Britain 06 2012

BRITAIN The official magazine

TrAveL CULTURE HerITAGe STYLE

november/december 2012 ÂŁ3.95

The SecreT Kingdom

WIn a luxury

London experience for two

Journey through magical and medieval Northumberland

festive

SHoPPInG SPecIAL Inside Scotland's

STATeLY HomeS Westminster Abbey

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WeIrd And WonderFuL STorIeS

brITAIn bY SeA

explore the country's coastline in a novel way

remember, remember

The true story about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

The Thames Path

From its Cotswold source to glorious Greenwich



An oriental fragrance with a vibrant spicy heart.

As autumn turns to winter here in Britain we wrap up warm and enjoy the changing seasons with long walks in the countryside, and day-long visits to museums and stately homes. But having had such an exciting 2012, we’re all still in party mood – what a fabulous year it has been! And we’re looking ahead to next year too as we celebrate the anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, which took place on 2 June 1953.

But, before that, take time to enjoy this issue of BRITAIN magazine, in which we explore England’s northernmost county – Northumberland (page 36) – also known as the Secret Kingdom and the Castle Coast because of its wonderfully quiet beaches and magnificent coastline.

We’re out and about discovering The Thames Path (page 6), from its source in the Cotswold countryside to the wide stretch through the heart of the Capital past iconic landmarks like Greenwich Royal Observatory and the Thames Barrier.

And it’s the time of year when we ‘celebrate’ Bonfire Night: fires are lit all over the country and colourful firework displays fill the wintery sky. The tradition stems from the foiled Gunpowder Plot (page 47), a story we all think we know well, but do we really? In this issue we find out the real facts, from the doomed contributors to the dastardly conspiracies.

PHOTOS: VISIT BRITAIN/VISITMANCHESTER

EDITOR'S LETTER

Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland

BRITAIN

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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

VOLUME 80 ISSUE 6

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FEATURES

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A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT From a trickle in rural Gloucestershire, the River Thames gathers pace to wind its way through some of England’s most beautiful and historic towns all the way to the Capital.

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SCOTLAND'S STATELY HOMES We take a look inside seven of Scotland's grand houses and castles and discover some fascinating interiors and splendid architecture.

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THE HERITAGE COAST In lands invaded by Vikings and bloodied by battles, Northumberland – the county of castles – is waiting to be explored.

Sam Pears, Editor

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REMEMBER, REMEMBER We delve into the true story behind the autumn spectacle of Bonfire Night, and discover the dark tale of the gunpowder plot.

52 Cover image: Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. © Robert Harding Picture Library Ltd/Alamy

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A CITY UNITED Innovation and industry have long been the bywords of the city of Manchester, and this modern metropolis continues to reinvent itself.

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features

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the official magazine

britain mEEtS www.britain-magazine.com

Hastings fishmonger Sonny Elliott tells us about his traditional business in the home of Europe’s largest beach-launched fishing fleet.

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Britain is the official magazine of VisitBritain, the national tourism agency.

Britain is published by the Chelsea Magazine Company ltd, liscartan house, 127-131 sloane street, london sW1X 9as tel: (020) 7901 8000 fax: (020) 7901 8001 email: info@britain-magazine.com

tHiS ScEptrEd iSLE Explore remote areas of our coastline, uncover our rich maritime heritage and enjoy breathtaking scenery as you cruise around Britain.

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Editor sam Pears Deputy Editor Jessica tooze

fatHErS of invEntion

Art Editor gareth Jones Designer rickardo Watkins

From John Logie Baird’s televisor to Tim Berners-Lee’s world wide web, we celebrate Britain's best inventors.

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Publisher simon temlett Web Manager Oliver Morley-norris Online Executive terri eaton Advertisement Manager Julian strutt Sales Executives alex lobsang, natasha syed Group Digital Sales Manager Matt rayner

Living in HiStory Stay within touching distance of magnificent castles and grand country houses in an English Heritage cottage.

Managing Director Paul Dobson Deputy Managing Director steve ross Commercial Director Vicki gavin For VisitBritain iris Buckley

regulars

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tHE brit LiSt A special seasonal round-up of what to see and do, where to go and what to buy during your travels around Britain.

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Printed in England by Wyndeham heron, Maldon, essex Production all Points Media

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Subscriptions UK/Rest of World: Britain, tower house, sovereign Park, Market harborough, leics le16 9ef, uK tel: +44 (0)1858 438878 email: britain@subscription.co.uk www.subscription.co.uk/britain/tweb North America: USA: Britain, PO Box 569, selmer, tn 38375, usa tel: 888 321 6378 (toll free) email: britain@magcs.com Canada: Britain, 1415 Janette avenue, Windsor, Ontario n8X 1Z1, Canada tel: 888 321 6378 (toll free) email: britain@magcs.com Australia and New Zealand: Britain, locked Bag 1239, north Melbourne, ViC 3051, australia. tel: 002 8877 0373 email: britain@data.com.au

batH compEtition Celebrate Christmas in stylish Bath and enjoy the fabulous festive market in this World Heritage city.

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London compEtition Win a stay in a luxury apartment by Tower Bridge and a guided tour of London in an iconic Mini Cooper.

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We unearth fascinating facts about the kings, queens, statesmen, soldiers, poets, priests, heroes and villains of Westminster Abbey.

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in this issue iSLE oF SkyE p64 SCoTLANd

quEENSFErry p16 NorTHuMBErLANd p36

irELANd

ENGLANd

BATH p45

the Chelsea Magazine Company ltd 2012. all rights reserved. text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers the information contained in Britain has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. however, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check prices, opening times, dates, etc, before making final arrangements. all liability 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.

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Britain (issn 0019-3143) (usPs 004-335) is published bi-monthly by the Chelsea Magazine Company, liscartan house, 127-131 sloane street, london sW1X 9as, uK Distributed in the us by evergreen Marketing, 116 ram Cat alley, suite 201, seneca, sC 29678-3263 Periodicals postage paid at seneca, sC and additional mailing offices.

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A river runs through it From a tame trickle in rural Gloucestershire, the River Thames gathers pace to wind its way through some of England’s most beautiful and historic towns all the way to the heart of the capital. We take a tour along the country’s greatest river

photo: Jon Bower/Loop IMAGeS

WORDS phoebe clapham

Boating on the River Thames at Abingdon, one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town

The Thames Path

photoS: © CotSwoldS photo library/alamy/anna Stowe landSCapeS UK/loop imageS/adrian broCKwell/Colin Underhill

“A

bove all rivers thy river hath renown,” wrote William Dunbar in his 1501 ode to London, and more than five centuries later the Thames still has a very special place in the nation’s heart. The longest river in England, it bears witness to many of the crucial events of British history, from Julius Caesar’s invasion in 54 BC to the 2012 Diamond Jubilee regatta. And it couldn’t be easier to explore, since alongside it, stretching 184 miles into the very heart of London, is the Thames Path National Trail, suitable for walkers of all ages and abilities, and offering history, wildlife, magnificent architecture and scenic beauties galore.

The Thames Path begins at the river’s source, a mile or so from Kemble station, deep in the wilds of rural Gloucestershire. At this point it is a little trickle of water, impossible to distinguish from a thousand other English streams, but walkers who keep the faith will gradually see the river widen and gather confidence. From Lechlade the Thames becomes a proper navigable waterway with a towpath alongside it from the days when horse-drawn barges bore their cargos all the way into London.

Tranquil and reed-fringed, this stretch of the river is an ‘earthly paradise’– to quote William Morris, founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, who spent many happy times here

in his country retreat, Kelmscott Manor. Open to the public twice a week from April to October, this charming Elizabethan house is full of Morris’s own wall hangings, furniture and ceramics, and surrounded by a garden bright with the familiar English flowers Morris loved so much.

Some 20 miles further on lies Oxford, the city of dreaming spires. This stretch of the Thames, known as the Isis, hosts the famous ‘Bumps’, which see university rowing crews race to bump the boat in front of them. It has literary associations, too; one sunny day in 1862 the mathematics don Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name of Lewis Carroll, took ten-year-old Alice Liddell and her two sisters for an afternoon’s boating. To entertain the children, Dodgson invented a fantastical tale of a little girl who falls down a rabbit hole and encounters all sorts of strange creatures. Alice begged him to write the story down, and so Alice in Wonderland was born.

Next is the pretty market town of Abingdon, which dates all the way back to the pre-Roman Iron Age, and boasts many fine buildings, most notably the 17th-century County Hall, whose colonnaded ground floor hosted the weekly market.

After Abingdon the river enters perhaps its most rural and peaceful stretch, winding through lush green meadows fringed with ancient willow trees. Great crested grebes and swans glide

Some 20 miles further on lies Oxford, the city of dreaming spires. This stretch of the Thames, known as the Isis, hosts the famous ‘Bumps’ 8

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COTSWO LDS

The Source

NORTH WESSEX DOWN S

The Thames Path

Facing page: View over River Thames at Day's Lock from Wittenham Clumps, Oxfordshire. Above (clockwise from top left): Lechlade, Gloucestershire; Kelmscott Manor, the country home of William Morris from 1871 to 1896; Panama hats for sale at the annual Henley Royal Regatta

over the surface of the water, and sharp-eyed walkers may catch the quick blue flash of a kingfisher ahead.

On either side lie enchanting little villages, their centres seemingly unchanged for centuries. Dorchester-on-Thames is best known for its breathtakingly beautiful abbey church, parts of which date back to Norman times; it has recently found a new role as the centre of the English Music Festival. Nearby is Wallingford, another lovely old market town, but with an unexpectedly warlike history: one of William the Conqueror’s grandest castles stood here, but alas was pulled down on the orders of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. As the Thames passes Reading, it starts to feel livelier.

Picturesque Henley-on-Thames is best known for its Royal

Oxford Abingdon

THE C H I LT E R N S

Dorchester-on-Thames Wallingford Henley-onThames

Marlow

Windsor Reading

LONDON

Richmond

Battersea

Hampton Court

Greenwich

Regatta, which each July attracts rowers and socialites alike.

Henley is also home to the River and Rowing Museum, which celebrates the Thames from source to mouth and hosts the popular Wind in the Willows exhibition, which brings to life this most beloved of children’s stories with 3D models, lighting and music. Kenneth Grahame, its author, grew up in Cookham, a few miles downriver, and as one strolls along the banks it’s easy to imagine Mole and Ratty coming into view with a sumptuous picnic hamper in the bows of their rowing boat. Another native of Cookham was the artist Stanley Spencer, who loved the village and its surrounding area with an abiding passion. A war artist during World War II, he became famous for his idiosyncratic paintings depicting biblical events as if happening in Cookham, with its residents taking centre stage. He also painted traditional local scenes, such as Swan Upping at Cookham, which shows the annual counting of mute swans on the Thames between Sunbury Lock and Abingdon. Many of Spencer’s works remain in Cookham, at the excellent gallery named after him.

Alongside its artistic and literary glories, the Thames is also a magnet for sporting endeavours. Downriver is Dorney Lakes, scene of many rowing and kayaking triumphs in the 2012 Olympics. The complex is actually part of Eton College, which since its foundation in 1440 has educated countless members of Britain’s elite, including an astonishing 19 prime ministers. The school boasts numerous fine buildings, but by far the most spectacular is the chapel, a stunning Perpendicular structure britain

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The Thames Path

Compared with Windsor, Hampton Court is a newcomer; begun in 1514 by Henry VIII’s adviser Cardinal Wolsey, it was seized by the King when Wolsey fell from favour Cardinal Wolsey, it was seized by the King when Wolsey fell from favour. Inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture, it is built for beauty and comfort rather than defence – in place of Windsor’s vast towers and high ramparts, Hampton Court enjoys lovely Tudor brickwork and the gorgeous Fountain Court, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

It’s impossible to resist the temptation to explore the beautifully tended parkland – not to mention the famously tricksy maze, from which can be heard the shouts and laughter of baffled visitors.

From Hampton Court the riverscape becomes gradually busier. Pleasure boats buzz up and down, and occasionally a canoe zips past, or a boat rowed by four energetic oarsmen. In the 18th century this stretch of the Thames became popular with aristocrats, politicians and merchants who built country retreats here. Some of their villas still survive, notably Marble Hill House, a perfect Palladian mansion owned by George II’s mistress. Not far downstream is Richmond, whose handsome Georgian waterfront offers boat trips, bicycle hire, cafés and

Clockwise from above: Richmond Hill, looking down towards the Thames; Thames Path between Richmond and Kew, Surrey; Hampton Court Palace; Windsor Castle

photoS: © Julia Gavin/alamy/iStock/viSitbritain

reminiscent of King’s College Chapel in Cambridge (unsurprising, since Henry VI founded both of them).

Eton may be a pillar of the British establishment, but it pales into insignificance compared with Windsor Castle, the oldest continually occupied castle in the world and a major residence of the British royal family since William the Conqueror founded it in the 11th century. William was determined to demonstrate his authority over his new Anglo-Saxon subjects, and even now the castle looms over the Thames with forbidding majesty. Very much a working palace, with regular state banquets, it’s also one of Britain’s most popular tourist attractions, with a million visitors a year coming to admire the grand state apartments (beautifully restored after a catastrophic fire in 1992), the magnificent Royal Collection of art, and the exquisite medieval chapel where monarchs from Edward IV to George VI have been laid to rest.

