HEADLINE, HARDBACK,
HARDBACK, £20
HARDBACK, £25
£20
Stroll through some of the nation’s finest gardens, from the earliest pruned acres created around 500 years ago to the most contemporary designs of today. Beautiful images combine with narrative to highlight the most romantic plots, inspiring any gardener to recreate some of the magic.
As a new season of the TV series starts, peek into the world of Downton Abbey some six years after the First World War. Change has come with new faces in the kitchens, grounds and even at the dinner table. Through the clutch of survivors, life at the big house starts anew.
Looking at the First World War, chapters deal with the home front, women at war, notorious battles, and the war’s aftermath. Filled with archive photographs, poster art and battlefield pictures, this tells how the war’s impact changed the nation’s social order.
www.headline.co.uk
SIMON GREAVES,
www.anova books.com
www.frances lincoln.com
discoverbritainmag.comOCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014 17
What’s on
Our selection of the essential events and exhibitions taking place across the British Isles inOctober and November
N O D N LO , M U E S U
Halloween
Gold
25 October – 2 November Hever Castle, Kent
7 November – 22 February 2015 Buckingham Palace, London
Expect plenty of ghostly goings-on to keep the children entertained at Hever, with themed craft workshops, ghoulish activities and prizes for the best Halloween costume. Gather round and listen to tales of witches and warlocks from the castle’s very own storyteller. Follow the castle’s spooky trail and search for clues hidden around the gardens to solve the challenge and win a terrible treat! Tel: 01732 865 224; www.hevercastle.co.uk
When it comes to this exhibition, all that glitters is most certainly gold. From the Bronze Age Rillaton Cup, fashioned from a single sheet of gold, to a striking 18th-century tiger head from the throne of Tipu Sultan, every corner of the Royal Collection has been raided to bring together this display of glistening treasures. Along the way, learn more about the distinctive qualities of this precious metal associated with kings, queens and gods in different cultures around the world.
M T R E B L A
N D A A I R TO IC V ; Y R A R B LI A B I R / H IT M S IN W ED ; G R U B N E G Ö M FF O H K N I R B ; 4 1 0 II2 H T E B A ILZ E N EE U Q M H © T S U R T N O I T C LLE O C L A Y O R
T S
Tel: 020 7766 7300 ; www.royalcollection.org.uk
Ordinary Beauty: The Photography of Edwin Smith Until 6 December RIBA, London
See over 100 black and white photographs in the first major retrospective of Edwin Smith, one of Britain’s foremost 20th-century photographers. Seeking to capture the essence of places, landscapes and buildings, Smith’s work had many admirers including Cecil Beaton and John Betjemen, the latter describing Smith as a ‘genius at photography’. Included are urban scenes, evocative landscapes and atmospheric interiors. Tel: 0207 580 5533; ww w.architecture.com
The Horse at War: 1914-1918 Wedding Dresses Until 15 March 2015 V&A, London
25 November – 1 March 2015 The Lightbox , Woking
Lace and ruffles are in abundance at this exhibition which
Exploring the role of the horse in World War One, this exhibition will compare the glorified image of officers and their chargers at war
takes a look at the history of wedding dress designs. Among the collection are some of the most romantic, glamorous and extravagant gowns from the V&A’s collection, as well as those worn by royalty and famous figures from popular culture. Visitors can trace changes in fashion over the last two centuries and learn more about the people who wore these fabulous designs. Tel: 020 7942 2000 ; www.vam.ac.uk
with the piteous desolation of these animals as beasts of burden when faced with gunfire and trench warfare. The srcinal West End horse puppet from the National Theatre’s stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novelWar Horse, will feature; the first time the puppet has been on display outside London. Tel: 01483 737 800 ; ww w.thelightbox.org.uk
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E A H T U O S & N O D N O L
Events
S O U T H & S O U T H
The Modern Lens: International Photography and the Tate Collection
West Country Meanderings
14 October – 10 May 2015 Tate St Ives, Cornwall
This one-man show of oils and watercolours highlights the latest body of work from the President of the distinguished New English Art Club, Richard Pikesley. Painted over the last couple of years, the work on display is a collection of landscapes and coastal subjects from South Devon and further west. Hours of walking and study helped to create a group of compelling works painted on Dartmoor, with smaller panels painted in the open air providing a sense of spontaneity.
Looking at developments in international photography from the 1920s to the 1960s, this exhibition uncovers the sense of curiosity and experimentation as artists harnessed the medium in new ways. Tel: 01736 796 226; www.tate.org.uk
W E S T
18 October – 5 November Jerram Galler y, Dorset
Tel: 01935 815 261; www.jerramgallery.com
Nocturnal Encounters 27 September – 8 November St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington
Oceans 11 October – 9 January 2015 Hestercombe Gallery, Somerset This unique exhibition allows visitors to view the world’s oceans and seas showcased in 365 glass bottles! This ‘library’ of sea water has been collected from around the world by artist Tania Kovats, and forms the centrepiece of this exhibition which looks at the way we experience and explore different landscapes, 1 October – 30 November and the ways we interact with the sea. Oxford Castle Unlocked, Oxford Tel: 01823 413 923; www.hestercombe.com Scare yourself silly at this year’s Ghost Fest where all manner of spooky delights will be taking place. Brave the castle overnight to complete a ghost hunt, enjoy a spooky tour followed by
Ghost Fest
a scrumptious dinner with the After Dark Dinner packages, attend a Murder Mystery evening and try to solve the castle’s latest crime, or meet the ghosts and ghouls behind prison cell doors during the trick or treating nights! Tel: 01865 260 666; www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk
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A mix of new and earlier atmospheric prints of the natural world by wood engraver Colin See- Paynton demonstrates the skill of the artist who was entirely self-taught. Colin began to make wood engravings in 1980 and soon established himself as one of the world’s most revered printmakers. His work is based on the meticulous observation of the natural world, inventing complex compositions that link species and their habitats. Using his knowledge and imagination to construct engravings of great complexity and refinement, he has evolved something new by the patterning and layering of his images. This exhibition mixes new work, focusing on a family of hares that made their home in Colin’s garden, and a selection of earlier work, which uses an increasingly abstract and fluid line to capture the fast and fleeting movements of birds and fish. Tel: 01590 676 969; www.stbarbe- museum.org.uk
British Folk Art
Silent Partners
27 September – 14 December Compton Verney, Warwickshire
14 October – 25 January 2015 Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Discover the energy, variety and inventiveness of some of Britain’s unsung artists in this first major exhibition of British Folk Art, drawn from collections across the UK. Steeped in tradition and often created by self-taught artists and artisans, the remarkable objects include ships’ figureheads, quirky shop signs, leather Toby jugs, pin cushions made by soldiers, paintings by Alfred Wallis and elaborately crafted quilts.
Follow the history of the artist’s mannequin, from an inconspicuous studio tool to artists’ subject and fetish. Mannequins have been developed over the years to become more lifelike – the skill of mannequinmaking becoming a profession in its own right. In this wide-ranging display, paintings, drawings, books and photographs provide a surprising and, at times, disturbing glimpse into the lives of artists and their fixation with mannequins throughout history.
Tel: 01926 645 500; www.comptonverney.org.uk M U E S U M H IS T I R B ; M O .C S N E V E T S N O S R E H P C M ; S O R R A B E D A N IA B A F © 0 1 0 2 E E T T I M M O C S N O I T I S I U Q C A N A IC R E M A IN T A L E H T F O Y S E T R U O C , Y R E L L A G E T A T E H T
R O F D N U F N A C I R E
M A E H T Y B T N E L ; K R A L C H T U R ; E T A T
Tel: 01223 332 900; www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Cheltenham Literature Festival 3-12 Octobe r Cheltenham, Gloucestershire From Judi Dench and John Cleese to Margaret Atwood and Nick Hornby, Cheltenham hosts a range of author talks, making it the place to be for bookworms
Rembrandt the printmaker
this October. With over 500sport, eventsfood and planned, covering history, fashion there’s plenty to choose from, whatever your interests. Tickets are sure to sell out quickly, so book your place well in advance on one of the many entertaining talks or activities led by some of the heavyweights of the literary world. Tel: 0844 880 8094; www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature
Until 26 October Gainsborough’s House, Suffolk A selection of extraordinary etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn demonstrates the Dutch master’s remarkable achievements in the medium that would go on to inspire Gainsborough. At the height of his career, Rembrandt undertook several lucrative royal and guild commissions, yet died penniless. Now visitors to the property will have the opportunity to appreciate a fascinating aspect of the artist’s work. Tel: 01787 372 958; www.gainsborough.org
Fireworks Night 1 November Blists Hill Victorian Town, Shropshire View a spectacular family fireworks extravaganza at this Victorian town attraction where visitors will be able to see the streets lit by gaslight, just as they would have been in the 19th century. The town’s shops, cottages and workshops will be open throughout the evening for visitors to look around where they can meet a variety of cheery costumed characters before enjoying the main event, when the sky will be illuminated by a fantastic fireworks display. Tel: 01952 433 424; www.ironbridge.org.uk
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T S A E & L A R T N E C
Events
Emily Sut ton: Town and Country
H T R O N
15 November – 20 February 2015 Yorkshire Sculpture Par k, Wakefield Taking inspiration from her visits to Yorkshire Sculpture Park as well as her travels in Europe, artist Emily Sutton will be exhibiting a range of srcinal and intricate paintings and screen-prints. All the charming, colourful works on show are available to buy so you can take your favourite piece home with you. Tel: 01924 832 631; www.ysp.co.uk
Richard Phethean: Solo Ceramic Showcase Until 25th October The Craft Cent re and Design Galler y, Leeds With a fabulous collection of mugs, vessels, dishes, bottles, bowls and teapots on display, discover the classical designs of Richard Phethean’s earthenware. Richard’s glazed tableware incorporates sgraffito and spongeprinted processes and explores contour and shape, through a combination of throwing and slab built techniques. Tel: 0113 247 8241; www.craftcentreleeds.co.uk
Screaming Steel: Art, War and Trauma 1914-18 Until 13 December Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
N R E K
D EL A H C I M ; S M EU S U M R A
The horrors endured by soldiers during the First World War and their creative responses to the war are examined within this exhibition. Some of the most important 20th-century British art and literature was created as a result of the Great War, with writing and painting used in a therapeutic capacity to help alleviate the suffering of shellshocked soldiers. The exhibition includes the srcinal draft of the poem Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen, who was treated for shellshock at Craiglockhart. Tel: 0191 208 6059; www.hattongallery.org.uk
Sssnakes Alive Until 22 February 2015 World Museum, Liverpool Come face to face with boa constrictors and royal pythons as you discover the secret life of snakes. Find out how these incredible creatures capture their prey, shed their skin and learn about the important conservation work protecting them. View the skeleton of a Burmese python and learn what life is like in countries where encounters with deadly snakes are a daily occurrence. Tel: 0151 478 4393; www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
Birds of Paradise: Plumes & Feathers in Fashion 25 October – 19 April 2015 The Bowes Museum, Count y Durham
Those with a passion for fashion are bound to get all aflutter over the extravagant catwalk creations on display. Exploring the use of feathers in couture and haute couture, a range of hats, fans and shoes are among the items on show along with the work of top designers, including Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, Prada and Gucci. The whole ensemble creates a striking display! Tel: 01833 690 606; www.thebowesmuseum. org.uk
W L A I R E P IM ; E D LI W Y T N JO / P S Y F O Y S E T R U O C
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Events
S C O T L A N D & W A L S E
Castiglione: Lost Genius 14 November – 8 February 2015 Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh A violent and impetuous man, Castiglione was repeatedly in court for assault and mysteriously forced to flee Rome. This exhibition examines the troubles that overshadowed his brilliance. Tel: 0131 556 5100; www.royalcollection.org.uk
Fred A Farrell – Glasgow’s War Artist Until 23 November People’s Palace, Glasgow
Commissioned by the Corporation of Glasgow to create 50 drawings that would capture the life of the Scottish regiments on the Western Front and those working in the armament factories at home, the work of First World War artist, Fred A Farrell, will now be on display at the People’s Palace. The stirring images include depictions of workers forging guns and building submarines and tanks, as well as haunting battlefield scenes and images of life in the trenches. Tel: 0141 287 4350; www.glasgowlife.org.uk
Snowdonia Walking Festival 25-26 Octo ber Betws-y-Coed, North Wales Stamp the mud off your walking boots and take part in a range of guided treks with local experts who will lead you around the forests, lakes and mountains that make
Wales Rally GB 13-16 Novemb er Conwy, North Wales The final roundwill of the World Rally Championship see FIA world-class racing in North Wales. From the ceremonial start at Eirias Park Stadium to the finish line on Mostyn Street in Llandudno, spectators can indulge their need for speed as they watch competitors navigate their way along the route. If that wasn’t enough there will also be family-friendly RallyFest events to enjoy at Chirk Castle and Kinmel Park, complete with live coverage, and historic rally cars on display. Tel: 0844 499 9999; www.walesrallygb.com
up the spectacular of Wales.stroll Whether you want landscape to do a three-mile or spend the day hiking up mountains, there’s something for all fitness levels. One walk in Betws village is suitable for those with disabilities. All walks suitable for visually impaired with accompanying guide. Tel: 01690 720 331; www. snowdoniawalkingfestival.co.uk
Dundee Science Festival 1-16 November Various venues, Dunde e For anyone with a passion for lab coats, safety goggles and Bunsen burners, Dundee is the place to be this November. Transforming the city into a vibrant celebration of science, engineering and technology, the Dundee Science Festival offers visitors an eclectic mix of experiences, performances, special events, lectures and debate aimed to excite people of all ages. Experience the rich heritage of science and technology and be inspired by what you see. There’ll be plenty to entertain throughout the festival, with a range of family events, comedy, shows and exhibitions. www.dundeesciencefestival.org
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S E L A W T I IS V ) 4 1 0 2 ( T H IG R Y P O C N W O R C © ; 4 1 0 2 II H T E B A IZ L E N E E U Q M H © T S U R T N O I T C LE L O C L A Y O R
The Intern
Water works HELEN OCHYRA is on a
mission to find Britain’s best job. This month we sent her to try a day in the life of Falmouth’s harbour master orts have always been a law unto
P
themselves. Although owned by the Crown, Britain’s ports have long been entrusted to the great and good of the town that services them. That makes Mark Sansom, harbour master for Falmouth Harbour Commission, a very powerful man indeed. Sansom is responsible for all operations in the harbour, from ships calling in to refuel to the pilotage of vessels needing to come in to port. The harbour is some 17 square miles of sea and so the breadth of decision-making is vast. The constant changes in the harbour are immediately obvious, as Sansom explains that the Isis, a cargo ship from the Isle of Man, is currently moored offshore and in need of repair. One of Falmouth harbour’s main functions is the repair of vessels and the Isis – although here by chance – is likely to be in Sansom’s waters for a while. It needs secure mooring and the harbour staff are concerned it does not have the equipment required to attach it safely to thebuoy, so we need to go out and check the ship’s ropes. This requires a trip on the pilot boat, which spends its days zipping about bringing ships in and out. We head to the harbour, passing dozens of luxury yachts as we cross the jetty. This is another of Falmouth harbour’s main sources of income, with yachts moored, repaired and refitted here.
“Falmouth harbour is some 17 square miles of sea and so the breadth of decision-making is vast” From top:Falmouth
has beautiful sailing opportunities and a busy commercial port; Helen shadows Mark Sansom
Every vessel that uses the port must pay a fee and this covers the costs of the harbour. It also keeps some 1,000 people employed – it’s not difficult to see how Falmouth has weathered the recession. 1998 saw the inauguration of the Tall Ships Race here, bringing renewed prosperity for the town. Falmouth harbour has worked with Milford Haven to get gas onshore. The importance of Britain’s ports cannot be underestimated – therefore neither can the importance of Sansom’s job. “You need a level of trust and understanding,” he says. As his team work as a unit to check the Isis this
becomes apparent and back in the office there is a palpable sense of pride in their work. All sorts of activity is taking place, from communicating with vessels to responding to environmental legislation. There is a real buzz. As Sansom says, this is a “unique place to work”. And, I’m certain, an endlessly fascinating one.
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FAST FACTS Contact: For more
information on the Falmouth Harbour Commission see www. falmouthport.co.uk. For more on Falmouth visit www.visitcornwall.com.
