BRITAIN
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
TRAVEL CULTURE HERITAGE STYLE
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a five-star
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stay and tours
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HENRY VIII'S
"TRUE" WIFE
– REVEALED
LITERARY ESCAPES
Hotels that inspired
the world’s best writers
CANTERBURY
Discover the cathedral
city's Roman history
King Arthur’s Cornwall
Myths and legends on the English coast
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to National
with
Trust Houses & Gardens
Just Go! Holidays
Request a FREE 2017 brochure
For our full selection of 2017 National Trust breaks please call
08432 244 246
Blickling Hall Garden
The fine historic estates that stud the peaceful fields of East Anglia burst at the seams with
royal connections, from atmospheric Blickling Hall to the Sandringham Estate, the muchloved country retreat of Her Majesty The Queen. We also explore the unique and mystical
beauty of the Norfolk Broads by paddle steamer.
‹
4 nights dinner, bed and breakfast at the
Links Country Park Hotel or the Dales
Country House Hotel
‹
Porterage
‹
Visits to Sandringham Estate, Felbrigg
Hall & Blickling Hall
‹
Mississippi paddle steamer cruise on the
Norfolk Broads
‹
After dinner tea and coffee at the hotel
‹
Guided tour of Blickling Hall
‹
Coach transfers to and from your
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Services of a Tour Manager
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Felbrigg Hall
ΞEd/ŵĂŐĞƐͬĂǀŝĚ<ŝƌŬŚĂŵ
Regal Estates of Norfolk
& Cruising the Broads
© NTPL/Nick Meers
Blickling Hall
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:ŽŝŶƵƐĚŝƌĞĐƚ
at the hotel
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ͲĂĚĚƌĞƚƵƌŶĐŽĂĐŚƚƌĂǀĞů
Door to Door Club Class Home
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Paddle Steamer
To request a FREE 2017 brochure please call 08432 244 246 or visit online at justgoholidays.com/NT2017
EDITOR'S LETTER
Visit any attraction
across the British Isles
– a museum or a stately
home, for example
– and you will almost
always come across someone with a
story to tell. With this in mind, this
issue looks in particular at the many
unexpected ways in which Britons have
told their stories over the years.
The History of Britain in 10 Buildings
(p48) looks at the various ways in which
major architectural achievements speak
of the times in which they were created
and provide tangible links to our
ancestors, while Local Delicacies (p61)
includes six regional specialities steeped
in both flavour and fascinating stories.
Meanwhile, in a more literal
storytelling sense, we celebrate 90
years since the BBC (p71) received its
royal charter and developed into the
beloved institution that speaks to
hundreds of millions of people
worldwide every single day.
PHOTOS: © ROBERTHARDING/IAN G DAGNALL/ALAMY/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ROBERT MORRIS/ VISITSCOTLAND/PAUL TOMKINS
Steve Pill, Editor
STOP PRESS! We are hugely proud
to announce that BRITAIN has been
named best consumer holiday magazine
at the British Travel Awards 2016.
Thanks to everyone who voted for us!
14
CONTENTS
VOLUME 85 ISSUE 1
FEATURES
14
34
ANCIENT BEAUTY
48
PINTEREST/BRITAINMAGAZINE
Cover image US: Bishops Cannings Cottage, Vale of Pewsey,
Wiltshire © Neil McAllister/Alamy. Cover image UK: Malmesbury,
Wiltshire © Terry Mathews/Alamy
www.britain-magazine.com
Windswept and magical, the north Cornish coast is
the perfect place to go in search of King Arthur
WRITE HERE
@BRITAINMAGAZINE
@BRITAIN_MAGAZINE
SEARCHING FOR CAMELOT
24
42
FACEBOOK/BRITAINMAGAZINE
6
61
Discover the grand and luxurious British hotels in
which famous authors and playwrights worked
The North Wessex Downs is an Area of
Outstanding Natural beauty packed with mystery
THE TRUE WIFE
Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of King
Henry VIII and she remained true to his cause
HISTORY OF BRITAIN IN 10 BUILDINGS
From ancient homesteads to skyscrappers the
country’s buildings speak of its long history
LOCAL DELICACIES
From scouse to Yorkshire puddings, we’ve scoured
Britain to get a taste of the regional fare that
has kept the nation fed over the centuries
2704
48
FEATURES
68
74
77
42
80
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
www.britain-magazine.com
THE BBC
We explore the history of this British institution
90 years after it received its royal charter
COMPETITION
Win the holiday of a lifetime to Britain, with
international flights and luxury hotel stays
KIRKCUDBRIGHT
A favourite of Robert Burns, this Scottish artists'
town is packed with heritage and charm
WORTLEY HALL
Known as the ’Workers’ Stately Home’
this beautiful building is a fascinating mix of
aristocratic privilege and socialist principles
9
66
98
Group Advertisement Manager Natasha Syed
Advertisement Manager James Davis
Sales Executive William Jaffray
Sales Executive Karl Williams
For VisitBritain Iris Buckley
Printed in England by William Gibbons Ltd
Production All Points Media
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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Email: britain@servicehelpline.co.uk
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LETTERS
Share your views on Britain, your travels
around the country and your thoughts
on the latest issue of the magazine
THE BULLETIN
Find out what’s on around the country,
including two new museums and the
Tower of London poppies on tour
GREAT BRITONS:
WALTER RALEIGH
The explorer and flamboyant courtier’s
tumultuous life mirrors the drama of the
Elizabethan age itself
87
Editor Steve Pill
Deputy Editor Sally Hales
Art Editor Clare White
Managing Director Paul Dobson
Deputy Managing Director Steve Ross
Publisher Steve Pill
Finance Director Vicki Gavin
Digital Marketing Manager James Dobson
Brand Manager Chatty Dobson
REGULARS
6
BRITAIN is the official magazine of
VisitBritain, the national tourism agency.
BRITAIN is published by
The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd,
Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place,
London SW3 3TQ
Tel: 020 7349 3700
Fax: 020 7901 3701
Email: info@britain-magazine.com
CITY BREAKS: CANTERBURY
The historic cathedral city is the home of
the Church of England and packed with
treasures for history-loving visitors
77
Annual subscription rates (6 issues)
UK – £33; USA and Canada – US $41.70
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Rest of World – £40
Back issues
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IN THIS ISSUE
SKARA BRAE p50
THE STONE OF DESTINY
UK and Rest of World: Seymour International Ltd.
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Tel: 020 7429 4000 Fax: 020 7429 4001
Email: info@seymour.co.uk
The symbolic power of this much-debated
coronation stone of Scottish and English
kings is in contrast to its humble appearance
87
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BRITAIN (ISSN 1757-9732 print) (ISSN 2396-9210 digital)
(USPS 004-335) is published bi-monthly by The Chelsea
Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place,
London SW3 3TQ , UK
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WORTLEY HALL p80
WA L E S
© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd., 2016. All rights reserved.
Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be
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The information contained in BRITAIN has been published in good faith
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However, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check prices,
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for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the
information contained within this publication is hereby excluded.
The opinions expressed by contributors to BRITAIN are not necessarily
those of the publisher or VisitBritain.
AVEBURY p34
TINTAGEL p14
4 BRITAIN
CANTERBURY p87
www.britain-magazine.com
It’s London.
Under one
iconic roof.
Fantastic dining, tax-free
shopping, awe-inspiring public art
and exciting cultural events, all
under 150 years of breathtaking
architectural history.
Shopping. Dining. Art. Culture.
St Pancras is more than a station – it’s a destination.
Find out more at:
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YOUR LETTERS
Write to us with your thoughts and memories about Britain and the magazine
LETTER OF THE MONTH GOING VIRAL
The photo of the De La Warr Pavilion in
Bexhill-on-Sea (Vol 84, Issue 5) immediately
reminded me of an event in 2014.
Earlier in the year, my school chum of 58
years had located a fellow pupil from our
class. He was in Eastbourne but attempts at
communication had been unsuccessful.
However, while I was staying with my cousin
and his wife in Eastbourne, it transpired they
not only knew the person but also that his
and their children had been at school
together. Furthermore, the street he lived on
was one block from where my cousin lives.
Istanbul. There she encountered
inoculation with live smallpox virus –
variolation – and had her son inoculated.
She then promoted the procedure back in
London. She paved the way for Edward
Jenner’s safer vaccinating
with cowpox in the 1790s.
Patricia Graboske,
Maryland, USA
A quick look in the phone book and a call
later, his surprised wife took a message from
me. His wife had a little bit of fun with the
message (words to effect of an old flame
contacting him), but he called back and was
flabbergasted my friend and I were hunting
him down. We met the next day over lunch
at the De La Warr Pavilion, he all the while
shaking his head in disbelief.
I have learned more history and other
fascinating information about the country of
my birth from reading BRITAIN than I ever
did while living there. My subscription
renewal will be in mail soon.
Julia Mitchell, Vancouver Island, Canada
IN THE (BULL)DOG HOUSE
EMOTIONAL RESCUE
After living in London for 30 years, I moved to the Pacific Northwest
in the US, but I definitely left my heart in England. Each issue of
your amazing magazine takes me back emotionally to Britain.
When a friend of mine was going to England for the first time and
needed some help to plan her trip, I got out all my issues of BRITAIN
and planned the trip for her. When she returned, she told me it had
been the trip of a lifetime – all thanks to your excellent magazine.
Lauran Stevens, Seattle, Washington, USA
WRITE TO US! By post: Letters, BRITAIN, The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ
Via email: editor@britain-magazine.com FOLLOW US! Twitter: @BritainMagazine Instagram: @Britain_Magazine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BritainMagazine Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/britainmagazine
6
BRITAIN
The writer of our Letter of the
Month wins a copy of Britain’s
Tudor Maps by John Speed (£30,
Batsford). www.batsford.com
In the article regarding Gravetye Manor
in West Sussex (Vol 84, Issue 5), nearby
Chartwell is described as the “boyhood”
home of Sir Winston Churchill. In fact,
Chartwell was purchased in 1922 by
Churchill and his wife, Clementine. He spent
his first six years in Dublin where his father,
Lord Randolph Churchill, was the private
secretary of the Viceroy. Winston was sent to
public school so any boyhood home would
have been his parents’ town house in London
that he would have visited on holiday.
Robert Ward, Kentucky, USA
BRITAIN replies: Well spotted, Robert,
you are correct. When Winston was born on
30 November 1874, the family home was a
four-storey town house at 48 Charles Street
in London’s Mayfair. During his teens,
Lord Randolph leased a Georgian terrace
at 2 Connaught Place near Marble Arch.
Annette Garrett Hadley
Happiness is stopping by
my local bookstore and finding
the new issue of BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
PHOTO: © PHOTO RESEARCHERS INC/ALAMY. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR PUBLICATION
FRIENDS REUNITED
I enjoyed ‘Think Big’ (Vol 84, Issue 5),
your article on Britain’s biggest thinkers.
I would like to add another pioneer to the
Edward Jenner story: Lady Mary Wortley
Montagu. In addition to
writing her fascinating
letters from Turkey, she
introduced smallpox
inoculation to
Western medicine.
Lady Mary travelled
to Turkey in 1716 when
her husband was made
British ambassador to
OPEN TREASURE
Discover two thousand years of history when you visit Open Treasure,
Durham Cathedral’s new world-class exhibition experience located in
the most intact surviving set of medieval monastic buildings in the UK.
Journey through the 14th-century Monks’ Dormitory and Great Kitchen, and marvel at objects
from the Cathedral’s collections as the remarkable story of Durham Cathedral is revealed.
Visitors can also enjoy a rolling programme of exhibitions in the new Collections Gallery, including
Textiles: Painting with the Needle from 5 November 2016 until 11 February 2017. From medieval silks
to the Bishop of Durham’s Coronation Cope, this stunning exhibition is complemented by modern textiles
including ‘Death of a Working Hero’, a tapestry by Grayson Perry.
Look out for more exciting exhibitions in 2017, including Beasts! from 20 February until 10 June,
an exhibition of the weird and wonderful monsters that have
fascinated people from earliest times.
From 19 June until 9 September 2017, all three issues of
Durham Cathedral’s Magna Cartas will be on display
as part of Magna Carta and the Forest Charters,
alongside their associated Forest Charters from
1217, 1225 and 1300. With the only surviving
copy of the 1216 Magna Carta, this is an
exhibition not to be missed.
Open Treasure tickets: £2.50-£7.50
(under 5s free) available from
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/
open-treasure
HISTORY / NEWS / REVIEWS / INSPIRATION
The
BULLETIN
This month, the poppies bloom again
in 2017 while new museums celebrate
rural life and the postal service
NEWS
PHOTO: © MARK FERGUSON/ALAMY
Tour of duty
More than five million people visited the poignant art
N E and
W SSeas of Red, which bathed
installation Blood Swept Lands
the Tower of London in a sea of ceramic poppies in 2014.
Its unprecedented popularity saw two parts of the
original installation, Wave and Weeping Window, go on tour
as part of 14-18 NOW, a programme of arts experiences
connecting people with the First World War. Taking in
places as far afield as Scotland's St Magnus Cathedral
[left] and Caernarfon Castle in north Wales in 2016, so far
a further 1.5 million people have experienced the moving
memorial by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper.
Now, six more venues have been announced seeing
the tour through 2017. Wave will be installed at The
Barge Pier, Southend-on-Sea, in April and the CWGC
Plymouth Naval Memorial in July. Weeping Window goes
to the Maritime Museum in Hull in March; The Silk Mill,
Derby, in June; the Senedd, Cardiff, in August; and Ulster
Museum, Belfast, in October.
www.1418now.org.uk
HISTORY / NEWS / REVIEWS / INSPIRATION
MUSEUM
Last post
In the bank
Now a cultural hotspot with museums,
galleries and bars, Bristol’s historic centre
was once the beating heart of its thriving
economy. And the mercantile buildings
along Corn Street are also finding new life
as part of this tide of change. A recent
addition, Bristol Harbour Hotel & Spa,
fuses two iconic former bank buildings,
one of which was inspired by Sansovino’s
16th-century Venetian library. With
exceptionally restored interiors, the grand
former banking hall serves as the hotel’s
impressive events space and the basement
bank vaults will house an indulgent spa.
www.bristol-harbour-hotel.co.uk
SHOPPING
AT T R AC T I O N
Country escape
A fresh perspective on the British
countryside is now on offer at the Museum
of English Rural Life, which recently
reopened after £3.3m redevelopment.
Established in Reading in 1951 to capture
and record the rapidly changing countryside
following the Second World War, the
revamped museum of food, farming and
the countryside boasts more gallery space,
as well as a new garden. Radically
overhauled displays each focus on different
themes to challenge perceptions about rural
England by revealing the historical and
contemporary relevance of country life.
www.reading.ac.uk/themerl
Cut some rug
Atlantic Blankets came into being in 2007
when owners Gemma and Alistair couldn’t
find a suitably comforting way to wrap up a
sick child. Vowing to fill the gap in the
market, they set about making luxury
woven items in mohair, cashmere,
lambswool and more. The latest Coast
Collection was inspired by the colours of
the coastline in the company’s Cornish
home of Perranporth. Order online and
your blanket will arrive with a hand-picked
seashell and a note telling you the sea
temperature on the day of dispatch.
www.atlanticblankets.com
10
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
PHOTOS: © MARK BOLTON PHOTOGRAPHY/UNIVERSITY OF READING/ANNA STOWE LANDSCAPES UK/ALAMY
AC C O M M O DAT I O N
To mark its 500th anniversary in 2016,
Royal Mail is set to open The Postal
Museum in London in summer 2017.
The new £26 million project will be
divided into two parts: the museum itself
and Mail Rail. The latter will transport
visitors through the disused miniature
tunnels deep under the city’s streets, which
were for more than 75 years a vital artery in
Britain’s communication network, while the
museum’s exhibition spaces will trace how
the postal service helped to shape the
history of Britain.
www.postalmuseum.org
OPEN HOUSE
Spring awakening
Set between the two buildings of the Old Royal Naval College
There’s
alwaysLondon,
something
to explore
at the first
in Greenwich,
thewonderful
Queen’s House
was England's
history-packed
in Wiltshire,by
which
started
classical building,Lacock
built inAbbey
the 17th-century
architect
Inigo
life
800foryears
ago
an abbeyasand
nunnery
before
being James I.
Jones
Anne
ofasDenmark,
a gift
from her
husband,
transformed
intoyears
a Tudor
home. royal villa is due to
Four hundred
later,family
the splendid
Its laston
owners
were the
Talbots,
and it was
here William
reopen
11 October
following
extensive
renovations,
which
Henry
Foxan
Talbot
created
thegalleries
world's housing
first photographic
have seen
overhaul
to the
its famous
negative
image ofkey
a small
window
at Lacock Abbey,
collectioninof1835,
art –anincluding
works
by Gainsborough
and
which
is celebrated
at the
site’s Fox
Talbot
Hogarth
– and original
features,
such
as theMuseum.
Tulip Staircase.
If that’s not reason enough to visit, it is likely to be the home
estate has
also featured
big and
small screens
in
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the historic
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portraiton
of the
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I (pictured
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theThe
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a particularly
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paintingwooded
has beengrounds
the subject
of intensive
fundraising
highlight.
Carpets
of snowdrops
andput
crocuses
spring
to
save it for
the nation
since it was
up for make
sale. With
thethe
perfect time
a visit
and,
thesummer,
season progresses,
funding
targetfordue
to be
hitasthis
the Queen’sdifferent
House
flowers
such
as winter
and Elizabeth
even clouds
of
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born
Greenwich
Palace
in 1533
and Queen’s House is the last
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
remaining
part of the palace complex. www.rmg.co.uk
HISTORY / NEWS / REVIEWS / INSPIRATION
READING CORNER
Discover our fair isles in the
comfort of your armchair
PHOTO: MATT RUSSELL
The cream tea
tradition flourished
in the West Country
following the 1850s
tourism boom
RECIPE
Classic Scones
Purists quibble over the whether to apply the cream first or the jam, but so long as the
scone itself is perfect, you can’t go far wrong. With this recipe from Afternoon Tea at
Home by Will Torrent (£19.99, Ryland Peters & Small), you’ll get them right every time.