From Windsor it’s some 20 miles – or a few hours by boat – to another glorious royal palace: Hampton Court, on the very edge of London. Compared with Windsor, Hampton Court is a newcomer; begun in about 1514 by Henry VIII’s adviser

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ENJOY

a Coaching Inn Christmas The White Hart in Dorchester-on-Thames has offered a warm welcome to travellers for over four centuries. Log fires, real ale bar, sumptuous dining, individually designed bedrooms, and a mine host & hotel team who really care for your every need.

Enjoy a three night great value Christmas Break or two night New Year Break at The White Hart or choose another hotel from this privately run group of coaching inns and hotels.

For full details of Christmas and New Year packages, visit the website or phone any of the hotels below.

The White Hart Dorchester on Thames 01865 340074

Villiers Buckingham 01280 822444

The Deddington Arms Deddington 01869 338364

The Cartwright Aynho 01869 811885

www.oxfordshire-hotels.co.uk

The Red Lion Hotel Henley-on-Thames

• Stunning 600 year old venue in the heart of Henley • Easy travel links to & from London Paddington • Henley Royal Regatta hospitality packages available • Easy access to Oxford The Red Lion Hotel, Hart Street, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 2AR Tel: +44 (0) 1491 572161 Fax: +44 (0) 1491 410039 Email: reservations@redlionhenley.co.uk Web: www.redlionhenley.co.uk

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The Manor Hotel Datchet, Windsor

• Warm welcoming lounges with open fires • Close to historic Windsor & the Castle • Easy access to Heathrow & London Waterloo • Royal Ascot packages available Manor Hotel, Village Green, Datchet, Windsor, SL3 9EA Tel: +44 (0) 1753 543442 Fax: +44 (0) 1753 545292 Email: reservations@mghotels.com Web: www.themanorwindsor.com

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photoS: © Michael KeMp/alaMy/iStocK/viSitbritain

The Thames Path

ice-cream stands galore, not to mention the oldest surviving bridge over the London Thames, a graceful humpbacked structure dating back to 1777.

As the river approaches Kew the tower blocks of London proper are visible for the first time, soaring over the wooded inlets and tiny islands that make this stretch of the river so characterful. Just before Hammersmith Bridge – a spectacular green suspension affair, designed by the great Victorian engineer Joseph Bazalgette – is a modest sign that points to Kelmscott House. Now a small but perfectly formed museum, this was the London home of William Morris, who named it after Kelmscott Manor, and sometimes travelled between the two by boat.

By now signs of urban life are coming thick and fast. Ahead are two of the great powerhouses that for many years kept London working: first Lots Road Power Station in Chelsea, and then, across the river, the unmistakeable silhouette of

Battersea Power Station, with its four soaring chimneys. Alas, both are now derelict, though ambitious plans are afoot to transform Battersea into a residential and office development.

Beyond Battersea is the threshold of central London and its world-famous landmarks, familiar but always exciting.

The Houses of Parliament dominate the riverfront, a triumph of Victorian Gothic, with the tower of Big Ben looming over them. On the opposite bank, less spectacular but just as beautiful, is the red-brick Lambeth Palace, London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the 15th century.

From here onwards there are so many major sights it’s hard to know where to look first. Ahead is the London Eye, Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel, which was only erected in 1999 but immediately became one of London’s best-loved attractions. Beyond it, by Waterloo Bridge, is the National Theatre, one of the few examples of 1970s architecture to find a place in Londoners’ hearts.

Clockwise from top left: Café at Tate Modern; Shakespeare's Globe theatre; Giant Olympic rings on Tower Bridge to mark the countdown to the London 2012 Games; Battersea Power Station

Tate Modern, once Bankside Power Station, lay derelict until a stroke of architectural genius transformed it into one of Europe’s premier art galleries www.britain-magazine.com

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In total contrast is Shakespeare’s Globe, painstakingly reconstructed over 30 years to replicate the theatre used by Shakespeare and his company until it burnt down in 1613.

Only its perfect condition betrays its recent origins; every detail of the building is authentic, including the first thatched roof to be allowed in London since the great fire of 1666.

Next to it is Tate Modern, once Bankside Power Station, which lay derelict like Battersea and Lots Road downriver until a stroke of architectural genius transformed it into one of Europe’s premier modern art galleries.

Past London Bridge and Tower Bridge, the river widens as it flows between Wapping and Rotherhithe – once the beating heart of London’s international trading empire, and now a fascinating maze of cobbled streets and ancient pubs.

The London docks covered 26 square miles in their heyday, only to close for good in 1981. In their place have grown up the glittering towers of Canary Wharf, which play just as important a role in global commerce as their watery predecessors.

South of the Isle of Dogs lies Greenwich, as fascinating a place as it is beautiful. On the riverfront lies the Royal Naval College, an extraordinary Baroque complex that now houses Trinity College of Music. Behind it is the Queen’s House, built for Anne of Denmark in 1616. Britain’s first example of classical architecture, it is now part of the superlative National Maritime Museum, which also includes the

An impressively futuristic sight, the Thames Barrier comprises nine steel piers like upturned boat keels

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photos: istock/iain McGillivray/loop iMaGes/eric nathan

The Thames Path

Royal Observatory, location of the Prime Meridian – hence Greenwich Mean Time.

Past Greenwich the river takes a turn around the O2 Arena – once the much-mocked Millennium Dome, now London’s biggest music venue – and approaches the Thames Barrier, without which every high tide would put London at risk of catastrophic flooding. An impressively futuristic sight, the Barrier comprises nine steel piers like upturned boat keels, with gates that lie on the riverbed to be raised when needed. Here the Thames Path ends, with an exhilarating view over the river as it spreads its wings for the final stretch, flowing into the estuary and to the North Sea beyond.

Top: Canary Wharf buildings and boats moored in Greenland dock in Rotherhithe.

Above: The Thames Barrier at sunset

 Phoebe Clapham is author of Thames Path in London, the Official National Trail Guide, which along with its sister publication Thames Path in the Country, explores the path from source to sea. Both are available to order at www.britain-magazine.com/britain-shop www.britain-magazine.com

Park House is an independent small luxury country house hotel and spa located in the heart of South East England in the county of West Sussex. It is an hour and a half from Central London and the Eurostar train to Europe, just over an hour from Gatwick, Heathrow & Southampton international airports and forty minutes from Portsmouth Harbour and ferries to France.

Offering twenty one luxury en-suite bedrooms, superb indoor and outdoor leisure facilities and a stunning new spa, the hotel has a home-from-home atmosphere.

Park House Bepton Midhurst West Sussex United Kingdom

T +44 (0)1730 819000 F +44 (0)1730 819099 E reservations@parkhousehotel.com W www.parkhousehotel.com HOTEL - SPA - BUSINESS - WEDDINGS

photos: inveraray castle/ photo: Gordonxxxxx lanGsbury/alamy

The brilliance of the extravagant decoration in the State Dining Room xxx xxx xxxxx xxx at Inveraray xxx xxx xxx Castle. xxx xxx Facing The xxx xxpage: xxx xxxxx romantic xxx xxx xxexterior xxx xxxof Inveraray xxxxx xxxCastle xxx xxx

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Historic Scotland

Scotland’s

Stately HomeS

Some of the country’s best houses and castles are in Scotland, with their own distinctive character, impressive architecture and fascinating interiors. We take a look inside seven of the finest and discover an interesting story or two...

WORDS robin McKelvie

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photoS: Š SkyScan photolibrary/ thornton cohen/alamy/mount Stuart

Historic Scotland

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W

ith its rich history and myriad powerful families it is no surprise that Scotland enjoys a wealth of stately homes – palatial abodes each with their own intoxicating stories to tell. These days many are open to the public and most now make a real effort to offer visitors a rewarding experience, so there has never been a better time to explore.

Just on the fringes of Edinburgh in the riverside suburb of South Queensferry lies an old dame that rears up as grandly from its manicured gardens as any great house in Britain.

Hopetoun House has reclined by the banks of the Firth of Forth for over 300 years and today is at the heart of a 6,500 acre estate with a farm shop, holiday lets and myriad events, from horse trials through the Guy Fawkes Night bonfires.

Affectionately known as the ‘Scottish Versailles’, it was commissioned by Charles Hope (later the 1st Earl of Hopetoun) and stands as one of Britain’s finest 18th-century stately homes. Sir William Bruce built the original house in 1699, completing his work in 1707. But it is the work of one of Scotland’s greatest ever architects – William Adam – that is most striking. In 1721 Adam was tasked with remodelling and enlarging Hopetoun and such was the brilliance of his work that the twin colonnaded wings he added still look seamless.

Sweep up the grand steps and the interior is equally breathtaking. It was completed by Adam’s sons, John and Robert, after his death. The styles you see today are mainly late Georgian through to Edwardian, but the house is also full of treasures amassed by one of Scotland’s most www.britain-magazine.com

illustrious families over several centuries. Ornate period furniture laces the interior as does a rich treasure of paintings, tapestries and vintage clocks, with the rooms a riot of elegant carving, gilding and plasterwork. Many a luminary has dined in Hopetoun’s lavish dining room, including King George IV, who visited in 1822 and is said to have enjoyed ‘turtle soup and three glasses of wine’.

To the south in the Borders, Floors Castle stands proud as the glorious seat of the mighty Dukes of Roxburghe.

Today this progressive estate boasts a golf course, luxury hotel, farm shop and restaurant, as well as one of the grandest stately homes in Scotland. It sits on an idyllic

Facing page: An eclectic combination of rare Italian and Sicilian marbles and alabaster stretch from floor to ceiling at Mount Stuart's Marble Hall. Above: Interior room at Hopetoun House.

Below: Hopetoun House aerial view

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A realm of your own Ever wanted to know what it felt like to live the life of a lord or lady? Now you can by staying at one of our 16 immaculately maintained holiday cottages.

These luxurious, fully refurbished hide-aways lie within the heart

of our historic properties. Here, you can be inspired by their heritage setting, soak up the evocative atmosphere at your leisure, and wander through the grounds and gardens when everyone else has gone home. Just as if you owned the place.

East Lodge, Hardwick Old Hall, Derbyshire

Cambridge Lodge, Audley End, Essex

Refectory Cottage, Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire

Peverell’s Tower, Dover Castle, Kent

Pavilion Cottage, Osborne House, Isle of Wight

However long you stay, it won’t feel long enough.

Call now to book on 0870 333 1187 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk

photoS: © hemiS/B L imageS Ltd/aLamy

Historic Scotland

spot on a natural terrace dominating the River Tweed and gazing out towards the Cheviot Hills.

Floors Castle’s history reads like a who’s who of Scottish stately home architecture. William Adam was commissioned to build the house in 1721 by the first duke and he carved a relatively simple, symmetrical and elegant Georgian design.

Much of what you admire today, though, comes courtesy of William Playfair. The most fashionable architect of his day, a man who also left his indelible mark on Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage listed New Town, refashioned the castle between 1837 and 1847, adding a much more dreamy fairy-tale appearance awash with pinnacles and cupolas.

It wasn’t an outside talent, though, we have to thank for the grandeur of the interior. Much of the fine furniture, tapestries and artwork come courtesy of the 8th Duchess, May Goelet, an American heiress. Duchess May amassed a collection that includes everything from 15th-century tapestry right through to 20th-century post-impressionist artwork by the likes of such luminaries as Henri Matisse.

The Gobelins tapestries that you can see today at Floors came from her Long Island home.

Crossing to the west Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway is an ancient Douglas stronghold and the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. As well as the landmark castle, the 90,000-acre estate boasts a country park, Victorian gardens and mountain bike trails. Land Rover safaris and ranger-led walks further open up the estate, while a woodland www.britain-magazine.com

adventure playground is on hand for younger thrill seekers.

More sedentary souls can enjoy the castle shop and the tearoom serving estate-reared meat and Drumlanrig herbs, while the Scottish Cycle Museum is housed in the Stableyard.

Drumlanrig Castle is a striking pink sandstone edifice, replete with 120 rooms, 17 turrets and four towers, that dominates the Nith Valley. It was commissioned in 1691

by William Douglas, the first Duke of Queensberry, and this spectacular creation remains one of the country’s finest renaissance buildings. Somewhat unusually, the building is woven around an open courtyard with a circular staircase tower in each corner.

Above: Beauvais tapestry in the living room of Floors Castle, Kelso.

Below: Floors Castle exterior view

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Historic Scotland

The highlight inside is the Buccleuch Art Collection.

Here you can uncover such world-famous treasures as Rembrandt’s An Old Woman Reading and Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder, the latter now back in pride of place after being stolen in 2003. Other attractions in this priceless collection include works by Hans Holbein, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Sir Anthony van Dyck.

Grand reception rooms and magnificent staircases, laced with more fine paintings, tapestries and objets d’art, complete an unforgettable cocktail.

A little to the northwest in Ayrshire is another of Scotland’s best-loved stately homes, Culzean Castle (pronounced kulain), which enjoys a stunning clifftop setting overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The graceful grounds are awash with exotic flora, shady woodland trails and quiet ponds. An adventure playground is also on hand for children, with plenty of eating and drinking options too. Another highlight is the coastal trails, which open up the coastline and offer sweeping views out towards the rock hulk of Ailsa Craig.

The first records of Culzean Castle proper are from the 1590s when Sir Thomas Kennedy began enlarging the original tower house. It was not until the 18th century though that the mighty Kennedys transformed Culzean into today’s neoclassical mansion, with Robert Adam one of the seminal talents who helped weave one of Britain’s finest stately homes.

Inside you will discover what is perhaps, after Windsor Castle, the largest armoury collection of its type in Britain.