A R Y H C O N E L E H
The forgotten Sandwiched between the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Parks, the Durham Dales is a natural haven unscathed by the region’s industrial past, where you can find a wealth of spectacular (and unexpected) historic attractions WORDSNICK MORRISON
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The Blackton Reservoir seen from Goldsborough Rigg on the Pennine Way, Baldersdale, Teesdale
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Durham Dales
FRENCH-STYLE CHATEAU IS PROBABLY NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT
to find down a quiet country lane in the m iddle of NorthEast England. But there, nestling on aroad leading out of the market town of Barnard Castle, is a building with aroyal connection that is home to one of the country’s most intriguing museums, and a nationally-renowned art collection. This monument to 19th-century philanthropy is the Loire Valley than a hop and a skip from the Tees and Bowes Museum, built to house an assembly of objects it is true it has not always been universally admired: from paintings to porcelain brought together by one of the famed architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner, for the true characters of Victorian-era collecting. example, described it as “incongruous” and “gloriously The museum, recently enhanced by the addition inappropriate” for its setting. But whatever its architectural merits, there is no of new galleries, is just one of many highlights in the Durham Dales, a picturesque antidote to the industrial doubting the importance of the collection housed within image more usually associated with this part of the its walls. Seemingly eclectic, it is in fact linked by a world and often unfairly overlooked by visitors, common thread: the passion for European fine and sandwiched as it is between the two national parks of the decorative arts from the 14th to 19th centuries on the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland. part of its srcinal patrons, John and Josephine Bowes. As well as Barnard Castle, an attractive town of Sadly, both John and Josephine were to die before the museum opened, but by then they had amassed an bustling antique shops, a Charles Dickens connection and the castle that gives it its name, the Dales also boasts astonishing 15,000 objects, bought over a prolific 12the spectacular High Force waterfall, medieval Raby year period visiting the exhibitions, auction houses and private dealers of continental Europe. Castle, and of course the North Pennines themselves, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Although added to since, at its core the collection The Bowes Museum would seem more at home in the bears the hallmarks of Josephine’s own passions. Landscape painting was a particular love, but it did not stop there, according to Howard Coutts, the museum’s keeper of ceramics. “She was clearly very keen on ceramics and bought about 5,000 examples, all of good quality, and she seems to have known what she was buying,” he says. “But her taste was hugely wide-ranging, including textiles, metalwork, furniture and paintings. She had grand ambitions and there was nothing she didn’t dip into.” Dr Coutts has his own theory about the genesis of the museum. “We have lots of marble figures of sleeping children and that maybe meant something to Josephine personally,” he says. “In the absence of being able to have children, perhaps the museum and the objects were her children.” The most internationally significant part of the collection is undoubtedly the paintings, featuring works by Goya, El Greco and Canaletto, among others. A Left: Barnard Castle previously unknown portrait by town is renowned for its Anthony van Dyck, previously antique shops, and its thought to be a copy and eponymous castle ruin
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languishing in the museum’s Clockwise from top: storerooms, was identified last Bowes Museum; its art collection includes year after being spotted online. Anthony van Dyck’s But if the paintings are the Olivia Boteler Porter; the North Pennines; most well-known, there are plenty of other highlights in the Canaletto’s Venice collection, which ranges from glassware to furniture, costumes to tapestries. Perhaps best-loved is the Silver Swan [see page 33]; there is one of the country’s best assemblies of 18th-century ceramics, including Delftware and faience, as well as Sevres and Chantilly porcelain. The museum has also recently completed a sevenyear, £12m programme of improvements, involving creating a new fashion and textile gallery devoted to English interiors from 1500-1900, and a silver and metals gallery, allowing many items previously in storage to go on display. The project also saw landscaping work to the museum’s 22-acre grounds, and improved visitor facilities. As well as its collection, the Bowes Museum can also lay claim to a royal connection. John Bowes was related to the family of the late Queen Mother, formerly Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who visited the area many times as a child and was patron of the museum until her death in 2002. But the museum is far from the only thing of historic interest to bring visitors to the Durham Dales. Barnard Castle takes its name from a 12th-century castle the remains of which still overlook the town. Built by Bernard de Balliol, whose descendants
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include the Scottish king John de Balliol and the founder of Balliol College, Oxford, it occupies a prominent position perched on a rock above the Tees. In the 15th century it came into the hands of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker for his role in the Wars of the Roses, and then to Richard III, whose boar emblem is carved above a window in the inner ward. The castle played a prominent role in the Rising of the North against Elizabeth I in 1569, when 5,000 rebels besieged a loyalist force taking shelter within its walls. The loyalists surrendered but following the failure of the rising, it was seized by the crown and finally abandoned in the 17th century and much of its stone plundered. The remains are now in the care of English Heritage. Skipping forward a few centuries, Charles Dickens stayed at the King’s Head in Barnard Castle when he came north to research his third novel in 1838. His visit is marked by a commemorative plaque, and across the
From top:Barnard
Castle, a 12th-century fortress, overlooks the River Tees; spectacular High Force waterfall
road another plaque marks the site of Humphreys’ Clock Makers, made famous – albeit without the final ‘s’ – in Dickens’ short-storyMaster Humphrey’s Clock. The clock itself is in the Bowes Museum. But it was in a nearby village that Dickens found inspiration for one of his most notorious creations – and one of literature’s most reviled villains. Keen to expose the inhuman conditions in schools, Dickens is
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Durham Dales said to have based the character of Wackford Squeers, tyrannical headmaster of Dotheboys Hall inNicholas Nickleby, on William Shaw, of Shaw’s Academy in Bowes. Although fear of libel meant Dickens always denied the connection, Shaw had been prosecuted after eight boys in his care had gone blind through neglect and insanitary conditions. As well as sharing initials and profession, the two both wore eye patches. FollowingNicholas Nickleby’spublication, the academy was forced to close and Shaw was disgraced. The school has now been converted into flats, and in acknowledgement of the connection has been renamed Dotheboys Hall. Upstream from Barnard Castle lies the mighty High Force waterfall, where the River Tees comes crashing over a sheer drop to plunge 21 metres into a pool, a scene sketchedby Turner in 1816. A well-maintained path takes visitors the third of a mile from a car park by the roadside to the waterfall. The Dales, comprising Teesdale and Weardale, are sparsely
At the Dales’ eastern edge, Hamsterley Forest provides a wildlife haven, its 2,000 acres criss-crossed by public trails populated, an expanse of exposed moorlands, hills dotted with drystone walls and steep valleys that together comprise the Durham section of the North Pennines. As well as the Tees, the rivers Wear and Derwent also rise in the Dales, the latter forming Durham’s northern border as it heads towards the North Sea. Settlements are few and far between. The market towns of Stanhope, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Wolsingham, as well as Barnard Castle, are the main centres of population, interspersed with attractive villages built from the local limestone. Spring is a good time to see breeding lapwings, From top:The 18thoystercatchers and redshanks, while the elusive black century clockwork swan is a life-size, life-like grouse inhabits the moors. Catching black grouse’s automaton housed at courtship ritual – or ‘lek’ – is a magical encounter, but the Bowes Museum; the usually involves a not-quite-so-magical early start. picturesque Dales
THE SIL VER S WAN Time your visit to the Bowes Museum to see its clockwork star strike a pose For many visitors to the Bowes Museum, their most memorable experience is not just seeing the Silver Swan, but seeing it in action. The life-size swan sits serenely in a sil ver stream. At a given time, the swan starts to swim. It turns its head from side to side, t wists its neck to preen its back, and then lunges into the water to catch and swallow a silver fish, before coming to a halt and resuming its position. It is all done by clockwork, for the swan is an automaton of a sort popular as curiosities in the late 18th and early 19th century. The stream is a collection of silver rods that twist to give the appearance of a moving waterway, with the tableau operated by three separate mechanisms. The swan was bought by John and Josephine Bowes in 1872, after they had seen it at the Paris International Exhibition in 1867, but by then it was already almost 100 years old. Created in 1773, the following year it was recorded as being a star attraction at the Mechanical Museum of James Cox, a noted creator of automata, whose Peacock Clock is a feted exhibit at the H ermitage Museum in St Petersburg. The swan changed hands several times before the Bowes’ paid £200 to a Parisian art dealer, but not before it was also viewed by American author Mark Twain, who described its operation in his book, The Innocents Abroad. It underwent extensive conservation work in 2008 and is operated once a day – at 2pm – to preserve the mechanism, the performance lasting approximately 40 seconds. The swan is one of a number of mechanical objects collected by Josephine Bowes, who was perhaps inspired by childhood memories of her clockmaker father.
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Durham Dales
the Rising of the North, when, along with Barnard Castle, it was forfeited to the crown. It was later sold to Sir Henry Vane, whose son played a prominent role in the Civil War and was executed on the Restoration of Charles II. Raby is still in the hands of the Vane family, with the lord of the manor given the title of Lord Barnard in 1698. The castle itself features medieval towers and turrets, and a five-sided tower the only one of its kind in England At the Dales’ eastern edge, Hamsterley Forest and one of only two in Europe. It was surrounded by a moat until the water was drained in the 18th century. provides another wildlife haven, its 2,000 acres crisscrossed by footpaths, cycle routes and horse-riding trails. Although the public rooms are largely 18th- and 19thThe other side of Barnard Castle is Raby Castle, one of century, the Barons’ Hall retains medieval features, England’s finest medieval castles. Set in a 200-acre deer including a minstrels’ gallery. The art collection features
Raby Castle’s art collection features work by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Van Dyck
park, the 14th-century castle was held by the Nevilles, at work by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Anthony Van Dyck. one time one of the kingdom’s most powerful families. With such a wealth of historic attractions, it is Among the family’s illustrious members were Earl surprising that the Durham Dales are not better known, but there is little doubt that they make it a hidden gem Richmond and Earl Marshal of England, his daughter Cicely, mother of Edward IV and well worth discovering. Above: Raby Castle has Richard III and grandmother to Henry VI’s bride fine interiors, an enviable Elizabeth of York. For more information on the region and its attractions art collection and 200 The Neville’s ownership came to an end after acres of lush parkland visit www.thisisdurham.com
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M A H R U D Y T N U O C IT S I V ; Y M A L A
A testament to its designer's Catholic faith, Rushton Triangular Lodge in Northamptonshire is symbolic of the Holy Trinity
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SMALL
WONDERS Forget Britain's grand castles and stately homes aswe put a selection of our smallest heritage sites inthe spotlight. What they lack insize and presence, they more than make up for in history and intrigue. Here's 10 of the best... WORDSFAITH ECKERSALL
military life. There are just the four rooms but what Clouds Hill lacks in size it makes up for in character; each space reveals another facet of Lawrence’s PLAYHOUSE OF QUEEN VICTORIA’S CHILDREN OSBORNE HOUSE, YORK AVENUE, EAST COWES, mysterious persona. The downstairs library contains his books, photos and his self-designed reading chair; ISLE OF WIGHT PO32 6JX As playhouses go, they don’t come more impres sively opposite is the primitive and lavatory-less bathroom. than the Swiss Cottage, the wooden structure completed Creaking stairs transport the visitor under the eaves to in 1854 to enable the children of Queen Victoria to the music room, with its portraits and busts and from experience being ‘ordinary citizens’. Naturally the where his favourite classical pieces trickle through idea was Prince Albert’s and resulted in a two-storey into the aluminium-lined bunk room, where overnight property, set nearly a mile from the main house, where guests included the novelist EM Forster and playwright the royal children learned to cook, garden – they sold George Bernard Shaw. Outside in the former garage is a their produce to their father at commercial rates – and fascinating exhibition about Lawrence’s life. But even for run a home. Victoria and Albert would pop by for visitors and volunteer staff, there is still no loo! ‘official’ visits, the Queen often attended to state papers Tel: 01929 405 616; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clouds-hill at the scaled-down desk and chair in the dining room, and the cottage and its annexe now houses many of the items collected by the Victorian princes and princesses. One royal biographer summed it up thus: “In this little 18TH-CENTURY, 16-SIDED HOUSE paradise the children did what they liked, but they were SUMMER LANE, EXMOUTH, DEVON EX8 5BD shown the best way of doing it.” When spinster cousins Jane and Mary Parminter Tel: 01983 200 022; www.english-heritage.org.uk returned from their grand tour of Europe in the late
THE SWISS COTTAGE
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3
A LA RONDE
18th century there was just one thing left to be done: build a property in which to display the wondrous things they had brought home with them. The result was A La RURAL RETREAT OF LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Ronde; with its diamond windows, triangular closets and an astonishing 20 rooms, filled with everything and BOVINGTON, DORSET BH20 7NQ “I’ve a hut in a wood near camp where I spend my anything, from a feather frieze to the celebrated shell evenings,” was how TE Lawrence described the tiny gallery, embellished with 25,000 specimens. The house’s bolthole he purchased to escape the hubbub of 1920s structure was said to have been inspired by the Basilica
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Little Britain
of San Vitale at Ravenna but it’s not difficult to see how when it passed to the National Trust. Set in seven acres else their European sojourn had affected its design. A la of expertly-planted garden, The Homewood contains a Ronde may look like the whimsy of two eccentrics but stunning collection of Modernist furniture including a the Parminter cousins were no fools. Their house was Charles Eames lounge chair and ottoman, a desk and designed to make the most of every scrap of daylight, side table with magazine racks designed by Gwynne enabling them to follow the sun forever, round and himself and a pencil drawing by the Vorticist artist Henri round their home. Gaudier-Brzeska. None of it was for show; Gwynne Tel: 01395 265 514; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/a-la-ronde adored entertaining and fully intended his home should be shared with others, during his life and after. At 76 years old, the building remains a monument to modernity and elegance. Entry by pre-booking only. Tel: 01372 476 424; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ 20TH-CENTURY MODERNIST HOUSE homewood AND GARDEN
4 Below:The Swiss
Cottage, Isle of Wight reopened in spring 2014 after a £1.65m conservation project; Clouds Hill, isolated home of TE Lawrence
THE HOMEWOOD
PORTSMOUTH ROAD, ESHER, SURREY KT10 9JL
Patrick Gwynne was just 24 when he designed the building that was to replace the rambling Victorian house that stood on the srcinal site of The Homewood. Built for his parents, the five-bedroomed house became his home and he lived there until his death in 2003,
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THE BIRMINGHAM BACK-TO-BACKS WORKING-CLASS DWELLINGS
55-63 HURST STREET/50-54 INGE STREET, BIRMINGHAM B5 4TE
Ever since opening to the public in 2004, this little glimpse of 19th- and 20th-century working-class life has entranced all-comers. Each of the properties that make up the Court 15 site is furnished to represent a different era, 1840s to 1970s. You are invited to contemplate the lives of those who played in the courtyard, shared the primitive toilet facilities and who papered their walls with an amazing 140 patterns over the years; from locksmiths and bell-hangers and even a glass-eye maker. That families of 10 could exist in these minuscule dwellings is incredible; that they were occupied as shops and homes until 2002 is surprising, but the way they evaded the city’s slum-clearing zeal is little short of miraculous. And just to prove that the olden days weren’t all grim, there’s even a period sweet shop selling nostalgic candies. Entry by pre-booking the guided tour. Tel: 0121 666 7671; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ birmingham-back-to-backs
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RUSHTON TRIANGULAR LODGE ELIZABETHAN FOLLY
RUSHTON, KETTERING, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NN14 1RP
Sir Thomas Tresham didn’t let a little thing like a 15year prison sentence for being a Catholic – and the subsequent conviction of his son as a Gunpowder Plotter – to confound him. On his release in 1593 the doughty knight designed a folly to proclaim his faith with every brick. Rushton has three sides, each wall is 33ft long, with three triangular windows and three gargoyles, topped off with three triangular obelisks. Three floors, three Latin texts (each with 33 letters) run around the structure while dates carved on the building could refer to significant times in Tresham’s life. It’s been pointed out they are also divisible by three and that when one is subtracted from the other they give the ages at which Jesus and the Virgin Mary were supposed to have died. As a 3D puzzle, Tresham’s folly is hard to beat. Tel: 01536 710 761; www.english-heritage.org.uk
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Clockwise from top: A la Ronde shows off the creativity of its former owners; the humble Birmingham back-tobacks; find Modernism at The Homewood
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Little Britain
Clockwise from top left: Railway pioneer George Stephenson's birthplace cottage; Mendips kitchen where John Lennon's Aunt Mimi would cook his favourite egg and chips; Ty Mawr Wybrnant, farmhouse of Bishop William Morgan
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TY MAWR WYBRNANT CHILDHOOD HOME OF THE MAN WHO TRANSLATED THE BIBLE INTO WELSH
PENMACHNO, BETWS-Y-COED, CONWY LL25 0HJ
With its uncompromising stone walls, glowering windows and tiny footprint, Ty Mawr was never going to make it onto the front of a chocolate box. Its wild beauty comes from two things; firstly, its preservation as an example of 16th-century life before running water, even, was commonplace in ordinary homes. But Ty Mawr also draws on its importance as the birthplace of Bishop William Morgan, the tenant farmer’s son who rose to study at Cambridge University and who translated the Old Testament of the Bible into Welsh, so that hi s countrymen could read the holy words in their own tongue. Now this ancient building houses a collection of Bibles printed in nearly 100 languages. Outside are woodland walks where visitors can soak up the atmosphere that inspired this Welsh language hero. Tel: 01690 760 213; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ ty-mawr-wybrnant
painted by Spencer to honour the ‘forgotten dead’ of the First World War who were not remembered on officia l memorials. Spencer served as an orderly with the Royal Army Medical Corps and his experiences inform the 19 MENDIPS AND paintings, including a breathtakingResurrection scene 20 FORTHLIN ROAD behind the altar, where soldiers clamber from their graves and bear their white crosses to a distant Christ. LIVERPOOL HOMES OF JOHN LENNON It’s said that when Spencer was first commissioned to AND PAUL MCCARTNEY MENDIPS, 251 MENLOVE AVENUE, WOOLTON L25 7SA; paint the chapel, constructed in memory of a fallen First World War officer, he announced: ‘What ho, Giotto’ 20 FORTHLIN ROAD, ALLERTON L24 1YP Just as you cannot separate Lennon from McCartney, and it does appear to have been modelled on the Arena Chapel in Padua. However the subject matter and the so it would be impossible to choose between Mendips and Forthlin Road. It’s over half a century since both tranquil setting, with its orchard and flower meadow, songwriters departed their modest suburban homes. But make it the most English of destinations. the chance to step back in time to the exact place where Tel: 01635 278 394; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ Lennon and McCartney composedI Saw Her Standing sandham-memorial-chapel There, to the bedroom where John played guitar and dreamed of being a rock star, and the sitting room GEORGE where Paul played with his younger brother, Mike, are STEPHENSON'S irresistible. Millions of Brits have grown up in homes like BIRTHPLACE these and will delight in the time-capsule decor; straightbacked, three-piece suites, heavily patterned carpet BIRTHPLACE OF THE RAILWAY PIONEER and an atmosphere of intense respectability. Among WYLAM, NORTHUMBERLAND NE41 8BP the treasures on display in Forthlin Road are srcinal What shaped the life of the man who is regarded as family photographs by Mike McCartney, but the greatest the father of the public railway system? Certainly his experience of all in both properties is just being there. early life was tough, one of a mining family who lived, Entry by pre-booked National Trust guided tour only. slept and played in just one room of the small cottage, Tel: 0844 800 4791; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beatles now preserved and including various Stephenson memorabilia. Visitors are invited to step back to 1781, the year of his birth and into what must be one of the SANDHAM smallest museums in the land; just the single room. But MEMORIAL CHAPEL the cottage is also home to a popular and thriving cafe
8 N E D L O H M IJ ; E G A T I R E H H S I L G N E ; H S O R F Y E R F F O E G , A R R E S E D L E H N R A , X O C T R A U T S ,T R E B L I G IS N N E D , R E N R A G D I V A /D S E G A IM T S U R T L A N IO T A N ; Y M A L A
Above:Reopened to the
public in August 2014 following conservation work, Sandham Memorial Chapel houses masterpieces by First World War artist Sir Stanley Spencer
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HOME TO EPIC MURALS BY WAR ARTIST STANLEY SPENCER HARTS LANE, BURGHCLERE, NEWBURY, HAMPSHIRE RG20 9JT
Broadcaster Jon Snow described it as Britain’s answer to the Sistine Chapel and one glance at Sir Stanley Spencer’s haunting works make it hard to disagree. Sandham’s solemn, red-brick facade belies its interior,
that exists to service the needs of the visitors who are walking or cycling the Wylam Wagonway and taking in the beauty of the River Tyne. And they are encouraged to go further, searching out all the local places connected to this brilliant, diligent man, who also invented the miner’s safety lamp. Tel: 01207 541 820; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ george-stephensons-birthplace
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Britain’s Great Journeys
The idyllic village of Bathampton on the south bank of the Avon
Cruise along the Kennet & Avon Canal ur journey begins at the historic city of Bath, where the Kennet and Avon Canal leaves the River Avon Navigation.
the city’s famous Pulteney Bridge, Parade Gardens and the Rec, Bath Rugby club’s famous stadium, before turning round and returning to the junction. Here, a sharp left
one to make the job easier. The result was the cavernous Bath Deep Lock – one of the deepest on the entire canal system, which raises us almost 20ft. As the locks lift us up the valley side, there are splendid views across the city. With the locks safely negotiated, two short tunnels take the canal on through Sydney Gardens: the impressive Georgian Cleveland House which stands directly above one tunnel entrance was once the canal company headquarters. Then Bath is left behind as we cruise eastwards along the hillside through Bathampton, with an assortment of moored houseboats for company and a couple of swing-bridges to provide some gentle exercise for our crew.