I n g re d i e n t s : MAKES ABOUT 24 SCONES
450g (15 oz/3 cups) plain flour
75g (2 1/2 oz / 1/2 cup) caster sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
250ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) whole milk (extra to glaze)
A pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
100g butter, chilled and diced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
TO SERVE
Good-quality strawberry jam
A 5cm round cookie cutter
Clotted cream or whipped double cream
A baking sheet, lined with baking parchment
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C, Gas 7. Sift flour into a bowl with the baking powder and salt.
Add the butter. Use a palette knife to cut the butter into the flour, then switch to your
hands to rub the butter in. When no visible pieces of butter are left, add the sugar and mix.
Make a well in the mixture and add one of the egg yolks, the milk and lemon juice.
Use the palette knife to cut the wet ingredients into the dry, then mix with your hands until
almost combined. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface.
Very gently knead until almost smooth. Pat or roll the dough to
3cm thickness. Dip the cookie cutter in flour, then stamp discs
from the dough. Mix the remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon
of milk and neatly brush the tops of the scones with the glaze.
Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 10
minutes until well-risen and golden brown. Cool on wire racks
and serve on the day of making with jam and clotted cream.
12
BRITAIN
Treasures of British
History by Peter &
Dan Snow (£30, Andre
Deutsch) The 50
documents that best
illuminate our nation’s
story complete
with facsimiles.
The English Heritage
Guide to London’s
Blue Plaques
(£16.99, September
Publishing) More
than 900 of London’s
most interesting
inhabitants and their
former homes are
brought to life.
Good Hotel Guide 2017
(£20, The Good
Hotel Guide Ltd)
An unbiased and
independent way
to find the perfect
place to suit your
holiday needs.
Henry III: The Son
of Magna Carta
by Matthew Lewis
(£20, Amberley) This
in-depth look at one of
our less documented
monarchs comes 800
years after he became
king at the age of nine.
Crown of Blood by
Nicola Tallis (£20,
Michael O'Mara)
A dramatic retelling
of the life of the Nine
Day Queen, Lady Jane
Grey, this biography
sweeps away the
myth to reveal the
human story.
www.britain-magazine.com
TASTING
OF 6 GINS
WALK THE
PRODUCTION
JOURNEY
THE PERFECT
ENTER THE
FAMED STILL
HOUSE
CHRISTMAS
GIFT
BEEFEATER
24 STORY
JUNIPER
ASSESSMENT
NOSE THE
DAILY SPIRIT
SAMPLES
BOOK
EARLY
BOOK
EARLY
EXCLUSIVE
DISTILLE RY VIP
EXPERIENCE
Celebrate the spirit of Britain and explore 195 years of gin
making history through an unforgettable experience.
You will have an opportunity to walk through the interactive
exhibition and learn the history of gin before being whisked
away to the heart of the distillery.
To book this unforgettable experience,
call our team on 0207 587 0034 or visit
beefeaterdistillery.com
Put something
special in your
stocking!
Why not treat yourself
to the exclusive edition
of Beefeater London
Garden – only available
in the distillery’s gift shop
– as a great reminder
of your experience.
KING ARTHUR'S CORNWALL
Shrouded in
Arthurian legend,
historic Tintagel
Castle sits on the
romantic peninsula
of Tintagel Island
in Cornwall
14
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
KING ARTHUR'S CORNWALL
Camelot
SEARCHING
FOR
Rugged, windswept and magical, the
north Cornish coast is the perfect place
to explore the legend of King Arthur
WORDS ALICE WRIGHT
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN
15
king arthur's cornwall
T
he legends and myths of King Arthur
swirl throughout Britain, with countless
locations from Scotland to the far south
west of England claiming connections to
the fabled leader and his adventures. Few though
can beat the drama and romance of Tintagel
Castle, said to be the place of Arthur’s magical
conception. Set high on the rugged, windswept
coast of North Cornwall, history and legend have
become inextricably intertwined here, steeping the
ancient site in a sense of mystery.
And Tintagel is just the starting point on the
trail of Arthur in Cornwall. From the magnificent
court of Camelot to the final, fatal battle with
Mordred, some of the most famous tales about the
king lead visitors on a journey through the county’s
atmospheric landscape.
Debate rumbles on as to whether King Arthur
really existed or was a figure woven from many
historical and mythological characters. According
to medieval romances and histories, Arthur led the
16
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
KING ARTHUR'S CORNWALL
PHOTOS: © RIK HAMILTON/NATURESLIGHT/ALAMY/GETTY IMAGES/MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY
Set high on the rugged,
windswept Cornish coast,
few places beat the drama and
romance of Tintagel Castle
defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the
late 5th and early 6th centuries. Over time the
figure developed as different authors recounted
his story. The 12th-century writer Geoffrey of
Monmouth was the first to outline King Arthur’s
life from beginning to end in his Historia Regum
Britanniae (or The History of the Kings of
England), which had a huge impact at the time
and helped popularise the Arthurian legend.
The 1136 book introduced many of the elements
we are familiar with today, such as Arthur’s father
Uther Pendragon, his wife Guinevere, the wizard
Merlin, and the sword Excalibur. It also named
Tintagel as the place of Arthur’s conception.
Although Geoffrey of Monmouth’s credentials
as a historian are shaky to say the least, it is likely
he drew on Tintagel’s past as a seat of Cornish
leaders when weaving his tales of Arthur.
The site was certainly an important stronghold
during the Dark Ages and archaeological finds
suggest that Tintagel was probably the residence
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of 6th-century rulers of an ancient south-west
British kingdom, known as Dumnonia. Cornish
and Breton writers also linked Tintagel to the
love story of Tristan and Isolde, which over time
became part of the Arthurian legend.
Drawn by these powerful associations, Richard,
Earl of Cornwall built a castle on the rocky
headland in the 13th century. The cliff-top castle
consisted of an outer bailey on the mainland and
an inner ward with a great hall and chambers on
the headland. It had no strategic value and before
long had crumbled to ruins, but Tintagel’s place in
the folklore of King Arthur was secure, continuing
to inspire writers and artists through the ages.
English Heritage owns the site today and there’s
plenty to explore, from the ruins of the Dark Ages
and medieval settlements, to Merlin’s Cave on the
beach below. Thousands of people visit every
summer alone and, in recent years, and
investments have been made in enhancing the
site. A dramatic new footbridge is due to be
Above, left to right: St Nectans Glen is said
to be where the Knights of the Round
Table were blessed; Tintagel Castle ruins
Left: John William Waterhouse's 1888
painting, The Lady of Shalott, was inspired
by a Tennyson poem of the same name,
which drew on Arthurian legend
BRITAIN
17
With Kensington Palace at your doorstep and some of London’s
best attractions and museums minutes away,
the Royal Garden Hotel is ideally located to experience
the London way of life.
Join us for a great family getaway at our 5-star hotel and enjoy family
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WWW.ROYALGARDENHOTEL.CO.UK
king arthur's cornwall
Top: The waterfall at St Nectans Glen,
which is place of spiritual significance
Bottom: The Gallos sculpture at Tintagel
is inspired by the spot’s royal heritage
completed in 2019, while the charity recently
unveiled a series of new features exploring
Tintagel’s history and the role that legends have
played in shaping it. The centrepiece is Gallos,
a larger-than-life bronze sculpture inspired by the
royal figures associated with Tintagel, including
Arthur himself. Elsewhere, a stone compass points
to places across the British Isles connected to the
Arthurian legend and a wizard’s face has been
carved into the rock near Merlin’s Cave.
Not everyone is happy with the additions.
Cornish historians have criticised the focus on
Arthurian legend, reasoning that it turns Tintagel
into a “fairy tale theme park” at the expense of the
area’s true significance as a major historical site.
English Heritage, however, says the interpretation
helps explain Tintagel’s “unique story, where
archaeology, history and legend are intertwined”.
PHOTOS: © GETTY IMAGES/EMILY WHITFIELD-WICKS PHOTOGRAPHY
The Knights of the Round
Table were blessed in St
Nectans Glen waterfall before
the quest for the Holy Grail
Whether fact, fiction or a tantalising tangle of
the two, there’s no doubt that the legend of King
Arthur forms a considerable part of Tintagel’s
allure for many. And, if this rocky outcrop gave
us King Arthur, it’s no surprise that through the
years visitors and locals have also traced his story
elsewhere in the moors, rivers and towns of
Cornwall. The famous Round Table, around
which King Arthur and his knights congregated,
is said to be buried less than a mile away, under
Bossiney Mound.
The story goes that it will rise from the ground
one midsummer’s night, heralding the return of
Arthur and his knights. A little further up the
coast road is St Nectans Glen, an area of ancient
woodland where a tranquil walk leads to a
spectacular 60ft waterfall cascading through a
hole in the slate ‘kieve’, or basin. It is said the
Knights of the Round Table were blessed here
before the quest for the Holy Grail. Saint Nectan
is also believed to have built his hermitage above
the waterfall in the 6th century and it has
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BRITAIN
19
Left: King Arthur asks
the Lady of the Lake for
the sword, Excalibur
PHOTOS: © WWW.STEVENBARBER.CO.UK/JOHN MORRISON/ALAMY
Below: Merlin's face is
carved into rock near
the beach at Tintagel
become renowned as a spiritual and sacred site,
with numerous offerings of ribbons, crystals and
other devotions left by visitors.
A few miles inland from Tintagel is
Slaughterbridge, on the banks of the River Camel.
Here a 6th-century inscribed stone is reputed to
mark the spot where Arthur met his enemy
Mordred for the decisive Battle of Camlann.
Known as ‘King Arthur’s Stone’, it is now part of
the Arthurian Centre, which offers visitors the
opportunity to walk through the fields where the
bloody battle supposedly took place, along with
an exhibition exploring the legend. There are also
activities for younger visitors and archaeological
digs, including Lady Falmouth’s Secret Garden,
an 18th-century garden that was rediscovered in
2005 and is gradually being excavated.
While some claim Tintagel as the legendary
site of the court of Camelot it has many rivals,
including two in northern Cornwall. Just off
the Atlantic Highway north of Wadebridge is
Castle Killibury, or Kelly Rounds, an Iron Age hill
fort. Welsh writings refer to Arthur having a court
at Kelliwig in Kernow (or Cornwall), and some
think that this was Killibury.
Continuing north, the A39 road – known as the
Atlantic Highway – passes through Camelford,
originally a medieval market town and an
PHOTOS: © EDWIN/MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY
king arthur's cornwall
20
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
An exquisite location of naturally formed
waterfalls, creating a spiritual haven of peace
and tranquillity in a hidden Cornish valley
of outstanding natural beauty. A place of
spiritual pilgrimage since the 5th century.
Trethevy,
Tintagel
PL34 0BE
01840 779538
www.st-nectansglen.co.uk
An Area of Outstanding Beauty
Opening Times
LOVE NATURE, LOVE ST NECTAN’S GLEN
High Season: Easter October - 9.30 to 5.00 pm
Low Season: November to
Easter - 10.30 to 3.00 pm
Access: please note, access is
via a footpath and is just over
a mile. It is rural and walking
footwear is advised.
Charges: The footpath
through to the glen and
entrance to the cafe is free.
There is a variable admission
fee for the waterfalls, please
see website or notice board
in the car park for details.
from
“are we nearly there yet?”
to
“I can’t believe we’re here.”
Holidays start sooner when you fly...
Discover your nearest connection at:
cornwallairportnewquay.com/flying-to-cornwall
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BRITAIN 21
PHOTOS: © IAN WOOLCOCK/NEIL MCALLISTER/ALAMY
king arthur's cornwall
Dozmary Pool on Bodmin
Moor claims to be home
to the Lady of the Lake
THE PLANNER
GETTING THERE
Bodmin Parkway is the nearest station to Tintagel. Trains run daily from London Paddington and
journey time is around four hours. The Night Riviera Sleeper train runs daily overnight except Saturdays
from London Paddington to Penzance in Cornwall. www.trainline.com, www.gwr.com
There are daily flights from London Gatwick and Manchester to Cornwall Airport Newquay.
www.cornwallairportnewquay.com
WHERE TO STAY
For the full Arthurian experience, check in to the
Camelot Castle Hotel. Built in 1899 on the headlands near
the ruins of Tintagel, the hotel is so atmospheric that the
Ava Gardner-starring movie Knights of the Round Table was
filmed here. www.camelotcastle.com
For a cosier stay, Trevigue is an award-winning cliff-top
B&B set in a 16th-century farmhouse. www.trevigue.com
WHEN TO GO
Boscastle Walking Week runs from 25 to 31 March
2017 and provides a programme of guided activities and
walks for all ages and abilities, the perfect way to explore
the north Cornish coast. www.boscastlefestival.co.uk
WHERE TO EAT
Dating back to the 16th century, the Napoleon Inn at Boscastle (pictured above) offers traditional
fare in a cosy, low-beamed dining room. www.napoleoninn.co.uk
Try the King Arthur’s Arms Inn at Tintagel for Cornish ales and meats from a local farm in St Tudy.
www.kingarthursarms.co.uk
i
22
FURTHER INFORMATION
www.visitcornwall.com
BRITAIN
important crossing over the River Camel. The name
is most likely a corruption from old Cornish but
its similarity to Camelot has led some to place
Arthur’s court here. Aside from the Arthurian
connections, it is an attractive town to explore,
while its position between the coast and Bodmin
Moor makes it an ideal base for excursions.
And the romantic wilds of Bodmin Moor give
rise to further tales of King Arthur. Just over a mile
south of Bolventor’s Jamaica Inn (made famous by
author Daphne Du Maurier’s 1936 novel) lies
Dozmary Pool. According to legend, King Arthur
rowed out across these brooding waters to receive
the sword Excalibur from the mysterious ‘Lady of
the Lake’. It was here, too, his knight Sir Bedivere
returned the sword as the king lay dying.
North Cornwall is especially rich in Arthurian
legend but connections and myths can be
discovered throughout the county and beyond;
some suggest, for example, the Isles of Scilly off the
southwest tip of Cornwall are in fact the Isle of
Avalon, where the wounded Arthur was taken
after the Battle of Camlann.
As Britain’s most enduring legend Arthur
continues to capture the imagination, and in this
far-flung corner of the country tales of his life seem
to hold a particular power. The truth will probably
never be known but, if King Arthur did once exist,
it is not hard to imagine his heroic and magical life
beginning at mystical, magnificent Tintagel and
unfolding in the captivating landscape around it.
 For more Cornish stories and travel inspiration, visit
www.britain-magazine.com/cornwall
www.britain-magazine.com
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Cornwall, PL13 2JA
01503 272715
View from Penthouse 3 overlooking Penzance Harbour, Mounts Bay and St Michael’s Mount
Self Catering Harbourside accommodation
Beautiful properties with stunning views ideally located for you to explore the Great South West
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nigel.waller@bosuns.org 01736 366746
The Bay, Talland, between Looe & Polperro in Cornwall, provides
a rare opportunity to rent a stylish, contemporary home with direct
access to the Cornish coastline.
Set on a secluded hillside overlooking an idyllic cove, our stylish
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Enjoy our exclusive indoor pool and gym.
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BRITAIN 23
literary hotels
24
BRITAIN
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LITERARY HOTELS
The English Tea Room at
Brown’s Hotel, London,
which has welcomed the
world’s finest writers
WRITE
HERE
Discover the grand and luxurious British
hotels in which famous authors and
playwrights penned their best works
WORDS ADRIAN MOURBY
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BRITAIN
25
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LITERARY HOTELS
PHOTO: © 4-CLIPS/ALAMY
Left: Oscar Wilde
ran up bills at the
The Savoy, London
Below: The Kipling
Suite at Brown’s
celebrates the
author’s association
with the hotel
I
t is tempting to cling to the romantic
image of a writer working away in a garret,
oblivious to everything but their art.
Yet whenever that has been the case in real
life, it’s usually because the writer in question
could afford nothing better. Contrary to popular
belief, most writers love comfort and grandeur,
which is why so many of them have stayed in
the best hotels that would take them.
Oscar Wilde is famously associated with
London’s Cadogan Hotel after he was arrested
there in 1895, but it was The Savoy that was
more in keeping with his extravagant style.
Today you can stay in one of the rooms where
Wilde wrote and lived, intermittently, with
Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas.
Opened in 1889, The Savoy was London’s first hotel to
not only provide electric lights in every room but baths in
the majority, too. It even boasted an electric lift with its
own sofa. On 2 March 1893, Wilde ascended to the third
floor in that lift after attending rehearsals of his new play,
A Woman of No Importance, at the nearby Haymarket
Theatre. Wilde’s first suite of rooms was 361/362 (numbers
302/304 today), for which he paid a guinea a night.
On 8 March, after the arrival of Lord Douglas, Wilde
moved down the corridor into rooms 343/346 (the modern
suite 314) at the southwest corner of the hotel, with a
balcony overlooking the Thames. This suite had a private
bathroom and cost him two guineas a night. However,
after adding in dinners at the Grill and Champagne, Wilde
complained he had run up a bill of £49 in one week. At the
end of his month’s residence with Bosie, Wilde wrote,
“No money, no credit, and a heart of lead”. Three years
later, at the time of his ruination and bankruptcy in 1895,
the Irish writer was reported still to owe The Savoy £86.
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Today The Savoy is still a top-end
establishment but its famous Grill and
American Bar – with resident pianist
– are far jollier experiences than
Wilde’s sad tale suggests.
Brown’s Hotel in Albemarle Street
has less of a showbiz atmosphere.