Much of it was amassed in 1812 when the 12th Earl bought the pistols and swords from the Office of Ordnance at the Tower of London. The library is one of the architectural highlights. Although remodelled during Victorian times Adam’s neoclassical grace has been carefully preserved with the signature motifs and fruit and vines echoing the room’s original function as a dining room. The Oval Staircase is, though, Adam’s masterpiece, which seamlessly weaves together the castle’s myriad styles.

Out west in Argyll, Scotland’s World Cup Elephant Polo winning captain, the Duke of Argyll, is at the head of a remarkable stately home, Inveraray Castle, and a remarkable estate that plays an active role in the local community. The sprawling estate offers hunting and fishing, as well as holiday lets, while the castle boasts immaculate gardens, a tearoom and a gift shop where you just might chance upon the hands-on duke and his wife serving customers.

Inveraray Castle has presided over Scotland’s longest sea loch, Loch Fyne, since the 1400s. The current incarnation was inspired by a Vanbrugh (the architect of Blenheim Palace) sketch. The 2nd duke had the foundation stone laid in 1746, employing architects Roger Morris and William Adam to create an orgy of baroque, Palladian and Gothic, which would not look out of place in the Louvre. William Adam never lived to see its completion, but his sons, www.britain-magazine.com

Above: Culzean Castle main staircase. Below: The Drumlanrig Cycle Museum

Close House is an elegant and beautiful 18th century mansion set in stunning Northumberland countryside. Located just 15 minutes from Newcastle city centre, this is an exceptional place to escape to for tranquility and pleasure.

A very warm welcome, fine food, elegant interiors, luxurious accommodation and a Championship golf course will make your experience unforgettable.

Fabulous bedrooms

The finest food

Spectacular golf

Each of our 31 bedrooms have been designed with fine furnishings and fabrics to ensure you enjoy the ultimate experience in comfort and luxury.

Argent D’Or is a dining experience located in the main hotel at Close House.

Enjoy sumptuous French cuisine with a British twist in the beautiful restaurant.

The elegant furnishings and the stunning decoration combine with a modern influence to create an open, spacious restaurant.

Close House has two stunning 18 hole golf courses, the Filly and the Championship Colt Course which offer a great challenge to golfers of every ability.

Unwind in a bathroom which has been beautifully crafted with marble and sandstone tiles, snuggle into fluffy towels and bathrobes, before slipping between Egyptian cotton sheets beneath a sumptuous feather duvet.

You won’t be disappointed with the luxury we have to offer at Close House.

No.19 is a place where we serve comforting food, using the region’s finest produce, in a stunning, contemporary environment.

The Championship Colt Course was opened in 2011 by Lee Westwood, the Attached Tour Professional. Less than a year after opening, the Colt Course has already been awarded a top 100 golf course status in England.

CLOSE HOUSE HOTEL & GOLF, HEDDON ON THE WALL, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE15 0HT TELEPHONE 01661 85 22 55

WWW.CLOSEHOUSE.CO.UK

When travelling to Close House using a SAT NAV please use NE41 8BL

photoS: Š paul Booth/Blair caStle

Historic Scotland

John and Robert, finally finished it 43 years later. A third floor and the conical roofs on the corner towers were added after a serious fire in 1877.

Entering into Inveraray Castle is a breathtaking experience. On the ground floor is the State Dining Room, decorated by an elaborate painting dating from 1784 by French artists Girard and Guinard, whose work only survives at Inveraray. Then there are the Beauvais tapestries in the Tapestry Drawing Room and the unique 21m high Armoury Hall. Look out for everything from roundels of Brown Bess muskets dating from around 1740, through to Scottish broadswords from the time of Queen Victoria’s first visit to Inveraray in 1847 and a sporran worn by Rob Roy. Venturing into the Highlands another grand stately home awaits. Blair Castle in Perthshire is the ancient seat of the Dukes of Atholl. It is home to the only legal private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders. The massive surrounding estate offers walking trails, Land Rover safaris, horse riding and hiking among other active pursuits, and has an array of accommodation, from wooden chalets to cottages.

The first castle is said to have been built by John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch in the 13th century. Soon after the title Duke of Atholl was granted to the 2nd Marquess in 1703 the castle showed it was no mere stately home by withstanding a Jacobite siege. The present day appearance owes much to David Bryce, who reworked the building in Scots Baronial style in the 19th century and added the grand ballroom. In March 2011 fire struck the clock tower, causing its roof and www.britain-magazine.com

second floor to collapse into the first floor. An impressive restoration was completed this year.

In 1936, Blair Castle was one of the first stately homes to open to the public. Treasures to savour include a range of weapons, hunting trophies, paintings, furniture, and needlework amassed by the Murray family. Chillingly, the armoury houses muskets used in anger at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The Picture Staircase meanwhile features a comprehensive family portrait gallery, completed in 1756 as part of Georgian remodelling. The walls appear to be panelled, but if you look closer you can see they are actually superb plasterwork by Edinburgh stuccoist Thomas

Above: The Tearoom, Blair Castle. Below: Blair Castle exterior

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Historic Scotland

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ed to six of the rest chio r ice’ s 1 Cawdor Castle, Nairn i br

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Photos: Mount stuArt

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Above: The Drawing Room at Mount Stuart. Below: Mount Stuart's exterior

Clayton. Queen Victoria stayed in the Derby Suite in 1844 and must have been impressed as she then granted the right of the Atholl Highlanders to bear arms.

Moving across to the isles, Mount Stuart is a fittingly grand finale to a tour of Scotland’s stately homes. It was built by the world’s richest man at a time when Scotland was the second richest country in the world. Today it dominates the Isle of Bute and is arguably the finest building in the Scottish isles. It is at the heart of a much larger estate, which these days offers a range of ornate gardens, a restaurant serving island produce, garden centre, adventure playground and numerous walking trails.

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om m e Cawdor, ever-linked by shakespeare to Macbeth, is also a superb fairy-tale castle now open to the public. www.cawdorcastle.com; 01667 404401 2 Duns Castle, Berwickshire Live like a laird with your friends and hire historic Duns Castle, situated in the heart of the rolling hills, fields and forests of the beautiful scottish Borders. www.dunscastle.co.uk; 01361 883 211 3 Kinloch Castle, Isle of Rum on the now uninhabited isle of rum, Kinloch is not the easiest property to get to, but it is well worth the effort. for a true step-backin-time experience stay at the hostel in the old servants quarters. 01687 462037 4 Paxton House, Berwick upon Tweed Paxton house is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Britain. http://paxtonhouse.co.uk; 01289 386291 5 Stirling Castle, Stirling With its origins in Dark Age legends and its links to Mary, Queen of scots, we never tire of this splendid, sleeping fortress. www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk; 01786 450 000 6 Traquair, Peeblesshire Visit scotland's oldest inhabited house – the stuart family have lived here for more than 500 years – and its wonderful interior. www.traquair.co.uk; 01896 830323

A grand house had long stood on this scenic spot overlooking the Firth of Clyde before a devastating fire in 1877. Today’s house is one of the most outstanding Gothic Revival buildings in the UK, the ambitious vision of the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Commissioned almost immediately after the fire, Mount Stuart finally opened in 1912 using architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson’s impressive Victorian designs.

The house had fallen into neglect before the 1980s when the 6th Marquess set about restoring its glory.

Lord Bute sadly never the saw the completion of his impressive overhaul. The beauty is that the marble-rich interior still shines with the works of some of the finest craftsmen of the Victorian age, including sculptor Thomas Nicholls and architect William Frame, but new works have also been seamlessly added, such as the decoration of the chapel lantern by Tom Errington and etched glass windows

by Alison Kinnaird. Like all of Scotland’s grandest stately homes Mount Stuart may be blessed with both a rich heritage and a sublime beauty, but visit and you will find that it also certainly does not sit on its laurels.

 For opening times and visitor information about all seven properties mentioned in this feature please visit their individual websites: www.hopetoun.co.uk; www.roxburghe.net (for Floors Castle); www.drumlanrig.com; www.culzeanexperience.org; www.inveraray-castle.com; www.blair-castle.co.uk; and www.mountstuart.com. For more details about visiting Scotland go to www.britain-magazine.com and www.visitscotland.com

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Swiss movement, English heart

Swiss made / RAF commissioned 1940 piece limited edition / self-winding automatic movement / 38 hour power reserve / 38mm diameter, hand finished, marine-grade stainless steel case / Anti-reflective sapphire crystal / RAF King’s crest and laurel leaf dial design / Spitfire propeller inspired hands / Air Ministry reference 6B/159 engraved back-plate / Italian leather deployment strap

the what to do â—? where to go â—? what to buy

In a festive round-up this issue, we feature the best Christmas gifts and wonderful wintery places to visit

what a welcome

photo: whatley manor

Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa is a magical setting for a seasonal celebration with log fires and candlelight providing the perfect backdrop for the festive season.

Tel: 01666 822 888; www.whatleymanor.com

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Christmas CraCker The luxurious 15th-century Swan at Lavenham hotel, in the heart of rural Suffolk, is offering a threenight Christmas package including traditional lunch and carols.

01787 247477; www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk

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www.britain-magazine.com

THE WHaT To do ● WHErE To go ● WHaT To buy

time for tea delimann's quintessentially british afternoon cream teas can be delivered direct to your home or even your office. arriving in lovely packaging filled with freshly baked scones, clotted cream from their devon farm, Westcountry blended tea and award-winning strawberry jam, this is the perfect afternoon treat wherever you are. The company are also producing a range of Christmas afternoon cream tea gifts this year – including their own delicious devon mince pies. 01626 830372; http://delimann.co.uk

the night before christmas PHoTos: WWW.vIsITWIlTsHIrE.Co.uK

Celebrate a special Cotswolds Christmas Eve in classic british style Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort is offering a special all-inclusive threenight package of festivities for guests this Christmas, including mulled wine and mince pies at an exclusive reception hosted by the 9th Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne in the Orangery on Christmas Eve. Prices for the three-night stay start from £750. 01249 822228; www.bowood-hotel.co.uk

popping flavours

scotland sparkles

Gourmet popcorn makers Joe & Seph’s have launched two new flavours for the festive season. We love the moreish Mince Pie or Brandy Butter, available from Harrods.

recognised as one of the best cities in the uK to spend Christmas, Edinburgh sparkles in the winter with six weeks of festive celebration. bursting into life with fireworks, funfairs and more, the city’s celebrations feature the majestic and colourful Edinburgh Wheel and the atmospheric Christmas markets against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. www.edinburghschristmas.com

www.joe&sePHs.Co.uk

CHoColaTEy TrEaTs We love the new Christmas collection from luxury british chocolatier and cocoa grower, Hotel Chocolat. It is full of british style and creativity – from gifts with real wow factor for friends and family, to stunning stocking fillers and treats to keep around the house. our favourites are www.britain-magazine.com

these Christmas tree decorations. available in four exclusive designs and ready to hang from gros-grain ribbon, each one contains four mini truffles in mellow milk and smooth

dark chocolate – hang them out of reach of the children and the dog! www.hotelchocolat.co.uk other chocolate goodness for the festive season can be found at Paul A Young Fine Chocolates where it’s

all about traditional favourites, with seasonal flavours getting the award-winning Paul a young treatment.

Paul has taken true Christmas classics such as mince

pies, aromas of burning log fires, mulled wine and gingerbread and transformed them into delicious and inventive chocolates and bars. www. paulayoung.co.uk britain

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Fill your home with Festive Fragrance with

Alnwick Castle and The Alnwick Garden A% magnificent castle andERH an extraordinary QEKRM½GIRXhistoric LMWXSVMG GEWXPI ER I\GMXMRK GSRXIQTSVEV] KEVHIR contemporary garden

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e” ve Fiv “Festi ck is just gift pa+ P&P or buy £35 idually indiv

Our Christmas scented candles are the perfect way to fill your home with fine festive fragrance..... or to make the perfect gift.

There’s nothing quite so evocative as the senses of smell and light.

They are perfectly combined in scented Christmas candles, which fill your home with all the smells and sensations of the festive season.

“Handmade in Hertfordshire, England”

www.potterscrouchcandles.co.uk +44 (0) 1727 836454

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Explore an iconic castle rich in history and one of the world's most extraordinary contemporary gardens. From stunning art collections and Potter-inspired magic to poisonous plants and treetop walkways, a visit to Alnwick Castle and The Alnwick Garden is full of the unexpected.

www.alnwickcastle.com www.alnwickgarden.com

www.britain-magazine.com

tHe WHat to do ● WHere to go ● WHat to buy

winter warmers for the chilly weather over the festive season, curl up in some of british fashion brand aubin & Wills's colourful knits and luxurious fabrics. classically inspired, the brand launched in 2008 and is known for its simple shapes and quality materials. it sources from some of the most renowned british manufacturers and supports up-and-coming designers – the autumn collection focused on collaborating with traditional mills such as Marling & evans and was modelled by british author and model sophie dahl. www.aubinandwills.com

and a partridge in a pear tree aston Pottery introduces a new collection from young illustrator A contemporary take on the carol The Twelve Days of Christmas has been designed in collaboration with young animator/illustrator Joe Collins for Aston Pottery. The adorable capsule collection includes a dinner plate and side plate, three different size jugs, two different size mugs and a fabulous cake stand – perfect for this year’s Christmas cake. www.astonpottery.co.uk

scent of the countryside

seasonal retreats

Green & Spring products are inspired by the great British countryside and created using herbs and flowers native to the British Isles.