However, before heading eastwards along the canal, we start with an absolute ‘must’ for anyone visiting the city by water. Just before the point where the river meets the canal there’s a short dead-end length of the Avon that leads into the heart of the city. Having taken the diversion, we cruise right up to the Pulteney Weir, in full view of
turn takes us into the bottom lock of the Widcombe Flight and the start of our trip along this superlative stretch of the canal. Although there used to be seven locks in Widcombe, there are now only six. Back in the 1970s when a new road was being built that needed to cross the canal, two of the locks were combined into one new
The hills close in and the wooded valley narrows as we enter one of the most attractive parts of the route, through Limpley Stoke and Avoncliff. Twice, the canal turns an abrupt corner and launches out across the river on the fine Dundas and Avoncliff aqueducts, both built in the characteristic local Bath stone.
Where:Bath to Devizes Distance:22 miles (and 43 locks) Duration:About two days – longer if you stop tolook at all the sights
O
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NEARBY ATTRACTIONS Bath’s famous sights – the Pump Room, the Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent and the Abbey – are within easy walking distance of the canal. And there are other less well-known attractions, such as the Herschel A stronomy Museum, the Jane Austen Centre and Postal Museum. Just a few miles further east the canal passes Claverton Pumping Station, open to the public and in operation on occasional weekends in summer. Dundas and Avoncliff aqueducts are splendid structures well worth stopping to look at, and on the approach to Bradford on Avon the canal passes the Great Tithe Barn. Built in the 14th century and one of the best examples in the country, it is part of Barton medieval farm which is open to the public. Bradford is a fine old town on the Avon and its Saxon church is one of England’s best-preserved. Devizes is an old country market town with many attractions – not least the flight of 29 locks by which the canal arrives in the town. The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust runs a shop and museum on the wharf, and for real ale lovers Wadworth’s Brewery makes its presence felt, with the company’s traditional horse-drawn drays still used.
Cost:AngloWelsh Narrowboat Holidays has a selection of boats available for first time holiday-makers as well as seasoned regulars. Weekly breaks start from £660 to £1,975 per week. Tel: 0117 304 1122; www. anglowelsh.co.uk Contact:www. canalrivertrust.org.uk
Y M A L A
Avoncliff Aqueduct is accompanied by the Cross Guns canalside pub, but apart from that it’s a quiet, secluded route with little to remind us of the outside world apart from the occasional train passing on the nearby railway line. The valley opens out again as we arrive at Bradford-on-Avon, an attractive old town and a handy stopping-place for
Hilperton and Staverton most impressive. They begin Clockwise from top left: Devizes Wharf; the Kennet villages. Semington is a pretty gently enough, but after we’ve & Avon can be accessed at village, which was where the Bath; a gentle and verdant climbed the first half dozen we Wilts & Berks Canal used to catch sight of the main series of curve of the canal branch north eastwards for 16 locks marching up the hillside Swindon and the River Thames. It closed at Caen Hill, in close succession with barely a century ago, but there’s a campaign to a boat’s length between them. The final six reopen it, so perhaps Semington will one day locks are more spread out, but we breathe a
boaters with its shops and pubs. We also reach the first lock since we left Bath; the wharf area around the lock is popular with local people so we’re assured of an audience as we pass through. Quiet, open countryside characterises the canal as it continues eastwards, skirting the north edge of Trowbridge and passing
be an important junction once again. The two Semington Locks are followed by a flight of five (accompanied by a waterside pub) at Seend – but these are just a hint of what is to come. By Lower Foxhangers Bridge we reach the first of the 29 locks leading up to Devizes – the second longest flight of locks in the country, and by far the
sigh of relief on arriving at Devizes Wharf in the knowledge that it’s another 15 miles before we’ll have to push a lock-gate or wind a paddle again. This is where we end our journey, tied up at the historic wharf by the canal museum, at the heart of the historic market town of Devizes in Wiltshire.
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Blackpool Tower, 1929, captured by the daredevil Aerofilms crew Opposite:Traffic chaos of motorised and horsedrawn vehicles on Tower Bridge, 1929 44 OCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014
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The
y’ss k limit
These days we’re used to seeing beautiful aerial images of Britain, but the standard was set by the Aerofilms Collection, now part of the English Heritage Archive, which documented the changing face of the nation during the 20th century
the
WORDS JACK WATKINS
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Aerofilms
n 1919, Claude Friese-Greene, son of the pioneer cinematographer, took to the skies with a camera. The resultant film Across England in an Aeroplane showed the photographer and his pilot cheerfully gliding over the touristic delights of Torquay seafront and Exeter Cathedral in a fragile, wind-buffeted biplane, before losing their map in mid-air and veering off into the mist to emerge over bleakest Dartmoor. Their escapade
calendar. The aerodrome was used to train pilots during the First World War, during which Graham-White also became involved in aircraft production on the site. But when the end of hostilities brought a scaling back in government interest in aircraft manufacture, he and his business partner, the more serious-minded Wills, hit upon the idea of producing aerial photographs for the mass market.
ultimately ended with a distinctly bumpy landing. Both men had served as pilots in the War, during which a primitive form of air photography had been Friese-Greene was working for the new company used for reconnaissance purposes. Now in peacetime, Aerofilms, formed that same year, to specialise in the the two entrepreneurs saw that the availability of infant craft of producing aerial photography and film redundant airmen, surplus aeroplanes and cameras footage, and it’s fitting that a five-minute clip from Across England is part of an exhibition of the Aerofilms offered them a unique business opportunity. From small beginnings – Aerofilms’ initial office was a suite at Collection showing now until March 2015 at the RAF the London Flying Club, with the detailed but delicate Museum in North London. Its jaunty, comedic and carefree tone seems to serve as a motif for the bold and and breakable 5x4 inch glass negatives exposed in the bathroom-cum-darkroom – 2,332 images were exposed cheeky spirit which lay behind the entire enterprise. in their first full year in business. ‘There is no limit,’ ran Between 1919 and the early 21st century, Aerofilms a typically upbeat advertising slogan, ‘to the possibilities amassed 1.26m negatives and over 2,000 photograph of the unusual aerial photograph’. albums. Although taken for commercial and practical The early pictures back up that assertion. An airborne reasons, today they amount to a unique historic perspective brought out the grandeur, as never seen documentation, via low-altitude photography, of the before, of the setting of Blenheim Palace, Sir John changing face of Britain in the 20th century. Vanbrugh’s mighty Baroque edifice shown at the bottom In 2007, the Aerofilms Collection was acquired by of a long elm-lined avenue, with a bridge in the middle English Heritage, which immediately embarked on crossing Lancelot “Capability” Brown’s artificial lake. a ‘Britain from Above’ project to preserve the oldest Liverpool’s Three Graces – the Royal Liver, Cunard and and most valuable photographs in the archive, namely Port of Liverpool buildings – typically viewed at boat those dating from 1919 to 1953, scanning them into level, seemed all the more serenely heroic when captured digital format and making them publicly available from the air, as the ant-like figures of passengers online. Meanwhile, an absorbing new book Aerofilms: A History of Britain From Above has been published by streamed off the Mersey ferries. An Aerofilms the organisation. Beautifully written and illustrated, it photographer was even there to capture a vehicular pilereveals how much the company’s approach owed to the daredevil sense of adventure and rule bending of the early days of air flight and the exploits of the First World War fighter aces. The co-founders of Aerofilms were Claude GrahameWhite and Francis Lewis Wills. Graham-White was one of Britain’s first aviation celebrities. As well as being movie-star handsome, he was an inveterate self-publicist, with an unfailing eye for a photo opportunity. He’d made his first solo flight without having taken a single lesson, and been immediately reprimanded by Louis Bleriot for doing so. As the first Briton to receive a pilot’s licence, he’d also made the first ever night flight (London to Manchester, in 1910), and given a suitably
Right: A snapshot of Aerofilms cofounder Claude Friese-Greene with his film camera, July 1919
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impressed HG Wells his first experience of air travel. He even had the audacity to fly along Executive Avenue in Washington DC and land his craft right outside the gates of the White House. In 1911, Graham-White had set up the London Flying Club at Hendon airfield, giving lessons to those wanting to fly mono and biplanes, and staging spectacular “aerial derbys” which rapidly became part of the summer social
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Clockwise from top: The Crystal Palace was erected in Hyde Park in 1851, dismantled in 1854 and rebuilt at Penge (above ) in South East London; Claude Grahame-White was an aviation celebrity, a natural in the skies and Aerofilms cofounder; Francis Lewis Wills was the driving force behind the business
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Discover and explore a hidden industry
The Lemon Tree Coffee House Craft studios and Willow Products Shop Guided Tours Outside Classroom Unique Basket Museum Wetlands Exhibition Willow & Wetlands Walks
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O EE P 9: TO EN EN 30 S M AM AT ON T R TO URD DA Y 5: AY Y 00 PM
Meare Green Court, Stoke St Gregory, Taunton, TA3 6HY www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk
Aerofilms
Martin Hearn – known to perform the loop-theloop without a harness – demonstrating wingwalking during a Flying Circus in 1932. Many of the ‘serious’ photos must also have involved up on London’s Tower Bridge in 1929, at a time when horses and carts still formed part of the everyday traffic. an immense element of risk in their realisation at a time Particularly fascinating for the modern viewer are when understanding of navigation was still developing. Aerofilms’ images of places that are no more. One photo How perilously close, for instance, the Aerofilms aviator captures the almost unbelievably large scale of Crystal must have circled around the spire of Blackpool Tower Palace, for instance, eight years before the structure, in 1929, to allow the photographer to shoot his picture once described as “a blazing arch of lucid glass” went up from such a thrilling vantage point. Sometimes the gung-ho spirit backfired, and forced landings were not in flames in 1936. Many people lamented the demolition of the old uncommon. Several times, Aerofilms crewmen ended up in court for endangering public safety by flying too Wembley’s Twin Tower entrance in 2003, and a 1924 photo is a fond reminder of the old stadium not long after low. They paid scant attention to the judges’ warnings its completion as part of the British Empire Exhibition though, and were still getting up to their old tricks while in 1924. In those days, it was hailed as an arena without taking pictures of the Festival of Britain era at South Bank, in the early 1950s. comparison. Many Aerofilms pilots were ex-fighter aces from It’s tempting to slip into misty-eyed nostalgia for the First World War, and the company traded on their a gentler, more innocent age when looking at these glamorous reputations. They advertised their ability to pictures. A fine image of Buckingham Palace and the stage special aerial stunts, for instance, recreating dog Queen Victoria Memorial, achieved in 1921, would fights and setting fire to ‘planes in mid-air, with the not be permissible today because of flight restrictions. But Aerofilms didn’t regard themselves as backwardpilot leaping out and parachuting to safety. One of the most reproduced of the company’s shots shows pilot looking. They were at the forefront of photographic
From top left:Wingwalker Martin Hearn, a star of aviation pioneer Sir Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus on one of his National Aviation Days, 1932-35; St Paul’s Cathedral, as captured in the 1920s, showing the grime darkened dome
CHANGE ON THE HORIZON See how London’s cityscape – namely 17th-century St Paul’s Cathedral – has altered since the dawn of aerial photography The colossal dome of St Paul’s Cathedral is still a central attraction of the prospect of London from Parliament Hill, on Hampstead Heath. The spot is one of the capital’s finest viewing points, not far from Hendon. But the eye of modern visitors is increasingly diverted by the Shard, which looms menacingly behind Sir Christopher Wren’s
masterpiece, and an advancing army of oversized modern towers. So much, to the chagrin of conservationists and anyone with an eye for aesthetics, has changed in the space of just a few decades. A series of Aerofilms images of the cathedral taken in the 1920s show how it once dominated the scene. In fact, looked at from
above, its monolithic qualities seem even more apparent. A closer look, however, also reveals a building in serious need of a clean-up. Centuries of soot had blackened the stonework, and the piers suppor ting the 65,000 ton dome were in need of u rgent repair. From 1925 to 1930, the cathedral had to be partially closed for restoration work.
The Aerofilms photographer was back in 1947, this time to capture the seemingly unharmed cathedral still looming proudly above a scene of urban devastation in the aftermath of the Second World War. The Aerofilms image projected St Paul’s as a source of national inspiration as the process of rebuilding Britain began.
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Aerofilms technological innovations of the time, with Francis Wills, who remained managing director of the company until 1958, ensuring it was one of the market leaders in the making of maps using aerial photography. One of the prime exhibits in the exhibition at the RAF Museum, alongside early hand-held cameras, is an A5 Stereo Autograph, an immense and revolutionary piece of equipment, sourced by Wills on a trip to Switzerland in 1938. Its magnification and measurement accuracy of images taken by Aerofilms photographers meant that their output was once again utilised by the Air Ministry for intelligence purposes during the Second World War. Aerofilms never lost its interest in the future, from the Art Deco Hoover factory, gleaming sleekly on the outskirts of London in the early 1930s, to the estates of box-like houses and the belching pylons of the nationalised industries of the post-war period. Ultimately, though, as a commercial concern, it was always on the lookout for the picturesque postcard-type image, and it is these to which the eye after all this time is inevitably drawn. The images of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral helped shape the image that British tourism still projects today. Those of a more Arcadian nature, as the authors ofAerofilms: A History of Britain From Abovedescribe it, reflect a land which seems
From top:Buckingham
Palace was not off limits to Aerofilms, 1928; postcard worthy shot of The Needles, Isle of Wight, 1949; London’s South Bank Festival of Britain site, 1951. It was designed to ‘raise the nation’s spirits post war
“instantly familiar and comforting, yet at the same time can feel achingly distant”. It’s fitting too, that the Aerofilms exhibition should be hosted at Hendon, where the Watch Office and some of the hangars of Graham-White’s aerodrome are still used for exhibition purposes. The surrounding landscape of one-time fields is now humming with new development. Graham-White, always with an eye on the next business opportunity, probably wouldn’t have minded that and we, at least, have the legacy of his photographers’ work to remind us of the way things were. Aerofilms: A History of Britain From Above by James Crawford, Katy Whitaker and Allan Williams, is published by English Heritage, £25. Images from the Aerofilms Collection can be viewed at www.britainfromabove.org.uk The Aerofilms exhibition runs until 31 March 2015 at RAF Museum London, Grahame Park Way NW9 5LL. Tel: 020 8205 2266. www.rafmuseum.org.uk
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E V O B A M O R F IN A IT R B / E G A IT R E H H IS L G N E
The Bank of England was founded to “promote the public good and benefit of our people” in 1694 52 OCTOBER//NOVEMBER 2014
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The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street The Bank of England might seem like an unlikely visitor attraction, but an afternoon spent at its museum reveals its unique place within the history of the City of London, not to mention its important role in shaping our national finances since 1694 WORDS ANTHONY LAMBERT
HE CITY OF LONDON HAS SERVED AS THE CAPITAL’S
bank money to augment coinage and increase liquidity. Observers financial district for centuries, but it is one of its oldest admired its success in lending to the city of Amsterdam and province of Holland, as well as oiling trade through the Dutch East India institutions, the Bank of England, that continues to have more direct influence over the UK’s finances Company. During the Civil War in England, some argued that a than any other. In fact, modern life without a central, bank was required that would be safe from royal confiscation. With the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when William III and Mary national bank is unimaginable. The current Canadian Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, is on television and radio news were offered the throne, England gained a more stable political almost weekly, and the financial levers at his disposal, including environment than it had known for almost a century. Yet even setting the base interest rate and issuing banknotes, affect everyone. before William and Mary had been crowned at Westminster Abbey, Since its creation, the Bank of England has provided the model the War of the Grand Alliance to contain the territorial ambitions on which most modern central banks have been based. Yet when it of Louis XIV of France had begun. William’s annual revenue was
T
came into being in 1694, it was seen as such a temporary expedient that it was almost 40 years before it had its own premises. As recent years have demonstrated, central banks are inextricably linked with crises – their role is to try to prevent them, and deal with them when they happen – and the Bank of England’s srcins also lay in a crisis. For much of the 17th century there was periodic talk of the need for an institution along the lines of the Amsterdam Wisselbank, which was founded in 1609, creating the notion of
a little over £2m, but by 1694 he was spending £2½ million on the army alone. As Sir William Petty had asked in 1682, ‘what remedy is there if we have too little money? We must erect a bank.’ Ironically the man credited with founding the Bank of England, William Paterson, was a Scot, while the founder of the Bank of Scotland in 1695, John Holland, was English. Paterson proposed raising £1.2m by charging the government eight per cent interest with the condition that subscribers were incorporated as a joint-stock
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Bank of England Museum
company with the title Bank of England. There was to be no time limit for repayment and interest would be paid in perpetuity, and so the idea of a national debt came into being.
N
OT EVERYONE ENTHUSIASTICALLY
embraced the proposal. During the 17th century the goldsmiths had used their strongrooms to store cash and valuables for clients and had begun to provide basic banking functions, lending such large sums to the Crown that in 1672 Charles II could not afford to repay loans and defaulted for a year. They feared the Bank of England might usurp some of their profitable activities. But Paterson’s scheme was an immediate success: £300,000 was raised on the first day and the full sum within a fortnight. The Bank opened on 30 July 1694 with 19 staff in a rented part of the Mercers’ Hall in Cheapside, soon moving to the Hall of the Grocers’ Company in Poultry where the Bank remained until 1734. An early decision was the choice of Britannia seated upon and looking at a pile of money as the subject of the Bank’s seal. Besides being seen as the government’s banker, the Bank of England carried out private commercial transactions, taking deposits of coin and making payments on instruction. Attempts were made to set up banks that rivalled the Bank of England’s relationship with government, but these were ended by the 1709 Bank of England Act, which made it unlawful for companies or more than six people to set up a bank and issue notes. Provincial ‘country bankers’ were permitted.
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However, the burden of the national debt encouraged the formation in 1711 of the South Sea Company, intended to consolidate the debt and reduce its cost. The attraction for investors was the monopoly of trade with South America granted to the company, but since Britain was embroiled in the War of Spanish Succession and Spain controlled most of South America there was little prospect of profitable trade. Investors were seized by the same kind of irrationality that fuelled the earlier tulip mania or later railway mania, causing the share price to rise from £100 in January 1720 to over
CITY LIGHTS London’s old financial district, nicknamed the ‘Square Mile’, MANSION HOUSE Located directly opposite the Bank of England, Mansion House is the home and office of the Lord Mayor of the City of London. As well as housing a unique collection of 17th-century paintings from Holland’s Golden Age, Mansion House (right) boasts many fine
rooms including the Egyptian Hall and the Salon. Lit by a stunning row of crystal chandeliers. Tours of the art collection every Tuesday at 2pm.
GUILDHALL COMPLEX A short walk from the Bank of England lies the Guildhall complex, comprising the Guildhall itself, the
From far left:
£1,000 that summer. It collapsed in August and hundreds of investors were ruined. An enquiry uncovered corruption and insider trading, but the fiasco strengthened the Bank of England in its position as the government’s banker.