It’s been open since 1837 when Lord
Byron’s former butler, James Brown,
bought up London townhouses to
create a gentleman’s hotel. Many of the
world’s finest writers have stayed in this discreet, friendly
hotel over the years, including Arthur Conan Doyle,
Robert Louis Stevenson, JM Barrie, Bram Stoker and
Agatha Christie. Sir Winston Churchill, no mean writer
himself, once growled: “When in London I do not stay
at a hotel, I stay at Brown’s.”
The writer most celebrated by the hotel is Rudyard
Kipling who spent the first night of his honeymoon here
in 1892. He came back frequently, treating Brown’s as his
London base. Here he completed the last of the stories
BRITAIN
27
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PHOTOS: © DAVID GRIFFEN PHOTOGRAPHY/NIALL CLUTTON
literary hotels
The Dorchester hosted
Ernest Hemingway
Below: The hotel is still
festooned with flowers
for his Jungle Book in 1894. The desk
at which Kipling was found collapsed
in 1936, dying one week later, is in a
suite overlooking Dover Street;
another suite contains a framed letter
that the Nobel Prize-winner wrote in
1919 from Brown’s. Unfortunately it
only addresses the question of
whether some land he owned in
East Sussex could be rented as an
allotment, but it’s proof the author
conducted his daily business from
this very discreet hotel.
Today Brown’s continues its
association with the arts in the
Donovan Bar, dedicated to works by
the celebrated 20th-century fashion
photographer, Terence Donovan.
What would Mr Kipling have said
about those nude women on display?
If there ever was a writer who could
not resist a good hotel – and its bar –
it was Ernest Hemingway. When the
American author belatedly arrived
in London in May 1943 to cover
the Second World War, he booked
himself into The Dorchester. Overlooking Hyde Park,
this luxury hotel opened in 1931 and still feels like a place
where Edward, the Prince of Wales, might have taken tea
with Mrs Simpson. During the Second World War, the
hotel’s claim to have bombproof cellars made it very
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popular with correspondents,
diplomats and spies.
In taking a flight to London,
Hemingway had left his disenchanted
third wife, the journalist Martha
Gellhorn, to cross the Atlantic on a
supply ship full of explosives, the sole
alternative method of transportation
available. Hemingway quickly made
himself at home in The Dorchester’s
bar where he bought drinks for RAF
pilots. War fever had turned the
West End into one long party, and
Hemingway was frequently drunk.
On 24 May his driver crashed their
car in the blackout and Hemingway
ended up at St George’s Hospital and
required stitches in his head.
When Gellhorn arrived from the
US the following week she found her
husband throwing a party in his
hospital room instead of recuperating
quietly. She finished with him for
good on the spot. Hemingway soon
afterwards spotted a young American
journalist, Mary Welsh, at the White
Tower Restaurant on Percy Street and asked her to visit
him at The Dorchester. Soon after he asked her to marry
him. Ernest Hemingway, for all his butch bravado, could
not bear to be single. Welsh became the fourth – and final
– Mrs Hemingway. Today the hotel is more dazzlingly
BRITAIN
29
LITERARY HOTELS
30
BRITAIN
Above: Thomas
Hardy wrote short
stories at the Acorn
Inn in Evershot
Below: The Hotel
Portmeirion in the
Italianate village
PHOTOS: © SUSANNAH FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHY/TIM RICHMOND
opulent than ever before. Some £5,000 per week is spent
on flowers for The Promenade, while the lobby remains
an Art Deco delight.
Outside London, there is a strong Thomas Hardy
connection with the Dorset village of Evershot. The
Victorian author often visited the charming Acorn Inn,
which he rechristened ‘The Sow and Acorn’ and wrote
into two of his stories. In his classic 1891 novel Tess of
the d’Urbervilles, the heroine walks past it en route to see
Angel Clare’s parents, while in the short story ‘The First
Countess of Wessex’, published as part of the collection
A Group of Noble Dames, Tupcombe rides into the village
for news of Betty and takes a seat “in the chimney-corner
of the Sow-and-Acorn” while waiting.
As well as 10 en-suite bedrooms,
each named after Hardy characters
and places, the Acorn Inn still retains
a fireplace in the bar. Duck to avoid
the low beams and you can even find
a corner and imagine yourself in
Tupcombe’s seat.
In Wales the Italianate village of
Portmeirion has the honour of not
only having hosted Noel Coward, but
also of him completing one of his best
plays, Blithe Spirit, over the course of
just six days there.
The Welsh architect Sir Clough
Williams-Ellis began Portmeirion in
1925 and dubbed it “a home for fallen
buildings”. Sir Clough did not like
modern architecture and so collected
part of demolished old buildings he
came across, reassembling them
imaginatively in a valley he bought
on the Dwyryd estuary. In the 1930s,
the sculptor Jonah Jones described
Portmeirion as “a delightful
hotchpotch of sometimes disparate
structures” ranging from “Bavarian vernacular, Cornish
weatherboard, Jacobean, Regency, Strawberry Hill Gothic
and even Victorian Gothic”.
Sir Clough always intended Portmeirion to support itself
as a hotel and, in May 1941, Noel Coward arrived to stay
with his friend Joyce Carey. They wanted to write plays
and Coward set them a tight schedule. By the time he left,
Blithe Spirit, his ghostly comedy that was adapted into a
1945 film starring Rex Harrison and is still performed
around the world today, was written.
More recently, Oxford’s Randolph Hotel has become
closely associated with Inspector Morse, English crime
writer Colin Dexter’s most famous creation. Appearing
in 13 novels from 1975’s Last Bus to Woodstock to
The Remorseful Day in 1999, Morse was a regular in the
hotel’s bar where he would enjoy an (fictional) Oxford
Gold ale while discussing his latest case – the character’s
verdict that “they serve a decent pint” is quoted on a
plaque in what has now been renamed The Morse Bar.
When Dexter’s books were adapted into the popular
British TV series Inspector Morse, eagle-eyed
viewers could often spot the author making
cameo appearances in the bar behind the action.
Constructed in 1864, the Randolph is
Oxford’s premiere hotel and a much-loved
institution. It was controversial in its time,
however, as the city council wanted a building
more in the classical style of the Ashmolean
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A New Novel in the Tradition of
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The lifeblood of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the
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With a large loan due, can Jane and her mother-in-law, Thora, find a
way to save the inn—and discover fresh hope for the future?
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BRITAIN 31
LITERARY HOTELS
PHOTOS: © MARIANNE MAJERUS/JOHN HAMMOND/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/SUSIE LOWE 2013 & THE BALMORAL HOTEL
Left to right:
Randolph Hotel,
Oxford, is associated
with the fictional
Inspector Morse;
Edinburgh’s
Balmoral Hotel,
where JK Rowling
wrote the final
Harry Potter novel
Museum opposite. Today its Acanthus Dining Room looks
more like an Oxford high table than you’ll find in many
colleges. The hotel itself was also the principle location
for the ninth novel, The Jewel That Was Ours, after an
American tourist is found dead in her room.
Bringing this story up to date, the Edinburgh author
JK Rowling completed her last Harry Potter novel,
The Deathly Hallows, in the city’s Balmoral Hotel in
2007. She later told Oprah Winfrey that she booked a
room is this massive Victorian railway hotel for some
peace and quiet. The first day’s writing went so well that
she didn’t want to break the spell and kept coming back.
Room 552, with its views to Calton Hill, has been
renamed the JK Rowling Suite and boasts a brass owl
doorknocker in homage to the birds featured in her books.
Inside the suite are a living room and bedroom
decorated in pastel blue, and a marble bust of Hermes
on which the author wrote “JK Rowling finished writing
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows in this room (552)
on 11th Jan 2007”.
The lovely thing about these hotels is that you can
stay or eat in them today and get a hint of the author’s
presence, happy in the knowledge he or she probably
enjoyed being looked after very much indeed.
32
BRITAIN
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
The Savoy, London
Reopened in 2010 following a £220 million
restoration, this Art Deco gem has welcomed
equally stylish guests for more than 125 years.
www.fairmont.com/savoy-london
Brown’s Hotel, London
Alexander Graham Bell made the world’s
first phone call from this 1837 hotel, set inside
11 Georgian townhouses.
www.roccofortehotels.com
The Dorchester, London
Glamorous guests includes Elizabeth Taylor
and Prince Philip, who held his stag night here.
www.dorchestercollection.com
The Acorn Inn, Dorset
Exuding quaint British charm, this
16th-century establishment comes complete
with four-poster beds and a wood-panelled
bar. www.acorn-inn.co.uk
Hotel Portmeirion, Cornwall
The focal point of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis’s
Italianate village is this 1926 Grade II listed
modernist hotel.
www.portmeirion-village.com
Randolph Hotel, Oxford
For a five-star stay with new restaurant and
luxury spa, try this landmark property in the
city centre of dreaming spires.
www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk
The Balmoral, Edinburgh
This grand railway hotel dominates the
skyline at the top of Princes Street with
a clock that is almost as iconic as Big Ben.
www.roccofortehotels.com
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Keswick the Lake District
Book your stay
www.keswick.org
GREAT BRITAIN. HOME OF AMAZING MOMENTS.
On top of the world
Sugar Loaf mountain, Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales
omgb.com
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BRITAIN 33
NORTH WESSEX DOWNS
Ancient
beauty
Steeped in mysterious prehistory,
mythical sites and natural beauty, the
North Wessex Downs is a rural English idyll
that is just a short hop from London
WORDS JENNY WHITE
Silbury Hill is the
tallest prehistoric
human-made
mound in Europe
Right: The standing
stones at Avebury are a
World Heritage Site
34
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
PHOTOS: © MARK BAUER/LOOP IMAGES/STUART BLACK/ROBERT HARDING. ILLUSTRATION: © MICHAEL HILL
T
hough it sounds like one of the home counties,
you won’t find Wessex on a 21st-century map
of Britain. It was, in fact, the name given to
the ancient kingdom of the West Saxons, an
area covering much south England. As Destination
Wessex puts it, this is “the land of King Arthur and King
Alfred, of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, of Bath and
Stonehenge,” yet the North Wessex Downs is
undoubtedly its most picturesque corner.
While the area is bordered by some
larger towns, such as Reading,
Basingstoke and the horse-racing hotspot
of Newbury, the North Wessex Downs
themselves are blissfully rural. It is an
officially designated ‘Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty’, the third largest in
England at 668 square miles, and it is
easy to see why. Sheep-dotted and alive
with rare butterflies, chalkland flowers
and farmland birds, the area quickly takes
you far from the daily grind. In particular, look
out for lapwings, with their distinctive ‘peewit’
cry and soaring aerial displays.
The Kennet and Avon canal threads its way through
the valleys, and a canal boat trip is a perfect way to
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BRITAIN
35
Sheffield Park Station, East Sussex TN22 3QL
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• Guided tours and group tours available
• Henry III was crowned here
• Tombs of King Edward II and Robert Duke of
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• Beautiful fan-vaulted medieval cloisters
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Gloucester Cathedral, College Green, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1 2LX, United Kingdom
36 BRITAIN
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north wessex downs
experience the leisurely pace of life here. The 87-mile
canal links London to the Bristol Channel, passing
through some of Britain’s most bucolic scenery.
Like many British canals, it was built during the
Industrial Revolution – when some 4,800 miles of canals
were constructed to transport goods across the country
– yet in recent times it has only been the dedicated efforts
of volunteers that has saved waterways such as the
Kennet and Avon from closure.
Whether you explore the canal by boat or foot, be sure
to stop off at the Crofton Pumping Station, which sits at
the highest point on the canal near the village of Great
Bedwyn. Closed until April 2017, the station’s beam
engines – the oldest working steam engines in the world
– pump water up from the river into the canal. As well as
experiencing a fascinating slice of history, you can also
drop in at the café for delicious homemade cakes.
Another working trace of bygone days is Wilton
Windmill, which still mills flour by wind power. It sits at
the eastern end of Pewsey Vale, home to four beautiful
churches and some stunning ancient hilltop sites,
including Knap Hill, which is topped by a Neolithic
causewayed camp. Martinsell Hill is also home to an
Iron Age fort, while Adam’s Grave on Walker’s Hill is a
dramatic Neolithic long barrow (or collective tomb) that
is also the site of battles in 592 and 715.
These are just a few of the countless prehistoric sites
dotted throughout the North Wessex Downs. No
journey through this region is complete, however,
without a visit to the magnificent standing stones at
Avebury – part of the same UNESCO World Heritage
Site as Stonehenge, which is 40 miles to the south.
This massive Neolithic henge monument contains
three stone circles, including the largest stone circle in
Europe. Constructed in the third millennium BC, it is
bordered by rings of high banks and deep ditches.
Remarkably, a pretty village sits in the heart of the
complex, providing a pub and café as well as the
opportunity to buy New Age gifts at the Henge Shop.
A focal point for modern day pagans, Avebury hosts
celebrations at certain times of year, especially for the
Summer Solstice on 21 June.
Besides the village and stone circles, the area around
Avebury repays further exploration, particularly if you
Wilton Windmill at
Great Bedwyn still
mills flour using
wind power
Below: The Kennet
and Avon Canal
Bottom left:
Watership Down
inspired the famous
book and film
PHOTOS: © ANNA STOWE/TRAVELIBUK/AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY
Watership Down has literary
associations, being the inspiration for
Richard Adams’ famous 1972 novel
of the same name, which was adapted
into a haunting animated film
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN
37
north wessex downs
This image: Explore beautiful
woodland on Martinsell Hill
Below: Highclere Castle is one of
many beautiful buildings
38
BRITAIN
follow the footpath to enigmatic Silbury Hill – a high,
man-made earthwork comparable in size to the Egyptian
pyramids whose purpose remains a mystery.
Beyond this to the southeast is West Kennet Long
Barrow, one of the largest and most impressive Neolithic
tombs in Britain. The site is free to enter, and you can
venture inside the tomb or clamber to the top to enjoy
sweeping views back to Silbury Hill, less than a mile
away. Dotted around it are other key sites, including
The Sanctuary – a set of concentric stone circles where
huge numbers of human bones were found, along with
food remains, suggesting elaborate death rites.
If you’re lucky you may spot a crop circle or two on
your walk. These circular and geometric designs, made
from flattened cereal crops and typically appearing in
fields overnight, are great dividers of opinion: while
most maintain they are an elaborate hoax, others offer
supernatural explanations, from aliens to an association
with ley lines – the invisible energy channels that New
Age enthusiasts believe run between ancient sites. The
prevalence of crop circles has increased dramatically in
the area since the 1970s, so that they are now a relatively
common sight in the fields.
Another quirky, if slightly macabre, feature of the
landscape is Combe Gibbet, a public gallows set atop
another Neolithic long barrow. It was built in 1676 to
execute George Broomham and Dorothy Newman, who
were having an affair and were hanged for murdering
Broomham’s wife. A replica gibbet now marks the site.
The landscape holds still further curiosities, most
notably numerous chalk hill figures, the most famous
of which is the Bronze Age white horse at Uffington –
a stylised equine shape cut into the chalk just below the
hilltop. To the east is Dragon Hill, which so named
because England’s patron saint, St George, is said to
have slain a dragon here.
While the Uffington White Horse is best viewed from
below, it’s worth walking along the top of the hill to
enjoy the breathtaking views, and to visit Wayland’s
Smithy – another Neolithic long barrow that sits in
an eerie, tree-shrouded glade. The barrow is said to
be the home of Wayland, the Anglo-Saxon God of
metalworking. According to legend, if you leave your
horse there, along with a silver coin, you will return
to find the horse shod and the coin vanished.
If you prefer real horses to chalk figures, be sure to
visit Newbury, a thriving market town on the outskirts
of the downs that is home to Newbury Racecourse.
Races were first held here more than 200 years and,
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PHOTOS: © GEOGPHOTOS/MICHAEL WALD/ALAMY
Sheep-dotted and alive with rare
butterflies, chalkland flowers
and farmland birds, the North
Wessex Downs quickly take
you far from the daily grind
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4th June - Classic Car Show
8th & 9th July - Emergency Services Weekend
20th August - Petrol Locos Day
10th September - Historic Cycles Day
8th October - Autumn Historic Transport
Open March until October. Dog friendly, free car parking, located next
to Amberley railway station. Visit our website for more information.
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Ancient Castle,
Stately Home & Gardens
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discover a splendid and varied coastline, beautiful countryside,
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BRITAIN 39
Clockwise, from above: Avebury Manor is a 16th-century gem
near Marlborough; Wayland’s Smithy is an ancient Neolithic
long barrow chamber; Martinsell Hill; Uffington White Horse
40
BRITAIN
even if you’re averse to gambling, the three on-site
restaurants – including The Hennessy with its panoramic
views – make for a rather decadent dining experience.
Newbury itself is a historic market town packed with
charming buildings that mostly date from the 17th and
18th centuries. Both the River Kennet and the Kennet
and Avon canal run through the town, and just to the
north is Donnington Castle, a ruined medieval structure
that was the site of a siege in the English Civil War.
It is just one of many fascinating buildings in the area.
Others include palatial Highclere Castle – famed as the
location for hit TV series Downton Abbey – which has
gracious grounds and impressive state rooms; Basildon
Park near Pangbourne, an impressive Georgian mansion
in glorious parkland; and the 17th-century Dutch-style
Ashdown House, which is pretty as a doll’s house and
available to visit by guided tour only.
The woodland around Ashdown House is particularly
beautiful, as is the nearby Savernake Forest, a former
royal hunting ground in which you can walk along a
four-mile avenue of 200-year-old beech trees that was
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PHOTOS: © KEVIN DICKINSON/DAVID LYONS/ANNA STOWE LANDSCAPES UK/ALAMY/GETTY IMAGES
north wessex downs
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created by celebrated landscape garden designer
Capability Brown. For more historic trees, head to
Wittenham Clumps, the oldest planted hilltop beeches
in England, which were painted several times by the
20th-century English war artist Paul Nash.