Whether you’re looking to celebrate christmas in a cosy cottage, a converted chapel or a family-friendly house, luxury self-catering specialist blue chip Holidays has more than 600 properties available for festive breaks this year. inglenook cottage in crumplehorn, cornwall (pictured) can be booked for christmas week from £949 for four. 0844 2738 571; www.bluechipholidays.co.uk

www.greenandspring.com

stocking fillers scottish Fine soaps' luxurious triple milled soaps in a tin are packaged in gorgeous embossed collectable tins and are all made in scotland from the finest ingredients. there are numerous ranges including fruit, floral, occasions, scottish, the newly launched Pop art, Vintage bird www.britain-magazine.com

tins and retro floral, and a limited edition christmas collection, which includes cranberry, spiced apple and cinnamon, and (our favourite) Mulled Wine (right, £4.95).

Wrapped in scottish

fine soaps branded tissue paper, they make the ideal gifts for this special time of year. www.scottish finesoaps.com this christmas, cowshed, the classically british luxury beauty and

lifestyle brand, is offering stylish festive gift sets for those looking to add some indulgent rustic charm to their homes. every botanical formulation is

created using wildcrafted ingredients and is beautifully packaged. We love the invigorating Wild cow duo gift set (left, £16). www.cowshed.com britain

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the What to do ● Where to go ● What to buy

tweed reinvented Just launched in harrods, holland Cooper offers luxurious, fashionable and functional tweed outfits using only british sourced materials, hand cut and made in the uK, and featuring a full range of technical shooting wear. the collection has reinvented the way this classic british staple is used in fashion, bringing it bang up to date while retaining its traditional elegance. We love the gold Label collection, an exclusive and sophisticated limited edition line that still captures the modern style of the holland Cooper brand. www.hollandcooper.com

christmas... the way it used to be a traditional seasonal celebration hidden in beautiful rural Wales The Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa's ‘three days of old-fashioned Christmas’ – with crackling log fires, mulled wine, frosted forest walks and carols around the tree is the perfect feel-good festive getaway. Boasting a Christmas-card lake and mountain setting just over the Shropshire border in mid-Wales, this country house hotel is superbly situated on a 24,000 acre estate. www.lakevyrnwy.com

winter palace hampton Court Ice rink is celebrating its 10th anniversary, returning for six weeks on 1 december. It's an incredible setting to glide around in royal style – enjoy the winter sun as it glistens on the ice, and after dark, skate under the stars. the Palace will be illuminated after the sun goes down, providing a magical fairy-tale scene to delight young and old. www.hamptoncourtpalaceicerink.com

swap cards for candles

A festive fragranced candle from Potters Crouch Candles is the perfect way to bring the Christmas spirit into your family’s homes (£35 for five candles).

01727 836454; www.potterscrouchcandles.co.uk

under the tree the london silver Vaults is a discreet gem in the City where more than 30 expert silver dealers bring together the largest single retail collection of silver in the world. they offer a great variety, dating

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from the 16th century to some of today’s best contemporary work and including old Sheffield Plate and silver gilt tableware, decorative items, jewellery,

watches and more.

While each dealer has specialities in their stock, they are highly competitive and as a result prices are lower than in many other locations in the uK.

Quintessentially english luxury lifestyle brand thomas lyte celebrates its fifth anniversary this november. thomas Lyte’s exquisite leather

and silver collections are designed and handcrafted in London and are available from their luxurious Mayfair store in London’s burlington arcade.

We love this mini doctor's bag, named the audrey, (left, £595) and the eliza oversized clutch (£499). www.thomaslyte.com

If calling Britain from overseas, dial your international code, then 44, and drop the first zero ●

www.britain-magazine.com

The heritage coast

Steeped in stories of invaders and sleeping under the spell of a dangerous and heroic past besieged with bloody border clashes, Northumberland today remains a county free from crowds, boasting endless incredible views and a shoreline dubbed the Castle Coast WORDS gemma hall

Alnwick Castle and its lion bridge, built to protect England's northern border against Scottish invasions and the Border Reivers

photo: Š Jeff VeeVers/AlAmy

Northumberland

Northumberland

J

ust 20 miles south of the Scottish border near the village of Chatton stands a 3,000-year-old earthen rampart which offers an unrivalled view across Northumberland – from the purple humps of the Cheviot Hills in the west to the creamy sands swirling around Lindisfarne at the coast. What makes this panorama even more striking is that at certain times of the day, when the light is clear, you can see seven castles. Despite this remarkable vista and proximity to one of Northumberland’s most imposing medieval fortresses and parklands (Chillingham Castle), few people know of Ros Castle – or its view. But then that’s true of England’s northernmost county in general. Where else in the country can you walk for several miles across a pristine sandy beach and only meet a handful

photoS: viSitBRitAiN/NAtioNAl tRuSt/iStock. illuStRAtioN: SuSAN Bull

Below: View towards Steel Rigg from Hadrian's Wall.

Facing page: Looking towards Bamburgh Castle on its rocky plateau above the sea

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of people; gaze at a night sky as starry as in the Scottish Highlands; or strip off and take the plunge under a waterfall knowing there’s no one else around?

Tourism brochures often describe Northumberland as ‘the Secret Kingdom’, which is a bit erroneous these days (the secret has been out for years), but there are still many corners of Northumberland that are relatively unexplored by visitors – and wonderfully crowd free even in high summer.

But let’s turn to a well-trodden path: the most important Roman monument in Britain, Hadrian’s Wall. For 73 miles, the 2,000-year-old barricade crosses the neck of England from Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria to Wallsend in Tyneside. Though still standing at over two metres high in places, the wall dips in and out of sight, breaks up here and there and disappears completely on the outskirts of Newcastle, but it leads today’s rambler on a journey from the Irish Sea, over the southern edge of Northumberland National Park, and through the leafy Tyne Valley before its final run past the old shipyards on the River Tyne.

Between Chollerford and Brampton the ruin is particularly dramatic and well-preserved, owing to the inaccessible location and high Whin Sill cliffs (a type of igneous rock peculiar to the North East) that have kept the wall out of the reach of builders over the centuries. Certainly there were easier places to transport Roman masonry than across this rugged terrain. Elsewhere along the line of Hadrian’s Wall, the sharp-eyed will notice that some houses and farmsteads are constructed with suspiciously well-dressed stones. Roman masonry was also widely ‘recycled’ in more prominent buildings such as the Golden Lion pub in Corbridge, Thirlwall Castle near Greenhead and in a number of churches. At Hexham Abbey for example, visitors to the Anglo-Saxon crypt may just make out Roman letters in the stonework above their heads.

Northumberland’s Roman sites have been excavated and studied many times since the ruins caught the attention of www.britain-magazine.com

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ROMAN LIFE, EPIC HISTORY & S TUNNING LOCATIONS ON HADRIAN’S WALL

Visit the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire on Hadrian’s Wall.

Explore Housesteads, Chesters and Birdoswald Roman Forts or Corbridge Roman Town for a unique taste of life in Roman Britain.

EX

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ALL SITES BETWEEN BRAMPTON, CUMBRIA AND CORBRIDGE, NORTHUMBERLAND

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photos: NorthumberlaNd NatioNal park/visitNorthumberlaNd.com

Northumberland

Victorian collectors, so it may come as some surprise to learn that archaeologists are still uncovering Roman artefacts today. Nowhere is this more exciting than at Vindolanda Roman Fort near Bardon Mill, which hosts archaeologists every summer. They don’t just unearth fragments of pots or bones, however; buried in the anaerobic soil are wonderfully preserved objects that would normally have rotted away: old sandals, bracelets, hair brushes and, most thrilling of all, postcards with their 2,000-year-old messages still visible.

‘I want you to know that I am in very good health, as I hope you are in turn, you neglectful man, who have sent me not even one letter…’ reads one of the now renowned Vindolanda Writing Tablets on display in the fort’s museum.

Of great interest to historians is a birthday party invitation from Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina, which begins: ‘I give you a warm invitation to make sure that you come to us, to make the day more enjoyable for me’ and closes: ‘I shall expect you, sister. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul, as I hope to prosper, and hail’. This is the earliest record of female correspondence and Latin handwriting in western Europe, and the original tablet is kept in London’s British Museum.

A few centuries after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Northumbria entered a long period of cultural enrichment and learning. It was during this period that we see the emergence of new crafts, such as the creation of stained glass windows, the production of Britain’s first history book and the celebrated Lindisfarne Gospels. But turmoil returned to the region when Vikings invaded and again during the years of Border clashes. The medieval period was marked by frequent conflicts with the Scots, hence the large number of fortified manor houses and castles in the North East.

Nowhere is this more apparent (except for at Ros Castle) than on the shores between Druridge Bay and Berwick upon Tweed, an area dubbed the Castle Coast.

Warkworth, Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh and Lindisfarne appear one after the other, where beaches – largely free of development and crowds – extend for miles. Dunstanburgh and Warkworth are both ruins today with their ribcages exposed to the sea air, though they still bear their formidable chests; Bamburgh and Lindisfarne (a relatively young castle built in 1542) remain largely intact and reflect in their walls and furnishings the changing periods and styles since their construction. Internally, Lindisfarne comes as quite a surprise with its Edwardian interior designed by Edwin Lutyens.

A few miles inland, the region’s most visited castle, Alnwick, is a fortress to be reckoned with. A 19th-century guidebook purchased from Alnwick’s delightful second-hand bookshop, Barter Books, says the market town ‘is ever under the spell of the dreamy past’. These days you could say it is also under the spell of Harry Potter, this being the setting for Hogwarts in the film adaptation of JK Rowling’s bestseller.

Witchcraft and wizardry aside, Alnwick Castle is stuffed with riches amassed by Northumberland’s most powerful aristocratic family, the Percys, and the town itself is a hugely www.britain-magazine.com

rewarding stop on the heritage trail. Don’t miss the view of the castle from near Lion Bridge, or the splendour of the White Swan hotel dining room on Bondgate, which is lavishly fitted with all the fixtures and artworks from the Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic. The room will take you back to the era of trans-Atlantic cruises and Edwardian style.

To see where many of the region’s legendary battles took place, however, head away from the Heritage Coast to Redesdale, an expanse of open countryside between Kielder Forest and Otterburn that has experienced more bloodshed than probably anywhere else in Northumberland. For a couple of hundred years until the mid 17th century, this was the Wild West of Britain, a lawless place where marauding clans in England and Scotland, who had stronger ties to family groups than to country, rode on horseback at night over the moors, stealing livestock, committing murder and arson and seeking retribution. ‘They were cruel, coarse

Top: An Alnwick café. Above: Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England

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photos: © NtpL/DaviD tarN

Northumberland

savages, slaying each other as the beasts of the forests,’ wrote GM Trevelyan of the notorious Border Reivers. Today, Redesdale’s bleak grasslands, heather hills and dark woods are somewhat off the beaten track, but this is a fascinating – and beautiful – part of the county with a gripping story to tell. Reminders of Redesdale’s turbulent years are still visible in the buildings standing to this day, and the legacy of the Reivers lives on in folklore, traditional North East songs and in a few local words that became adopted into mainstream English including ‘bereaved’ and ‘blackmail’. A strong culture of story-telling emerged during this period, but tales of clashes, villains, love and tragedies were not written down; they were preserved in song. Sir Walter Scott recorded some of these melancholic Border Ballads before they became extinct.

Equally as fascinating are the defensive buildings from that period that survive in the hills. ‘Bastle houses’ were domestic dwellings with hugely thick stone walls that typically had their front door on the first floor, which was reached by an external stone staircase or ladders that could be brought in at night. These distinctive buildings are dotted all over Northumbria. Some, like Black Middens Bastle in the Tarset Valley and Woodhouses Bastle near Holystone are exceptionally well preserved; others have been converted into domestic houses or storage buildings and require a bit of local knowledge and detective work to spot. Helpfully, the Tourist Information Centre has a leaflet marking their locations.

With so many castles, fortified houses and town walls, Northumberland can seem formidable, but the county does have a gentle, more refined side. By the 18th and 19th centuries, relatively peaceful times prevailed and wealthy landowners abandoned their defensive towers and built neo-classical houses with large welcoming windows and open parklands. Wallington Hall and Belsay Hall in the lowland countryside around Ponteland and Morpeth are both open to the public. Here the wind blows less punishingly than in rugged Redesdale and the scenery is softer with grazing sheep

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NorthumberLaND highLights J Cragside home of victorian industrialist Lord armstrong, who built his arts and Crafts mansion out of the sandstone hills near rothbury and filled it with many novel gadgets. Cragside was the first house in the world to be lit by electricity. Tel: 01669 620333; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside J Chain Bridge Honey Farm stock up on pots of heather honey produced on the scottish border before admiring the magnificent iron suspension bridge from which the farm gets its name. Tel: 01289 386362; www.chainbridgehoney.co.uk J Coquet Island Not as famous as the Farne islands further north, but still a hit with wildlife watchers. this diminutive island managed by the rspb

protects the only colony of britain’s rarest seabird, the roseate tern, which can be seen on boat tours during the summer. Tel: 0300 7772676; www.rspb.org.uk J Preston Tower arrive five minutes before the hour to experience the bone-rattling sensation of the half-ton bell at the top of this medieval tower sounding out across Northumberland. Tel: 01665 589227; www.prestontower.co.uk J Ford & Etal estates Follow the river till to the scottish border and you’ll come to two exceptional step-back-intime estate villages with two ruined castles and a 19th-century mill nearby. heatherslaw mill is the only working water-powered cornmill in Northumberland. Tel: 01890 820338; www.ford-and-etal.co.uk

and well-kept villages glimpsed across parklands. Local landscape designer, Capability Brown, must have drawn inspiration for his garden designs from this scenery.