A THE BANK OPENED ON 30 JULY 1694 WITH 19 STAFF IN A RENTED PART OF MERCERS’ HALL
trace the storyVisitors of the Bank; playtime for all beneath the Bank’s domed ceiling; take a closer look at banknotes past and present
NY PROSPECT OF THE BANK BEING A
temporary expedient had vanished and by 1730 it was employing 100 clerks, taxing the capacity of the Grocers’ Company accommodation. For its first building, the Bank appointed an architect so obscure that there is uncertainty over his dates; George Sampson designed what was described as a large townhouse with ‘a grand style of Palladian simplicity’ on Threadneedle Street. It occupied one-fifth of the footprint of today’s Bank in buildings created successively by Robert Taylor, John Soane and Herbert Baker. The clerks who moved to the new premises were paid £50 a year, as they had been in 1694 and would be until the 1760s, but they enjoyed a generous number of holidays: in 1761 they had 47 days’ leave, and not until 1834 was the decision taken to stop observing over 30 saints’ days and reducing them to just four. The name Bank Holidays was adopted by Sir John Lubbock
has many other historic places of interest worth a visit Guildhall Art Galler y, Roman amphitheatre, Clockmakers’ Museum and City Business Library. The present Guildhall (right) was built in 1411 and, having survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, it is the City’s only surviving secular stone structure dating from before 1666. When standing in the square, look out for the curved
black outline that marks the shape of the Roman amphitheatre below the paving ( accessible through the art gallery). The Great Hall is the third largest civic hall in England, where royalty and state visitors have been entertained down the centuries. It has been the setting for famous state trials, including that of Lady Jane Grey in 1553.
ST STEPHEN’S WALBROOK A beautiful church with elaborate coffered dome built by Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London in 1666. WALK AROUND THE LANES In the heart of the old financial district are the Lombard
Street lanes which house tuckedaway churches, pubs and cafés. It provides a lovely break from the City’s main thoroughfares.
ROYAL EXCHANGE This historic structure (left) offers a luxury retail experience, with the vast Grand Café at its centre. Visit ww w.cityof london.gov.uk
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Bank of England Museum From top:Moneyin championing the 1871 Act handling through the establishing statutory holidays ages is surprisingly for all. entertaining; First World The impact of the Bank of War exhibition; local bomb damage in 1941 England on the surrounding area was and remains immense: at a time of messengers scurrying between banks, it was desirable to be located close to the epicentre. Consequently many clearing banks built their headquarters or major branches around the Bank, and they were built to impress. Some of these grand buildings have found new uses as hotels, restaurants and shopping centres (see Planning Your Visit).
B
Y 1776 ADAM SMITH COULD WRITE IN THE
Wealth of Nations that the Bank of England ‘acts, not only as an ordinary bank, but as a great engine of state’. It had become the PLANNING institutional centre of the City, helping to shape the course and pattern of economic development. YOUR VISIT Though some continued to challenge its role and the Getting there:Bank relationship with government, each renewal of its Underground station charter consolidated its position. (on the Central, DLR, Many crises it has faced have been a consequence Northern and Waterloo of war. The first reference to the ‘Old Lady of & City lines) is a fiveThreadneedle Street’ – a nickname that has endured – minute walk away. was in a 1797 cartoon by James Gillray depicting Prime Where to stay: Threadneedles Hotel Minister William Pitt picking the coin-filled pockets is in the fomer head of an old lady, a reference to Pitt’s demands for more offices of the Midland money during the Revolutionary Wars against France. In the same year, Gillray’s cartoon French troops landed Bank, a couple of minutes’ walk from near Fishguard, causing such panic that depositors the Bank. Tel: 020 besieged the bank and gold reserves fell from £16m to 7657 8080. www. less than £2m in under a fortnight. Payments in gold hotelthread were stopped. needles.co.uk As the government’s banker, the strains of the two Where to eat:The world wars were immense and caused the national debt restaurant, 1 Lombard to reach over 200 per cent of Britain’s Gross Domestic Street, is in a listed former bank building. Product after the Second World War. To mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, the Bank’s There is a brasserie role in the conflict is the subject of a special exhibition at and 1776 dining room with a la carte the Bank of England Museum until March 2015. European dishes. Open weekdays 7.309.30am, 11am-11pm. Tel: 020 7929 6611. www.1lombard street.com Don’t miss: Testing your strength by trying to lift a solid gold bar. Bank of England
For visitors to the capital, the Bank of England is easily located near to Bank underground station, which was named after it. The museum, located within the bank in a reconstruction of John Soane’s Bank Stock Office, is anything but a dry experience: there are plenty of interactive displays to engage children (and adults), some based on a nautical metaphor for the Bank’s role in keeping the economy on an even keel. Screens display news bulletins since 2007 to illustrate the most recent banking crises; these form the context for the expanded role of the Bank’s Financial Policy and Monetary Policy committees, as well as the creation of the Prudential Regulation Authority. Besides displays of coins and evolving bank notes over four centuries, there are human stories about public figures such as Kenneth Grahame who became the Bank’s Secretary from the
Museum, entrance in Bartholomew Lane, EC2R 8AH. Open weekdays 10am-5pm (last entry 4.45pm). Free entry. Tel: 020 7601 5545. w ww. bankofengland.co.uk/ museum
age of 39 until his retirement in 1908, the year his classic The Wind in the Willowswas published. If two lessons are learned from a visit to the museum, it might be that we should do everything to avoid war, and that today’s bankers may benefit from a greater knowledge of history as many contemporary problems have salutary precedents. It is the museum’s hope that they will not be lost on its 130,000 annual visitors.
More information:
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Y M A L A ; M U E S U M D N A L G N E F O K N A B E H T ; M O C . Y N N E P S I R A P . W W W
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A trusted beam of light shining out to sea is still the surest way to warn approaching seafarers of the coastline
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BEACON OF HOPE On the 500th anniversary of Trinity House, the organisation that was established to protect mariners and ensure safe shipping in UK waters, ’s it the ideal time to discover the unique history of the iconic lighthouses it continues to safeguard WORDS JO CAIRD
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with regulating pilotage on the Thames – ensuring the safe passage nce upon a time, the seas were a fr ightening place, full of unseen dangers that caused the loss of innumerableof ships entering and leaving the Port of London and collecting dues ships and innumerable lives. Then one day a wise king from ship owners to fund its operation. It also supported ‘distressed established a guild of mariners who made our coasts seamen’ and their families at its almshouses, a function that safe by building a network of beacons whose lights shone bright continues in to this day. the darkness. For five centuries, these brave men and women haveIt wasn’t until 1566 that Trinity House’s remit was officially extended to enable it to set up ‘beacons, marks, and signs for the not faltered in their mission to keep from harm the travellers and tradesmen who navigate our waters and come to our shores. sea…whereby the dangers may be avoided and escaped, and ships Well, that’s the fairytale version. The true story of Trinity House, the better come into their ports without peril’. The guild’s first – a pair of wooden towers lit by candles – was erected the organisation that protects mariners and ensures safe shippinglighthouse in UK waters, is a little more complicated, but it’s no less romantic. in 1609 near Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast and maintained by The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild, Fraternity orcharging passing ships a levy of four pence. There have been Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity and of almost St unimaginable advances in navigation, optical and illuminant Clement in the Parish of Deptford Strond, in the County of Kent technology, – and automation, but the network of lighthouses that the organisation now known as Trinity House – officially came into Trinity House safeguards today still operates according to the sa me being when it was established by royal charter by Henry V III in basic principles as that first life-saving beacon, now long gone. 1514. In actual fact, however, a guild of mariners had likely beenAsinthe General L ighthouse Authority for England, Wales, the operation for a number of years before it petitioned the king for Channel a Islands and Gibraltar, Trinity House looks after major aids to navigation – “the ones that if you were coming from America or licence to set up a fraternity in March 1513. For the first few decades Trinity House concerned itself largely from France that you would rely on to get you safely into port,” says
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Trinity Lighthouses
Neil Jones, the organisation’s records keeper. Following an extraordinary boom in lighthouse building in the 19th century – 62 springing up on and off our shores in 45 years – Trinity House was operating 259 lighthouses by 1906. Today, there are just 65, plus nearly 500 buoys and eight lightvessels (ships which act as lighthouses in areas unsuitable for a lighthouse to be built). All are now automatic and unmanned, though engineers visit regularly to fix any problems that occur with the lights themselves or the equipment that Trinity House uses to communicate with them from its operational
From top:Hartland Point
Lighthouse, looking out towards Lundy Island, North Devon; Eddystone Lighthouse, 12 miles off Plymouth, has been rebuilt four times
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operates in Scotland. Nine of Trinity House’s own lighthouses are open to the public, with a further handful boasting cosy holiday cottages with arguably the best coastal views in the country. One, Nash Point, in South Wales, is even registered for weddings. Visitor centres and cottages have usually been converted from keepers’ houses. Life on what are known as ‘shore stations’ was quite comfortable for keepers and their families. Each keeper – every station had three, a principal keeper and two assistants – had his own flat or cottage, and Trinity House would pay for taxis for the school run, weekly shop and other essential errands. Louise Medlicott recalls living with her lighthouse keeper husband Gordon and their two small children at Hartland Point Lighthouse in North Devon in the 1970s. “Trinity House looked after you well,” she says, “but it was isolated for the children.” After four years living in
headquarters at Harwich in Essex. a flat “with a light on top”, as the children called it, the family moved into town and Gordon spent the rest of Of course these aren’t the only lights you’ll see if you travel around the British Isles. There are many his career working mainly off-shore, one month on, one month off, as was standard practice by that time. thousands of local lights too – which are under the Hartland Point isn’t open to the public but you can get jurisdiction of local harbour authorities – and hundreds of lighthouses, buoys and beacons belonging to the other a sense of what life was like in this unusual environment two general lighthouse authorities, the Commissioners of with a visit to South Stack Lighthouse on Anglesey, Irish Lights and the Northern Lighthouse Board, which North Wales. Reached by walking down 400 steps cut
discoverbritainmag.com
From top:Nash Point
Lighthouse on the Heritage Coastline of the Vale of Glamorgan, is licensed for weddings; South Stack Lighthouse, North Wales; Lizard Lighthouse in Cornwall has six holiday cottages
into the cliff face and crossing a footbridge over typically roiling seas, the lighthouse is one of the most remote shore stations you’ll find. It was built in 1809 but no bridge was constructed until 1828 – before then both people and supplies arrived at South Stack in a basket pulled along a hemp cable suspended 21 metres above the sea. It can’t have been a very comfortable journey, but it wasn’t an unusual one either. Until the construction of helipads towards the end of the 20th century, the only way on and off the isolated ‘rock tower’ lighthouses – the most famous of which is probably the Eddystone, off Plymouth – was to be winched along a line attached to a bobbing ship or helicopter. Far easier access is the Lizard, in Cornwall, which marks the most southerly point of mainland Britain. The building, two towers with a cottage between them, dates back to 1751 and was one of the last Trinity House lighthouses to be automated and demanned, in 1998. As well as climbing the tower, visitors can see the engines that used to power the old foghorn and even sound one themselves. Situated on the South West Coast Path, the visitor centre makes a fantastic day trip, and there are holiday cottages and a YHA hostel on site too. Lizard, like many other Trinity House lighthouses, was painted in camouflage colours during the Second
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Trinity Lighthouses World War in an attempt to keep it safe from German bombers. Trinity House’s lights, buoys and ships were technically neutral in both world wars but the fraternity, which worked closely with the Admiralty throughout the conflicts, sometimes dimmed significant lights or placed dummy lightvessels to deliberately confuse the enemy. Trinity House was also a crucial participant in the D-Day landings, its buoys and lightvessels marking a safe route to the Normandy beaches and its pilots guiding thousands of vessels. The 115 Trinity House men killed in the war are remembered at the Merchant Seamen’s Memorial in Trinity Square Gardens, opposite Trinity House, the guild’s London home. As well as being a ceremonial headquarters, this building is where the fraternity’s charitable arm, the Corporation of Trinity House, is based. The corporation donates over £3m annually to maritime charities, including the Sea Cadets and the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society. The house is open for guided tours on a handful of days each year, and its grand, high-ceilinged rooms can be hired for events, including weddings. Guided tours take place at the operational headquarters in Harwich too – the Planning Centre, from where all Trinity House light navigation aids are controlled, and the buoy yard are particular tour highlights.
From top:Portland
Bill Lighthouse was automated in 1996; Longstone Lighthouse, famed site of the Forfarshire wreck; South Stack marks a turbulent area of the Welsh coast
LIGHTHOUSE HEROES Discover the story of thedramatic rescue made by Grace Darling and her lighthouse keeper fatherat Longstone Lighthouse
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In 1838, the steamshipForfarshire went down in a storm in the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland. Most of the passengers and crew perished with the ship, but a few survivors were washed onto the low rocky island that had sunk the craft. Spotting them from their lighthouse home, 22-year-old Grace Darling and her keeper father risked their lives by rowing to the rescue in conditions considered too rough for the lifeboat to put out from the mainland. Grace was
visitor centre. It’s accessible as part of a two-hour boat tour of the Farne Islands that also includes a 30-minute tour of the lighthouse and the chance to stand in Grace’s tiny bedroom. Longstone isn’t the only Trinity House lighthouse to witness heroism of this kind. Many keepers have been presented with the Royal Humane Society Award over the years, including Larry Walker, who jumped into the sea off Portland Bill to save a woman attempting to take her own life in 1990. You can climb the 155 steps
immortalised in an 1843 poem by William Wordsworth and both father and daughter received the Royal Humane Society Award for their actions that night. Longstone Lighthouse, where they sheltered the nine survivors for two days until the storm subsided, is today open as a
to the top of Portland Bill Lighthouse and look out to the dangerous spot in the bay where the woman almost drowned. You can even talk to the hero himself – Walker works at the lighthouse as a tour guide these days and is always happy to share stories of his time in the service.
G IN D R A H T R E B O R ; E S U O H Y IT IN R T ; Y M A L A ; S E G A M I Y T T E G
From top:Trinity House The srcinal Trinity House, completed in 1796, was was granted a Royal destroyed in the Blitz but the building was faithfully Charter by Henry VIII reconstructed in 1953. Though a large number of in 1514; its Court Room precious paintings, documents and artefacts were lost (right) and other elegant rooms have welcomed when the house was bombed, much survived, having royalty and politicians in been sent out of London before the outbreak of the war. its 200-year history Among the survivors are portraits of some of the guild’s most important figures, including Anne, Princess Royal, Trinity House’s current Master; the diarist Samuel Pepys, Master in 1676 and 1685, and Winston Churchill, an Elder Brother from 1913 until his death in 1965. Many more fascinating items from the corporation’s collection – including some usually on display in the house – are on show at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich this year as part of ‘Guiding Lights: 500 Years of Trinity House and Safety at Sea’. The exhibition
runs until February 2015. When the Queen opened the rebuilt Trinity House in 1953 she referred to the guild’s members as ‘the Good Samaritans of the sea’. A lot has changed in the six decades since she spoke those words, and even more has changed in the 500 years since Trinity House was established by Henry VIII, but Good Samaritans they remain. Here’s to the next five centuries.
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ESSENTIAL
CAMBRIDGESHIRE PLAN YOUR VISIT WITH OUR COMPREHE NSIVE COUNTYGUIDE
Why Cambridgeshire? With historic attractions and beautiful countryside at everyturn, what’s not to love, asks Vicky Sartain
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Essential experiences: The top 15 things to do across the county, from punting on the River Cam and visiting the home of horseracing, to flying at IWM Duxford
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Fact file: Everything you need to know before leaving home, including where to stay, where to eat and when to visit
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Competition:Win a twonight break for two at the Hotel du Vin in Cambridge city
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Cathedral tour: Scale the heights of Ely Cathedral during a guided tower tour Y M A L A
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ESSENTIAL
Cambridgeshire
COUNTY OF CONTRASTS Welcome to Cambridgeshire, a county famed for Anglia’s its university city and mystical Fenland landscape, framed by East big skies WORDS VICKY SARTAIN
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watermills and nature reser ves fall under he sprawling county of Cambridgeshire covers a the umbrella of the National Trust and wide area, not just in terms English Heritage, many telling the stories of inspiring former owners. Octavia of geography but in variety Hill’s Birthplace House in Wisbech is a of attractions. If you want mountains you’re in the wrong place, but if you loveprivately-run visitor attraction revealing big skies, glorious sunrises and miles of the life’s work of the brilliant social windmill-dotted countryside you’re in reformer and co-founder of the National the right place. Then there are the quaintTrust. At Newmarket the sporting tradition of the region is revealed in a towns and villages and the surprise finds such as Ely Cathedral, a medieval town dedicated to the sport of kings, pilgrimage site, dubbed the ‘ship of the where racehorses have right of way on Fens’ owing to its vast size and shape. the streets. Finally, the city of Cambridge The local heritage has been b eautifullywelcomes visitors, from home and preserved across the county; the First abroad – being just 50- minutes direct and Second World War legacy can be from London by train. People come for the architecture and the sense of history explored at IWM Duxford, a military museum in the south of the county. that pervades every street. Rain or shine Further north at Coton is the American queues form for punting excursions down the River Cam, taking in the golden Cemetery & Memorial, the only US Second World War graveyard in Britain. college buildings at a relaxed pace. Country estates, churches, priories, Visit www.visitcambridge.org
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TRAVEL TIP Hire a punt and travel at your own pace
Y M A L A
Punting on the Cam in Cambridge is top of the wishlist of many visitors
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[NATURE]
2 G R O . E G D I R B M A TIC SI V / D N A L G N E TI IS V / IS W LE N I IA ; IS R R A H L U A /P LS O H C I N E V IL /C S E G A IM T S U R T L A N O I T A N
See the wildlif e of Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve s the National Trust’s very first nature reserve, acquired in 1899, this unspoilt wetland
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teems with a rich diversity of life, with over 8,500 species of plants, birds and dragonflies. It has been said that in diversity terms the reserve is Britain’s answer to a tropical rainforest. Human activity is carefully monitored and the traditional ways of managing the land remain. Generations of workers, known as fenmen, are today helped in their cause by roving herds of Highland cattle and Konik ponies – the latter a scrubland-grazing Polish breed brought to the fen specifically to help sustainably manage it. Their dun coloured coats blend into the reed beds. Accessed via boardwalk, boat or cycle-path, the landscape is dotted with windpumps and quaint workers’ cottages. Visitors can learn about the history of the
Below:The two-acre Victorian gardens at Peckover can be explored on free dedicated tours
fen at a recreated 1930s workshop, where traditional crafts can be seen in action. For centuries people would scratch out a living harvesting sedge and peat, also willow working and eel-catching. There is plenty for the active visitor of course, with cycle routes (and bike hire) wending routes through the reserve and neighbouring villages. Wildlife spotting is more or less mandatory. Hen harriers, barn owls and bittern can be spied upon from the nine hides overlooking Sedge Fen and for bird’s eye views, climb to the top of the 10-metre high Tower Hide. Migrant birds have made Wicken Fen an over-wintering destination, with lapwings, wigeon Right: Navigating the and teal keeping the cold waterways of a tranquil skies alive from autumn. landscape, Britain’s Tel: 01353 720 274; www. oldest nature reserve nationaltrust.org.uk
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Experience Quaker life at Peckover House, Wisbech
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isbech was once a thriving medieval port, with trade links cemented by its River Nene. The North Brink is considered the finest brick built Georgian street in England, the result of prosperity from the merchants who set up home and shop here. It was home too, to the Peckovers, a Quaker family whose social contribution included promoting education and health. Jonathan Peckover bought the house in 1794, opening a grocery shop in town, which later doubled as a makeshift bank. “It seemed more profitable DID YOU KNOW? to run a bank full time, which ran at the house for a century,” explains Ben Rickett, visitor services manager. “You can see the old tools of the trade in property’s Banking Wing.” The gardens are a canvas of colour to enjoy, complete with more than 60 species of roses. Tel: 01945 583 463; www.nationaltrust.org. uk/peckover-house
Wainman House, next door to Peckover, is now open as elegant holiday accommodation, newly redecorated in Georgian style. www.nationaltrust cottages.co.uk
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ESSENTIAL
Cambridgeshire
[ ACT IV E]
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TAKE A PUNT DOWN THE CAM, CAMBRIDGE
From top:The Backs,
overlooked by King’s College Chapel; punts are also available to hire
o visit to Cambridge would be complete without a lazy trip down the river, preferably on a craft powered by a willing chauffeur. Punting has long been a popular pastime, more so for visitors than locals; the river the training ground for the student rowing crews that ply the water in readiness for the annual university boat race held on the River Thames. Their svelte boats are of course a world away from the rather primitive flatbottomed boats (punts) which are guided using a long pole. Many of the ‘oarsmen’ and women are students themselves, and enjoy regaling passengers with tales about their Oxford rivals, in between pointing out the places of interest along the route,
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Lane, or the Quayside, off Bridge Street. In all weathers, fleets of punts navigate ‘The Backs’, the stretch that divides parkland from city. There’s always some lively banter between boatmen too, as they dodge throngs of other paddlers and canoeists. The thrill of a near miss is ever present as low bridges threaten, or a particularly crowded area requires the chauffeur to chart a weaving course through the jam. Modern and recent heritage feature along the way, including the wooden Mathematical Bridge, a 20th-century wooden replica of the 1749 srcinal; Clare College, a much photographed 17th-century vision; King’s College Chapel, with its world-famous 15thcentury gothic architecture; the 17th-century
as they steer down river. Scudamore’s Punting Company was founded in 1910 and a century afloat has only increased its reputation and presence. There are themed (bat safari) and special occasion (hen do) trips but for most customers the 45-minute chauffeured tour is the rite of passage, departing from either Granta Place, off Mill
Wren Library, home to 75,000 books; Bridge of Sighs, which promises all the beauty of the Venetian version if only from a distance; and New Court, a 19th-century addition to St John’s College. Its elaborate design has earned it the nickname ‘wedding cake’, owing to its elaborate towers and tiers.