Meanwhile, Watership Down in the south has literary
associations, being the inspiration for Richard Adams’
famous 1972 novel of the same name, which was adapted
into a haunting animated film. Climb the hill and take in
the views, then head northwest for a wander around the
bustling market town of Marlborough.
Set around a broad central thoroughfare, it boasts
arcades, alleyways, half-timbered houses and several
churches. In years gone by, coins were minted here,
and Tudor kings visited to hunt for deer. An important
watering hole for travellers heading to and from
London, it still offers plenty of places to eat and drink
today, as well as a host of quirky independent shops.
The archetypal English market town, Marlborough
also provides a perfect base for your adventures in
this beguiling, story-filled corner of England.
BRITAIN
41
catherine of aragon
T RUE WIFE
THE
King Henry VIII famously had six wives but it was his
first queen, Catherine of Aragon, who captured his
heart and devoted her life to his cause
WORDS AMY LICENCE
I
Top: Catherine of
Aragon was a
dynastic prize
Above: She was first
married to Henry’s
brother, Arthur,
Prince of Wales
42
BRITAIN
n November 1501, Catherine of
Aragon married the heir to the
Tudor throne. She was just 15
years old; short, red-haired and
regal in bearing, having been raised in
the anticipation of this moment.
A daughter of the most important
marriage in late medieval Europe, her
parents, Ferdinand of Aragon and
Isabella of Castile, had negotiated the
match when she was a mere three
years old. After she had secured her
prince, Catherine intended to replicate
that successful partnership, to become
a loving, fruitful and ambitious wife,
to rule England at her husband’s side
and lead the country in the 16th
century. Her wedding at Old St Paul’s
Cathedral was accompanied by a fantasia of pageantry,
spectacle and ceremony. Six weeks later, the young couple
departed London to establish their own life as Prince and
Princess of Wales at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire,
England, preparing for the day when the crown would
pass to them. But the teenaged boy Catherine had married
was not the future King Henry VIII, the husband for
whom she is remembered today. It was Arthur Tudor,
Henry’s elder brother, first-born child of the Tudor
dynasty. Four-and-a-half months later, Arthur was dead.
It may seem strange to refer to Catherine of Aragon as
the “true” wife of Henry VIII, given her previous marriage
to his brother. After years of uncertainty, the pair was
married on 11 June 1509, just weeks after Henry inherited
the throne at the age of 17. He stated at the time that he
was not only following the final wishes of his father, but
also the dictates of his own heart.
At first they were very much in love, sharing the same
interests, a comparable education and a passionate physical
www.britain-magazine.com
PHOTOS: © WWW.BRIDGEMANART.COM/ WORLD HISTORY ARCHIVE/ALAMY
catherine of aragon
connection. After six pregnancies though, Catherine had
only produced a single child – a daughter, Mary – and the
arrival of her menopause caused the king to question who
would inherit his kingdom.
After examining the scriptures, Henry came to believe
Catherine was the “true” Princess of Wales, inviolably
wedded to Arthur in canon law and, therefore, his 23-year
union with her was invalid. Conflicting verses in the Bible
complicated the ‘King’s Great Matter’ between 1527 and
1533, drawing in scholars and prelates from Europe’s
leading universities. Henry vacillated between the extremes
of the Pope and his archenemy, the Protestant reformer,
www.britain-magazine.com
Martin Luther. On one hand the Book of Deuteronomy
asserted it was Henry’s duty to wed his brother’s widow,
while on the other, the Book of Leviticus stated such a
marriage would be unclean. Upon this question of “truth”
and the different definitions of that term, hung Catherine’s
fate, that of her daughter Mary and, arguably, the fate of
the Catholic Church in England and centuries of worship.
Ultimately, Henry wanted a divorce in order to marry
Anne Boleyn – and Henry was accustomed to getting what
he wanted. Catherine was banished from court, the king
broke with Rome and the Archbishop of Canterbury
pronounced the marriage invalid.
Above: Catherine of
Aragon and the
cardinals in a
depiction of a scene
from Shakespeare’s
play Henry VIII
BRITAIN
43
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Tel: 01323-871640 | Overseas: +44-1323-871640 | E-mail: sales@sussextrugs.com
www.sussextrugs.com
Coming to South East England? Don’t miss a visit to Thomas Smith’s
Royal Sussex Trug workshop in Magham Down, Herstmonceux.
We’re right on the main A271 road in a 100 year old building very fitting
for our craft. Making Sussex Trugs since 1829
Walk our workshop and see the original Royal Sussex Trug Gardening Baskets
being made by our craftsmen and apprentices and view most of the 35 different
styles of the Royal Sussex Traditional Trugs that we hand craft here in our
own workshop. Why Royal Sussex? The inventor of the Trug, Thomas Smith,
was awarded Queen Victoria’s Royal Warrant after Her Majesty personally
purchased some at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 as gifts for members
of the Royal Household.
You can also see our equally famous South Down Contemporary Trug, that we
sold to the Crown Estate at Windsor for over 20 years.
Steeped in history and tradition, our Trugs are still made almost entirely by
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44 BRITAIN
Open from April 1st 2017
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website: Open
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for opening times
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www.britain-magazine.com
But the question of “truth” is a ticklish one. To her
dying day, living in illness and poverty at Kimbolton
Castle, having not set eyes on Henry for over four years,
Catherine still maintained she was queen, and his truly
wedded wife. She never wavered from her belief, insisting
the match with Arthur had never been consummated, and
resisting Henry every step of the way, even when to comply
would have made her life, and that of her daughter’s, much
easier. Watching Henry break with the Pope, reform the
church and punish those who remained steadfast in the
old faith, she firmly believed he was jeopardising his soul.
As such, she was prepared to suffer in his stead, to endure
anything he might force upon her, to remain strong, even
to become a martyr in his cause. If canonical law decreed
For more
stories about
the Royal Family,
visit www.britainmagazine.com/
royals
catherine of aragon
In terms of devotion, duration and
compatibility, Catherine of Aragon
was Henry VIII’s true wife
Right: Henry VIII
painted during
the happy years
of his marriage
to Catherine
Below, left to right:
Queen Catherine of
Aragon; a decorative
‘H&K' on Henry VIII’s
armour, c.1515
PHOTOS: © DERRICK E WITTY/NATIONAL TRUST/ROYAL ARMOURIES
her marriage was invalid, the panoply of Catholic saints
could scarcely have offered an example of a more devoted
spouse. Determined to save Henry from himself, her faith
upheld her through these trials, in the belief that she was
helping to save the man she loved. In this sense, she was
the most constant, the most “true” of all wives, lovers,
ministers or friends the king ever had.
In her final lonely days, Catherine no doubt recalled the
times Henry had worn her favours in the joust, her initials
embroidered upon his clothes, as he became “Sir Loyal
Heart” in her honour. There is no doubt that the pair were
a “true” love match in the romantic sense, equal and
complementary, in the same way as Catherine’s parents
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN
45
CATHERINE OF ARAGON
24 years; a stained
glass window in the
Chapel at The Vyne,
in Basingstoke,
shows Queen
Catherine kneeling
PHOTOS: © VISITBRITAIN/BRITAIN ON VIEW/GRANGER HISTORICAL PICTURE ARCHIVE/ALAMY/DERRICK E WITTY/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES
Clockwise, from left:
Peterborough
Cathedral, where
Catherine was
buried; she was
married to Henry for
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An Intimate Life of Henry VIII’s True Wife, is
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of 20 per cent. To place your order, either
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BRIT20. Offer closes on 28 February 2017.
46
BRITAIN
had been. Educated by leading Humanist scholars in the
school established by her mother, Catherine was more than
proficient in Latin, scripture, civic and canon law, music,
history and the “female accomplishments”, from cooking
to sewing her husband’s shirts. The Dutch scholar Erasmus
believed her to be more than Henry’s match. She was her
father’s ambassador, smoothing Anglo-Spanish relations,
regent of England during Henry’s absence, when the Battle
of Flodden was won against the Scots, and a figurehead of
devotion at the most exciting, glittering court of the times.
In terms of devotion, duration and compatibility,
Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII’s true wife. She was
true as in constant, true in legal terms and true as in most
suited to him. It was her tragedy that together they were
unable to produce a healthy male heir who survived
infancy. But for that twist of fate, she would likely have
remained by Henry’s side until the end, enjoying a
dignified, comfortable old age. Catherine was a complex,
passionate, unbreakable woman who provided the perfect
foil for her husband in every other respect. She is
remembered today for the one thing that she did not do –
give birth to a male heir – yet she should not be seen purely
in a tragic light. Catherine was a majestic, humanist,
crusading queen and she chose Henry as her cause.
She was, in the words of her friend Juan Luis Vives,
a “magnificent inspiration”. Almost 500 years after her
death and subsequent burial at Peterborough Cathedral
in Cambridgeshire, she remains just that.
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BRADING ROMAN VILLA
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Bruegel:
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BRITAIN 47
HISTORY IN TEN BUILDINGS
Old Wardour Castle, near
Salisbury in Wiltshire, was
the site of a siege during
the English Civil War
48
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
history in ten buildings
The
HISTORY OF
BRITAIN
IN
10
BUILDINGS
From Bronze Age settlements to
21st-century skyscrapers, our nation’s
grandest structures tell a story of
progress, conflict and innovation
WORDS DAVE HAMILTON
F
rom the first mysterious beginnings of civilisation
to the complex society of the present day, each
culture has left something behind by which future
generations can remember them. Often the legacy is a
cultural one, such as place names, new words in the
language, or works of art and music.
However, it is an era’s buildings that perhaps leave the
biggest mark on the landscape and the most tangible link
to our ancestors. As we look through their windows or
walk through their doorways, we are allowed glimpses
into the lives they must have led. From prehistoric ruins to
modern day skyscrapers, a journey through the buildings
of Britain is a journey through its past. Here are 10 key
settlements and structures that you can visit today to
discover the story of Britain through the ages.
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN
49
HISTORY IN TEN BUILDINGS
PHOTOS: © DAVE PATTISON/DEREK CROUCHER/MIKE HAYWARD/ALAMY
The Neolithic settlement
at Skara Brae on Orkney
was revealed by a storm
Below: The Roman bath house
at Wroxeter in Shropshire
1 Skara Brae, Orkney
The islands of Orkney, situated off the northeast coast
of Scotland, are a wild and rugged place. Rare giants
of the sea, such as orcas, minke whales and basking
sharks, regularly visit its windswept shores. Thriving
populations of sea birds nest among dark, towering
cliffs and, at dusk, elusive otters hunt along the
freshwater streams.
In 1850, these beautiful and remote islands were hit
by a violent storm, which was particularly devastating
at the Bay of Skaill. The storm exposed the remarkably
complete dwellings of a civilisation dating back to
3,000BC, which had been covered by protective sand for
millennia. Little is known about the lives of these distant
ancestors yet the stone beds, dressing tables and hearths
that were unearthed give a tangible impression of what
life must have been like 5,000 years ago. Recent finds
on the island have led archaeologists to believe British
culture may have been centred here and travelled south,
rather than the other way around.
Explore this World Heritage Site today and you can
also enjoy a new visitor centre that is packed with
discoveries from recent digs, including Bronze Age
jewellery, tools and household objects.
www.historicenvironment.scot
50
BRITAIN
2 The Bath House, Wroxeter, Shropshire
In AD 43 the mighty Roman Empire successfully invaded the island they
called Britannia. They brought with them great changes, introducing new
plants and animals, a new language and religion, and new ways of thinking.
So pervasive was the Roman order, that its influence is still seen today.
Many of this nation’s roads run along routes they created, while many towns
and cities, such as Bath, London and Cirencester, are built on the sites of
earlier Roman cities. The sleepy Shropshire village of Wroxeter was once the
site of Viroconium Cornoviorum, the fourth largest city in Britain.
At Wroxeter Roman City today, a large section of the former bath house
can still be seen almost 2,000 years after builders laid the first foundations.
Also on the site you will find a replica of one of the original town houses,
which Channel 4 and English Heritage joined forces to construct using
building practices current in the 1st century AD.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
www.britain-magazine.com
A DAY TO REMEMBER
D I S C OV E R O N E O F E N G L A N D’ S M O ST
B E AU T I F U L A N D H I S T O R IC C A ST L E S
Since opening in 1981, Piccadilly Market has established
a reputation as a great place to shop for perfect gifts and
unusual souvenirs.
h e verc ast l e.c o.u k
Email info@hevercastle.co.uk | Call +44 (0)1732 865224
From Wednesday to Saturday, arts and crafts are sold, while
Tuesday offers predominantly antiques and collectables, and
Monday specialises in good food. The market is located in the
courtyard at St James’s Church in the heart of the West End –
just yards from Piccadilly Circus.
The market is open from Monday to Saturday between 10am
and 6.30pm (Monday 3.00pm) throughout the year.
www.piccadilly-market.co.uk
197 PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 9LL
T: +44 (0)20 7292 4864 E: marketmanager@sjp.org.uk
Visit-Britain-99x129-V3.indd 1
www.britain-magazine.com
16/12/2014 16:13
BRITAIN 51
HISTORY IN TEN BUILDINGS
3Gloucestershire
Odda’s Chapel,
A few miles from the historic town of Tewkesbury,
down the Severn Way long-distance footpath, in the
village of Deerhurst, stands Odda’s Chapel.
Sitting at the edge of a field in the gentle and
pastoral Gloucestershire landscape, the chapel is
a modest-looking building at first sight.
Built in 1056, prior to the Norman Conquest, it is
one of the few remaining Saxon chapels in the country.
Forty years prior to the chapel’s construction, the
Anglo-Saxon King Edmund Ironside met the Viking
King Cnut here to sign the Deerhurst Treaty in 1016.
It was drawn up to determine which parts of the country
would remain Anglo-Saxon and which would come
under Viking rule. After much debate, the two sides
agreed Edmund would rule the area south of the
Thames until his death. When Edmund was
mysteriously murdered just a few weeks after the
signing of the treaty, Cnut became King of England.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
Although simple in style,
Odda's Chapel has great
historical significance
52
BRITAIN
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HISTORY IN TEN BUILDINGS
Hardwick Hall epitomises
the Elizabethan era
Left: Odda's Chapel in
Gloucestershire was one of
the last built by the Saxons
4 Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
Clockwise from this photo:
The Elizabethan era
islandscape
often cited
as a golden age, when the nation was
The
around
flourishing and many
of
our
greatest
works of art and literature were created,
Blenheim Palace is
considered
of
not least the plays of
Williamone
Shakespeare.
It was also the height of the
Brown's
masterpieces;
Renaissance elsewhere,
too,
as grand ideas, scientific discoveries and high
CapabilityEurope.
Brown; the
culture spread throughout
lake at Croome Park
Hardwick Hall is a fine example of this interchange of ideas. It is very
much influenced by Italian mid-Renaissance architecture, yet interpreted in
a very English way. The building was commissioned by Elizabeth Talbot or,
as she is better known, Bess of Hardwick. Bess was a formidable figure,
who rose to the upper echelons of society through a series of marriages.
The architect Robert Smythson employed many Italian conventions such as
creating each ceiling higher than the floor below, and arranging the main hall
on an axis. So successful was his design that today Hardwick Hall, with its
proximity to the M1 in the Midlands, is often described as the country’s
grandest motorway service station.
PHOTOS: © LIQUID LIGHT/EYE35/SOTK2011/ALAMY
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hardwick-hall
Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire
Inset: The besieged castle was
defended by Lady Blanche Arundell
5Wiltshire
Old Wardour Castle,
PHOTOS: © MARSHALL IKONOGRAPHY/ALAMY/ROBBIE JACK/CORBIS
Half an hour’s drive from Stonehenge,
down winding country lanes, lies the
beautiful ruins of Old Wardour Castle.
Built as a fortified country house back in
the 1390s, it will forever be associated with the key role it played in one
of the bloodiest times in our nation’s history: the English Civil War.
Between 1642 and 1651, the country was torn in two. On one side stood
the Parliamentarians (or “Roundheads”), who wanted a country ruled by a
democratic parliament; on the other, the Royalists (or “Cavaliers”), who
believed God had chosen the king to rule.
At the height of the conflict, 1,300 Roundheads marched on Wardour
Castle. Despite it being defended by 61-year-old Lady Blanche Arundell and
a combined total of 50 troops and servants, it took a five-day siege before
the castle was seized with a ferocity that typified the conflict. Today, the
dilapidated lakeside ruins are Grade I listed and open to the public.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
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BRITAIN
53
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history in ten buildings
6 Ruthven Barracks, Inverness
On 1 May 1707, the Treaty of Union took effect, making Scotland and
England (already incorporating Wales) into a single state with a single,
London-based parliament. Great Britain was born.
In return for receiving financial aid from England, Scotland agreed not to
choose its own monarch. Many Scottish people disagreed with the union,
believing that James II and his descendants in the House of Stuart were the
rightful heirs to the throne. This conflict led to a series of battles that would
become known as the Jacobite Risings.
After the first major rising in 1715, the British government sought to
tighten its grip in the rebellious Scottish Highlands. It built roads to mobilise
troops and four fortified barracks in strategic locations across the Highlands.
Ruthven is perhaps the most intact of these four barracks. High on a raised
mound of a former castle with the Cairngorms as a backdrop, it is
undoubtedly the most stunning.
www.historicenvironment.scot
PHOTO: © KENNY LAM/VISITSCOTLAND/DAVID SELLMAN/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES
7Cornwall
Botallack Mine,
A Cornishman once told me that
long ago, in a time of legends,
Britain was picked up by a giant
and shaken like a pepper pot. And,
as he shook, all the most beautiful
beaches and the bluest seas, along
with all the tin and copper, ended
up in this corner of the nation.
During the Industrial Revolution
many sought to make their fortune
from the tin and copper buried
beneath the soil of this picturesque
county. At one time, the county was
one of the most industrialised parts
of Britain, if not the world.