Brown was born in Kirkharle near Ponteland and walked across the hay meadows you see today on his way to school.

A plan for the parkland at Kirkharle farm, which is almost certainly Brown’s work, was discovered in the 1980s, but it was only recently that his vision was realised. It will be decades before the garden reaches maturity, but Kirkharle is already a tranquil spot with a lake and broad-leaved trees.

Perhaps emperor Hadrian and the medieval kings and dukes of Northumberland had similar ideas when they looked upon the Whin Sill crags and envisioned their walls and castles.

Above: The west front of Wallington Hall, with the gravel drive sweeping up to the front entrance

 Gemma Hall is a freelance journalist and author of the new travel guidebook, Slow Northumberland & Durham published by Bradt.

For more information please visit www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com

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Booking is essential as tickets are not sold on site.

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A dv e r t i s e m e n t f e At u r e

the magical Christmas market transforms the square between Bath Abbey and the famous roman Baths

enjoy a traditional Christmas in Bath Discover the true spirit of WIN! Christmas and enjoy the TWO-NIgHT STAy IN festive market in the World BATH Heritage city of Bath WORDS ellen hemingway

b

ath is the perfect place to enjoy the festive season, and it has everything you could want at Christmastime – a picture-perfect Georgian backdrop, magical Christmas markets, delightful cobbled side streets, cosmopolitan cafés, awardwinning restaurants and wonderful places to stay – all wrapped up in a truly enchanting and charming city.

The centrepiece of Bath at Christmastime is the picturesque Christmas market, which runs from the end of November to mid December each year (22 November to 9 December 2012).

The market magically transforms the square between Bath Abbey and the famous Roman Baths in the very heart of this World Heritage city. The 18-day market becomes a treasure trove with more than 130 traditional wooden chalets, each one offering hand crafted and unusual gifts, decorations and seasonal food and drink. Twinkling fairy lights, the aroma of mulled wine and the backdrop of the stunning Bath Abbey create an idyllic setting.

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Bath is home to the only UK spa with naturally heated thermal waters. So, after a hectic day of shopping, you can relax in the rooftop pool surrounded by spectacular views of the city. Or take respite at the regular shoppers’ carol services at the Abbey, a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

Staying in Bath is always a treat, with wonderful accommodation for every pocket ranging from luxurious five-star spa hotels to boutique and award-winning B&Bs with charming hosts. Hospitality runs through the veins of many businesses in Bath so expect a warm welcome whether you choose to come for a day or spend a little longer.

Bath has excellent transport links – however you decide to travel. For further information and to book accommodation, go to www.bathatchristmas.co.uk

Win! A STAy iN BeAUTiFUl BATH BRITAIN magazine has teamed up with the historic city of Bath to bring you this wonderful competition to win a two-night stay* in The Queensberry Hotel – a stylish, boutique hotel in the heart of Bath, just a stone’s throw from all the major attractions, shops and restaurants. The prize includes full English breakfast on both mornings. The winner will also enjoy a three-course dinner for two on one of the evenings at The Olive Tree Restaurant – the award-winning restaurant within The Queensberry Hotel. The competition closing date is 31 December 2012 and the prize must be redeemed by 30 June 2013. To be in with a chance of winning simply answer the following question and complete the form , which you will find online at www.britain-magazine.com/bathcomp Question: How many days does the Bath Christmas market run for? *The two-night stay must be redeemed by 30 June 2013, is subject to availability, and excludes Fridays, Saturdays, 14 February and bank holidays. Further terms and conditions apply. Visit the BRITAIN magazine website – www.britain-magazine.com – for full details.

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AWARD WINNING GUIDED TOURS

To book tickets please call +44 (0)844 847 1672, for groups call +44 (0)844 847 2498 or visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk/housesofparliament www.parliament.uk +*/ / ,/ #.$ !--/ / # -. "/ .( /&.%,/ ,#- .$! -/+//*)') '*)+*//+ )*//&.%,/+

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With 35 spacious and exclusively themed rooms, many overlooking a leafy private garden square, our hotel offers the perfect location from which to explore London and all of the treasures of the art world which reside here. Whatever your reason for visiting, the Draycott provides a quiet and restful place in which to relax, or to return to at the end of each day - and indeed, our guests return again and again.

Many have commented that a visit to the Draycott is more like coming home than being away.

If you would like to discover a little more about our exceptional hotel, please visit www.draycotthotel.com or call +44 (0)207 730 6466 for a full colour brochure.

Find us on: A Member of

46 BRITAIN

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British History

The arrest of Guy Fawkes illustration from 'Madame Tussauds'

Remember, remember

Few autumn spectacles compare with Bonfire Night, when early November skies dance with flames and fireworks. But what is the true story behind the Gunpowder Plot – this curious mix of light and laughter, dark shadows and even darker tales?

PHOTO: WWW.BRIDGEMANART.COM

“R

WORDS NEIL JONES

emember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason, why gunpowder treason, should ever be forgot.” So runs the well-known ditty that echoes around bonfire celebrations, recalling the fateful day in 1605 when a group of Catholic conspirators were foiled in their attempt to blow up King James I of England and his Parliament.

Generations of historians accepted that the firebrands aimed to start an uprising that would overturn Protestantism and re-establish Catholicism in England. However, the truth may well be less straightforward. More recently there have been suggestions that other forces were at work, even agents-provocateurs keen to discredit the

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Jesuits and reinforce Protestantism. For sure, Guy Fawkes, who has become the scapegoat sitting in effigy on top of latter-day bonfires, was just a cog in the conspiracy and not the driving-force.

The Gunpowder Plot, as it became known, emerged soon after James I ascended the English throne in 1603. Following the turbulence of the Reformation in the 16th century, many people hoped that the new Stuart king would usher in an era of greater religious toleration. The son of Mary, Queen of Scots who was Catholic, James VI was raised a Scottish Presbyterian and upheld the beliefs of the Church of England. But Catholics looking for an end to their persecution in England were quickly disappointed and a group from the Midlands decided to take action.

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photos: © skyscan photolibrary/alamy/istock

British History

Above: The symbolic shaped Rushton Triangular Lodge in Northamptonshire and Coughton Court in Warwickshire both have interesting links to the gunpowder plot

Then, on 26 October an anonymous letter was handed to the Catholic Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away from the Houses of Parliament At their centre was Robert Catesby, a charismatic gentleman already known to the government as a troublemaker. If you drop into the Warwickshire village of Lapworth, where Robert was born around 1572, you can pick out the Catesby family coat of arms in the west window of St Mary the Virgin church.

Recruits to his plot included his cousins Thomas and Robert Winter from Worcestershire, and Thomas Percy from the aristocratic Percy family. There was Sir Everard Digby, whose links to the tale may be explored at stately Coughton Court, near Alcester in Warwickshire.

And there was Catesby’s cousin, Francis Tresham, whose father Thomas designed Rushton Triangular Lodge, a must-see Northamptonshire curiosity that pays symbolic testament to the family’s Roman Catholic faith. You can also soak up history at the former Tresham ancestral home, Rushton Hall, Rushton, which is now a four-star luxury hotel and spa.

Eventually there were 13 conspirators, including three from the same school, St Peter’s, in York: brothers Christopher and John Wright, and Guy Fawkes. The latter was born in 1570 in Stonegate, today one of the city’s prettiest streets thanks to its charming medieval and Georgian architecture. Visit, too, St Michael le Belfrey (beside York Minster) where Fawkes was baptised and where an information board reveals more about the city’s infamous son.

Fawkes, described by acquaintances as a gallant and pious man, had distinguished himself as a soldier, fighting as a mercenary in the Spanish army in the Netherlands. With the advantage of being unknown in London, he pretended to be Percy’s servant, ‘John Johnson’, and was installed in a house rented by Percy right next to the House of Lords in May 1604.

The plan was to procure gunpowder and tunnel under the House of Lords, but by March 1605 the group had managed to rent a House of Lords basement storeroom and so tunnelling was

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abandoned. By autumn, 36 barrels of gunpowder were stashed there, waiting to be lit on 5 November when King James, Lords and Commons gathered for the State Opening of Parliament.

But a strange thing happened. The government seems to have had inklings of a plot but no clear intelligence. Then on 26 October an anonymous letter was handed to the Catholic Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away from Parliament. Now held by The National Archives (go online at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk), the note advises “they shall receive a terrible blow this parliament and yet they shall not seie who hurts them”.

The conspirators found out about the letter from one of Monteagle’s servants and suspicion quickly fell on Monteagle’s brother-in-law Francis Tresham, but he denied having sent the note.

Recent commentators have questioned if the letter was in fact a forgery, written perhaps by Robert Cecil, the king’s most important minister, to set up the conspirators for a spectacular government propaganda coup when their plot was dramatically ‘uncovered’.

It still remains a mystery.

In any case, the conspirators decided to press ahead with their plans, while Cecil and the government apparently treated the letter with scepticism – probably to avoid scaring the plotters to flight.

Meanwhile, ‘John Johnson’ had been to check the gunpowder and found it undisturbed. When officials searched the basement on 4 November, they discovered him looking after what appeared to be a large pile of firewood and went on their way. But, suspicions aroused, Sir Thomas Knyvett, keeper of Westminster Palace, and his friend Edmund Doubleday returned towards midnight to find the bearded ‘Johnson’ still skulking with his lantern – the very lantern that may be viewed today at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

During the brief but violent struggle that ensued, the barrels of gunpowder were revealed. www.britain-magazine.com

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On 4 November 1605, 36 barrels of gunpowder were found under the Houses of Parliament www.britain-magazine.com

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PHOTO: © SUPERSTOCK/ALAN CURTIS/ALAMY

British History

There were 13 conspirators, including three from the same school: Christopher and John Wright, and Guy Fawkes While Fawkes, still masquerading as Johnson, was taken to the Tower of London for interrogation, other conspirators, realising the plot had been foiled, fled the city.

Catesby made for a pre-arranged rendezvous at Dunchurch in Warwickshire, where a group of Catholic gentry were waiting. Had James I and his sons been blown up in Parliament, the plan was to snatch the king’s nine-year-old daughter Elizabeth from nearby Coombe Abbey. Controlled by the plotters she was to have been a puppet queen, in due course married off to a suitable Catholic peer.

Instead, most of Catesby’s associates disbanded in dismay.

In fact, news of the failed Gunpowder Plot had already reached Coombe Abbey (today it’s a beautiful four-star country house hotel where you can immerse yourself in luxury and heritage) and Princess Elizabeth had been whisked off to safety.

Catesby was still keen to rally supporters for an uprising against the government, but even with fresh horses stolen from Warwick Castle, followers soon melted away. The authorities caught up with the remaining men on 8 November at Holbeach House, Kingswinford in the West Midlands. During a brief shoot-out Catesby, Percy and the Wright brothers were killed, and the rest taken back to London for interrogation.

As for ‘John Johnson’, already in the Tower: at fi rst he had maintained his alias, refusing to divulge his co-conspirators, and his wit and stubbornness under questioning both frustrated and impressed his captors. On 6 November King James sent an order – now in The National Archives – “If he will not other wayes confesse, the gentler tortours are to be the fi rst usid unto him.”

Slowly Fawkes’ tongue loosened.

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In the end, all the main conspirators were captured, tried for high treason and executed, except Francis Tresham, who conveniently died of natural causes in the Tower of London on 23 December 1605 – further leading to speculation that he had been some sort of double agent.

If the theory is true that the government knew more about the Gunpowder Plot than it had let on, biding time to get propaganda value from its spectacular ‘discovery’, then the plan worked. The treason of a handful of men was seen to taint all English Catholics, inciting feeling against them and making life uncomfortable for years to come. Unlikely or not, the full truth will probably never be known.

Passing centuries have turned this dramatic episode of history into something of a pageant. To this day, for example, it’s a traditional part of autumn’s State Opening of Parliament that The Queen’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard searches the parliamentary cellars.

Following a Thanksgiving Act of 1606, 5 November also became a day of commemoration. The Act stayed in force until 1859 and, though church services and sermons may have fallen away after that, bonfires, fireworks and merrymaking have prevailed. The Victorians, in particular, made Bonfire Night into a child-centric custom as they called “Penny for the Guy” with their stuffed bonfire ‘guy’. Even in Guy Fawkes’ home city you’ll find a party atmosphere as York Maze hosts its annual Fireworks Spectacular this 5 November.

 For more information and links to all the places mentioned in this feature and to continue the Gunpowder Plot debate visit www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com

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a CitY UnitED

Innovation and industry have long been the bywords of the booming, bustling city of Manchester. Fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south and the Pennines to the north and east, the world’s first industrialised city sprang up at the turn of the 19th century and it hasn’t looked back since WORDS lUCY tomlinson

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Manchester

Manchester cityscape at dusk

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phoTo: markeTing manchesTer

M

anchester has much to answer for. Including, in no particular order: atomic science, canals, feminism, industrialisation, passenger railways and professional football.

Some of these claims can of course be taken with a large pinch of salt. It is commonly held that the Industrial Revolution, as the social equivalent of the Big Bang, transformed Manchester from a disease-ridden provincial town into a metropolis that ruled the world. In fact, Manchester was a relatively wealthy small market town when Richard Arkwright built his first mill in 1780 and the modern world sprang into being. The reign of ‘King Cotton’ saw the city transformed, leading Benjamin Disraeli to state that “Certainly Manchester is the most wonderful city of modern times.”