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Tel: 01223 359 750; www.scudamores.com
TRAVEL TIP Umbrellas are provided in Scudamore’s punts!
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A holiday on board our wide beam Hotel Boat "Tranquil Rose" offers you fully serviced accommodation, with good food freshly prepared each day by our creative chefs. You will be sharing your holiday with up to seven like minded guests, as we cruise the River Thames, the Kennet & Avon Canal, the Wey Navigation, the Grand Union Canal and the Paddington Arm into the heart of London at Little Venice. For details of possibly the most relaxing of holidays, Tel: 07966 248 079 Email:
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ESSENTIAL Cambridgeshire
[ MUSEUM ]
EXPLORE THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM DUXFORD
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s thoughts remain fixed on the past during the First World War centenary of 2014, it’s a fine excuse to visit this historic airfield, which was built during the war, going on to become a fighter station for the No 19 Squadron and their Supermarine Spitfires. The bravery of the squadron proved crucial during the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the airfield’s story reflects the achievements of aviation history. At Duxford the visitor can explore the recreated 1940 operations room once staffed by the heroes of the Second World War; see changing exhibitions and conservation of historic aircraft in action; follow family
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Above:Exploring the
collections across Duxford’s mile-long museum site can be an all-day affair
trails or book a place on one of the daily ‘taster talks’ about a particular aircraft. There are state- of-the-art exhibition halls, including AirSpace (housing British and Commonwealth aeroplanes) and American Air Museum (the largest collection of US historic military aircraft in Europe) while during Duxford’s airshow season, the visitor can watch aerobatics in the skies above. Duxford is also home to one of the country’s finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and artillery through the ages – the kind of boys’ toys that thrill young and old – while also acknowledging the impact of weapons of war.
Tel: 01223 835 000; www.iwm.org.uk
[ VINEYARD ]
DON’T MISS
Avid aviators can book a sightseeing flight on a pre-war ‘Dragon Rapide’, an eight-seater biplane, soaring over Duxford, Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket or London. Call 01255 473 832 or visit w ww.classicwings.co.uk
[ FOOD ]
7 Wimpole Estate 8 at Chilford Hall 9 srcin of Stilton Go Georgian at
’S D O O G L E ; Y M A L A
Try English wine
Discover the
This Georgian mansion is an example of
At Chilford Hall’s vineyard, conditions are
After much debate it has finally been
‘old money’ with fine art, sculpture and architecture largely srcinal or restored over the 38-year period of Elsie Bambridge’s ownership from 1938. The interiors blend refined Georgian grandeur with Bambridge additions subtly woven throughout.
ripe for grape growing. The first vines were planted in 1972 and today the Hall is credited with producing wine characterised by clean flavours and fruity body. Visitors can see the wine-making process in action, and perhaps take home a good vintage.
acknowledged that the eponymous cheese was in fact first produced in the 18th century in Stilton village by Cooper Thornhill, former landlord of the local Bell Inn, where you can still order this ‘king of cheeses’. Despite some dispute between counties, Stilton, today officially lies in Cambridgeshire.
Tel: 01223 206 000; www.nationaltrust.org. Tel: 01223 895 600; uk/wimpole-estate www.chilfordhall.co.uk
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Cambridgeshire
[CATHEDRAL]
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Scale the heights of Ely Cathedral on a tower tour
Take a tour of this grand cathedral to discover how it became a medieval pilgrimage site, find out why it is known as the ‘Ship of the Fens’ and see the treasures in its Stained Glass Museum any are surprised to find a vast architectural wonder
protection, the lantern was encased in 400 From bottom left:
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in such an unassuming place as Ely. The cathedral was tons of lead and other materials; it is a wonder The Presbytery founded in AD673 by St Etheldreda, a Saxon virgin that the cathedral hasn’t sunk under the load. is Early English The tour’s aim is to reach the angel panels, a queen of East Anglia, who fled her marriage to become a nun. Gothic; Nave ceiling depicting Ancestry series of Victorian artworks set just below the Her life was cut short by the plague in AD679 and it was pure of Jesus Christ; chance that led to her canonisation when, 17 years after her Octagon ceiling. This involves ascending 165 Octagon ceiling death, her remains were found to be unspoiled – even signs of the spiral stairs, but be prepared to reschedule if plague had healed. Etheldreda’s name carried far and wide and Ely the weather is bad as the route leads onto the became a place of pilgrimage; her monastery for monks and nuns roof via a parapet path. Here, the views extend for miles, although it’s the roof that really captivates. flourished for well over a century. Despite being Entering the lantern tower, visitors can appreciate destroyed by the Vikings in AD869, the building was DON’T MISS re-established a century later by the Benedictine the science behind the invention. The bones of The Stained Glass Museum housed in the the structure – an octagon secured with huge oak order. By the 11th century their handiwork was south triforium of Ely beams – each bear a share of the weight. Closer embellished by the new Norman power, which saw Cathedral is the only the cathedral towers soar higher than ever above inspection reveals graffiti on the beams and underside one of its kind in the of the angel panels left by generations of builders the fen landscape, symbolising power, wealth and UK solely dedicated to and conservationists. “When Allied aircrews were prestige. Visitors can today admire the Octagon, stained glass. Among the 14th-century oak, lead and stone tower, which stationed locally in the last war, they signed their its vivid collections are was constructed following the shock collapse of the names, asking the angels for protection,” explains pieces from the 13th Traci. The panels open to reveal the majesty of the srcinal square Norman tower in 1322. century and Arts and “It’s a unique design,” says tour guide Traci Octagon, its colour and symmetry – not called the Crafts work. Visit Bosdet. “Nowhere else will you find a medieval jewel in the cathedral crown for nothing. www.stainedglass Tel: 01353 667 735; www.elycathedral.org wooden lantern within a stone octagon.” For museum.com
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TRAVEL TIP Follow the Eel Trail to discover Ely’s highlights
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Cambridgeshire [ STATELY
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Enjoy the good life at Anglesey Abbey
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his National Trust property bears the hallmarks of a golden era of country life, when the great house was something of a playboy mansion for Lord Fairhaven, who purchased the dilapidated estate in 1926. Undertaking major refurbishment, Fairhaven created a home fit to entertain his society friends who shared his interests in horseracing, shooting and other country pursuits. Inside, guests were privy to the best of 1930s design and luxury blended with historic elements left over from its days as an Augustinian priory. With no expense spared, the gardens were reinvigorated complete with sweeping avenues, classical statuary and something to delight the senses in all seasons. An 18th-century working watermill in the grounds still grinds wholemeal flour, available to buy. Lord Fairhaven remained a bachelor but his legacy was gifting the property to the Trust, Left:Enjoy the Abbey’s art and saying that he wanted it to “represent an age antiques and visit and way of life that was quickly passing”. the Domestic Wing, Tel: 01223 810 080; www.nationaltrust.org. newly opened in 2014 uk/anglesey-abbey
[ ICON ]
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Learn aboutNational Trust co-founder Octavia Hill at her birthplace house
amed for her part in the birth of the National Trust, social reformer Octavia Hill achieved more than most in her life. She was born at 7 South Brink, Wisbech in 1838, and the Grade II listed property today takes visitors on a journey though her life’s work, from the political challenges that she met and her quest to improve life for the poorest families in the slums of Victorian London, to her qualities of leadership during an age when simply being a woman was viewed as a failing. For over 50 years, Hill battled tirelessly for the good of others, and has
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attraction. It illustrates both the refined world that she was born into and the hellish one in which she spent much of herlife. In the lower reaches of the property, the dark world of the Victorian slum is revealed as the route leads through a reconstructed hovel with mannequins so lifelike in the gloom as to make you look twice. Here, visitors learn how unsanitary conditions led to cholera outbreaks across London, and about bedbug infestation in homes. The way then leads refreshingly into the garden, an example of Hill’s belief in the ‘outdoor sittingroom’. Although Hill was just a toddler when
been hailed the ‘Florence Nightingale of Victorian housing’. Through her dedication, she founded today’s housing associations and civic societies and fought for green space around the city, realising how important it was for health and well-being. Her birthplace house is an unusual visitor
her family moved from Wisbech to Essex in 1840, her birthplace house is a window into her Right:Stained glass extraordinary life. window of Octavia Tel: 01945 476 358; Hill at the Birthplace House, Wisbech www.octaviahill.org
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Explore Oliver Cromwell’s former home in Ely
olitical hero or regicidal villain, Cromwell still divides opinion nearly 400 years after he took control of England, having signed Charles I’s death warrant in 1649. The son of a country gentleman, Cromwell was born in April 1599 at Huntingdon, spending his formative years in Cambridgeshire. In his thirties he inherited his uncle’s estate near Ely and was responsible for collecting tithes (taxes) and harvests in aid of the church. Cromwell and family moved into one of his newly inherited
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him for his Catholic sympathies. Civil War was inevitable, dividing Parliamentarians from royal supporters in 1642. Cromwell gamely took up arms and became a revered military leader for the cause but his merciless actions against Catholics, especially in Scotland and Ireland will unlikely ever be forgiven. Today, the house doubles as Ely Tourist Information
properties, a 13th-century house at St Mary’s Street, Ely Centre, continuing in the spirit of serving the community, Cromwell might say. Visitors can follow an in 1636 and aside from Hampton Court Palace this is the only surviving residence audio tour through nine principle rooms of the antihero. Here, his Protestant views including Kitchen (see the eel pie), Civil War From top:Oliver Cromwell’s House Room (chilling battle gear) and Study (where and concern for the underdog earned served as an inn in him the title ‘Lord of the Fens’. He publicly a life-like Cromwell writes by candlelight). 1843 and is now Ely’s stood against Charles I’s unreasonable Tel: 01353 662 062; www. TIC; in the Kitchen olivercromwellshouse.co.uk taxes and disregard of parliament, chiding
DID YOU KNOW?
Eels were once abundant in the marshland that surrounded Ely. Today, only one commercial eel catcher remains, trapping his catch the traditional way in the Great River Ouse
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Cambridgeshire TRAVEL TIP Wear sturdy shoes on a Gallops or Stud tour
Clockwise:Getting
some fresh air and exercise out on the Gallops; hopeful champions at the National Stud; visit a racing yard on a tour
[ SPORT ]
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Visit the National Stud and tour the Gallops in Newmarket
DID YOU KNOW?
For a comprehensive overview of the sporting attractions and heritage of Newmarket, including group and individual bespoke tours, accommodation, and forthcoming events visit www.newmarket experience.co.uk
n Newmarket, the horse is king. Thoroughbreds have right of way, their own equine ‘pavements’, traffic light system and, it seems, monopoly of the town. Their stable yards are tucked in places where you might expect to find a garage or garden; their neighing as common as birdsong. Humans exist to serve them, labouring over their every need. Yes, horse racing is big business here. Retired jockeys and stablehands linger not for the daily wage but for the thrill that hangs in the air. “There is anything up to 8,000 horses within a 10-mile
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British sporting art, and will feature live thoroughbred horses. The site is due to open to the public in spring 2016, but in the meantime, the museum will remain open throughout 2015 with an exhibition of the sporting art of the Dukes of Grafton, including paintings by Stubbs, Wootton and the School of Van Dyck. Various tours operate from the National Horseracing Museum,
radius of the town,” confirms Chris Garibaldi, director of the National Horseracing Museum, located on Newmarket’s high street. “Its cultural heritage dates back to the Stuarts; James I was responsible for introducing the ‘sport of kings’ to the town.” Palace House, where Charles II spent many a season, is undergoing a £15m refurbishment to develop a ‘National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art’. The centre will incorporate a new museum celebrating horse racing and a national gallery of
a place filled with every imaginable equine item. Among the most popular is the Gallops Tour, hosted by a guide who knows the town inside out, from the location of the oldest stables to the names of various local trainers. Out on the ‘gallops’ training circuit, part of the 3,500 pristine acres managed by the Jockey Club (the body that sets the standard in British horseracing and welfare), horses are put through their paces by riders known in the industry as ‘dungies’ or would-be jockeys. Newmarket’s
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Discover the sport of kings at the National Horseracing Museum
t’s a transitionary time for the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket. Occupying the Victorian Subscription Rooms, where gamblers of the era would gather for race day, the museum is at the heart of the racing world. Today, it educates visitors about the
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British Racing School is a premier venue for those learning the ropes. We watch in awe as a cantering string pass yards ahead of us, kicking up divots as they go, some riders working hard to try and control their skittish mounts. The tour continues as we climb back on the minibus, driving past the late Sir Henry Cecil’s yard (trainer of the great Frankel), Animal Health Trust, and on to visit a working trainer’s yard where it’s possible to pet the stabled horses and find out about how they are kept. The tour concludes at Rowley Mile racecourse, named after the Merry Monarch’s favourite horse (Old Rowley), where we learn more about race-day action. In the afternoon, it’s a visit to The National Stud just outside town where 90-minute minibus tours run from February to October. New season foals lark about on spindly legs with their mothers in the nursery paddocks while the stallions are kept well out of range. The bus
history of racing, its importance to the town, and celebrates the sporting greats: horses, breeders, jockeys, trainers and owners who have gone before. Among the biggest – even household – names in the sport are the jockeys: the late Steve Donahue, the retired Lester Piggott and the Italian showman Frankie Dettori; looking at the displays of jockeys’ racing colours through the centuries it can be a shock to see how much size matters. Francis Buckle, a leading jockey of the early 19th century, weighed just 3st 13lbs and was nicknamed ‘Pocket Hercules’ for his skill and character. Gambling is of course part and parcel and the topic is not shied away from DID YOU KNOW? in the dedicated gallery, where the highs and Justly proud of its lows are explained. There’s much to see across history, the Jockey 300 years of racing history: iconic paintings, Club Rooms next door memorabilia-filled cabinets, an old fashioned have been home to the club since 1750. stall that was srcinally built for a local yard in Its hushed halls and 1901, a taxidermied horse, and the skeleton of gentile atmosphere Hyperion, a 20th-century Derby winner – whose are still sought by club likeness stands guard outside the neighbouring members who gather Jockey Club Rooms. The more daring visitor may to decide on racing like to take a ride on the racehorse simulator rules and regulations. to experience the power of a thoroughbred as Nowadays, the venue it gallops along the also plays host to home straight. glamorous functions, corporate soirées and Tel: 01638 667 333; lo e B A wide :wrange of memorabilia can www.nhrm.co.uk special events be found within the present museum
passes through some of the stud’s 500 acres, letting passengers see highlights such as the ‘covering’ barn where the mares are efficiently impregnated – with the hopeful outcome of producing a future champion. In a paddock is swarthy stallion Dick Turpin, whose current stud fee is £4,000. With luck his offspring may one day take their place in the racehorse hall of fame. www.newmarketexperience.co.uk
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Cambridgeshire
FACT FILE Everything you need to know to plan your visit to Cambridgeshire GETTING THERE By car, from the south and London, Cambridge is a short trip up the M11 motorway. From the north, the A1 and M1 link to the A14 dual carriageway straight to the city, and from the east and west, the A14 again takes you to Cambridge. By train, there are frequent rail services to Cambridge from London King’s Cross and Liverpool Street, and good connections from Scotland and the North via Peterborough, and regional services from the Midlands and East Anglia.
Paddocks House Near Newmarket From £129 per night The former country home of Lord Byron’s sister, this elegant
Autumn:Cambridge Festival of Ideas is an annual celebration of the arts, humanities and social sciences, complete with talks, exhibitions and activities.
Service and are the only ones that take visitors into the colleges. Avoid all other illegal operators as they are denied entry into buildings and known to give
and tranquil accommodation offers the perfect luxury escape. Tel: 01638 593 222 www.paddockshouse.com
Winter:The Ouse Washes nature reserve is the largest area of washland (grazing pasture that floods) in the UK. Winter sees the arrival of large numbers and varieties of migratory birds.
inaccurate historical information.