Today, the mining regions of
Cornwall have been recognised as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site for
their historical significance, and
this marriage of beauty and
industry is no more apparent than
in the mining region of St Just.
The most stunning of all is the
engine house at Botallack Head,
precariously positioned on the edge
of the cliff above the crashing
waves of the Atlantic Ocean, it
has recently provided the backdrop
to the popular, BAFTA-winning
BBC TV series Poldark. For the
best views, follow the mile-long,
National Trust-approved walk
around the headland.
The beam engine
houses of Botallack Mine
Top left: Ruthven Barracks
was built after the Jacobite
Risings in Scotland
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/botallack
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BRITAIN
55
DOWN CATHEDRAL
Built in 1183 as a Benedictine monastery, Down
Cathedral is now a Cathedral of the Church of Ireland.
Prominent and majestic, the cathedral is believed to
have the grave of St Patrick in its grounds. There is also
wonderful stained glass and organ of highest quality.
Open all year round. Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 4.00: Sunday 2.00 - 4.00pm
The Mall, English Street, Downpatrick, County Down BT30 6AB
T: 028 4461 4922 E: info@downcathedral.org
www.downcathedral.org
Discover
Discover Your
Your
Cathedral
Cathedral
FREE ENTRY . GUIDED TOURS . GIFT SHOP .
FREEDAILY
ENTRY
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www.bristol-cathedral.co.uk
www.bristol-cathedral.co.uk
56 BRITAIN
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history in ten buildings
PHOTO: © MARK SYKES/AWL-IMAGES LTD
Manchester Town Hall,
a Neo-Gothic masterpiece
of the Industrial Revolution
8TownManchester
Hall
During the reign of Queen Victoria
from 1837 to 1901, Britain changed
beyond all recognition. The ‘Age of
Progress’ witnessed such things as
the publication of Charles Darwin’s
The Origin of Species, the birth of
the steel industry and the boom of
the steam railways, as well as the
first telephones, photographs,
motor cars and electric lights.
The industrial north of England
saw some of the greatest structural
changes, as towns and cities were
modernised with big, ambitious
constructions. Everything from
sewers and graveyards to grand
civic buildings were created.
Much of the architecture was
Neo-Gothic in style, a modern take
on gothic cathedrals from the late
12th to the early 16th centuries.
The Town Hall in Manchester is
the best example of this style in
Britain: a grand and rather ornate
structure with an unusual
triangular floorplan and a vaulting
280-foot clock tower.
The city of Manchester itself is
now a modern metropolitan hub,
yet its rich industrial heritage is
apparent all over the city, nowhere
more so than here.
www.manchester.gov.uk/townhall
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BRITAIN
57
HISTORY IN TEN BUILDINGS
9 Orfordness Beacon, Suffolk
During the Second World War it was said British fighter
pilots ate a lot of carrots because it helped them spot
enemy planes in the dark. The myth about carrots
improving eyesight is still perpetuated, yet very few
know it was nothing more than a tall tale made up
and circulated by the wartime government.
The story was, in fact, a ruse to disguise the invention
of radar technology, which played a large part in the
Allies winning the war. The first radar technology
experiments took place between the two world wars on
the shingle beaches of Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast.
The surviving Orfordness Beacon – or Black Beacon
– is an unassuming marine structure, which actually
housed experimental radio apparatus.
The area remained a top-secret base throughout the
Second World War, and also played a part during the
Cold War, as a testing site for the ballistics used in
nuclear weaponry.
Now under the care of the National Trust, Orford
Ness National Nature Reserve is an eerie, barren place
possessed of a stark beauty and, ironically for a place
with a destructive past, is home to one of the world’s
rarest and most fragile habitats. The shingle beach and
marshland are important breeding grounds for birdlife.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/orford-ness-national-nature-reserve
The Orfordness Beacon
on the Suffolk coast
Right: London’s The Shard
is the UK’s tallest building
58
BRITAIN
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history in ten buildings
10 The Shard, London
PHOTOS: © JOHN MILLAR/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES
The Shard is a bold piece of modern architecture. Like
an upturned icicle reaching into the heavens, it is a true
skyscraper in every sense. At 1,016-feet high, it is the
UK’s tallest building, more than three times the height
of Big Ben and nearly five times that of Tower Bridge.
Its glass-and-steel design epitomises the modern world.
When Italian architect Renzo Piano first sketched
his design on the back of a lunch menu in a Berlin
restaurant in 2000, the world was a different place.
London echoed the buoyant global markets, with
ambitious building projects raising the city’s skyline into
the clouds. However, by the time construction was due
to begin on The Shard in 2007, global markets were in
turmoil and the project looked like it would have to be
shelved until a team of Qatari investors stepped in,
buying an 80 per cent stake.
The result is a truly 21st-century structure with a
viewing platform that offers an unprecedented 360-degree
panorama of the city stretching for up to 40 miles.
www.the-shard.com
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BRITAIN
59
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LOCAL DELICACIES
LOCAL
DELICACIES
We’ve scoured the length and breadth of Britain to
bring you six of the best regional foodstuffs
PHOTO: © SIMON REDDY/ALAMY
WORDS STEVE PILL
Stargazy Pie
Your enjoyment of Stargazy Pie rests on whether you are comfortable with
your dinner staring back at you. This Cornish delicacy involves baking
seven types of fish, including herring and mackerel, and a filling of eggs,
potatoes and thickened milk. Whole pilchards are then arranged so their
heads (and sometimes tails) emerge from a shortcrust pastry topping.
The pie is traditionally cooked in the fishing village of Mousehole on
23 December to celebrate Tom Bawcock’s Eve, a day commemorating the
heroic 16th-century fisherman who braved winter storms in his boat to
ensure the locals didn’t go hungry over Christmas. He returned with a
catch big enough to feed the entire village and has been remembered via
a lantern parade and pie bake every year since.
TRY IT: The only pub in Mousehole, The Ship Inn, bakes a giant Stargazy Pie every year
on 23 December. www.shipinnmousehole.co.uk
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BRITAIN
61
local delicacies
Eton Mess
This summery dessert originated at
Eton College in Berkshire, England,
an independent boarding school for
boys that was founded in 1440 by
King Henry VI.
Rumour has it the blend of sugar,
double cream, strawberries and
broken meringue occurred when a
plucky Labrador sat on a picnic
hamper on the way to the school’s
annual prize-giving ceremony,
turning a pristine pud into this
affectionately sloppy dessert.
Though this is unsubstantiated,
we do know the first recorded
outing of ‘Eton Mess aux Fraises’
came in 1893 during a garden party
at the school attended by Queen
Victoria and her son Prince George.
By the 1930s, Eton Mess had
appeared at the school’s Sock Shop
(a tuck shop for boarders) and even
Royal Ascot. Not to be outdone,
rival school Lancing College in
Sussex serves its Lancing Mess, a
similar concoction that substitutes
strawberries for bananas.
TRY IT: For a modern twist, try the Eton
Mess En Perle at Bob Bob Ricard in London’s
Soho – it arrives in a sphere of meringue that
requires cracking open like a boiled egg.
www.bobbobricard.com
62
BRITAIN
Haggis
While tourists are often teasingly told that a haggis is a
small Scottish animal, it is in fact a delicacy made with
minced meat, oatmeal, onions, salt and spices,
traditionally cooked in a sheep’s stomach. What it lacks in
aesthetic appeal it makes up for in taste, so much so you
will find its flavouring everything from crisps to ice cream.
Often thought of as Scotland’s national dish, haggis
became popular during the Middle Ages – as clansman
roamed the Highlands, oatmeal was a way to keep meat
cuts fresh for longer. The crumbly texture and peppery
taste became a countrywide favourite. As the bard Robert
Burns put it in his 1787 poem ‘Address to a Haggis’,
“O what a glorious sight/Warm-reekin, rich!” For a true
Burn’s Night supper, eat haggis with ‘neeps and tatties’ –
that’s mashed turnip (rutabaga) and potatoes.
TRY IT: Hadrian’s Brasserie in Edinburgh offers haggis, neeps and tatties
in whisky cream sauce for a perfect starter. www.roccofortehotels.com
www.britain-magazine.com
local delicacies
Welsh Rarebit
“Welsh” to mean “inferior” and the dish was only eaten in
the absence of actual rabbit or other meats. Others have
suggested it is the result of a more complicated recipe that
originated in the valleys, while it could just be derived
from the nation’s longstanding love of the grilled dairy
product – one 16th-century joke had it that when
St Peter wanted to eject some troublesome Welshmen
from heaven, he simply stood outside the pearly gates
and shouted “rosty’d chese” [or roasted cheese].
TRY IT: Set in a former bank vault on Cardiff’s High Street, The Potted
Pig serves a delicious truffled Welsh rarebit. www.thepottedpig.com
PHOTOS: © ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES/FOOD AND DRINK PHOTOS/MODE IMAGES/ALAMY
For such a simple dish – basically cheese on toast –
the origin and definition of Welsh rarebit is far from
straightforward. Early recipes involved pre-cooking the
cheese and laying it on toasted bread, before topping with
a spicy condiment such as mustard, Worcestershire sauce
or cayenne pepper. Other variations see the cheese melted
as a fondue first, and then blended into a Béchamel sauce
or even mixed with beer.
The etymology of this heartwarming foodstuff is equally
contested and varied. It is widely accepted the name is a
corruption of the original title, Welsh Rabbit, but a less
generous explanation is that the English used the word
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BRITAIN
63
local delicacies
Yorkshire Pudding
Don’t let the sweet-sounding name
confuse you; this is a savoury
concoction of eggs, flour, milk and
seasoning combined with roasted
meat fats from the dripping pan.
Historically these “dripping
puddings” were cooked underneath
the meat to catch all the juices.
The first recorded “Yorkshire”
variant came in Hannah Glasse’s The
Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy,
a 1747 best-selling recipe book that
introduced this “exceeding good
pudding” [sic] and notes “the gravy
of the meat eats well with it”.
Today, doused in rich gravy and
nestled alongside meat, potatoes and
vegetables, the Yorkshire pudding is a
staple of the traditional Sunday roast
across the UK. In fact, this humble
well of batter is so ingrained in our
national consciousness that it topped
a 2016 Gourmet Society poll of
Britain’s favourite regional dishes and
is celebrated on the designated annual
British Yorkshire Pudding Day on the
first Sunday in February.
TRY IT: Established in 1503, The Golden
Fleece in York is reputedly haunted – but
don’t let that put you off the giant Yorkshire
puddings. www.thegoldenfleeceyork.co.uk
Scouse
PHOTOS: © SIMON REDDY/ALAMY/ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
A stew eaten throughout northern Europe, lobscouse
has become so intrinsically linked to the English city of
Liverpool that the local dialect is known as Scouse, while
the locals themselves are affectionately called Scousers.
It was Liverpool’s status as a premier seaport that
doubtless saw this dish arrive here in the 18th century,
the simple-yet-hearty combination of slow-cooked lamb
or beef with carrots, potatoes and onions proving a hit
with the hard-working locals.
Today it remains a popular staple in the city’s more
traditional cafés and public houses. Vegetarians keen to
sample this Liverpudlian delicacy should look out for
‘Blind Scouse’, a meat-free variety.
TRY IT: Sample five Scouse varieties at Victorian alehouse Ma Boyle’s
including a spicy option made with chorizo. www.maboyles.com
64
BRITAIN
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BRITAIN 65
great britons
Sir Walter Raleigh
Continuing our series on Great British figures, we look at the
life of Sir Walter Raleigh, whose rise and fall mirrors the
tumultuous Elizabethan age in which he lived
F
amous as a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, bringing
potatoes and tobacco to these shores, patronising the arts
and sailing off in search of El Dorado, Sir Walter Raleigh’s
explorer-courtier legacy epitomises the Elizabethan age.
Born into a well-connected family near Budleigh Salterton in
Devon in the middle of the 16th century, little is known about his
early years, except that he was raised staunchly Protestant. As a teen,
he headed to France to fight with the Huguenots, before attending
Oxford and studying law at Middle Temple in the City of London.
The fascination with America that would define his legacy began
in 1578, when he set out with his half-brother, explorer Sir
Humphrey Gilbert, to find the Northwest Passage, a sea route
connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They failed, but Raleigh
developed a trait that would to stay with him for life and lead to his
demise. The voyage turned into a
privateering foray against Spanish
shipping, which went down badly
with the queen’s advisers and, on his
return, he was briefly imprisoned.
Luckily, Raleigh’s army career was
soon to cast him in a more heroic
light. Distinguishing himself during
the siege of Smerwick in Ireland, the
handsome and flamboyant soldier
caught Elizabeth’s eye. His star rose
and, aided by his poetic prowess, he
was soon in the queen’s inner circle.
Raleigh was given the rights to
colonise North America. Between
1585 and 1588, he invested in expeditions to establish a colony near
Roanoke, on the coast of what is now North Carolina, naming it
Virginia in honour of ‘The Virgin Queen’, a nickname given to
Elizabeth in recognition of her abstinence. The expeditions failed:
delays, quarrels and disorganisation proved too much. An expedition
in 1590 found no trace of the colony and its fate remains a mystery.
Nevertheless, these voyages are often credited with the discovery of
potatoes and tobacco, although the latter was likely have been
around in England before this date (sailors were known to have
smoked pipes). But it was almost certainly Raleigh who was
responsible for the smoking craze at court. It is said he even tempted
Elizabeth I and, inevitably, the habit soon spread to the population.
66
BRITAIN
During his time in the sun, Raleigh became a member of
parliament and gained a large Irish estate along with his trade rights.
He was knighted in 1585 and later appointed Captain of the Queen’s
Guard, the highest office he was to hold. As well as a passion for
poetry – his patronage would gave us Edmund Spenser’s epic poem
The Faerie Queene – Raleigh was interested in seamanship. As the
queen’s naval adviser, he helped to make improvements to the fleet
that would prove important in the defeat of the 1588 Spanish
Armada. And, all the while, he led raids against Spanish possessions
and returned with riches to be offered to his queen.
But Raleigh was to fall from grace. In 1591, he married one of
the queen’s maids-of-honour, Elizabeth Throckmorton, without
obtaining the monarch’s permission. Whether out of jealously or the
fact the couple had gone behind her back, the union drove the queen
into a rage. Raleigh and his wife
found themselves imprisoned in the
Tower of London. On his release,
a bid to regain favour saw him lead
an expedition in search of the fabled
El Dorado – the ‘Golden Land’.
El Dorado would prove elusive
and Raleigh’s fortunes failed for
good when the pacifist King James I
came to the throne in 1603. The new
monarch distrusted the explorer, in
particular his aggression towards the
Spanish. Raleigh was soon charged
with treason and condemned to
death, although his sentence was
commuted to imprisonment in the Tower of London again.
He lived there with his wife and servants until 1616 when he was
pardoned and again sent in search of gold in South America. This
expedition would sign his death warrant. Some of the party pillaged
Spanish territory in violation of peace treaties, and Raleigh’s own
son, Walter, was fatally shot. On his return, the furious Spanish
ambassador demanded his death sentence be reinstated, and James I
had little choice but to agree. Raleigh was executed at the Palace of
Westminster on 29 October 1618, a tragic end to the life of an
ambitious and supremely talented Great Briton.
 Next month: the turbulent life of the English Romantic painter JMW Turner.
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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY LONDON/WWW.BRIDGEMANIMAGES.COM
WORDS SALLY HALES
places to stay
Distinguishing himself
during the siege of
Smerwick in Ireland,
the handsome Raleigh
caught Elizabeth’s eye
Sir Walter Raleigh was
a Renaissance man
Left: Queen Elizabeth
and Raleigh, from a
mural in the Houses
of Parliament
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BRITAIN
67
PHOTOS: © LOOP IMAGES LTD/ALAMY/GETTY/BBC ARCHIVE
THE BBC
Left to right: HM
the Queen shortly
after making the
first televised
Christmas message
in 1957; Alexandra
Palace technicians;
on set in the same
BBC studio in 1946
www.britain-magazine.com
THE BBC
This picture: Grade II listed
Broadcasting House in
London opened in 1932
Right: BBC newsreader
Angela Rippon pictured
in the 1970s
Our
FAVOURITE
AUNTIE
Ninety years after receiving its first royal charter, we celebrate
the entertaining and chequered history of one of the nation’s
best-loved institutions: the BBC?
WORDS STEVE PILL
T
he British Broadcasting Company,
as the BBC was originally called,
was founded on 18 October 1922.
The true beginnings of the
institution that millions of people around the
world know and love today came a few years
later, however, when King George V granted
the company a first royal charter and the
British Broadcasting Corporation was born.
Coming into effect on 1 January 1927,
the original charter noted that two million
people had already applied for licences to
receive radio broadcasts and acknowledged
the potential for the BBC as “a means of
education and entertainment”, adding that
it was “desirable that the service should
be developed and exploited to the best
advantage and in the national interest”.
In doing so, it helped ensure the
corporation would enjoy a unique place in
www.britain-magazine.com
radio and television history. That the BBC
was able to reach this point so early was
largely thanks to the pioneering vision of
its founding father, John Reith.
The son of a Scottish Presbyterian
minister, Reith had looked at both the Soviet
Union’s government-sponsored radio service
and the unregulated, advert-led stations that
operated in America, before deciding that a
more independent service was required, free
from commercial and political influence.
His solution was to implement a
10-shilling licence fee, payable at the local
post office, which ensured the BBC could
grow and develop without paying heed to
advertisers or parliament.
While the combination of charter and
licence fee gave the corporation a freedom to
pursue an instructive and wide-ranging list
of programmes, it also set a moralistic tone
BRITAIN
69
London’s Secret Garden
Visit the oldest botanic garden in London, located next
to the River Thames in the heart of Chelsea.
Explore this hidden gem and discover the many and
varied uses of plants in our lives.