This fizzing era of invention, commercialisation and eventually exploitation saw Manchester become home to the first commercial railway and the first canal, both essential elements in the movement of goods and people that meant the city would become a leader in economic and social progress and, as the whole country followed suit, that Britain became the dominant influence across the globe.

Wandering around Manchester today, the legacy of Victorian entrepreneurship is evident in the handsome red-brick buildings scattered across the city. For a long time Ancoats, the area of Manchester with the highest concentration of mills, was a no-go locale. Nowadays it is bursting back to life with the mills being transformed into industrial-chic apartments and art projects. It is well worth whiling away an hour or two finding the ‘Ancoats Peeps’, brass spyglasses built into the sides of the mills, revealing glimpses of the buildings’ former lives, including clockwork mechanisms, pumps or even a bell tower.

Perhaps the most visible encapsulation of Victorian Manchester is the Town Hall, situated on St Peter’s Square.

Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1877, it is festooned with symbols of the source of the city’s wealth – cotton flowers – and entrepreneurial spirit in the form of busy worker bees. Its neo-gothic majesty, regarded as one of the finest examples in the UK, has stood in for the

This legacy of Victorian entrepreneurship is evident in the handsome red-brick buildings scattered across the city britain

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Another of Manchester’s most famous firsts, one that has altered countless lives across the world, was the establishment of the world’s first professional football league in 1888 Clockwise from top left: Museum of Science and Industry; The Lowry Centre, Salford Quays; the Midland Hotel; the People’s History Museum; the Town Hall backing onto St Peters Square; Piccadilly Gardens

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Manchester

photos: MarketIng Manchester

Right: Lowry Bridge

by Night. Below: Model steam engine at Museum of Science and Industry

Houses of Parliament on film, despite being a working municipal hub. The sculpture gallery is a great place for a cuppa but the real attraction is a set of wall murals by Ford Madox Brown. Summing up the history of Manchester in 12 frames, it is an excellent starting point for an exploration of the city.

But a darker shadow can be found under Manchester’s mantle of Victorian red-brick respectability if you know where to look. Slums sprang up like mushrooms in the damp Mancunian atmosphere (it is this special quality of dampness that apparently makes it the perfect for handling cotton. If by chance there was a non-rainy day, mill foremen would spray water in the weaving rooms to keep the cotton manageable). So if Manchester has been the midwife to economic revolution it has also been a crucible for radicalism. Friedrich Engels, himself a wealthy bourgeois, visited the Little Ireland area of Manchester and was so appalled by the slum circumstances that he documented them in The Conditions of the Working Class in England, a classic account of the effect industrial conditions had on the poor. From here he formed an intellectual partnership with Karl Marx and together they developed Marxism and Communism. Chetham’s Library, where the two met to discuss their work, still has the window seat on which they would sit. Manchester was also the home of the anti-Corn Law League, the first modern political movement, and the first meeting of the TUC was held here in 1868. The People’s History Museum, on the banks of the River Irwell, is a fine place to get a sense of Manchester’s radical history, and the www.britain-magazine.com

Working Class Movement Library in Salford is a must-visit for scholars of the subject.

Manchester’s womenfolk were also a radical crew, with Ann Lee founding the Shakers, and Emmeline Pankhurst (born and raised in the now-infamous Moss Side area and named one of Time magazine’s 100 people of the 20th century) being the leader of the Women’s Suffrage movement.

Liberal thinking was also reflected in the The Manchester Guardian (now just plain The Guardian). Its most celebrated editor, CP Scott, made the mission statement “Comment is free, but facts are sacred”, setting the tone in principle, if not in practice, for newspapers the world over.

Intellectual achievement has also been a breeding ground for a clutch of Manchester firsts. Ernest Rutherford first split the atom at Manchester University in 1919, considered the watershed moment in nuclear physics (His assistant, Hans Geiger, also invented the famous Geiger counter). The father of atomic theory, John Dalton, also lived and worked in Manchester, inventing meteorology and describing colour blindness while he was at it. The first

If Manchester has been the midwife to economic revolution it has also been a crucible for radicalism britain

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Service Times Sundays Holy Communion 9.00 am Sung Eucharist 10.30 am Evensong 5.30 pm Weekdays Morning Prayer 9.00 am (Mon-Sat) Holy Communion 1.10 pm (Mon-Fri) 9.15 am (Sat) Evening Prayer 5.30 pm (Mon-Fri)

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pHoTos: MarkeTing MancHesTer

Manchester

stored programme computer, nicknamed ‘the Baby’, was invented in Manchester by Professors Tom Kilburn and Fred Williams, assisted by Alan Turing. Local firm Ferranti developed the machine into the Ferranti Mark 1, the world’s first commercially available general-purpose computer. The parents of Tim Berners-Lee (who went on to invent the world-wide web) worked together on the Ferranti Mark 1, first meeting at the firm’s Christmas party in 1952 – a party that arguably changed the world. The tradition of invention is carried on today by Nobel-prize winning scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who discovered graphene, the first two-dimensional material.

Many of these firsts, including a model of the first railway, can be seen at the wonderful MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry). The University’s own Manchester Museum has a wonderful collection of oddities and close by the Whitworth Art Gallery a has an interesting selection of textiles, as befits Cottonopolis. Those interested in the end product should visit Platt Field’s Gallery of Costume, or venture further afield to Stockport’s Hat Works Museum.

Another of Manchester’s most famous firsts, one that has altered countless lives across the world, was the establishment of the world’s first professional football league in 1888. Manchester United is probably the most famous team in the world, with an estimated 72 million fans in China alone. Manchester City formed a blue shadow to the red devils until their title win last year. The crackling rivalry between the teams makes Manchester one of the most passionate football cities in the world and the www.britain-magazine.com

ideal place to host the new National Museum of Football.

Here you’ll find the 1966 World Cup final ball, Maradona’s ‘hand of god’ shirt and the UEFA Cup winner’s Cup, as well as a host of interactive features.

Manchester is a bibliophile’s dream. The first person to borrow from a public lending library had his ticket stamped here in 1852. Chetham’s can lay claim to being the UK’s oldest free public library, while the John Rylands Library on Deansgate, a Gothic temple built as a memoriam to the multi-millionaire of the same name, holds many precious texts including a fragment of the Old Testament. The private Portico Library is also a must-visit. In this small but perfectly formed gem, Mark Roget began writing his indispensable Thesaurus.

Manchester also has a collection of less well-known firsts. The Flodden Window, a stained glass window depicting archers at the Battle of Flodden Field, resides at St Leonard’s Parish Church in Middleton and is thought to be the first-ever war memorial. The French restaurant in the Midland Hotel was the recipient of Britain’s first Michelin star; the first-ever Marks & Spencer opened

Above: Whitworth Art Gallery. Below: The first ever M&S opened in Manchester

The French restaurant in the Midland Hotel was the recipient of Britain’s first Michelin star britain

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Imperial War Museum North, Salford Quays

Manchester’s Must-sees J Manchester is a city of festivals, from the biannual Manchester International Festival to Gay Pride to Manchester Food & Drink to the 24/7 theatre Festival to scores of music festivals, including rock, pop, dance indie and jazz. rusholme is home to one of the biggest eid celebrations in the uK, while the caribbean festival is a highlight in hulme.

J Manchester is not just dedicated to the worship of Mammon. Manchester Cathedral is a fine building with late-medieval woodwork and St Mary’s Church, known locally as the hidden Gem, is very special.

Founded in 1794 it is thought to be the oldest post-reformation catholic church in any major centre of population in england.

J For a truly inspired take on local ingredients, head to salford’s Mark Addy pub, named after a Victorian hero who plunged into the river Irwell to save over 50 people, becoming the first civilian to receive the Victoria cross for his bravery. today you can witness less dramatic feats on the river, such as the annual Yellow Duck race, while tucking into traditional northern grub from executive head chef robert Owen Brown.

J the beautiful Bridgewater Hall is the home of the halle Orchestra, the oldest performing professional orchestra in Britain.

For those of a more contemporary musical disposition, the northern Quarter’s many

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record shops are seemingly immune to the threat of the digital era.

J The Anthony Burgess Centre is dedicated to the works of one of Manchester’s most famous writers. his novel A Clockwork Orange shocked the world 50 years ago this year.

Mrs Gaskell is Manchester’s other best-loved author and fans of cranford can visit her home at 84 Plymouth Grove, where she received Dickens, John ruskin, harriet Beecher stowe and charlotte Bronte, among others.

J astronomy fans can visit cheshire’s Jodrell Bank, home to the Lovell telescope and recent host of the stargazing Live programme. the more modest Godlee Observatory on Oxford road is one of the city’s secret treasures.

in Manchester in 1894 and perhaps most bizarrely, Britain’s first matador was from Salford, which brings us to Manchester’s sister city. Separated only by the River Irwell, the two are so intertwined that most cannot tell them apart, and though like all siblings there is a fierce rivalry, their future certainly lies together Salford functioned as essential dockland during the rapid expansion of the Industrial Revolution and the flatness of the area has leant itself to urban regeneration. Today, the sparklingly clean docks host water sports set against the contemporary outlines of Daniel Libeskind’s Imperial War Museum and the Lowry Centre.

Nowadays, most people have probably heard of Salford as the new home of much of the BBC’s output, the corporation settling into its purpose-built Media City home. One studio is located in an old pie factory, the giant ovens apparently making perfect sound stages. Nostalgia buffs can wander past the Blue Peter garden, and BBC tours give a real insight into the workings of a worldwide media network. It is fitting that during its construction, Media City was the biggest engineering works in the country, a title that was true of the Manchester Ship Canal a hundred years or so before it.

Together, Manchester and Salford look forward. The past is about invention, radicalism and getting the job done. The future can only hold more of the same.

 For more information and contact details for all the places mentioned in this feature, go to www.britain-magazine.com and for further details on visiting the city, go to www.visitmanchester.com www.britain-magazine.com

TOUCH, HOLD, FEEL, HUG, LEARN FOR FREE

Kingston Bagpuize House & garden Nr AbiNgdoN, oxfordshire

Open on selected days February to September 2013

Visit websitefor full details.

A private family home this beautiful 18th century Manor House is surrounded by its garden and parkland.

An impressive cantilevered staircase and handsome panelled rooms can be seen with period furniture and interesting paintings.

Lovely garden with wide range of trees, shrubs and perennials.

Group visits by appointment Tearoom, small gift shop, plants for sale

www.kingstonbagpuizehouse.com Email: Virginia@kbhadmin.com • Phone: 01865 820259

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FREE ENTRY OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR 01395 578222 www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 0NU

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For a free brochure of 680 B&Bs, please email: office@bbnationwide.co.uk

Bed & Breakfast…and much more A 232-page guide to: • where to go • what to see • where to stay in the UK & Ireland

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Features include area guides, historical and literary tours B&Bs that welcome dogs, horses and have facilities for the less mobile £6.95 inc. p&p (overseas plus p&p) For a copy, please email: office@bbnationwide.co.uk or telephone: 01255 672377 quoting ref: BM12

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Beaufort Hotel 1-4

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DILLINGTON HOUSE The perfect place for your vacation or business trip

The Beaufort Hotel, London On a quiet tree-line cul-de-sac, moments away from Harrods, you’ll find this modern and contemporary styled boutique hotel – one of London’s best! The Beaufort in Knightsbridge offers 29 individually styled and luxuriously appointed bedrooms.

Guests have use of a complimentary Resident’s Bar between 3pm and 11pm each day (including Champagne) together with a complimentary Afternoon Cream Tea with home baked scones.

The Knightsbridge Underground Station and museums of Victoria and Albert, Science and Natural History are also within 200 yards walk of the hotel.

Please check our website for latest offers

The Beaufort Hotel, London 33 Beaufort Gardens, London SW3 1PP

Set in mature parkland, Dillington House is one of the finest and most beautiful houses in Somerset and formerly the home of George III’s Prime Minister, Lord North.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7584 5252 • Fax: +44(0)20 7589 2834 www.thebeaufort.co.uk Email: reservations@thebeaufort.co.uk

www.dillington.com Telephone + 44 (0)1460 258648 Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 9DT

‘Hotel on the Beach’

Carbis Bay Luxury Hotel and Apartments Beautiful bedrooms and apartment suites • Direct access to our own Blue Flag beach Award-winning sub-tropical gardens with coastal footpath to St Ives • Ample parking Excellent conference and meeting rooms • Games room and 3D cinema • Rail access Hotel’s own private motor yacht • AA Rosetted restaurant and conservatory

Waterfront location with stunning views

5* graded sea view holiday apartments and cottages

Outdoor heated swimming pool and sun terrace For reservAtions pLeAse ContACt: Carbis Bay Hotel, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2NP Tel. 01736 795311 Fax. 01736 797677 info@carbisbayhotel.co.uk www.carbisbayhotel.co.uk www.carbisbayselfcatering.co.uk

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Britain Meets

The Hastings fishmonger Hastings, we know, is noted for that battle – even if it was fought five miles away.