WHERE TO EAT
WHERE TO STAY
St John’s Chophouse Cambridge The food is British, seasonal and no nonsense in this popular, family-friendly environment. Tel: 01223 353 110 www.cambscuisine.com
Hotel du Vin Cambridge From £175 per night This Grade II-listed building is home to 41 timelessly styled bedrooms and stunning suites; most include the Hotel du Vin’s signature roll-top tubs. Tel: 0844 736 4253 www.hotelduvin.com
The Cutter Inn Ely This riverside restaurant, wonderfully situated by the Great River Ouse, serves quality traditional British pub food in stylish surroundings. Tel: 01353 662 713 www.thecutterinn.co.uk
Prospero Homes Cambridge From £80 per night If you prefer self-catering, look no further than these wellappointed, well-located studio or two-room flats in the city. Tel: 01223 651 099 www.prosperohomes.co.uk Poets House Ely From £115 per night This Grade II-listed property on St Mary’s Street in the town centre is renowned for hospitality and charm. Views extend to the great cathedral or over the hotel’s beautiful gardens. Tel: 01353 887 777 www.poetshouse.com
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LOCAL INSIGHT Official guided walking tours are run by Visit Cambridge Tourism
SUGGESTED ITINERARY
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Stilton village and the Bell Inn Octavia Hill’s Birthplace, Peckover House, Elgood’s - Wisbech Ely Cathedral and Wisbech Oliver Cromwell’s House, both in Ely
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DAY 2
Wicken Fen Nature Reserve Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Mill Newmarket’s National Horseracing Museum and Stud
Stilton Ely Wicken Fen Nature Reserve Anglesey Abbey Cambridge
WHEN TO GO
nature bursts into life? Summer: Enjoy the 40 acres of Cambridge University Botanic Garden, which first opened to the public in 1846. Nowadays it opens from April to September.
For countywide visitor information go to: www.visitcambridge.org Newmarket, on the CambsSuffolk border, has a dedicated visitor attraction site: www. newmarketexperience.co.uk
DAY 1
The Hole in the Wall Little Wilbraham This picturesque 16th-century gastropub, in between Cambridge and Newmarket, is run by Masterchef finalist and chef Alex Rushmer. Tel: 01223 812 282 www.holeinthewall cambridge.com
Spring: With its lack of hills, Cambridgeshire is great cycling country, so why not hire a bike as
MORE INFORMATION
Newmarket
Wimpole DAY 3
Wimpole Estate IWM Duxford Chilford Hall vineyard Cambridge college tour and punting
IWM Duxford
Chilford Hall vineyard
IN A T R A S Y K C I V Y B E R U T A E F E R IS H E G ID R B M A C L IA T N E S S E
COMPETITION
Win
a two-night break at the stylish Hotel du Vin Cambridge in the centre of the historic city of learning, culture, beauty and many, many bicycles
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ocated in the centre of the historic city of Cambridge is the elegant Hotel du Vin. The former University building has been sympathetically transformed to enhance its many quirky architectural features from cosy library, private event rooms, classic French Bistro to atmospheric labyrinth bar. The Grade II listed building is home to 41 timelessly styled bedrooms and stunning suites; each with luxurious handsprung mattresses and fine Egyptian linen, while most include Hotel du Vin’s signature deep, roll-top baths. Suites are individually designed; one even boasts an srcinal openwell and brick bread oven, while another has its very owncave-like private cinema. As with each Hotel du Vin, from St Andrews to Brighton, Bistro du Vin is at the heart of the Cambridge hotel. Experience an elegant and informal setting for lunch and dinner – where you can meet, celebrate or simply pass the time – at the classic, French-styled restaurant. Hearty, comforting dishes of Moules du Vin Mariniere, steak frites and crème brûlée are offered on the seasonallychanging menus, alongside the chef-special Prix Fixe menu. It’s bistro food at its best! Knowing full well that no meal is complete without wine, Hotel du Vin has, over the past 20 years, pulled together an extensive wine and Champagne list that continues to changewith the newest and most exciting trends. Always on hand to help, expert sommeliers know their vino and are able to make a great dinner even more special. No matter the reason for your stay at Hotel du Vin Cambridge, you can be sure it’ll be full of great food and fine wine. For more information and to book a room at this hotel call 0844 736 4253 and visit www.hotelduvin.com
THE PRIZE Enjoy a two-night stay for two people, on a bed and breakfast basis, at the luxury boutique Hotel du Vin in Cambridge. BY POST:Send
your answer and contact details to Hotel du Vin Cambridge Competition, Discover Britain magazine, Johnson Dellow Ltd, 59-61 High Street, Kings Langley WD4 9 HU. BY EMAIL: Send
your answer and contact d etails to
[email protected] with ‘Discover Britain Hotel du Vin Cambridge Competition’ in the subject line. Please also indicate if you prefer not to receive product information.
TERMS & CONDITIONS: Closing
date for all entries is 3 November 2014. The prize includes a two-night stay for two people on a B&B basis. All transport and additional costs are payable by the winner. The prize is valid for 12 months. Excludes Bank Holidays, Easter, Christmas, and New Year. Booking subject to availability. No cash alternative. Employees (and relatives) of Archant, Hotel du Vin and associated suppliers are not eligible to enter. Winners’ names may be published.
HOW TO ENTER To which era does the Hotel du Vin Cambridge date? A
Tudor
B
Victorian
C
Medieval
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WHERE TO GO
WILD IN BRITAIN
If you want to get away from it all to see Britain’s flora and fauna in splendid natural isolation, then let your journey start here, with ideas for every month of the year ahead
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British Wildlife
From left:Islay is home to thousands of visiting barnacle and whitefronted geese; buzzard
JANUARY
HEBRIDEAN HIGHLIGHT Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
until April, creating a magnificent sight and sound. The barnacle geese from Greenland are indistinguishable from barnacle geese slay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, lying at the entrance breeding in Spitsbergen (which spend the to the Firth of Lorn. Its vast range of winter on the Solway Firth), while the orangehabitats supports a terrific variety of wildlife. billed, white-fronted geese are darker than the In winter, hen harriers hunt over the lower more numerous, pink-billed ones from Siberia, moors and you just might have a once-inand form a distinct race. You can see both species around the head of Loch Gruinart. a-lifetime encounter with a golden eagle, especially in the rugged south of the island Look out too, for the shyer island towards the Oa peninsula. Look out, too, inhabitants, like t he red, fallow, and roe deer, for red-billed choughs on the tidelines of the and the secretive otters. Common and grey sandy bays, feeding on insects found in seals can be found around the coast, the seaweed. in places such as Killinallan Point, east of Loch Gruinart. Islay has 130 miles of indented coastline, with sand and shingle beach, mudflats, and The Rhinns in the north and the Oa in the cliffs. Loch Indaal and Loch Gruinart, both south are good for birds of prey, including
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with mudflats and smooth green marsh at the head of enclosed bays, are marvellous places for wintering waders, divers, grebes, and sea ducks such as eiders and scaups. But it is the extraordinary population of geese that everyone comes to see in winter: around 37,000 barnacle geese and 13,000 whitefronted geese inhabit the island from autumn
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golden eagles, buzzards, hen harriers, peregrines, merlins, and kestrels; while common and black guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars, and shags fly around the cliffs. The blue-grey rock doves, which are truly wild and untainted by domestic stock, feed on cliff-top grasslands and nest around the sea cliffs.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT G e t gt Ferries leave in from Kennacraig three or four times a day on weekdays and Saturdays and twice on Sundays. The Loch Gruinart reserve is signed from the A847 Bridgend to Bruichladdich Road, 4.8km (3 miles) from the turn-of f. The nearest bus stop to the reserve is at this turn-off. The RSPB Access and facilities: reserve has good access to viewing points and one hide is specially adapted for wheelchair users (access by car can be arranged). The centre has fullaccess toilets for all abilities, parking, and refreshments, and is pushchair friendly. The woodland trail is not suitable for wheelchairs. Opening times:The reserve is open at all times. The visitor centre is open daily from 10am-5pm. Contact:RSPB Loch Gruinart Reserve, Bushmills Cottage, Gruinart, Bridgend, Isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute PA44 7PR. Tel: 01496 850 505;
[email protected]
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FEBRUARY
WILD EXMOOR Exmoor National Park, Devon/Somerset onies live wild in several areas of Britain, but the rolling heather
wide forehead with large, pale-ringed eyes, its mealy nose, strong, thick neck, broad back, and sturdy, short legs. The pale rings around the eyes (“hooded” or “toad” eyes) are actually thick fleshy surrounds to protect
moorlands and stark coastal cliffs of Exmoor provide their most dramatic habitat. Here they are essential parts of the moorland landscape, where their grazing and browsing have played an important part in the ecosystem for thousands of years. The Exmoor pony is the most primitive of the UK’s native ponies, and its oldest breed – predating the arrival of the Romans in Britain. It is an extremely hardy little pony, resistant to disease and with great powers of endurance, and its long survival on the cold, wet – but beautiful – moor with little food or shelter is testimony to its strength. In February you can real ly see how the pony has evolved to survive: it grows a soft, woolly undercoat, topped by a longer, oily, waterrepellent outer coat. Look for the broad fan of hair at the base of the tail – known as the “ice tail” or “snow chute” – that helps channel cold rain away from the body. Always some shade of brown or bay, the pony’s distinctive appeara nce comes from its
the eyes against the frequent rain that lashes the moor in winter. Their teeth are also unusually suited to the environment – an extra molar ensures they can easily chew coarse, thorny plants. Even the nose and ears have evolved efficiently: small e ars keep heat loss to a minimum, while large nasal passages help to warm the freezing air before it reaches the lungs. Exmoor was used as a training ground during t he Second World War, and great numbers of ponies were killed: only some 50 survived. Local people rescued the remaining herds but numbers remai ned low until the early 1980s. The total now stands at between 1,000 and 2,000; these are caught once a year and branded for conservation reasons. However gently they nuzzle their young, the ponies you see today are direct descendants of those that once pulled mighty chariots for the fearsome Celts. The ponies are approachable, but can kick, so sta nd well clear of their hind legs.
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PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:Exmoor is easily accessible by road from the M5, junction 27. There is also a bus network through the park (www. travelinesw.com or tel: 0871 200 2233). Nearest train stations are at Barnstaple, Taunton, and Tiverton Park way. There are Access and facilities: visitor centres with facilities at Cross Street, Combe Martin, EX34 0DH; Dunster Steep, Dunster, TA24 6SG; Fore Street, Dulverton, TA22 9EX; Blackmoor Gate, Lynmouth, EX35 6EQ; and the Old School, High Street, Porlock,TA24 8QD. For opening times, events, and other accessibility details, visit www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk Opening times:All year round. Contact:National Park Authority, Exmoor House, Dulverton. Tel: 01398 323 665; Dulverton National Park Centre, Tel: 01398 323 841;
[email protected]
Winter or summer, the Exmoor pony is perfectly adapted to its surroundings
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British Wildlife MARCH
From left:Brown hares mid boxing match; the grand Palladian façade of Lyme Park
BOXING HARES
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
Lyme Park, Disley, Stockport, Cheshire
rituals at Lyme Park, one of the best places is The Cage, an ornate 18th-century hunting lodge that offers a vast panorama of the et in open countryside a few miles Cheshire Plain and the foothills of Snowdonia. Arrive as early as possible: brown hares southeast of Stockport, and overlooked by the brooding mass of Derbyshire’s are most active at dawn and dusk, but you High Peak, Lyme Park is one of the most will need the morning light. If hares are about, you will see groups out in the open, magnificent buildings in Cheshire. Originally a Tudor country house, its exterior was clearly visible through binoculars. Males remodelled in the 18th century to create a and females look alike, but if one dashes grand Palladian facade, complete with a huge off, chased by several others, she will be a neo-classical portico and superb formal gardens.female in breeding condition. Her pursuers For many, however , the estate’s real charm are males, each of whom is intent on mating with as many females as possible. One may lies in the rough grassland of the surrounding medieval deer park, because in spring this is shadow her more closely than the others, even an ideal place to watch one of the most bizarre driving them away, but the common belief of all natural spectacles: the stand-up boxing that boxing hares are rival males is wrong. A female frequently becomes so irritated by matches of the wild brown hares. Immortalized by Lewis Carroll in Alice’s an ardent suitor that she turns and delivers a
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Adventures in Wonderland,
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the “mad March hare” has mystified wildlife watchers for centuries. Unlike smaller, less agile rabbits, brown hares spend their lives above ground in open country, and in spring when the grass is short their extraordinary courtship rituals are conducted in full view. If you want to witness these extravagant
swift punch. He retaliates and the two may rear up on their long hind legs to exchange a flurry of blows. No damage is done, and quite often the wild chase resumes almost immediately. Eventually his persistence may pay off, and she will allow him to mate – after which he immediately starts looking for another female.
G e t gt By road the in entrance is on the A6, 10.5km (7 miles) southeast of Stockport and 9.3km (12 miles) northwest of Buxton. The house and car park is 1.6km (1 mile) from the entrance. By train, Disley is 0.8km (0.5 miles) from the park entrance. The TrentBarton No 199 Buxton to Manchester Airport bus stops at the park entrance. Access and facilities:There’s a licensed restaurant and café in The Timber Yard and a refreshment kiosk in the main car park. There are fullaccess toilets throughout the site and wheelchair access to the buildings and parts of the grounds, but there are steep slopes and uneven ground. Opening times: The parkand is open all year round; the house gardens are open February to October from 11am Contact:Lyme Park, Disley, Cheshire, SK12 2NR. Tel: 01663 762 023; lymepark@national trust.org.uk
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British Wildlife
From left:Symonds Yat Rock; the magnificent peregrine falcon
APRIL
VIBRANT VALLEY LIFE The Wye Valley, Herefordshire
he Wye Valley is justly designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty [AONB]. It is divided into two areas: the Lower Wye Gorge – between Chepstow and Symonds Yat, with dramatic limestone cliffs and a narrow floodplain far below; and the gentler Herefordshire lowlands – lying north of Ross on Wye, where the river meanders across red sandstone. Both offer some of the most beautiful views in Britain, and have been attracting visitors since the 18th century. In the Wye Gorge, the river runs between small earth cliffs – in which kingfishers and
the right conditions, you stand a chance of seeing brown trout, chub, perch, roach, and eels as you walk along the river banks. In spring, the many migratory species include salmon, sea and river lampreys, and Wye specialities such as the allis and twait shad, all coming upstream from the sea to spawn. For a really dramatic viewpoint on to the valley and a close-up of its most famous inhabitants – the peregrine falcons – visit the limestone cliffs of Yat Rock, a scenic viewpoint towering 120m (400ft) above the Wye on the Gloucestershire side. From April onwards you can witness the aerial displays of these fascinating birds of prey, demonstrating their incredible speed and control.
sand martins nest – and mud banks, over which the river flows to flood the plain each year. Woods line the length of the gorge, and the area buzzes with wildlife. Dragonflies and damselflies fill the air in spring, and six different types of mussel live in the irver among the extraordinary number of fish: more than 30 species have been recorded here. In
Down on the ground, the night draws out a few wary foxes and badgers, and there have been sightings of polecats, recently returned to the valley after an absence of more than a century. Otters have also returned to play along the tributary streams, while 15 different species of bats swoop through the air above them.
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PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:To reach Symonds Yat Rock, follow the brown tourist signs on the B4432 to Symonds Yat from Coleford, Forest of Dean. The viewpoint is approximately 250m (270 yards) from the car park; just follow the “peregrine viewing” signs. There are also buses that run from Coleford bus station. Access and facilities: There is an information point at Symonds Yat Rock run by the RSPB and Forest Enterprise who fund telescopes to help visitors see the peregrines. There are toilets and a café on site, and both are wheelchair friendly. A refreshment kiosk is open daily during the summer, from 10am to 4pm. Opening times:Open all year round. Car park and toilets are open 10am-8.30 pm, or dusk if sooner. Contact:Forestry Commission, tel: 01594 833 057; Symonds Yat information assistant, tel: 07736 792 511; www.rspb.org.uk
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MAY
THE WILD PENINSULA Gower Peninsula, Swansea, South Wales rectangular slab of pale limestone topped by sandstone hills, all but
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detached from the south coast of Wales, the Gower Peninsula i s a wonderful destination for the geologist, geographer, archaeologist and wildlife enthusiast, with its big estuary, extensive saltmarshes, sand dunes, beaches, woods, moors, and reed beds. Not least among its charms are the limestone cliffs and clifftop grasslands that run along its southern coast, from Mumbles Head to the magnificent Worm’s Head, reaching far out into Carmarthen Bay. Beautiful panoramas extend across the Bristol Channel to E xmoor, Ilfracombe, Hartland Point, and Lundy. The mild climate and south-facing prospect ensure a long, early growing season. In May, look out for the yellow whitlow-grass that grows on cliffs such as Pwll Du Head, and at Pennard Cast le – it grows nowhere else in the UK. The open grassland above the cliff is at its finest at this t ime of year:
ungrazed areas with deeper soils, such as Long Hole Cliff and Overton Cliff, are thick with heath, gorse, hawthorn, blackthorn and juniper thickets. On the poorer soils and well-trodden areas you’re more li kely to find typical limestone plants such as early purple orchids, shocking-pink splashes of bloody cranesbill, and the yellow carline thistle. Bird’s-foot trefoil and kidney vetch abound, and there are whorls of the rare, green Portland spurge. L ook out for salttolerant plants, such as sea campion, golden samphire, rock sea-lavender, scurvygrass, sea beet, spring squill, and thrift, and the only maritime fern – sea spleenwort. Rarities include hoary rockrose, goldilocks aster, and wild asparagus, which has been greatly reduced by collectors and, like a ny rarity, should be left alone. Over the sea there’s a good chance of seeing passing Manx shearwaters and gannets, and the clifftops have ravens, jackdaws, choughs, stonechats, linnets, and yellowhammers. Buzzards are common on Gower, while Oxwich Marsh has reed and sedge warblers, herons, and kingfishers.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:By car, follow the M4. You can access Gower from a number of different junctions. For South Gower and Mumbles, take junction 42, which will take you on the Swansea Bay road. For North Gower, take junction 47. By bus, National Express coaches run from London Victoria, Gatwick, and Heathrow airports, and there are stops around Yorkshire and the Midlands to Swansea bus station. Access and facilities:The peninsula covers 181 sq km (70 square miles) and is home to 19 nature reserves, most well served by rural businesses. At Rhossili and Llanmadoc there are pubs and cafés with full access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, plus car parking. Contact:Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, tel: 01656 724 100; welshwildlife.org/contact-us
From left:The huge sweep of Rhossili bay; bright patches of thrift cling to the cliffs
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British Wildlife JUNE
From left:Traditional woodland management encourages a variety of wildlife; the rarely seen but often heard nightingale
HISTORIC WOODLANDS Rockingham Forest, Rockingham, near Corby, Northamptonshire
blackthorn, and hazel, and the ground layer is exceptionally rich in plant life. Bluebells and wood anemones abound, but there are also rarer plants, including various species of ike the New Forest, Rockingham was an important royal forest during orchids, toothwort, and stinking hellebore. medieval times, reserved by William the Birdlife includes tawny and long-eared owls, Conqueror during the 11th century for hunting all three species of British woodpeckers, marsh deer and wild boar. It consists of a mosaic of and willow tits, and hawfinches – whose huge wooded areas and more open country, with bills are capable of cracking cherry stones. Most famous are the red kites that were farmland and small villages, historic buildings of local stone, and two extremely rare Bronze introduced here in the 1990s, and have since Age cairns. Only about half the ancient built up a self-sustaining population. Over 20 butterfly species breed here; look for the woodland remains – of ash, field maple, and rare black hairstreak butterfly among mature oak, interspersed with rarer trees such as the wild service tree and the small-leaved lime. stands of blackthorn bushes, especially in the sunny glades and sheltered woodland margins. For centuries the woods were managed by Its caterpillars feed mainly on the blackthorn coppicing. The many branches this produced had a myriad of uses, from fencing and house- leaves. This is a very localized species – just 30 colonies remain in the East Midlands forest building to providing firewood or charcoal. belt. Its flight period is brief, from mid-June to Today, this traditional management is still carried out to encourage wildlife, and one bird mid-July, and it spends much of itstime feeding
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that benefits particularly is the nightingale. Hazel dormice, scarce in much of the country, thrive here in the coppiced woodland and overgrown hedgerows, which provide them with essential food and shelter. Other mammals include foxes, badgers, polecats, stoats, fallow deer, and muntjac deer. The forest has an understorey of hawthorn,
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on aphid honeydew in the tops of the larger trees. Three other species of hairstreaks can also be seen in Rockingham; try the nature reserve at Bedford Purlieus for the rarest, the brown hairstreak, whose caterpillars feed on blackthorn. Those of the more common purple hairstreak eat oak leaves, while the caterpillars of the white-letter hairstreak prefer elm.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:Fineshade Woods, within the forest, has an RSPB visitor centre and café at Top Lodge, which is signposted from the A43, 14.4km (9 miles) northeast of Corby and 9.6km (6 miles) southwest of Stamford. Access and facilities: Rockingham Forest has more than 400km (250 miles) of walks, and includes Wakerley Great Wood, Fermyn Wood, Southey Wood, Fineshade Wood, and Bedford Purlieus nature reserve. The RSPB’s visitor centre at Fineshade has refreshment facilities and is wheelchair friendly. of the trails are not suitable Some for wheelchairs. Opening times:The woods are open all year round; the visitor centre opens from 10am-5pm. Contact:Forestry Commission Northants, tel: 01780 444 920;
[email protected]
T O H S O T O H P ; Y M A L A
British Wildlife
From left:Golden eagles patrol the national park; the eagles breed in the more remote areas
JULY
UP AMONG
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
THE CLOUDS
Hopper, which connects Ballater and Grantown-on-Spey, and travels right through the centre of the national park.