Open from 28 January 2017
For full details visit www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
THE BBC
Top to bottom:
Alexandra Palace
as it is today;
King George V
prepares for a
radio broadcast; a
1954 recording of
Hancock's Half Hour
PHOTOS: © ROBERT CHRISTOPHER/ALAMY/S&G AND BARRATTS/EMPICS ARCHIVE
Above: Huts 6 and 3
celebrate VE Day.
Left: Benedict
Cumberbatch stars as
Alan Turing in 2014's
The Imitation Game
that would infuriate some detractors. Indeed,
the BBC is often referred to as ‘Auntie’, both
for its familiar, familial appeal and, less
flatteringly, for the impression that “Auntie
knows best” what listeners and viewers
want to hear or watch.
The implementation of Reith’s vision was
aided in that first decade by a number of
forward thinking and like-minded figures,
including Hilda Matheson, the BBC’s first
director of talks. At the time Matheson
was having an affair with the Bloomsbury
Group author Vita
Sackville-West and,
in a letter to her,
quoted in Charlotte
Higgins’ brilliant
book This New
Noise, she skewered
early on the
importance of this
fledgling medium. She wrote: “The thing
broadcasting does, or can do, its chief
claim to any virtue as far as the spoken word
is concerned, is that it provides not a
silent-printed word, a dead word if you like,
but a living and very personal contact with
an individual. The crucially affectionate link
that grows between listeners and
announcers, between listeners and regular
broadcasters… is something quite peculiar
to broadcasting.”
The 1930s was a decade of rapid
expansion and important firsts at the BBC.
At the turn of the decade, the BBC
Symphony Orchestra gave its first
performance, outside sports broadcasts
became a regular feature, and 25 December
1932 marked the first broadcast by a
monarch, when King George V gave a speech
scripted by the author Rudyard Kipling.
That same year saw the BBC move into
Broadcasting House, a Grade II listed Art
Deco building at the top of London’s Regent
Street that is still in
use today, as well as
the launch of the
international BBC
Empire Service, a
shortwave precursor
to the BBC World
Service that
broadcasted across
Europe in multiple languages as the Second
World War loomed. Today the World Service
is the world’s largest international
broadcaster, reaching an average of 210
million people every week in 29 languages,
including Persian, Vietnamese and Swahili.
The biggest development of the decade
came on 2 November 1936, when the BBC
made the first high-definition television
broadcast from London’s Alexandra Palace
(a building that survives today and makes
Everyone who pays for
a licence fee feels as if
they have a say in the
running of the corporation
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN
71
a great family destination,
with a boating lake, ice rink and
panoramic views of London).
While the broadcast would
only reach 20,000 homes in the
immediate, 35-mile catchment
area and early sets costs the
equivalent of a small car, this
was nevertheless the world’s first
regular TV service.
With moving pictures a luxury
enjoyed by precious few homes
across Britain, it was BBC’s radio
broadcasts that would continue
to entertain and reassure millions
of listeners throughout the onset
of the Second World War.
Even Winston Churchill, a
man who had virtually boycotted
the BBC during the 1930s,
warmed to the corporation
during the conflict when his
famous speech to the House of
Commons that ended with the phrase
“This was their finest hour” was
broadcast on 18 June 1940, a month
after he became Prime Minister.
Even by 1950, radio-only licences
outnumbered combined TV-and-radio
licences by 35 to one, but two
important broadcasts would soon
change this. On the 23 February 1950,
the results of the General Election,
which saw Winston Churchill become
the prime minister for a second stint,
were broadcast live from a makeshift
studio at Alexandra Palace and a live
feed from Trafalgar Square. The nightly
programme that was usually shutdown
by 10.30pm continued until 2.13am when
the last results had come in,
as engineers fretted about
transmitters exploding in the
process. The potential for such
broadcasts in the future was
tantalisingly revealed.
The second such televisual
event was the coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June
1953. It is estimated that
20 million people – around
two-fifths of the entire
population of Britain at that
time – tuned in to get a first
glimpse inside Westminster
Abbey. This would be the first
time that a TV audience
outstripped a radio one.
When the rival commercial
station ITV launched two years
later, the dawn of the golden era
72
BRITAIN
Top to bottom: TV show Doctor Who remains popular
around the world; Winston Churchill was famed for
his broadcasts; the Hollies on Top of the Pops in the 1960s
of British TV had well and truly
begun. As Tom Mills puts it in
his new book, The BBC: Myth
of a Public Service, the BBC
“was forced to innovate in order
to restore its audience share and
maintain its legitimacy”. The
corporation responded strongly
to the competition by launching
a number of programme formats
whose popularity would endure
for decades, including music
chart show Top of the Pops,
sci-fi drama Doctor Who and
Come Dancing, the forerunner
to 21st-century favourites
Strictly Come Dancing and
Dancing with the Stars.
Colour broadcasts began in
1967 on BBC2, just three years
after this new channel was
launched. Buoyed by the appeal
of live coverage of major events
such as the Olympic Games and the
1969 moon landings, there were 12
million colour TV licence holders
within 10 years of the launch.
Before the onset of cable and satellite
TV, audiences for the BBC’s biggest
shows in the 1970s would regularly
account for more than a third of the
British population with The
Morecambe and Wise Show or the
Queen’s Christmas speech enjoying
some 25 million viewers.
Today, 90 years after receiving its
royal charter, the future of the BBC
is a hotly contested topic in a world of
downloads, podcasts and video streaming,
not to mention increasing competition from
commercial stations both in the
UK and overseas. That the BBC
is funded by the populace means
that it must abide by a
constitution and everyone who
pays for a licence fee feels as if
they have a say in the running
of the corporation, resulting in
regular accusations of bias being
made from all sides of the
political spectrum.
Yet with an estimated global
audience of 308 million,
revenues exceeding £5 billion
and one in every 16 adults
around the world believed to use
the corporation’s news services,
our beloved Auntie remains
perhaps the single biggest
source of information and
entertainment in the world.
www.britain-magazine.com
PHOTOS: © POLLY THOMAS/PICTORIAL PRESS LTD/ALAMY/UIG VIA GETTY
THE BBC
Cotswold Tours
www.cotswold-tours.co.uk
info@cotswold-tours.co.uk
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN 73
COMPETITION
WIN A GREAT BRITISH HOLIDAY
Enter our competition for a chance to win the ultimate
luxury holiday in Britain for two including free flights
Luxury London
Our winners will enjoy two nights
at sophisticated Duke’s, a charming
luxury hotel in the heart of London’s
upmarket Mayfair. Set in a majestic
and historic building just five minutes
from Buckingham Palace, Duke’s also
boasts a legendary bar – frequented
by James Bond author Ian Fleming
and said to be the inspiration for the
classic line, “Shaken, not stirred”.
You will also be treated to dinner at
the hotel’s award-winning restaurant.
We will also treat you to a
wonderfully British afternoon tea at
The Capital in Knightsbridge. A short
step away from the world-famous
Harrods, this five-star hotel is the
epitome of true British style and taste.
Your London visit will also include a
pair of tickets to a West End show
and visits to iconic landmarks.
Small Luxury Hotels of the
World has more than 520
luxury boutique hotels and
resorts in over 80 countries.
Our winner will be treated to
a two-night stay at Duke’s, a
quintessentially English retreat
in historic St James, London,
and enjoy a seasonal, British
meal at award-winning Thirty
Six restaurant. www.slh.com
74
BRITAIN
Treasure Houses
Next it’s time for a trip to the
country to visit the Treasure Houses
of England, where you can admire
some of Britain’s most historic stately
homes such as Blenheim Palace,
birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill,
and moated Leeds Castle, and enjoy
a two-night stay as the special guest
of Classic British Hotels.
We’ll also whisk you off for two
nights to the lovely, medieval town
of Lavenham in Suffolk to stay at
the Swan Hotel, a luxury hotel in a
15th-century half-timbered building.
You’ll be treated to dinner in the AA
two rosette Gallery restaurant on one
of your evenings, as well as afternoon
tea on arrival.
For a true taste of British times
gone by we’ve also arranged for
Pullman-style dining tickets for a
Cathedrals Express steam train
journey, where the vintage
carriages, the sound of the engine’s
whistle and the smoke drifting past
the window evoke memories of a
bygone age of steam train travel.
This exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime
holiday may be taken at any time
between 1 August 2017 and 31
May 2018, subject to availability.
Our winner will receive a
Gold Pass, which entitles two
people to one visit each to the
10 Treasure Houses of England,
our nation’s most resplendent
historic homes, which also
include some of the most
important art collections in the
world, as well as fine furniture,
porcelain and china.
www.treasurehouses.co.uk
Our winner and his or her
guest will enjoy a luxury
two-night boutique break
courtesy of Classic British
Hotels, the official hotel partner
of the Treasure Houses of
England, which will include a
three-course dinner each
night and a full breakfast
on both mornings.
www.classicbritishhotels.com
The winner will enjoy
seats for two in a vintage
carriage, welcome glasses of
Champagne with breakfast or
brunch on the outward journey
and, on return, canapés and
appetizers before a four-course
meal, on a journey of their
choice from an extensive
2017-'18 itinerary.
www.steamdreams.co.uk
Pride of Britain is a collection of
50 independent hotels in some
of the most beautiful locations.
Our winner will be treated to
two-nights at the Swan Hotel
in Lavenham, with dinner one
night and afternoon tea on
arrival, as well as afternoon tea
at five-star hotel The Capital in
London's Knightsbridge.
www.prideofbritainhotels.com
PHOTOS: © NICKSMITHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM/WWW.VIVIDCLICKS.COM/DANIEL MARTIN
Our luxury holiday is the ultimate
way to visit the UK. Starting with free
international flights from your nearest
gateway city (for all overseas
entrants), the winner will enjoy the
holiday of a lifetime, giving them and
a partner the opportunity to take in
many of Britain’s iconic landmarks
while enjoying top-quality service.
COMPETITION
● Free international flights ● Two nights at Duke’s in Mayfair, London ● West End tickets ● Afternoon tea
● Free entry to stately homes ● Two nights at a Tudor hotel in Lavenham, Suffolk ● A steam train journey
Clockwise, from top left: The Swan
Hotel in Lavenham; Duke's hotel in
London’s upmarket Mayfair;
delightful Afternoon Tea at The
Capital in Knightsbridge, London;
travelling under steam with
Cathedrals Express; Hatfield House,
a Treasure House of England
HOW TO ENTER
For the chance to win this special holiday prize go to
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or fill in the coupon below with the answer to the question.
Question: What is address is the official residence of the
British Prime Minister?
a) 32 Windsor Gardens
b) 221b Baker Street
c) 10 Downing Street
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PROMOTION
Get back
ON TRACK
A brilliant new guidebook will help you explore the best of Wales by train
North Wales has been named as one of the top four
places to visit in 2017 by Lonely Planet and Visit Wales
is celebrating a Year of Legends, so what better time
than to plan a break in the principality?
Wales is a place rich in heritage, history and
culture, not to mention gorgeous rural landscapes.
Getting to see the full extent of the country may be
thought a little tricky, but now there is help at hand.
A new guidebook, published recently by the Great
Little Trains of Wales, in association with Arriva
Trains Wales, has been designed to help navigate
Wales by train with ease. So leave your car behind,
sit back and enjoy the scenery.
This Bradshaw’s-style guide helps you with travel,
accommodation, activities and more. You will find
features on the 11 world-famous Great Little Trains
of Wales (the ‘little trains’) and two of the great
scenic railway journeys of Britain (the ‘big trains’),
plus some traveller’s tales to whet your appetite
including BBC Antiques Roadshow's Paul Atterbury,
76
BRITAIN
who took a few days out to explore some of the
delights of Snowdonia by train.
“We are very pleased indeed to be working
closely with GLTW and Arriva Trains Wales to
promote this excellent venture,” says Clare Britton,
the chair of North Wales Tourism. “It is great to
see all the railways working together and we are
impressed to see the guide out this summer so the
tourism businesses in Wales can benefit this year.
We, at North Wales Tourism, firmly believe that
joint working and bringing related products
together to make planning easier for visitors is the
way forward for a stronger tourism offer in Wales.”
www.gonorthwales.co.uk
The Big Train Meets Little Train project has been
funded by the Department for Transport is
attracting much acclaim. Obtain your guide by
emailing GLTW@ffwhr.com with your name and
address, or simply visit the new interactive website
at www.bigtrainlittletrain.com which has even
more information, visitors tips
and includes two more of
Wales’ scenic railways.
We look forward to
welcoming you aboard.
exploring on the Great
Little Trains of Wales
8 Travelling from abroad?
Ffestiniog Travel are experts
in the railway travel business
and delighted to assist you
with your plans. For more
information please visit
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www.britain-magazine.com
day trips
PHOTO: © ROBERTHARDING/ALAMY
Kirkcudbright has
been attracting
artists for a century
K IRKCUDBRIGHT
W
ith its pastel painted houses,
medieval closes, busy
harbour and ruined castle
looming over the town, it’s
easy to see why Kirkcudbright (pronounced
kir-coo-bree) on the southern Scottish coast
has drawn painters for a century or more.
Dubbed the artists’ town, this day trip
destination is set amid glorious countryside
where magnificent red kites soar.
Named after an 8th-century church – the
Kirk of Cuthbert, in honour of the Saxon
saint – Kirkcudbright has been an important
port on the estuary of the River Dee for
centuries. The Lords of Galloway built a
powerful base here, and the medieval walled
town thrived and traded from its natural
harbour: fleets of small vessels sailed from
here, and a Franciscan friary once stood on
the shore. Signs of the old Meikle Yett, or
‘great gate’, still stand on the High Street.
www.britain-magazine.com
Scotland’s artists’ town was a
favourite of Robert Burns and
remains packed with history,
heritage and charm today
WORDS CAROL DAVIS
The Stewartry Museum traces the town’s
history (and the eastern half of Galloway)
through artefacts such as the silver gun given
to the town by King James VI in 1587 to
encourage shooting prowess, thought to be
the world’s oldest sporting trophy.
By the end of the 16th century, the town
was dominated by MacLellan’s Castle, a
ruinous pile that is today curated by Historic
Scotland. Visitors can edge into the evocative
kitchen where hams and fish were once
smoked. Climb the vast stairs and peer into
the laird’s lug – or “lord’s ear” – a snug
behind the fireplace in which the laird or his
steward could eavesdrop on the conversation
of diners through a concealed hole.
On the unique L-shaped High Street, the
tolbooth was completed in 1629 and acted as
court house, council meeting place and
prison: wrongdoers were chained to the
outside of the building in iron collars that
still hang there today. These stout walls also
became the prison of the unfortunate Elspeth
McEwen, who was burned as a witch after
apparently magically interfering with
neighbours’ cows and hens. Detailed
accounts of the costs of her execution are
chilling, including the provision of “ane pint
of aill” (or “a pint of ale”) to be drunk by
her executioner, William Kirk, while she
burned. These grim cells also imprisoned
John Paul Jones, the local lad who is lauded
as the ‘Father of the American Navy’ for
BRITAIN
77
DAY TRIPS
For more
ideas for days
out around the UK
visit www.britainmagazine.com
PHOTOS: © PAUL TOMKINS/VISITSCOTLAND/ANTONIA REEVE
Typical Cotswolds buildings
at Cecily Hill, the entrance
to Cirencester Park
Below: Roman mosaic
at the Corinium Museum
Clockwise, from this
image: The Japanese
gardens at Broughton
House; the house is
now managed by
The National Trust for
Scotland; the town’s
working harbour
his exploits during the American War of
Independence, yet remembered in Britain as
a pirate. His daring attempt to kidnap the
Earl of Selkirk was foiled because the earl
was away – instead he stole the family’s silver
plate, returning it some years later.
Other colourful characters from local
history include Billy Marshall, the ‘Gypsy
King’, an Ayrshire-born man of Romani
descent whose carved horn cups can still be
seen in the Stewartry Museum. Legend has it
that Marshall married 17 times and finally
died in 1792 at the age of 120. His gravestone
in St Cuthbert’s Kirk Yard is covered in coins
supposed to bring good fortune.
The wonderful light and natural beauty
of the area drew artists to the town, most
notably Edward Atkinson Hornel who was
a prominent member of The Glasgow Boys,
a group of late 19th-century painters who
injected fresh life into Scottish art. The
National Trust for Scotland now maintains
Broughton House, his grand Kirkcudbright
home with its wonderful Japanese-inspired
gardens. Packed with artwork, the top-floor
gallery in particular is a vivid tribute to the
78
BRITAIN
man and his work. Hornel’s influence
has drawn artists in hordes: the closes
surrounding his former home are packed
with artists, illustrators and sculptors. They
display their work in quirky little galleries
and independent shops around the town, and
in the Harbour Cottage Gallery. So many
had sketched and painted this historic
18th-century building that, when it was
threatened with demolition, artists mounted
a campaign to save it as a gallery space.
It stands just yards from the quay where
fisherman haul ashore huge catches everyday
– Kirkcudbright is the country’s largest
source of scallops. Try them at the Castle
Street Bistro or the Selkirk Arms Hotel,
where king scallops are served on a shell
with samphire and brown shrimps. This
elegant hotel dates back to the 18th century
and it was while staying here in 1794 that
Robert Burns composed his famous ‘Selkirk
Grace’ – the Scottish poet was a frequent
visitor to Kirkcudbright, arriving in his role
as excise man. Staff are happy to point out
Burns’ old room, while diners who peruse the
mouth-watering menus over a chilled glass of
wine can glance up to read the ‘Selkirk
Grace’: “Some hae meat and canna eat, and
some wad eat that want it, but we hae meat
and we can eat, sae let the Lord be thankit.”
A day trip to Kirkcudbright is never long
enough, with so much to explore and
wonderful beach walks too. Small wonder
then so many, like Robert Burns himself,
are keen to return again and again.