However, the East Sussex resort has another claim to fame: it is the home of Europe’s largest beach-launched fishing fleet. BRITAIN meets Sonny Elliott, the Hastings fishmonger who knows a thing or two about this thousand-year-old tradition

Fishing boats on the snow-covered beach beneath the East Cliff at Hastings www.britain-magazine.com

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pHoTo: vISIT BRITAIN

WORDS Chris Fautley

phoTos: chris fauTley/visiT BriTain

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astings’ impressive beach-launched fleet has numbered almost 50 boats in the recent past.

Today there are slightly fewer launching daily from The Stade (a Saxon word possibly meaning ‘landing place’). It is a large accumulation of shingle that has built up over hundreds of years in eastern Hastings in an area known as the Old Town. Boats have launched here since Elizabethan times, and probably earlier. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to build a harbour, but The Stade is protected from the prevailing westerlies by a huge breakwater – even that has been breached by the sea.

Inevitably, where there is a fishing fleet there are sellers of fish and Hastings is no exception. Among these is Old Town fishmonger Sonny Elliott at Rock-a-Nore Fisheries, (Rock-aNore is old English for ‘rock to the north’). The fleet, Sonny explains, launches at high tide and lands on the ebb, a difficult task, not least since the tidal range at spring tide can be as much as 7.5m (25ft). “That’s why it doesn’t take a lot of bad weather to keep the boats ashore, because they can’t get off the shingle,” Sonny says.

Sonny was born in the Old Town, and fishing and fish selling have been in his family for generations; Rock-a-Nore

The British are conservative when it comes to fish. We tend to stick with tried and tested varieties such as cod and plaice, meaning that others scarcely get a look in Fisheries is still very much a family concern, his wife, parents and brother all play their part. With its open front, it overlooks The Stade (journey from boat to counter is about 90 metres or 100 yards) and its traditional net shops. With space at a premium in the Old Town, these tall black sheds – like up-ended shoeboxes – were used for drying nets.

Although the current business was founded by his father in 1979, Sonny says his family has been in the fishing industry since the 1850s or longer. He recalls evocative names from the past: Hardy Fullager, Spreader Benton, Polly Gannon…

“Benton: that is quite an old Old Town name,” he remarks.

Polly Gannon was his grandmother: every day, she would push a fish-laden handcart to Bexhill, the next town along the coast, a round trip of 15 miles. “That was how times were,” says Sonny. Now, though, most of his customers come to him.

About half of what he sells comes from the Hastings fleet; Sonny buys direct from the fish market, although these days there is no auction. “The boats land to their own company.

The fish is then graded and re-boxed,” he explains, adding that he then buys it direct from the companies. “My brain

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still works in stone,” he smiles. “I will look at a box of fish and think, ‘That’s a stone,’” (6.35 kilos.) He estimates he sells around 100 stone of fish each week.

He’s spoilt for choice, too. Dover sole is the speciality, but subject to seasonal variations the local fleet provides plaice, lemon sole, turbot, gurnard, mackerel, squid, red mullet and more. “We get quite a range,” he says. “You wouldn’t think we catch squid or red mullet, but we get both of them here.”

Sonny’s biggest seller when in season, however, is local mackerel. “Barbecue on the beach…” he muses. “It’s good for you, a healthy fish and relatively inexpensive.”

The British, though, are conservative when it comes to fish.

We tend to stick with tried and tested varieties such as cod and plaice, meaning that others scarcely get a look in. Whiting is one of the most under-rated, says Sonny. “We get a lot of them in the autumn. Flour it, breadcrumb it, fry it… beautiful.”

They also sell a lot of smoked fish – all produced in their own smoker, using oak sawdust from 1066 Country. They smoke up to 30 stone each week. “We can smoke anything,” says Sonny (including plaice and bass, which is unusual); www.britain-magazine.com

Britain Meets

generally, though, they tend to stick with the more traditional cod, haddock and kippers.

From herring swimming around in the English Channel to a lovely kipper takes about 24 hours, but with buckling, says Sonny, it’s possible to have them caught in the morning and smoked and ready to eat in the afternoon. The smoking process is a closely-guarded secret. “I wouldn’t tell that to anybody,” he says, only revealing that the ‘secret’ element involves brining and drying times.

It was a fortunate accident some years ago that led to the ‘discovery’ of one of Rock-a-Nore’s biggest sellers. Sonny had a batch of salmon ready to smoke for Christmas orders. He takes up the story: “I lit the fires – oak sawdust that smoulders to create the smoke for smoking. However, it got so hot that it caught fire and actually cooked the contents of the smoker. The taste wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what it should be: people wanted it thinly sliced for their Christmas tables: this wouldn’t work, it would just crumble and break. So we ended up with 56 cooked sides of salmon which I thought was ruined, so we gave them away.”

Which isn’t exactly what the lucky recipients thought.

“We had people coming back asking if we had any more!” he laughs. Since then, hot smoked salmon has been one of www.britain-magazine.com

Rock-a-Nore’s signature products. “I’m not saying we invented it,” says Sonny, but I haven’t seen it anywhere else.”

Another Rock-a-Nore speciality is smoked chilli jelly, still made by Sonny’s father Albert, now 82. It’s especially good with hot smoked salmon and smoked mackerel, says Sonny.

A typical day starts at seven in the morning when he sets up a display on the counter. He may then brine something ready for smoking, and opens the shop by half-past-eight.

“I’ll do the blackboards and wait for the customers. There’s always something to do; I like doing the smoking,” he says, adding that it is always nice when customers return to say how much they have enjoyed something.

There are downsides to the job, though. “When it’s freezing cold or blowing a gale and you’ve got to stand here all day. You wonder where the customers are going to come from, but they still turn up in the roughest weather.” The main customer base is local, although Hastings does see a large number of visitors during the summer – especially from London. “The number of times we’ve been asked to move to London,” he reflects. “But this is where we belong.”

Clockwise from main: Fishmonger Sonny Elliott at Rock-aNore Fisheries; a small wooden fishing boat moored on the pebbled beach at Hastings; the smoke house; Sonny checks his smoked fish; the catch of the day

 For more about Rock-a-Nore visit www.rockanore.co.uk and for Hastings and the surrounding area visit www.visit1066country.com britain

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This scepTred isle

Explore remote areas of our coastline, uncover our rich maritime heritage and enjoy breathtaking scenery as you cruise around Britain’s shores where remote islands and splendid castles are all part of the journey WORDS Gary buchanan

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Britain By Sea

A cruise ship passing through London’s imposing Tower Bridge.

Top: Silver Cloud’s luxuriant pool

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photos: prisma Bildagentur ag/alamy/silversea cruises

E

xploring Britain from the sea was the height of elegance and fashion in the 1920s. Today, a voyage around ‘This Sceptred Isle’ is once again proving popular. With 12,000 kilometres (7,500 miles) of coastline, it’s no surprise that travelling around Britain by ship is so high on many travellers’ ‘bucket lists’.

It is an opportunity to see our historic land unfold from a most unusual perspective, and it is the most relaxing way to enjoy a rich tableau of countryside and coastline that would otherwise be out of reach.

Setting sail from Dover, London, Portsmouth and Southampton, a variety of vessels, ranging from smaller intimate ones with a country club ambience to titans with show lounges and a wide range of on-board activities, offer something for everyone. The sheer diversity of Britain’s coastline from historic cities to tranquil anchorages, picture-perfect ports to mystical islands, makes these seaborne odysseys one of life’s great experiences.

There are few cruises that can boast a send-off that’s more memorable than when Silversea’s Silver Cloud slips her moorings beside HMS Belfast in the Pool of London.

As the boutique-style ship takes her position in the middle of the River Thames, the mighty bascules of Tower Bridge are raised as if in salute. Slowly, almost majestically, the vessel heads downriver past the imposing fortress that is the Tower of London and the contrasting glass towers of the City of London, through the Thames Barrier, all the time following the course of this celebrated river that took centre stage during this year’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant.

Another face of British heritage is on display the following day in Scotland’s capital. Known as the ‘Athens britain

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photos: stephen emerson/alamy/david queenan

of the North’, Edinburgh is a peacock of a city. The grandeur of its 14th-century castle, the pomp of the Royal Mile, the harmonious façades of the neo-classical New Town; together they create a striking cityscape. The overnight stay in port allows the opportunity to enjoy the massed pipes and drums that are such a spectacular element of the renowned Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo staged on the esplanade of the imposing castle.

After an afternoon’s passage from the Firth of Forth, past quaint villages of the East Neuk of Fife and venerable St Andrews, Silver Cloud makes landfall in the Moray Firth.

Here Invergordon is the gateway to Loch Ness and ruined Urquhart Castle. There’s the chance to explore Scottish history amid the splendour of Cawdor Castle, or at Dunrobin Castle, with its fine collection of paintings, objets d’art and family memorabilia of the Earls of Sutherland.

After navigating the northern coastline of Scotland with the possibility of glimpsing basking sharks, tissues of thin white clouds hovering over granite peaks unravel to reveal the Inner Hebrides. The Isle of Skye is best known as the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped to during the 1745-6 Jacobite Uprising. Portree, the main port and capital of Skye, is a quaint, colourful fishing town. Not far away, Dunvegan Castle is the oldest continually inhabited castle in Scotland and ancestral home of the chiefs of the Clan MacLeod. The castle’s five acres of formal gardens are a hidden oasis featuring an eclectic mix of plants, woodland glades, shimmering pools fed by waterfalls and streams flowing down to the sea.

Surrounded by rolling green hills, the ancient city of Belfast lies on the rugged Northern Ireland coastline

Sunset at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Left: Elie lighthouse, East Neuk, Fife

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Britain By Sea

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04649_MH&Rs_ThePierAd_v2_99x129 9/26/12 2:12 PM Page 1

Solent Sky Aviation Museum Albert Road South Southampton SO14 3FR 02380 635830

www.spitfireonline.co.uk Reg Charity 262995

Visit The Pier at Harwich Today Book at our first floor Harbourside restaurant, or arrive when you please at The Ha’Penny Bar/Brasserie on the ground floor.

The Pier is also a 14 bedroom hotel with spectacular views of the busy Harwich harbour and the winding Suffolk Heritage Coastline.

Open all day - 7 days a week.

Part of the Milsom Hotel Group

Solent Sky Museum showcases the history of aviation in Southampton and Solent area.

Geographically this area was the most important area in the country, if not the world, for aircraft experimental and development work between 1908 and the late 1960s, the most famous being the Spitfire. We have 18 aircraft of various types, including the Spitfire and S6b. Our Engine Bay also has a good selection of engines.

We welcome people aboard the Sandringham Flying Boat; and why not take a tour onto the flight deck. Or you can imagine that you are flying the Swift or Harrier Jump Jet while sitting in the cockpit.

Opening in September will be our new Schneider Trophy Exhibition.

Find out more at www.milsomhotels.com/thepier or call The Pier on 01255 241212.

Open Hours: Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm** Sunday 12am – 5pm **Monday during school holidays only** Last entry all days 4pm Full disable access.

Admission: Adults £6.50 Senior £5.50 Children 5+ £4.50 Family (2 adults, up to 3 Children) £17.50

Windsor Castle Berkshire, England

KET LE E-TIC T S A C R WINDSO

£17

*

Visit an official residence of The Queen and the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. Windsor Castle is 900 years of royal history in stunning surroundings.

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subject *Prices change to

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Britain By Sea

photos: poRtsMoUth hIstoRIC DoCKYARD

Above left: Relaxing at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the perfect start to a cruise around Britain.

Above right: The stern galleries of HMS Victory, Portsmouth

where the River Lagan flows to the sea. No first-time visitor to Northern Ireland should miss the World Heritage Site of the Giant’s Causeway, where 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns form stepping stones that disappear into the sea.

Additionally, the brand-new ‘Titanic Experience’ marvellously recreates the construction and launch of the ill-fated White Star liner. As Silver Cloud heads south, visits are made to Dublin and Cobh, the port of Cork.

Falmouth has protected the deep water anchorage of the Carrick Roads since Tudor times. The third deepest natural harbour in the world is famous as the start or end point of many round-the-world voyages, such as those of Sir Francis Chichester and Dame Ellen MacArthur. There are endless opportunities to step back in time at Henry VIII’s coastal stronghold of Pendennis Castle, or come bang up to date at the renowned Eden Project, a huge biosphere that recreates the planet’s ecosystems, from rainforest to desert. After ten enchanting days the cruise concludes in Southampton.

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Unequivocally English, Swan Hellenic’s Minerva is, for many, the pre-eminent choice when it comes to cultural cruising and soft adventure. Reflecting the enquiring minds of its passengers, the most remarkable room on board is the 5,000-volume library. Another unique facet is the range of distinguished guest speakers who offer illuminating insights that bring each destination into sharp focus.

In June 2013, the exultantly titled ‘Realms of the British Isles’ cruise sets sail on a 15-day circumnavigation from Portsmouth. On-board experts include former Head of Archaeology for the National Trust Dr David Thackray and cultural historian Siân Evans, who has worked for the V&A. It’s impossible to ignore Portsmouth’s maritime heritage. HMS Victory and HMS Warrior take centre stage in the Historic Dockyard where a museum displays Henry VIII’s Tudor warship Mary Rose. Undoubtedly, this is a perfect precursor to any cruise around Britain.

The itinerary reads like an atlas of the imagination and includes a host of ports that would be impossible to reach by any other means in such a short space of time. The Port of Tyne, on England’s northeast coast, is the gateway for an exploration of the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall, which was begun in AD122; a cruise around the Farne Islands, home to more than 100,000 breeding pairs of sea birds; or a relaxing amble around the world’s most celebrated contemporary garden at Alnwick.