The Cairngorms National Park, Aviemore, Scottish Highlands
be brightened by moss campion, trailing azaleas, alpine lady’s-mantle, and starry saxifrage. This is also the best time to see the he Cairngorms National Park in mountain birds that breed on the summits, Scotland is home to some of our such as the beautiful montane wader, the dotterel. Snow buntings and ptarmigans breed most sought-after wildlife. It is a huge area of real wilderness – its mountains, in this desolate landscape too, but they are moorlands, forests, rivers, lochs, and glens harder to find. Ptarmigans are a very tame type of grouse; they spend all year at high cover 3,800 sq km (1,400 sq miles) – and endures some of Britain’s toughest weather altitudes, and are rarely seen, especially conditions. The mountains are the UK’s as their summer plumage of speckled grey camouflages them so remarkably well. highest and largest, with peaks rising above 1,000m (3,280ft). The highest – Ben Macdui – The ptarmigan always keeps an eye rises to 1,310m (4,300ft). directed towards the sky – as golden eagles patrol these mountains – and they breed in The stunning scenery of this national park lures climbers and serious walkers even in the more remote corners. Mountain hares are winter, with its thick layer of tempting snow, their favourite prey and these animals have
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but it is June and July when the mountains are at their easiest and safest to explore. In summer the Arctic-alpine flora is at its best; in July the corries offer shelter to roseroot and mountain sorrell, while the rock walls are covered in purple saxifrage. There are a huge number of walks through the park, but whichever one you take, it will
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become particularly cautious, running away at the slightest sound. Red grouse and red deer live on the lower slopes in summer, the deer grazing on fresh, young shoots. A herd of 150 Scandinavian reindeer roam around the foot of the Cairngorm Mountain and guides are available to help you approach and even hand-feed these gentle creatures.
Getting there:By road, take the A9 to Aviemore, then follow signs to the Cairngorms National Park. By train, travel to Aviemore. By bus, take the No 501 Heather
Access and facilities: Wheelchair access is limited; contact the Park Authority (see details above) before arriving, as some access can be arranged. The visitor centre has parking and a full range of facilities. There is a funicular railway to the Ptarmigan Restaurant, which is the UK’s highest restaurant. There is also a viewing platform giving views for miles around. Opening times:The reserve is open at all times. The visitor centre is open daily, 10am-5pm. Contact:Cairngorms National Park Authority, tel: 01479 873 535; enquiries@cairngorms. co.uk. Glenmore Visitor Centre, Glenmore Forest Park, Aviemore, Highland PH22 1QU; tel: 01479 861 220. The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, tel: 01479 861 228; www. cairngormreindeer.co.uk
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AUGUST
British Wildlife
SEAL-SPOTTING PARADISE Blakeney Point, Blakeney, North Norfolk wo species of seal breed in Britain: the grey and the common seal. The common seal is not the commonest species in the UK, and its alternative name of harbour seal is certainly more appropriate in Scotland, where it is found along the west coast; but in eastern England it is more often found on estuaries and sand flats. Pupping takes place ashore. Common seals, which breed in summer, can use sand flats as the pups can swim almost as soon as they are born. Grey seals are born in winter and cannot swim until they shed their first white coat after two or three weeks, before which they must remain out of the water. Both species spend much of their time when not feeding hauled out on beaches, often in mixed species groups. Blakeney Point on the north Norfolk Coast is one such haul-out spot, and some 500 seals of the two species can be found here during the summer. You can see them from sealwatching boat trips from Morston and
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Blakeney, or by making the energetic 5km(3 mile-) trek west from Cley-next-the-sea. In the past, common seals predominated on the Point, but things are changing: it has now been more or less abandoned for pupping and grey seals are on the increase. These two facts may not be unrelated as grey seals tend to pack very tightly and could eventually displace the smaller common seals. The Point also hosts important breeding colonies of water birds, especially terns. Sandwich, common, little, and a few Arctic terns wheel screechily around, plunge-diving and feeding their raucous chicks. Locally breeding ringed plovers and oystercatchers congregate at high tide, mingling with the returning Arctic waders, whose numbers increase daily at this time of year. If you go ashore, look out for the fading flowers of the shingle plants: yellow horned poppy, sea campion, and biting stonecrop. On the adjacent saltmarshes, look for the dense thickets of shrubby sea-blite and several species of sea-lavender, including the rare matted sea-lavender.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:Blakeney Point is 8km (5 miles) from Wells-nextthe-sea on the North Norfolk coast. Park at Cley-next-the-sea and walk to the Point from Cley beach car park (5km/3 miles), or at Morston Quay and take a boat (times depending on tides). The nearest station is Sheringham; fromtrain there take the Coasthopper bus to Cley or Morston. Both are on National Cycle Network Route 30. Access and facilities: Boat trips either make a round trip without disembarking, or allow for an hour or two exploring on the Point. The sand and shingle terrain is inaccessible by wheelchair. Refreshments and toilets at Morston car park and at the Old Lifeboat Station on the Point (closed September to April). Some areas of the Point are out of bounds during the bird breeding season, from April to August. Contact:Blakeney NNR, tel: 01263 740 241; blakeneypoint@ nationaltrust.org.uk
From left:Up to 500 grey and common seals can be found at Blakeney Point during summer
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British Wildlife SEPTMEBER From left:Flowering heather casts a purple haze; merlins hunt for pipits and skylarks
HIGH ON THE HEATHER
North York Moors National Park, Yorkshire, E ngland
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
approach; but listen out too, for the whirring sound of a flock mid-air. Grouse numbers fluctuate according to parasite and predator cycles, and as a result of he largest continuous area of upland heather moorland in England, moorland management and shooting pressure. the North York Moors provide a The major economic value of moorland lies in grouse shooting and large swathes are burned spectacle in any season. But in September they are simply stunning: flowering heather or cut each year to produce the fresh new casts a purple glow over the hills, with growth favoured by grouse and, by chance, the varied habitats favoured by breeding highlights of yellowing bracken, and all is illuminated by the soft, ea rly-autumn curlews and golden plovers. sunlight. Even better, nearly all of the The older, leggier heather is favoured by merlins for nesting in the summer, but they moorland is fully accessible under the UK’s “right-to-roam” legislation. disperse over the whole of the moors in Most of the breeding wading birds for which search of prey – especially pipits and skylarks – during autumn. They are often joined by the Moors are so important have departed for lowlands by the end of the summer, the much-larger hen harriers and short-eared though there may be a few lingering curlews owls, who effortlessly quarter the moors.
Getting there:By car, head for one of the park’s visitor centres: The Moors Centre (Lodge Lane, Danby, YO21 2NB); or Sutton Bank National Park Centre (Sutton Bank, Thirsk, YO7 2EH). By rail or coach, travel to one of the towns surrounding the park, such as York, Malton, Middlesbrough, Whitby, Northaller ton, or Thirsk, which all have good bus links into the park. The Esk Valley railway runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby, and takes you right into the heart of the National Park. The Moorsbus Network serves North York Moors itself from April to October.
or lapwings. Without their calls, a nearsilence descends, broken only by the hum of nectaring bumblebees, the plaintive yet piercing “sip!” of meadow pipits, and the cackle of red grouse. These iconic moorland birds feed mostly on the tender shoots of heather. Reliant on their camouflaged plumage, they may allow close
national park has a committed policy for the disabled traveller and there are good facilities at all the visitor centres.
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Among the dry heather moorland, there are also wet heaths and bogs. In early autumn, you can see the white fluffy seedheads of the cotton-grasses and the reddish mounds of some of the bog-mosses. If you don’t mind getting your feet wet, a closer look may reveal sundew, bog-myrtle, bog asphodel, cloudberry, and bog-rosemary.
Access and facilities: The
Contact:The Moors National Park Centre, Danby; tel: 01439 772 737; moorscentre@ northyorkmoors.org.uk
Y M A L A ; T O H S O T O H P
VISIT THE UK’S ONLY CROCODILE ZOO! Crocodiles of the World is an experience unlike any other. Nowhere else but here will you have the opportunity to see such a wide collection of crocodiles, alligators and caimans - over 100 individuals representing more than 14 species. You will be captivated from the moment you arrive. There’s a whole world of crocodiles out there just waiting for you to discover it! 100+ crocodiles, alligators and caimans Rare endangered species and hatchlings Feeding displays VIP/Keeper experiences Underwater viewing Outdoor picnic area Birthday parties Group and school visits
www.crocodilesoftheworld.co.uk
Tel: 01993 846353 Open daily 10am-5pm | Burford Road, Brize Norton OX18 3NX
British Wildlife
From left:Autumn brings large flocks of geese flying in formation; the tranquil beauty of loch Leven
OCTOBER
AUTUMN BY THE LOCH Loch Leven, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
och Leven National Nature Reserve lies below the lomond hill s, where its vast, tranquil loch spreads over 16 sq km (6 sq miles). The loch encompasses islands, lagoons, reedbeds, and grazing marshes, which provide food and shelter for thousands of birds in t he autumn and wi nter. The best place to appreciate the wildlife, especially close up, is the RSPB reserve at Vane Farm, which has excellent views across the main loch, specially created shal low lagoons, and nature trails on nearby wooded hillsides.
cross the seas from the north to spend the winter with us – are magnificent. They are at their best in large, flying flocks, when they make the familiar V-shapes, chevrons and wavy lines and the air fills with their ringing, clanging, a nd clattering calls. You can distinguish the greylag geese by their harsher, more rattling notes; the pink-footed geese form a more musical chorus – deep calls interspersed with high, sharp “winwink” notes. On the ground, the geese march steadily along in tightly packed groups, often squabbling and ca lling, making them always interesting to watch. With the geese, or nearby, will be hordes of ducks: the wigeons like to patrol the grass,
In October, it is one of the best places in the UK to see vast numbers of wild geese. These iconic birds are closely associated with the romance and mystery of migration and the changing of the seasons. In England, the increase of semi-wild Canada and greylag geese has devalued them somewhat, but the real thing – the truly wild birds that annually
while pintails, teals and mallards stay close to the water. Look for lapwings and golden plovers; these are the signalling birds, who will suddenly take flight, and noisily sound the alarm if birds of prey appear in the skies overhead. Groups of whooper swans may be hiding a few rarer Bewick’s; smaller wading birds can be found at the edges of the water.
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PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:By car, take the M90 to Junction 5, then follow signs to the reserve. The nearest train station is Cowdenbeath, 11km (7 miles) away, but there is no onward public transport. A bus runs from Kinross on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Vane Farm lies 7km (4 miles) off Route 1 of the National Cycle Network. Access and facilities: There are three hides at Vane Farm, all with good access. The visitor centre has a café, trail and bird information, car park, full-access toilets, and good facilities for wheelchair users. Some of the trails are difficult for wheelchairs. Opening times:Loch Leven is accessible at all times. Vane Farm visitor centre is open 10am–5pm daily, but the trails and hides are open 24 hours a day all year, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and 2 January. Contact:RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve, tel: 01577 862 355;
[email protected]
T O H S O T O H P ; Y M A L A
NOVEMBER
RUTTING RED DEER Richmond Park, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey still, late-autumn dawn, the grass crisp with frost. All is quiet, until the
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silence is suddenly shattered by a fearsome, drawn-out roar. It is a red deerstag, Britain’s largest land mammal, advertising his presence, his power, and his control over a harem of females to any potential rivals. And what an impressive sight he is, his magnificent branched antlers held high, his hot breath condensing around him in the cool autumn air. The rutting season lasts for a couple of months, and for much of the time such posturing is the limit of his di splay. But at its peak, and when rivals cannot be separated on roars alone, the rut turns physical. Heads down, antlers locked, the stags push at each otherpowerfully, each trying to force the other to give ground. The risks are evident: those sharp points can inflict serious, or even mortal, wounds. The rewards though are great – the dominant male wins the chance to father all of the next yea r’s offspring from the harem.
One great place to witness this annual trial of strength is Richmond Park, one of London’s “green lungs”, which has around 300 red deer. Gates open at 7.30am, so by the end of the month there is plenty of time to get into the heart of the action before the sun rises. There are also some 350 fallow deer, and these too have a rut, albeit a little less noisy and dramatic. Take care not to disturb the deer with your appearance or scent – keep your distance and remain downwind wherever possible. The Park was first enclosed in 1637, as a royal hunting park. The ancient trees, many of which pre-date the enclosure, have been managed as pollards, so that succulent new growth is produced above the reach of the deer. This has left the trunks to grow thick and old; healthy – but hollow, or full of dead wood. Perfect, in fact, for wood-dwelling beetles. This superlative site has more than 1,350 species of beetles – over a quarter of the total British list. No wonder, then, that it is given the highest level of nature conservation protection.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:Richmond Park is only about 20 minutes from central London. Richmond Station is served both by overground and underground trains. By bus, catch the 371 or 65 to the pedestrian gate at Petersham. Access and facilities:There are six free car parks within the park. There are also cafés, restaurants, and refreshment points throughout the park. There is a car park reserved for disabledbadge-holders only, near the Isabella Plantation. Opening times:The park is open all year round, from 7am in summer and 7.30am in winter, closing at dusk. Specific opening and closing times can be found on the Royal Parks website, www.royalparks.org.uk. Contact:Richmond Park Office, tel: 0300 061 2200; richmond@ royalparks.gsi.gov.uk.
From left:Antlers can inflict serious wounds; an oasis of nature in the centre of London
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British Wildlife
WE T IN R WONDERLAND Isle of Man, Irish Sea
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captivity many years ago, and now run wild in the Curragh. Gorse and especially yellow ight in the middle of the Irish Sea, ragwort – the island’s national flower – grows everywhere. But it’s the amazing number of between Ireland and Britain, lies a beautiful island that is rich in wildlife hen harriers that makes this site so special.
and steeped in ancient history. At only 53km (33 miles) long and 21km (13 miles) wide, the Isle of Man is relatively small, but it offers wildlife a wide range of enticing habitats, from cliff edges and woodland glens, to mountains and wide, open moors, all spread out among the ancient Celtic and Viking ruins and monuments. One of the most important habitats on the island is the Ballaugh Curragh wetland. This reserve has a network of boarded walks. As you wander through areas of bog myrtle, willow scrub (“curragh”), bog pools, marshy grasslands, and birch woodland, keep an eye out for that elusive bird, the corncrake, which likes to hide under the abundant royal fern. Another reclusive creature lives beneath you, deep in the heart of the island – the cave spider, one of Britain’s largest, yet notoriously difficult to find. You may, though, see a rednecked wallaby: 20–30 of them escaped from
Visit Close Sartfield Nature Reserve, within the Ballaugh Curragh, and you’ll see the largest hen harrier roosting site in Western Europe, with up to 80 hen harriers coming in to roost. Another Manx star is the chough, which can be seen around the cliffs to the south and west of the island, or foraging along the tideline. These handsome, shiny black birds are very sociable; in winter, you can watch groups of up to 40 sweep in, noisily callingto each other. Along the shore of the mainland, the midshore pools are full of delights, especially for children: the red blobs of beadlet anemones sit among limpets and periwinkles. Check the low-tide pools for sea urchins and starfish. Take a boat to the Calf of Man to see seabirds: the bird observatory there has recorded Manx shearwaters, razorbills, cormorants, fulmars, and puffins. Harbour porpoises swim in the waters around the islands, joined by bottlenose dolphins in winter.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT Getting there:The island’s ferry services are provided by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (www.steam-packet.com) and depart from Heysham, Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast and Fleetwood. Access and facilities: The Curraghs Wildlife Park lies at the edge of the Ballaugh Curraghs, and has a boardwalk nature trail with good access and facilities. There are two visitor centres with facilities at Ayres and Scarlett. Opening times:Contact individual nature reserves for opening times. Contact:Manx Wildlife Trust, tel: 01624 844 432; enquiries@ manxwt.org.uk
DECEMBER From left:Hen harriers roost at Close Sartfield Nature Reserve; Manx wild wallaby
For more ideas about where to wild in the months ahead, buy the full version of Where to Go Wild in Britain, published by Dorling Kindersley and available as an eBook from dk.com
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BRITAIN’S MOST WANTED Join the search for some of our most iconic and elusive wildlife with our at-a-glance guide byJames Lowen PINE MARTENMARTES
MARTES
This relative of the stoat is active between dusk and dawn. Britain’s population may be as few as 4,000, with 95 percent of these in Scotland. Top location:on the veranda at Glen Loy Lodge in Highland, most evenings
WHITE-TAILED E AGLE HALIAEETUS ALBICILLA
In the 40 years since Europe’s largest eagle was first reintroduced to the Hebridean island of Rum, some 40 pairs of these ‘flying barn-doors’ breed in north-west Scotland, mainly the Western Isles. Top location:boat trips from Portree on Skye offer your best chance to see them in flight
SWALLOWTAIL PAPILIO MACHAON
Britain’s most exotic-looking butterfly is – apart from the hint of a new colony in Dorset – confined to East Anglia’s Broadland. Location:At Strumpshaw Fen, try the flower-rich garden along Tinkers’ Lane
RED SQUIRREL SCIURUS VULGARIS
Loss of its woodland habitat, competition with the nonnative grey squirrel and disease
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GREAT CRESTED NEWT
means that – outside Scotland – it is now much harder to spot the iconic leader of the ‘Tufty Club’ than it was 60 years ago.