THE PLANNER
GETTING THERE
By train: The nearest railway station is Dumfries or
Lockerbie, with regular buses. www.travelinescotland.com
WHERE TO STAY
Fludha is the area’s only five-star accommodation
with a riverbank stroll into town. www.fludha.com
The Selkirk Arms Hotel has fine dining in comfortable
surroundings on the historic High Street.
www.selkirkarmshotel.co.uk
i
FURTHER INFORMATION
www.kirkcudbright.co.uk
www.britain-magazine.com

LKIHRO KT E LARMS
E
S

GOOD FOOD, REAL ALES AND DELIGHTFUL ROOMS IN KIRKCUDBRIGHT
WINTER BREAKS
3 NIGHTS FROM £120PP*
INCLUSIVE OF FULL SCOTTISH BREAKFAST
Guided & Self Guided Walking Holidays.
A family run company now in our 35th season.
View our 2017 schedule of walks online.
HOME TO UNSPOILT COASTAL WALKS,
COSY FIRES AND UNIQUE ART GALLERIES
BOOK DIRECT ON 01557 330402
*Subject to availability. January & February booking only.
www.selkirkarmshotel.co.uk
The Selkirk Arms Hotel, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway DG6 4JG
langford
fivehead
Olly and Rebecca invite you to join them at
Langford Fivehead for unpretentious wellcooked food in a classic country house
environment.
‘Fresh, friendly countryhouse dining, with skill, enthusiasm
and an innate sense of hospitality’
Langford Fivehead hosts an elegant
drawing room for evening drinks, a
beautiful garden for games and picnics,
and 6 unique bedrooms where you can
relax in total tranquillity.
Waitrose Good Food Guide 2016
Cooking score 6
This quintessentially English restaurant and
rooms is set in 7-acres of well-tended
grounds, and located in the hamlet of Lower
Swell; between Swell and Fivehead, just 6
miles from Langport and 10 miles from Jct
25 M5, Taunton, Somerset, UK
Restaurant and Rooms
Fivehead - TA3 6PH
01460 282020
rebecca@thelangford.co
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN 79
stately homes
A
t first glance, Wortley Hall looks like many
another stately home: a grand 18th-century
sandstone building surrounded by 26 acres
of landscaped gardens and woodland.
Walk through the doors to the hall, however, and
things are not quite as one might expect.
The wings are named after socialist heroes such
as Keir Hardie, the first Labour member of the UK
Parliament. On the corridor walls hang posters
advertising “The Gathering Of the Unions” or
declaring “Unions Still Fighting!” In the hallway, the
conventional Yorkshire tourism brochures sit beside
copies of Building Worker, the magazine for the
construction union UCATT. Not for nothing is
Wortley Hall known as the ‘Workers’ Stately Home’
– as it quickly becomes apparent, this is perhaps
Britain’s most left-wing country estate.
It wasn’t always this way, of course. Situated in
the South Yorkshire village of Wortley, the hall was
once the ancestral home of the Earls of Wharncliffe –
the Lords of the Manor of Wortley. This association
dates back as far as the 12th century, with Alnus de
Wortley named in the Pipe Rolls (a sort of medieval
financial record) of 1165. Thomas Wortley, born in
1440, was registered as living in a manor that was
thought to be the original Wortley Hall.
PHOTO: © BARRY MORGAN/ALAMY
Not for nothing is Wortley Hall
known as the ‘Workers’ Stately
Home’ – this is perhaps Britain’s
most left-wing country estate
The hall was rebuilt in 1586 by Sir Richard Wortley
and eventually fell into disrepair in the 18th century
until Edward Wortley commissioned its rebuilding in
1800, and further extensions and repairs were made
to the building during the Victorian era.
The Wortley family lived here until the Second
World War when the estate was commandeered by
the British Army and later served as a base for a unit
of US servicemen. The military were not the most
careful of tenants and Wortley Hall once again fell
into disrepair. Indeed, you can still see the odd bullet
mark on the wall by the main entrance, the result of
the soldiers taking pot shots at the building.
After the Second World War, the family – like so
many aristocrats of that time – were unable to afford
the refurbishment and upkeep of the hall and so
Wortley Hall remained empty.
In 1949, Albert Vincent Williams, known as
Vin, spotted an article in the local press. The paper
reported that the 3rd Earl of Wharncliffe – Archibald
Ralph Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie – was
considering offering a short-term lease on his
80
BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
STATELY HOMES
Champagne
SOCIALISM
A private estate turned ’Workers’ Stately
Home’, Yorkshire’s Wortley Hall is a
fascinating clash between upper-class
privilege and socialist principles
WORDS NATALIE MARCHANT
www.britain-magazine.com
BRITAIN
81
La Sablonnerie
La Sablonnerie
First established in 1948, La Sablonnerie retains the characteristics
of an old farmhouse built some 400 years ago and is situated on the
lovely
island of Sark
in theLa
Channel
Islandsretains the characteristics
First established
in 1948,
Sablonnerie
of an old farmhouse built some 400 years ago and is situated on the
the highly coveted award from Condé
La Sablonnerie
is aSark
hotel in
of rare
lovely
island of
the quality
Channel Islands
situated in the southern part of Sark,
and is owned and managed by Elizabeth
La
Sablonnerie
a hotel of rare quality
Perrée.
Guests is
return-year-after-year
to
situated
in
the
southern
partisland
of Sark,
recapture the beauty of the
and to
and
owned
and managed
by Elizabeth
enjoyisthe
excellent
cuisine, and
the cosy
Perrée.
Guests
return-year-after-year
and friendly atmosphere that the hotelto
recapture
radiates.. the beauty of the island and to
enjoy
the excellent
cuisine,
thesea,
cosy
Of course
being so
close and
to the
and
friendly atmosphere that the hotel
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radiates..
lobsters are popular specialities. La
Of course has
being
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been
featured
by sea,
the
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‘Which?’ hotel guide as ‘The place to stay
lobsters
are popular
specialities.
in the Channel
Islands’,
and also La
received
Sablonnerie has been featured by the
‘Which?’ hotel guide as ‘The place to stay
Little Sark
- Ideal
Honeymoon
Destination
in the
Channel
Islands’, and
also received
Little Sark - Ideal Honeymoon Destination
Nast Johansen - ‘Small Hotel of the Year’.
Needless to say, you have to visit us to
the
highly coveted award from Condé
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about.Johansen - ‘Small Hotel of the Year’.
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gorgeous
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haven
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for lovers of peace and tranquillity;
about.
how could one not enjoy this amazing
Nestledeven
in gorgeous
gardens,
a haven
paradise,
if you just
arrive for
one
for
lovers
of
peace
and
tranquillity;
of our glorious cream teas or a Lobster
how
not enjoy this amazing
Saladcould
in theone
garden.
paradise,
even
if
you just arrive
for one
Sark offers exceptional
star-gazing
of
our
glorious
cream
teas
or
a
Lobster
due to its lack of light pollution and La
Salad
in the garden.
Sablonnerie
is the ideal place to enjoy it..
Sark offers exceptional star-gazing
due to its lack of light pollution and La
Sablonnerie is the ideal place to enjoy it..
The hotel has been extended and
discreetly modernised to provide 22
rooms, each individual in style and décor,
The hotel
has beenHoneymoon
extended and
including
a delightful
Suite.
discreetly
modernised
provide excellent
22
We provide
immaculatetocomfort,
rooms,
each
individual
in style and
décor,
food and
service,
and courteous
staff.
including a delightful Honeymoon Suite.
We provide immaculate comfort, excellent
reservations@sablonneriesark.com
food and service,
and courteous staff.
reservations@sablonneriesark.com
This delightful hotel and tea garden on the beautiful island of Sark promises you a truly magical stay. The hotel is a restored 16th-century
farmhouse and has 22 individually-designed rooms and suites full of rustic charm, plus cosy public rooms and beautiful gardens. La Sablonnerie
is noted throughout the Channel Islands for its excellent cuisine. Enjoy a delicious gourmet lunch or superb Sark cream tea – or dine romantically
delightful
E\FDQGOHOLJKW/D6DEORQQHULHLVOLNH6DUNLWVHOI±VPDOOIULHQGO\DQGXWWHUO\HQFKDQWLQJ&RPHDQG¿QGRXWIRU\RXUVHOI
2 This
OCEAN
VIEWhotel and tea garden on the beautiful island of Sark promises you a truly magical stay. The hotel is a restored 16th-century
farmhouse and has 22 individually-designed rooms and suites full of rustic charm, plus cosy public rooms and beautiful gardens. La Sablonnerie
further details
and reservations
call
Elizabeth
Perrée
on (01481)
832061
or Fax
(01481)
832408
www.sablonneriesark.com
is notedFor
throughout
the Channel
Islands for its
excellent
cuisine.
Enjoy
a delicious
gourmet
lunch
or superb
Sark
cream tea – or dine romantically
Don’t
leave the Channel Islands without visiting Sark and Little Sark. ‘It will be an experience that will live with you forever’.
E\FDQGOHOLJKW/D6DEORQQHULHLVOLNH6DUNLWVHOI±VPDOOIULHQGO\DQGXWWHUO\HQFKDQWLQJ&RPHDQG¿QGRXWIRU\RXUVHOI
2 OCEAN
VIEW
For further details and reservations call Elizabeth Perrée on (01481) 832061 or Fax (01481) 832408 www.sablonneriesark.com
Don’t leave the Channel Islands without visiting Sark and Little Sark. ‘It will be an experience that will live with you forever’.
PHOTO: © JAMES CLARK PHOTOGRAPHY
For more
stories about
British stately homes,
visit www.britainmagazine.com/
statelyhomes
ancestral home. Williams
was a lecturer with the National
Council of Labour Colleges (NCLC)
and saw it as a fairytale opportunity
to open an education and recreation
centre for members of trade unions,
the Labour Party and those in the
co-operative movement. Indeed, this
sentiment is still echoed on a plaque in
the Firefighters’ Brigade Union (FBU)
Dining Room: “Knowledge is power
and knowledge in the minds of
working men and women is power
in the hands of those who will change
the world.”
Williams had got to know many
of the senior union members in his
district through his work with the
National Council of Labour Colleges.
So when he approached the district
committee of the Amalgamated
Engineering Union (AEU), he found
it supportive of his idea. The AEU
sent representatives Alf Hague and
Mick Shaw to see Wortley Hall for
themselves. The pair took a bus to
Wortley village, walked down the
weed-covered drive and found the
building boarded up.
Climbing in through a broken
window, the pair entered what once
was the family’s dining room. After
exploring the pitch-black building
using light from matches they
reported back favourably.
The 3rd Earl of Wharncliffe was
unable to sell the property due to an
entailment in his father’s will, a common tactic
used by the aristocracy to prevent a rash sale of the
ancestral home by their young heirs, and agreed a
short-term lease. The estate only asked for £50 in rent
for the first year due to the state of the hall, followed
by £500 per annum for 14 years. The tenants would
then be given the first say on a new seven-year lease
when the original expired. Williams outlined his vision
for Wortley Hall at a pivotal meeting in 1950, and it
was at this gathering that a key principle about
ownership was laid down.
It is a concept still very much in evidence today.
Wortley Hall was to be a co-operative belonging to all
its members, with equal voting rights regardless of
how many shares an individual or organisation held.
Members also had to either belong to a union affiliated
to the Trade Union Congress, or be a member of the
Labour Party or a co-operative society, guild or party.
Wortley Hall was formally opened on 5 May 1951
after a refurbishment, which came thanks in large part
www.britain-magazine.com
stately homes
Above: The restored ceiling in
the Foundry Dining Room
Previous page: Wortley Hall’s
stately exterior belies it
modern-day function
to an army of local volunteers. Its use as an
educational and holiday centre proved successful
and, by the end of the seven-year lease, the
management committee approached the 4th Earl
of Wharncliffe, whose father had died in 1953.
They struck a deal to buy the hall for £10,000 and,
on 26 October 1959, Wortley Hall officially became
the ‘Workers’ Stately Home’.
Wortley Hall is now largely run as a hotel – albeit
one classed as a conference and events centre – and
is open to the public. It is still regularly used for events
and training by organisations such as the GMB trade
union, the FBU and others. It remains a non-profit
Today, Wortley Hall remains a non-profit,
co-operative and any surplus funds are used on
the upkeep and refurbishment of the property
BRITAIN
83
DID YOU KNOW?
When Wortley Hall was rebuilt in 1800, the 1st Baron
Wharncliffe, James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie and
his new wife Lady Elizabeth Caroline Mary Crichton were all set
to move into this plush south Yorkshire pile. However, the
couple’s plans were put on hold when it became apparent that
the architect had omitted to include a staircase in his designs.
84
BRITAIN
Clockwise, from above: The
grounds are full of surprises;
the family motto on the FBU
Dining Room ceiling; one of
the historic rooms; a union
logo decorates the building
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PHOTOS: © JAMES CL ARK PHOTOGR APHY/IAN PARKER
co-operative and any surplus funds are used on the
upkeep and refurbishment of the property. And, by
doing so, the venue continues to live up to its founding
principles, while also painstakingly preserving the
original architectural beauty of the building.
It is this perhaps the inherent contradiction of a
‘Workers’ Stately Home’ that makes the hall so
fascinating. As local history enthusiast Paul Lafferty
explains, “There is a contrast between socialism on
one hand, landed gentry on the other.” What is now
the boardroom was once Lady Wharncliffe’s sitting
room. It was renovated by the Amicus trade union in
2005, when the wooden wall panelling and ornate
ceiling were renovated. Next door is the Sylvia
Pankhurst Library, named after the famous suffragette
and now home to a collection of socialist books.
The family’s sitting room is now the AEU Lounge,
with glass doors leading straight out to the gardens.
As elsewhere in the house, the lounge was redecorated
after full consultation with English Heritage to
maintain its period style and colours.
One of the grandest rooms is the FBU Dining
Room, where Hague and Shaw climbed in through
the window more than six decades ago. The Wortley
family motto on the ceiling (Avito Viret Honore or
“Flourish through ancestral honour”) may have been
fully restored, but a marble column still bears water
damage attesting to the building’s years of neglect.
However the most spectacular room is undeniably
the Foundry Dining Room, named after the
Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers who
adopted it in 1955. Once the family’s salon and home
to a full-size billiard table, the ornately painted ceiling
was carefully restored by a local shareholder in 1960.
Also painstakingly revamped are the ornamental
gardens, which date back to the 1800s. Among the
curiosities contained within is a fossilised tree stump
– thought to have been dug out of a local mine and
hundreds of millions of years olds – an ice house, and
a grave of three family pets, which are all dated 1907.
The Walled Garden served the family kitchen from
1797, and continues to produce fresh fruit and
vegetables to this day.
As for the Wortleys themselves, their direct
connection to the hall ended when it was sold in 1959.
Indeed, when the 4th Earl died in 1987 without a male
heir, the title passed to a distant relative in the United
States. Nevertheless the family retains much of the
land surrounding Wortley Hall and in the nearby
village that still bears their name. So while the
Workers’ Stately Home still thrives, the contrast
between landed gentry and socialist principles remain
in evidence, ensuring that this a truly fascinating and
unique place to visit.
VISIT THE WING
The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent provides
a fascinating, hands-on introduction to the heroism and sacrifice
displayed by the Few, the men of the RAF who protected this
country from invasion in 1940.
Housed in a building that reflects the iconic wing shape of R J
Mitchell’s Spitfire, one of the two aircraft most closely associated
with the Battle of Britain, The Scramble Experience has proved a
massive hit with visitors since it opened in 2015.
The new Wing visitor centre is home to The Scramble Experience,
an immersive, audio-visual extravaganza that explains how the
Few were able to repel the Luftwaffe and turn the tide of the war.
The tranquil site on Kent’s famous white cliffs also includes the
National Memorial to the Few, the Christopher Foxley-Norris
Memorial Wall and a replica Hurricane and Spitfire, as well as a
café and gift shop.
KENT’S BATTLE OF BRITAIN EXPERIENCE
For enquiries telephone 01303 249292
email enquiries@battleofbritainmemorial.org
For up-to-date opening times, group rates and much more information
– see www.battleofbritainmemorial.org
Visit us at CT18 7JJ – on the B2011 just outside Folkestone.
The Vikings Return to York...
33rd
20th to 26th February 2017
Over 100 Norse-themed events for all the
family to enjoy during February Half Term.
Discover the full programme
www.jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk
#JVF17
JORVIK Viking Festival is managed by York Archaeological Trust
a registered charity in England & Wales (No. 509060) and Scotland (SCO42846).
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BRITAIN 85
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Escape for a short
break to the historic
city of Canterbury
Canterbury is home to a captivating
mix of history, culture and
architecture. Easily explored on foot,
the city offers plenty of surprises.
Winding lanes and cobbled streets
enrich the imagination and transport
visitors back to another age.
Fifteen minutes from the city are
the seaside towns of Whitstable and
Herne Bay – two vibrant places that
have been rejuvenated in the past
decade and now have significant
charms of their own – enjoy
traditional fish and chips at the
seafront in Herne Bay and indulge
yourself in Whitstable’s independent
stores and bistros.
For more information
phone the Visitor Centre
on +44 (0) 1227 862 162
www.canterbury.co.uk
86 BRITAIN
www.britain-magazine.com
CANTERBURY
The cathedral city is the home of the Church
of England and a picturesque destination for
tourists with a passion for history
© IVAN VDOVIN/AWL IMAGES
WORDS STEVE PILL
The best
places to eat,
stay, shop
and visit
city guide
SPECTACULAR VIEWS
OF THE CITY FROM THE
BATTLEMENTS AT THE TOP
OF THE GRADE I LISTED WESTGATE
DON'T
MISS
F
Clockwise,
from below:
Stained glass at the
cathedral; Christ
Church Gate;
punting on the
Stour in front of
Westgate Tower
and the Guildhall;
Rupert Bear at the
Heritage Museum;
a view of the city;
the Old Weavers’
Restaurant sits on
the Great Stour
Page 87: Canterbury
cathedral's vaulting
Bell Harry Tower
88
BRITAIN
or anyone visiting from the vast
urban metropolises of America, Asia
or the Middle East, the very notion of
Canterbury being a “city” must seem faintly
ridiculous. Aside from the cathedral, which
dominates life in this picturesque corner of
Kent, there is scarcely another building that
rises above three storeys and you are more
likely to drive down a cobbled street than you
are a three-lane motorway.