TRITURUS CRISTATUS
Location:Brownsea Island, in Dorset, is an excellent place to enjoy close-range views
Location:the ponds at Wat Tyler Country Park, near Basildon, Essex
Best seen in or around breeding pools on mild evenings, April to June.
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Great EscapesPlaces to Stay
Curiouser and curiouser If you’re on a quest to find an out-of-the-ordinary place to stay, here is our selection of some of Britain’s quirkiest accommodation options GETAWAY
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The Roundhouse Bodrifty Farm, Cornwall Sleeps 2 From £120 per night In a clearing among the trees sits this replica Iron Age roundhouse, fit for a Celtic chief. Based on a roundhouse found at the Bodrifty Iron Age Settlement just three fields away, guests are truly able to escape the trappings of modern life and swap stories around the flickering firebowl in the evenings. Tel: 01736 366 796; www.bodriftyfarm. co.uk/the-roundhouse.html
Solent Forts Off the coast of Portsmouth 31 bedrooms across two forts From £700 per night Leave the mainland for a unique stay in a decommissioned Victorian sea fort, since transformed into a luxury hotel. The ninebedroom Spitbank Fort will be joined by the 22-bedroom No Man’s Land Fort this autumn. Tel: 0330 333 7222; www.amazingvenues.co.uk
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GETAWAY
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Malmaison
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Oxford 95 rooms From £99 per night Not many people would relish a night in the cells, unless of course they happened to look like the rooms of Malmaison Oxford, a chic hotel that occupies the city’s former gaol. The formidable entrance leads through to stylish rooms with touches that hark back to the building’s former use, including heavy-duty bolts on the ‘cell’ doors of the bedrooms and sections of bare brick walls cleverly incorporated into the interior design. Far from the offerings of a prison canteen, guests can enjoy dining in style at the hotel’s brasserie. Tel: 0871 943 0350; www.malmaison.com
The Balancing Barn Near Walberswick, Suffolk Sleeps 8 From £830 for a 4-night break
GETAWAY
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Looking for a little equilibrium in your life? This implausible self-catering accommodation may just be the ticket! Located in a tranquil setting on the doorstep of a nature reserve and just a few miles from the Suffolk Heritage Coast, The Balancing Barn offers panoramic views of the surrounding area. www.living-architecture.co.uk
Livingstone Lodge Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent 10 safari tents From £140 per person per night
GETAWAY
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An overnight safari experience doesn’t have to come with long flights and dreaded jabs. Stay at Kent’s Livingstone Lodge where guests will wake to the sight of zebras, wildebeests and giraffes walking past the veranda. Tel: 0844 855 0274; www.aspinallfoundation.org
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Great EscapesPlaces to Stay GETAWAY
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A Room for London Southbank Centre, London Sleeps 2 From £300 per night
GETAWAY
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The winning design in the ‘A Room for London’ competition, this rooftop ‘boat’ is so popular that potential guests are entered into a ballot and are only allowed to stay for one night! Perched on top of the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, as though deposited there by a flood of biblical proportions, there’s no need to pack your sea legs for a night in this vessel. During a stay guests can enjoy panoramic views of the capital and its iconic sites, with Big Ben and the London Eye off the port bow. www.living-architecture.co.uk
Antony Gormley’s Room The Beaumont, Londo n Sleeps 2 From £410 per night As of this autumn, fans of Antony Gormley will not only be able to admire the artist’s work, they’ll also be able to spend a night within it. Gormley’s ‘Room’ suite has been opened as part of The Beaumont, Mayfair’s latest hotel, and comprises a crouching cubist figure that juts out from the hotel’s façade. Inside, Gormley has used the four square metres to create a cocoon where guests can escape from the busy streets of London. Tel: 020 7499 1001; www.thebeaumont.com
Yellow Submarine Albert Docks, Liverpool Sleeps 8 From £199 per night While we may not all be living in a yellow submarine, as The Beatles once boasted, we can at least book a stay in one for a few nights. Located in the city famous for its connections with the Fab Four, this converted barge with its psychedelic interiors, gold discs from The Beatles and the mod scooter from the film Quadrophenia, provides a quirky city stopover. Found within the city’s bustling Albert Docks, there are plenty of restaurants just minutes away, while the city’s sites are within easy reach. Book a stay here and you’ll be whistling The Beatles’ tunes for weeks! Tel: 07885 295 413; www.yellowsubliverpool.co.uk
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GETAWAY
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ADVERTORIAL
DISCOVER THE BEST OF BRITAIN Are you planning a holiday in the British Isles? Then start your search with these hotels, B&Bs and holiday-lets in beautiful surroundings for a relaxing autumn break
GEORGE BELL HOUSE, WEST SUSSEX Situated in the historic grounds of Chichester Cathedral, George Bell House offers eight en-suite bedrooms with stunning views of the
PENVENTON PARK HOTEL, CORNWALL
cathedral or gardens. Consisting of doubles/twins and a single room, each bedroom has been decorated to a high standard and offers a hospitality tray, flat screen T V, hairdryer and Wi-Fi. A stay at George Bell House offers the convenience of a city centre location within the tranquil setting of the cathedral precincts. Tel: 01243 813 586; www.chichestercathedral.org.uk
providing a luxury experienceand a chance to get away and discover the pleasures of Cornwall. Enjoy pure Cornish hospitality at its best with a cream tea on arrival, three course table d’hôte dinner, pre dinner cocktails plus a £10 spa voucher to be redeemed against a face or bod y treatment of 60 minutes or more. From £139 per couple. Tel: 01209 203 000; www.penventon.co.uk
WESTWOOD GUEST HOUSE, DORSET
OUTLOOK HOTEL, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Westwood Guest House is a luxury bed & breakfast accommodation in the beautiful Dorset resort of Lyme Regis at the heart of the Jurassic coast. Each room has been individually designed to be comfortable, relaxing, and features stunning views from every aspect. All our rooms have either super king, king or twin beds and feature large en-suite shower rooms. Tel: 01297 442 376; ww w.westwoodguesthouse.com/
Scarborough’s four-star Outlook Hotel directly overlooks Peasholm Park, its name reflecting the view, with a warm welcome awaiting you. The 11 en-suite rooms are popular with couples and small groups alike. Golf, cricket, theatre breaks or events can be arranged via the hotel, and the Open Air Theatre is just five minutes away. Tel: 01723 364 900 ; ww w.outlookhotelscarborough.com
Relaxed yet decadent, Penventon Park Hotel really is the place to be spoilt,
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ADVERTORIAL
CHRISTMAS DAYS OUT Why not soak up the festive period and experience a magical winter wonderland at one of our Christmas adventures.
ADVERTORIAL
SEASON OF GIVING Stuck for that last-minute Christmas present? Here is a round-up of some unique gift ideas for friends and family alike
MACWET GLOVES PROVIDE:
Discover your family story
Incredilble touch and feel you won’t realise you’re wearing them! Unrivalled grip in dry, wet or humid conditions The perfect fit available in 14 sizes A choice of 6 colours, two styles and two cuff lengths Durablility machine washable and longlasting Tel: 0845 6039075; www.macwet.com
Discover your family story with award-winning Journals of a Lifetime. Each beautifully made guided memory book contains around 60 fun and inspiring questions carefully designed to inspire your family to enjoy telling their story this Christmas - the perfect gift for every loved-one, available for all the family. You may also create your own unique Personalised Journal at www.fromyoutome.com Tel: 01225 866225; www.fromyoutome.com
Willow Bottle Carrier
Alpaca walking socks
The team at PH Coate & Son are specialist Willow craftsmen with over 180 years experience between them. We would like to present the perfect gift for friends or family this Christmas. A strong, attractive, bottle carrier ideal for practical use and yet elegant enough for display. Available in 4 or 6 bottle versions. Price: from £33.30 Tel: 01823 490249 (Mon-Fri 9-5); www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk
Treat your feet to a gorgeous pair of Perilla’s ulta thick alpaca walking socks - you will feel like you are walking on a cloud! Alpaca naturally repels odour and bacteria, so socks can be worn for a week without the need to wash. Choose from a range of 10 fabulous colours. Only £18.00. Tel: 01886 853 615; www.perilla.co.uk
Handmade Hats from Foxs Outdoors
Quality outdoor clothing, footwear & accessories
The perfect headwear for the festive and winter periods. The hats are a wool/acrylic mix, fleece lined and handmade. There are 26 fabulous styles in 10 different colours to choose from making them a perfect gift for friends and family alike. RRP £24.99. Tel: 01494 431431; www.foxsoutdoor.co.uk
Country Innovation is proud to present a stunning collection of high quality outdoor clothing, footwear and accessories, all designed to protect you from the elements whilst exploring the British countryside. This family run business based in Somerset has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and have a whole selection of gifts to choose from. Tel: 01934 877333; www.countryinnovation.co.uk
ADVERTORIAL
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Make sure you have everything you need for your next great British adventure, whatever the weather
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1
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3 £18, Perilla
5 £89.99, DAC
7 From £35, Gill UK
From £220, Silhouette www.silhouette.com Where would an adventurer be without a snazzy pair of shades? Silhouette’s Adventurer Aviator sunglasses are light and strong (as well as stylish!) making them ideal for your travels.
Tel: 01886 853 615 www.perilla.co.uk Treat your feet to a gorgeous pair of Perilla’s ultra thick alpaca walking socks. Alpaca naturally repels odour and bacteria so socks can be worn for a week without the need to wash. Available in 10 fabulous colours.
Tel: 01494 733 814 www.foxsoutdoor.co.uk Sitting is believing! A must for every camper, traveller, cyclist and outdoor enthusiast. Combines comfort with an extremely low weight of 850gms. Small pack size: 34cm in length – pop in your daysac! Made by DAC, leading manufacturer of tent poles. Max load 145kg. 10% discount – code CHAIRTEN
www.gillmarine.com What’s underneath really does count! Wear the Gill base layer alone as a comfortable cooling technical layer, offering 50+UV protection, or under an outer shell for thermal insulation. The range uses activated bamboo charcoal which provides excellent wicking and moisture transfer qualities, and is also naturally and permanently anti-bacterial.
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8 From £65, Black Diamond
ADVENTURER AVIATOR SUNGLASSES
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ALPACA WALKING SOCKS
REGATTA POINT 214 CARRINGTON 3-IN-1 JACKET
£100; Regatta www.regatta.com A tough-wearing walking jacket engineered specifically for demanding days in the hills. The highly breathable and lightweight Isotex 15000 outer is waterproof and windproof. An insulating Symmetry fleece can be removed during high-energy climbs. Active stretch yarns and a Performance Fit deliver full mobility, with easy access map pocket.
TILLEY TEC-CORK HAT
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Tilley Tel:£69, 01326 574 402 www.tilley.com Tilley is best known for its outdoor adventure headgear, but check out their winter hats. The new Tilley TecCork Hat fuses classic Tilley design with a revolutionary cork granulate coating which is bonded to the wool blend fabric, providing excellent lightweight thermal insulation.
HELIONOX ONE CHAIR
ENGLISH WILLOW PICNIC BASKET
GILL WOMEN’S SPORT TOP
TRAIL TREKKING POLES
£54.15, English Willow Baskets www.blackdiamondequipment.com Tel: 01823 490 249 Trekking poles help with stability when www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk making your way up steep slopes and Hand woven with willow cultivated on are a vital balancing aid when crossing the Somerset Levels, years of willow rocks and boulders. For a lightweight, growing and weaving experience is all-round option try Black Diamond trail drawn upon to produce baskets that will trekking poles, perfect for short hikes be treasured for generations to come. and week-long treks across the country.
Classifieds ACCOMMODATION
LONDON ACCOMMODATION
PUBLISHERS
Singleroomfrom Twin/Double room from Family room (3 or 4) from
£42-£55 £58-£72 £34 - £41 £44 - £65 £28 - £40 £38 - £48
MISCELLANEOUS
CAR RENTAL
TOURS
Parkers Rent a Car A Family Business ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Very Competitive Rates Fully Comprehensive Insurance Full AA cover Unlimited Mileage Extensive Range of Vehicles Manual & Automatics Estates/7 Seaters/ Minibuses Delivery/Collection Heathrow/Gatwick Airports & Local Rail Stations
Something for everyone... L IFES T YL E
FRANC E
IMAGING
INT ERES T
REG IO N AL
S HO O T ING
Brochure by Return Air Mail or Fax
Parkers
12 Bridge Roa d, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1VA Tel: 01444-413672 Fax: 01444-417961 Email:
[email protected] www.parkers-group.co.uk To advertise contact Dan Martin: 01242 264781;
[email protected] Calls from North America: dial the country code ‘01144’ and drop the first ‘0’ in the UK number
Crossword Challenge your knowledge of Britain’s history, legends and peoplewith our puzzle page ACROSS
1 – Fair, novel by William Makepeace Thackeray (6) 5 Hampshire village where the author Charles Kingsley was buried
in 1875 (8) 9 Renowned Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave in Orkney (4,4) 10 Game bird found on Scottish hills and moors (6) 11 Cambridgeshire village where the Edwardian poet Rupert Brooke lived in the Old Vicarage (12) 14 Seabird with long pointed wings and a forked tail (4) 15 Followers of the 14th-century religious reformer John Wyclif (8) 18 Central character in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (8) 19 Heraldic beast (4) 21 A devoted old married couple (5,3,4) 24 Matthew –, poet whose works includeDover Beach (6) 25 – Moss, RSPB reserve near Morecambe Bay (8) 26 A meeting for competition between horse-riders (8) 27 Estuary with a famous suspension bridge opened in 1981 (6) DOWN
2 Forename of the writer AA Milne (4) 3 Sir Alec –, automobile designer who developed the Mini (9) 4 One holding and cultivating a small landed estate (6) Think you’ve got all the answers? We’ll reveal the solutions to 5 The London –, tourist attraction constructed in 1999 (3) this crossword in issue 185 (April/May 2015), on sale 18 March 2015 6 The first battle of the English civil wars (8) 7 – Greys, a famous regiment of dragoons, established in 1683 (5) 8 A gathering in Wales for competitions in music, poetry, drama, etc. (10) Solution to crossword in issue179 (April/May 201 4): 12 Thomas –, noted road, bridge and canal builder (7) Across:1 Baronet, 5 Staffa, 8 Acton Bell, 9 Goole, 11 Lundy, 13 Location of Beatrix Potter’s house, Hill Top, in the Lake District (4,6) 12 Scots pine, 13 Ashley, 15 Wimsey, 18 Autumn, 20 Joseph, 16 Helen –, a watercolour painter renowned for her pictures of 24 Goldsmith, 25 Forth, 26 Thyme, 27 Beefeater, 28 Loddon,
country cottages (9)
29 Scrooge
Down: 1 Beagle, 2 Rotunda, 3 Nancy, 4 The Ashes, 5 Silsoe, 6 Augustine, 7 Florins, 10 Evelyn, 14 Hampstead, 16 Margot, 17 Loch Ness, 19 Tally-ho, 21 Horatio, 22 Gibbon, 23 Wharfe, 25 Fleur
Spot the difference
17 – Castle, Roman fort near Glossop in Derbyshire (8) 20 – Wedgwood, eminent 18th-century potter (6) 22 A small stream (5) 23 River forming the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire (4) 25 Linden –, a poem by William Barnes set to music by
Vaughan Williams (3)
Can you find the five differences between these two images of Barnard Castle? (answers below)
Y M A L A SI LL A WSE NR AB: 31 E GAP N OZI U Q?I
MA OH WOT RE W S NA
GN I SSI MDNU OR GKCAB E HT N I SES U OH. 5 GN I SSI M WODN I WN I UR. 4 DR A OB N O I T A MR OF N I GN I SSI M . 3 GN I SSI MTS OP RI ATS. 2 GN I SSI MDU OL CLL A M S. 1: S RE W S NA
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Creative Spaces
Wordsworth’s House Location: Rydal Mount, Ambleside, Cumbria Owned by: William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) he Cumbrian-born Romantic poet resided at this fellside address, between Grasmere and Ambleside, from the age of 43. It was to be his last residence following a string of homes, notably his birthplace and childhood home in Cockermouth (now run by the National Trust), and the diminutive Dove Cottage (Wordsworth Trust) in Grasmere. Rydal Mount is today owned by a direct descendant of the poet.
a summer’s day in the garden, and the joy it inspired in his daughter, Dora. From the Drawing Room, the poet could gaze across to Windermere, Rydal Water and surrounding fells, but when at work he preferred the quiet of the attic study, his own addition. Today the house is open to visit, with most rooms available to view, including bedrooms and study. Along the way visitors can see some of the poet’s personal possessions, family portraits and
Wordsworth’s poetry was inspired by his love of the natural world. In 1813 when he and his extended family moved to Rydal Mount, he had at last found a family home which afforded him peace to revise earlier works, such asDaffodils, and create new poems, includingTo a Snowdropand The Longest Day. The latter was written about
first editions of his work. Rydal Mount was a former yeoman’s cottage and still bears many of its srcinal Tudor features, as well as styles typical of the Georgian period in the Drawing Room and Library above). ( The house was never so loved as the garden, however. Across its four acres Wordsworth created fell-side terraces, rock
T
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pools and lawns bordered by rhododendrons and rare shrubs. A visit today offers the same assault on the senses. Perhaps the garden and its unspoilt Lakeland views have the most to say about their former owner, who so eloquently expressed their beauty. Tel: 01539 433 002; www.rydalmount.co.uk N I A T R A S Y K C I V Y B S D R O W ; T N U O M L A D Y R ; Y M A L A