Canterbury has been a significant
settlement since the Roman times, when it
was known as Durovernum Cantiacorum,
yet it was the murder of the Archbishop
Thomas Becket in the cathedral in 1170 that
truly sealed its reputation. Miracles were said
to take place on the site soon afterwards,
ensuring a constant stream of pilgrims ever
since. Today the city thrives through a mix
of historic attractions for tourists and an
excellent quality of life for residents.
Arrive by train into either Canterbury
East or West stations (confusingly arranged
almost exactly on a north-south axis) and you
can’t reach the city centre without first being
distracted by beautiful, landscaped parks: the
Westgate Gardens river walk from the west
or Dane John Gardens, a 12th-century green
space in the shadow of the city walls, from
the east. Also worth a look is the adjacent
Canterbury Castle, a former royal residence.
At the heart of the city lies the cathedral,
part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with
St Martin’s Church and St Augustine’s Abbey,
and one of the most significant religious
sites in Britain. As well as the martyrdom
of Thomas Becket attracting pilgrims, the
Archbishop of Canterbury has also been the
nominal head of the Church of England since
1353. The incumbent, Justin Welby, has
lodgings in the cathedral’s Old Palace. Entering
via Christ Church Gate, the building itself
inspires awe in even the most committed
atheist. The vaulting nave is particularly
impressive; the parallel lines of the 14th-century
Gothic space reaching heavenwards while
bathed in soft light from the south-facing
windows. Ascend the stairs to the Quire for a
striking view back on the congregation.
Beyond this is the Trinity Chapel. A single
candle permanently burns in the middle of
the stone floor to mark the site of the shrine
of St Thomas of Canterbury, destroyed in
1538 by order of King Henry VIII. At the
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CITY GUIDE
CUT-OUT-AND-GO GUIDE: CANTERBURY
GETTING THERE
Canterbury is a 65-mile drive from
London Gatwick airport. Direct trains run
from three London stations to Canterbury
East and West, with the shortest journey
being London St Pancras International to
Canterbury West in just under an hour.
www.nationalrail.co.uk
PHOTOS: © TRAVEL PICTURES LTD/ROBERT HARDING/LOOK DIE BILDAGENTUR DER FOTOGRAFEN GMBH/MAURICE CROOKS/ALAMY/VISITBRITAIN/ROD EDWARDS/STEVE PILL ILLUSTRATION: © MICHAEL HILL
WHERE TO STAY
www.britain-magazine.com
The Canterbury Cathedral Lodge
allows you to wake up to unprecedented
views of the building, as well as offering
exclusive access to the grounds after hours.
The accommodation itself is fresh and
modern, with comfy beds, cheery staff
and a tasty buffet breakfast.
www.canterburycathedrallodge.org
Built in 1503, the Sun Hotel counts Charles
Dickens among its former guests. Leaded
Elizabethan windows and four-poster beds
add to the period charms.
www.sunhotel-canterbury.co.uk
This charming three-star bed-and-breakfast
is housed in a 16th-century Tudor building
just five minutes from the cathedral.
www.tudorhousecanterbury.co.uk
WHERE TO EAT
Set in a rickety 17th-century building
that is reputedly haunted, this quaint café
specialises in afternoon and high teas, with
more than 30 varieties of brew available.
www.tinytimstearoom.co.uk
Local, seasonal ingredients are the order of
the day at Deeson’s British Restaurant with
Stour Valley pigeon, Kentish blue cheese
and Godmersham venison all featured on a
menu that also has a British tapas section for
sharing. www.deesonsrestaurant.co.uk
Two branches of Pork & Co on Sun Street
cater for takeaway or sit-down eating.
Served in a toasted sandwich, the 14-hour
slow-roasted pulled pork melts in the mouth.
www.porkandco.co.uk
The English Restaurant at the Pilgrims Hotel
serves favourites such as Lancashire hotpot
and cottage pie. www.pilgrimshotel.com
BRITAIN
89
CITY GUIDE
CUT-OUT-AND-GO GUIDE: CANTERBURY
n BUY fresh local produce and deli treats
from The Goods Shed, a farmers’ market and
food hall (left). Try the slow-proven bread from
Enzo’s bakery. www.thegoodsshed.co.uk
THE RUPERT BEAR ROOM
AT THE HERITAGE MUSEUM,
DEDICATED TO CANTERBURY
ILLUSTRATOR MARY TOURTEL’S
FAMOUS CHILDREN’S CHARACTER
DON'T
MISS
guided tour from the Cambridge Punting
Company. www.canterburypunting.co.uk
n ESCAPE the city with a chauffeur-driven
sightseeing tour of rural Kent with Tours
of the Realm. Jane Martin creates bespoke
trips for small groups, taking in cultural and
historical sites across the county.
www.toursoftherealm.com
DID YOU KNOW?
A Protestant
service in French is
held every Sunday
at 3pm at the Black
Prince’s Chantry
in the crypt of the
Cathedral. It was
first held in 1570.
n SPOOK yourself with a Canterbury Ghost
Tour. Tread the cobbled streets after dark
every Friday or Saturday to discover ghoulish
tales about Charles Dickens and more.
www.canterburyghosttour.com
n VISIT Beaney House of Art & Knowledge
(left) for gallery exhibitions and local history.
www.canterburymuseums.co.uk/beaney
n LEARN about the Tudors and Stuarts from
a host of guest speakers at the Canterbury
History Weekend (31 March to 2 April 2017).
www.canterbury.ac.uk/tudors-stuarts
Read more
Live like
a local
Martin Crowther,
Community
Engagement Manager,
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Before the Normans by David
Birmingham (Palatine Books, £8.99)
The Architecture of Canterbury Cathedral
by Jonathan Foyle (Scala, £25)
90
BRITAIN
“We’ve got three boys, so we go to the
family-friendly places. One place we tend to
pop into is Café St Pierre on St Peters Street.
The staff are just so friendly and they do a
nice selection of pastries.
“Greyfriars Garden is a real oasis of quiet
in the middle of the city – you can find a
hidden entrance to it on Stour Street. There’s
this beautiful wild flower meadow and one
surviving building from the medieval friary.
Lots of people go for picnics.
“Ye Olde Beverlie is a nice pub where you
can experience a local Kent game called Bat
and Trap. There’s a set of goalposts and a
seesaw and a wooden bat and ball. You have
to launch the ball in the air and hit it between
the posts. I think the earliest recorded
instance of the game was in the 1600s.”
www.canterbury-cathedral.org
Above: A warning to
potential clientele
at the Bell & Crown
pub on Palace Street
back is The Chapel of Saints and Martyrs of
Our Own Time, a space celebrating recent
men and women who have devoted their
lives to Christianity. Directly beneath the chapel
is the crypt, a space for prayer and reflection.
Away from the cathedral, Canterbury has
made peace with the modern world, allowing
tasteful progress – in the form of the new
Marlowe Theatre, redeveloped five years ago
for £25.6 million, and the popular Whitefriars
Shopping Centre – while celebrating its rich
history at every possible opportunity. Step
into the basement of Waterstones bookshop
on St Margaret’s Street, for example, and you
can see the remains of 2nd-century Roman
baths encased behind glass.
Descend the stairs of the nearby Roman
Museum meanwhile and a timeline on the
wall encourages you to step back some 1,800
years from the present day. Once downstairs,
the undoubted highlight is the remains of an
entire Roman town house, complete with
ornate mosaics, preserved behind glass walls.
The nearby Canterbury Heritage Museum
picks up the city’s history after Roman times,
with the highlights including the 1,150-year-old
Canterbury Cross, an important symbol of
the Anglican church, and a 16-metre frieze
about the life and death of Thomas Becket,
which has been painted in the style of the
Bayeux Tapestry by Oliver Postgate – a man
better known in the UK as the creator of
children’s TV classic Bagpuss.
To truly experience Canterbury's history,
however, one need only walk down the
High Street. Here the 12th-century Pilgrims’
Hospital remains open to visitors, chain stores
are housed in beautiful Tudor buildings, and
a newly unveiled statue of Geoffrey Chaucer
celebrates the Canterbury Tales author.
The jewel in the High Street crown is
the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge,
the legacy of James George Beaney, a
Canterbury-born grocer’s assistant turned
doctor who bequeathed £10,000 to the city
council. Behind the ornate façade, you can
brush up on local history in the smart modern
library, wander the various museum exhibits
(including some impressive taxidermy) and
enjoy a gallery dedicated to local Victorian
painter Thomas Sidney Cooper. Much like a
microcosm of Canterbury itself, the Beaney is
eccentric, historic and endlessly fascinating.
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PHOTOS: STEVE PILL
n DISCOVER the history of the city with a
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The Bed & Breakfast Nationwide brochure,
the Little Green Book, is a
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more than 500 inspected,
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Albro House Hotel
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155 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, London W2 2RY
Tel: +44 (0)20 7724 2931 / +44 (0)20 7706 8153 Fax: +44 (0)20 7262 2278
E-mail: joe@albrohotel.freeserve.co.uk
Website: www.albrohotel.co.uk
Located near Hyde Park, public transport and convenient for sightseeing and shopping.
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£34 to £48
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A GOOD VALUE HOTEL IN CENTRAL LONDON
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places to stay – BRITAIN’S CHOICE
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isure Club
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HEART of LONDON
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BRITAIN’S CHOICE – favourite destinations to explore
UK CAR RENTAL
from only
£99.00 per week
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Come and see the willow industry … from the Withy Bed
to the Basket at the Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre …
The Centre is owned and run by the Coate
family, who have been growing willow on
the Somerset Levels since 1819. Visitors
will find a warm welcome and are invited
to learn about the history and art of willow
growing and basketmaking.
Car shown here is the new 2017 VW Golf.
This car is in our Group4 / CDMR category 7 days from only £139.00
•
•
•
•
•
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You will find a wonderful selection of
basketware to buy, handcrafted from
Coate’s own willow, by their team of
skilled basketmakers.
Tel: 01823 490249 | Email: info@coatesenglishwillow.co.uk
Web: www.coatesenglishwillow.co.uk
Free second driver on all rentals
Free “Meet & Greet” at most UK Airports
Delivery to your hotel or contact address
Unlimited mileage on all rentals
One-way rentals and overseas travel available
Locations throughout the UK
Family run business established in 1995
Telephone: +44 (0)208 764 6490
Fax: +44 (0)208 679 6869
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Coates English Willow, Meare Green Court, Stoke St Gregory,
Taunton, Somerset TA3 6HY
Visitor Centre Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Closed Sun
Room hire at St James’s Church, Piccadilly:
reasonably priced space for hire in the heart of the West End
Y lle perffaith
ar gyfer...
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Flexible meeting, conference and rehearsal
space at a central London West End Venue
The perfect place for...
Ghost tours
Lunches & Dinners
Cream Teas
History brought
vividly to life
01443 412248 • www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk
We have two basement rooms that offer three room options as
our two rooms open out into one larger space, making it perfect
for larger events.
Banbury Photography
•
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Our facilities are ideal for auditions, rehearsals, meetings,
seminars, presentations, workshops and press launches.
For all enquiries about room hire and to arrange a viewing
please contact Jenny Walpole of our Verger Team on
020 7292 4861 or roomhire@sjp.org.uk
To book space call Natasha +44 (0)207 349 3732
BRITAIN’S CHOICE – take a tour and make the most of your holiday
Never A Wasted Journey:
beyond the normal...
WALKING HOLIDAYS IN
WALES
Explore the spectacular scenery, history and wildlife
of the Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Coasts
Daily guided walks with Welsh speaking guide.
Full-board with home-cooked food and wine,
log fires, croquet, coracling.
Relaxed house-party atmosphere.
7, 6 or 4 night breaks. Singles, couples & groups
all welcome.
Short breaks also available in the Brecon Beacons.
‘Never a Wasted Journey’ is a niche travel consultancy
specialising in luxury tailor-made holidays
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Richard: +44 (0)1873 810970
Reservations@neverawastedjourney.com
+44 (0) 1245 469 771
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THE INDEPENDENT
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Established 1980
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Walk Britain with
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Customised walking trips
NEW 2017 brochure available now
+44 (0) 1747 820 626
enquire@foottrails.co.uk
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World Rugby Muse um
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WEMBLEY
STADIUM TOURS
Quote ’
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10% discount for groups of 15+
Private Small
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England, Scotland and Ireland
Experience up to 5,000 years of
British history and culture
including pre-history, castles,
grand houses, battlefields,
Roman Britain, architecture,
industrial history, scenery,
gardens, Shakespeare, Robert
Burns, Cotswolds, Lake District,
Whisky Tours and much more.
Private tours arranged by an
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tour guide, self-drive tours
also available.
Tel: +44 (0)141 638 5500
Website: www.catswhiskerstours.co.uk
Blog: www.catswhiskerstours.com
Direct e-mail: info@catswhiskerstours.co.uk
From England’s glorious World Cup victory in 1966 to the Live Aid concert in
1985, Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League triumph in 2011 and the annual
FA Cup Final, the Wembley Stadium Tour gives you the chance to relive
great moments and create some new ones, as you go behind the scenes at
the most famous stadium in the world. Guided tours include access to the
England Dressing Rooms, Players’ Tunnel and The Royal Box. You’ll also view
sporting treasures such as the 1966 World Cup crossbar, the Jules Rimet
Trophy and the original flag from London’s 1948 Olympic Games.
www.wembleystadium.com/tours
Hidden
britain1-4
30/1/09
14:53
1
Wembley
Stadium HA9 0WS
| T: 0800 169
9933 | E:Page
tours@wembleystadium.com
Jane Austen
The Dancing Years
Explore Jane Austen’s
early life with Hampshire
Ambassador, Phil Howe.
Discover the villages,
churches, country houses
and trace the people she
describes in her letters.
Tours can include a visit to
the Jane Austen
House Museum, and
the village of Chawton.
Enjoy lunch at a Hampshire
country inn. An ideal halfday or one-day tour.
Downton Abbey Tours
when available.
45 mins by train from
London Waterloo
For more information Phone: +44 (0)1256 814222
e-mail: info@hiddenbritaintours.co.uk
or visit www.hiddenbritaintours.co.uk
To book space call Natasha +44 (0)207 349 3732
national treasures
The Stone of Destiny
Witness to the coronation of Scotland and England’s kings and queens for centuries,
this treasure’s symbolic value far outstrips its humble appearance
The sight of thousands of people lining Edinburgh’s Royal Mile on
St Andrews Day, 1996, to witness the cavalcade bringing the Stone
of Destiny back to Scotland 700 years after it was forcibly removed
by King Edward I is a testament to its symbolic power.
Yet the Stone of Destiny is no precious jewel or ancient carved
megalith; in fact, it is little more than a crude oblong-shaped slab of
red sandstone. But this simple object is wrapped in myth and legend,
making it the focus for centuries of royal and political struggle.
Now safely ensconced in Edinburgh Castle, the Stone of Destiny
was used in the coronations of the monarchs of Scotland, and later
England. Its mythology stretches back to biblical times, as some
consider it to be the Stone of Jacob, brought to Ireland by a
descendant of Gathelus and used for his coronation. From Ireland,
the stone moved with the invading Scots to Argyll. Legend claims it
was used as part of the crowning ceremonies of the Scots kings of the
west of Scotland and, when Kenneth I, the 36th King of Dalriada,
united the Scottish and Pictish kingdoms and moved his capital to
Scone, near Perth, in the 9th century, the Stone of Destiny was
brought to the Moot Hill at the now-ruined Scone Abbey.
It continued to be used in the coronations of the Kings of Scots
until Edward I of England – the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ – removed the
stone after his Scottish victories in 1296. He took it to Westminster
98
BRITAIN
Abbey in London, where it was fitted into a wooden throne – still
known as King Edward’s Chair – on which most subsequent English
sovereigns have been crowned, including HM the Queen in 1953.
As an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy, the location of the
Stone of Destiny has always been controversial. The 1328 Treaty of
Edinburgh-Northampton agreed it would be returned, but riotous
crowds prevented its removal from London. More recently, four
Scottish nationalist students stole it from Westminster Abbey on
Christmas Day, 1950, briefly returning it north of the border.
Yet the stone’s veracity has always been in question. One legend
suggests that, as Edward I approached the abbey, the monks of Scone
replaced the Stone of Destiny with another of similar size and shape;
and the stone-napping escapades of those high-spirited students led
many to question whether the same artefact was returned to London.
What is definitive is that the Stone of Destiny matches the geology
around Scone Abbey, so it almost certainly originated there. Such
scientific fact has done nothing to limit its mythic power, however,
and the Stone of Destiny will only leave Scotland again when there
is a coronation at Westminster Abbey.
 The Stone of Destiny is on display year round in the Crown Room at
Edinburgh Castle. www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk
www.britain-magazine.com
ILLUSTRATION: © PAUL COX
WORDS SALLY HALES
TAILOR-MADE PRIVATE
TOURS FOR THE DISCERNING
www.bhctours.co.uk | info@bhctours.co.uk | +44 (0)1296 620173
We listen to what our clients want
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SPECIAL WINTER RATES APPLY BETWEEN OCTOBER AND MARCH
© Highclere Castle LLP 2014
• Theatre Tour in English
• Exhibition with
complimentary audio guide
• Gift Shop
• Cafe, bar & restaurant
Prices
£16 adults
£9 children (under 5s free)
£43 family ticket
(2 adults + up to 3 children)
St Paul’s, Southwark, Mansion House
London Bridge, Blackfriars, Waterloo
Shakespearesglobe.com/exhibition
Bankside, London SE1