Heading to the most northerly point on Britain’s mainland, the sea assumes the colour of beaten metal. On land, seals bask and eagles dare as the sentinel-like outcrops of Duncansby Head set the scene for landfall at Scotland’s deep-water harbour of Scrabster. A short drive britain

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SMALL SHIP CRUISING WITH NOBLE CALEDONIA - BOOK BEFORE 30 NOVEMBER 2012 AND SAVE £300 PER PERSON

Summer in the Isles

A coastal cruise of Scotland, Ireland and England from Oban to Poole aboard the Corinthian 3rd to 12th August 2013

You can travel the world visiting all manner of exotic and wonderful places without realising that Canna & Skye some of the finest scenery, fascinating history and most endearing people may be close to home.This Oban Lunga & Iona Jura & Gigha unique voyage will take us along the edges of the United Kingdom and Ireland and offers a portrait Portrush & Rathlin of life in our islands. This is a wonderful opportunity to see some of our most beautiful places, meet some interesting inhabitants as far afield as the Northern Isles to the Isles of Scilly, and learn more OFREPUBLIC IRELAND Dublin about both the past and present of Britain and Ireland. Enjoy these very special places with us. The sheer diversity of the landscape and lifestyles will amaze you, as will the spirit and warmth of the UNITED KINGDOM small communities we will encounter. In an age of rapid centralisation and common identity, it is Lundy Poole OF fortifying to know that life with its unique traditions and values can still be found on the edges of our ISLES SCILLY GUERNSEY islands. Whether you be an avid gardener, birdwatcher, amateur historian, or simply enjoy sailing past and visiting some of the most enchanting places in the world, this trip has it all.

Corinthian Re-launched in 2009, after extensive refurbishment, the all-suite Corinthian offers the finest in small-ship cruising. For this voyage we have chartered this private yacht-like vessel which accommodates only 100 guests in 50 suites, each of which affords ocean views, measures 215 square feet or more and is appointed with a sitting area or separate living room, twin or queen-size beds, spacious closets and air conditioning. Each suite includes satellite TV, DVD/CD player, telephone, mini-refrigerator, and marble-appointed bathroom with fine toiletries. The yacht’s public spaces are warm and inviting and include a library with Internet access, two lounges with audio visual facilities, state-of-the-art gym/spa, beauty salon & boutique, hospital, lift serving all passenger decks, dining room, two sun decks, Jacuzzi, and a swimming platform.

The Itinerary Day 1 - Oban. Embark this afternoon.

Day 2 - Canna & Skye. Today we arrive at the Small Islands. Spend the morning on Canna which has a tiny agricultural and cattle-rearing population. Sail during lunch to Skye and the majestic Loch Scavaig and the Cuillins mountains.

Day 3 - Lunga & Iona. Explore the tiny Treshnish Islands, located in the waters between Mull and Tiree. We hope to land

on the largest of the islands, Lunga to walk amongst the amazingly tame Puffins and see the remnants of past habitation that dates back to Viking times. Sail over lunch to Iona. For more than 1000 years the island of Iona has been a place of deep spiritual significance.

Day 4 - Jura & Gigha. Arrive this morning on the tiny island of Jura where we have a chance to sample the island’s treasure - its whisky, or perhaps take a walk around Craignure to look over the Bay of Small Isles. Sail to the beautiful island of Gigha where we will spend the morning in the gardens of Achamore House.

Day 5 - Portrush & Rathlin. Visit the Giant’s Causeway which became widely known from the 1700s as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ and large numbers of visitors come to view this amazing array of basalt columns. We return to the ship via Dunluce Castle where we have time to explore the extensive ruins of this medieval castle. Cruise over to nearby Rathlin Island during lunch. Enjoy a guided walk which will take in the prolific sea bird life.

Day 6 - Dublin. From our berth at Dun

Prices and Inclusions

Laoghaire we will drive out into the Wicklow Mountains and the wonderfully sited gardens of Powerscourt, 47 acres of Italian, Japanese and walled gardens.

After a local lunch we continue to Mount Usher, a lovely romantic garden.

Day 7 - Lundy Island. Spend the morning on Lundy. Walk along its traffic-free lanes and paths, explore the wide bays and coves by way of hanging valleys and observe the Puffins nesting in abandoned rabbit warrens.

Day 8 - Isles of Scilly. Today is devoted to the lovely islands of Scilly. Spend the morning on traffic free Tresco, walking its idyllic lanes from the beach to the famous sub-tropical Abbey Gardens. During lunch onboard sail across to St Agnes surrounded by rocks and reefs, this delightful tiny island is a birdwatcher’s paradise. The small island of Gugh lies across a narrow sandbar and here we find a single stone monolith called the ‘Old Man of Gugh’ which dates back to the Bronze Age. Day 9 - Guernsey & Herm. Arrive this morning on Guernsey, the ‘Island of Flowers’. There will be the option to visit Hauteville House where Victor Hugo resided for 14 years. Alternatively visit Castle Cornet, a 12th century battlement which guards the entrance to St Peter Port Harbour. This afternoon we are on Herm.

Day 10 - Poole. Disembark this morning.

Prices per person based on double occupancy range from £2850 for a Category E Deluxe Suite to £5010 for a Deluxe Penthouse Suite with private balcony. Suites for sole use from £4430.

Call us today on 020 7752 0000 for your copy of our brochure.

Alternatively view or request online at www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

Price Includes: 9 nights aboard Corinthian on full board basis, shore excursions, gratuities to crew, transfers as described, port taxes, expedition team.

NB. Ports subject to change. Travel Insurance is not included in the price. All special offers are subject to availability.

SMALL SHIP CRUISING IN BRITAIN & IRELAND We have just released our comprehensive brochure featuring twelve unique voyages in the British Isles and Ireland for 2013 and 2014 aboard a range of small ships.

Call today for your copy or view online.

Britain By Sea

photos: peter Barritt/superstock

Left: Norman ruins of Corfe Castle, Dorset. Below: Cornwall’s Pendennis Castle stands proud on a headland in Falmouth

away lies John O’Groats, Dunnet Head, and the Castle of Mey – former home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

The next day the craggy, western coastline comes into view.

A navigation past the Summer Isles is a prelude to Ullapool, where the warming effect of the Gulf Stream is apparent at the incomparable subtropical Inverewe Garden.

Beneath the swirling mists that encircle the northerly tip of the Isle of Mull, the village of Tobermory emerges to reveal its houses lining Main Street painted in vivid pinks and vibrant yellows, jet blacks and rich maroons. A serene aura abounds on the island of Iona, where St Columba established his Celtic church in AD563. Today the restored abbey church is a truly sacred site. Flocks of gannets escort Minerva towards Bangor in Northern Ireland where neoclassical Mount Stewart House, ancestral home of the marquesses of Londonderry, boasts wonderful gardens. The highlight of the call at Holyhead, separated from Wales by the Menai Strait, is a visit to Caernarfon Castle, site of the investiture of HRH Prince Charles in 1969.

The first glimpse of the windswept islets and skerries of the Isles of Scilly is one of white sandy beaches surrounded by turquoise seas. The island of Tresco not only boasts Cromwell’s Castle, which dates from the mid 17th century, but the fabulous Tresco Abbey Garden, which was founded in the 1830s. The theme continues at Fowey where the Lost Gardens of Heligan are a superb 200-acre oasis that has been hailed ‘the garden restoration of the century’.

St Peter Port in the Channel Island of Guernsey boasts tumbling terraced gardens, winding streets and leafy alleyways. Castle Cornet, the last Royalist stronghold of the English Civil War, is now home to several museums; www.britain-magazine.com

while the German Occupation Museum gives a vivid account of island life during World War II. As the captain sets a northerly course the iconic Portland Bill lighthouse signals arrival at Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. At the nearby romantic Norman ruins of Corfe Castle a thousand years of history are on display at this evocative survivor of the English Civil War; while the Georgian splendour of Kingston Lacy boasts paintings by Rubens, Titian, Van Dyck and Brueghel. Few can dispute there is something quite surreal about cruising around This Sceptered Isle.

A voyage among the beautiful and remote islands of the Hebrides, Western Isles and the intricate lochs and inlets of Scotland’s West Coast on board the Hebridean Islands Cruises Hebridean Princess is an unalloyed delight. britain

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pHoTos: TrAVeL LiBrAry LTd/supersTock, HeBrideAn isLAnd cruises/VisiTBriTAin

Britain By Sea

Portland Bill lighthouse, Dorset. Right: Hebridean Princess

Top Ten ATTrAcTions To see And do 1 Edinburgh Visit the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith and see the state Apartments, the crew Quarters and the gleaming engine room.

2 Falmouth The Benedictine priory of st Michael’s Mount rises dramatically from the cornish sea and is crowned by a medieval church and castle.

3 Oban inveraray castle on the shores of Loch Fyne is the ancestral home of the duke of Argyll, chief of the clan campbell.

4 Falmouth The national Maritime Museum cornwall has 15 galleries beautifully illustrating the past, present and future of this island nation.

5 Fort William (right) The Jacobite is an 84-mile train journey past Britain’s highest mountain, deepest loch, shortest river and most westerly station en-route to Mallaig.

6 Fowey The daphne du Maurier Literary centre details how this historic port inspired the celebrated author of rebecca and The Birds.

7 Newcastle Bede’s World in Jarrow is an exploration of the life and work of the

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Venerable Bede who is credited with inventing the use of ‘Ad’ in dating.

8 Portree Talisker, the only distillery on skye, is set on the shores of Loch Harport with dramatic views of the cuillin Hills.

9 Tobermory enjoy a traditional ‘ceilidh’ in the Mishnish pub – and a ‘dram’ of single malt from the local 1798 distillery.

10 Guernsey The smallest consecrated church in the world was built by Brother déodat in 1914. Beautifully decorated, it is a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France.

Celebrating its 25th year in 2013, this eclectic vessel conveys just 50 ‘house guests’, and was chartered by the Royal Family for their summer holiday in 2006 and 2010.

This sublime vessel sails on cruises ranging from four to ten nights between March and November, mostly from Oban on Scotland’s west coast. Included are privately escorted tours and eminent guest lecturers, which next year include Sotheby’s valuation expert Nicholas Merchant on April’s ‘Castles and Gardens of the West’ cruise.

The eight-passenger European Waterways Scottish Highlander cruises in the summer months on six-night sailings through the 60-mile long Caledonian Canal, between Inverness and Fort William. Pampered by a crew of four, passengers on this hotel-barge enjoy the ultimate in indulgence. During the leisurely navigation of Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy, visits are made to Cawdor Castle; the poignant battleground of Culloden Moor; brooding Glen Coe, site of the 1692 massacre; and Urquhart Castle’s evocative ruins.

Fascinating as these excursions are, it is the incomparable vistas of forbidding mountains and serene waterscapes that conjure a spell of indescribable magic.

 Silversea Cruises: 10 days on Silver Cloud departs 4 August 2013; from £3,799. Tel: 0844 251 0837; www.silversea.com. Swan Hellenic: 15-day ‘Realms of the British Isles’ on Minerva departs 20 June 2013; from £2,175. Tel: 0844 488 0716; www.swanhellenic.com. Hebridean Island Cruises: 7-night ‘Castles and Gardens of the West’ cruise on Hebridean Princess departs 9 April 2013; from £2,800. Tel: 01756 704700; www.hebridean.co.uk. European Waterways: 6-night cruise on Scottish Highlander with departures next summer, from £2,390.

Tel: 01753 598555; www.gobarging.com. (Prices accurate at time of press.) For more on Britain’s coastline see www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com

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BOOK NOW FOR 2013 Braemar’s 10-night Around UK and Ireland

cruise departs from Dover on 24 May This delightful cruise highlights the very best of the UK and Ireland, calling at St Peter Port (Guernsey), Falmouth (England), Dublin (for an overnight stay), Lerwick (Shetland Islands), Invergordon (Scotland), Rosyth (for tours to Edinburgh), and returning to Dover. Prices start from just £1,109 per person.*

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Beauty of the British Isles From the remote and enchanting Orkney Islands to the sunny coves and beaches of Guernsey, explore Britain’s remarkable coastline with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

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Fred. Olsen has a proud maritime heritage and is ideally suited to the more traditional, discerning cruise guest. With a very ‘British’ atmosphere on board, there is a definite home-from-home feel throughout the fleet and many passengers choose to cruise with the company again and again.

Very much a favourite of the 55-plus age group, Fred. Olsen ships offer a relaxed style of cruising, yet

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retain those aspects that make a cruise such a special form of holiday, such as dressing for dinner. The décor is elegant and the staff are efficient and attentive.

Fred. Olsen offers a variety of departures from convenient, regional UK ports, sailing from Dover , Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Rosyth (for Edinburgh), Greenock (for Glasgow), and in 2013 from Harwich, Liverpool and Belfast.

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and Ireland cruise departs from Southampton on 16 July Experience the wonders of nature across the British Isles with this beguiling cruise to St Peter Port, Dublin (overnight), Tobermory (Isle of Mull), Ullapool (Scotland), Kirkwall (Orkney Isles), Stornoway (Isle of Lewis), Belfast, and returning to Southampton.

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Braemar’s nine-night Celtic Experience

cruise departs from Dover on 14 August Guests can get a taste of the UK’s Celtic heritage and sample the world-famous Irish ‘craic’ with this enchanting cruise to Dublin, Belfast, Ullapool, Kirkwall, Invergordon, and returning to Dover.

Prices start from just £999 per person.* *All prices are based on two adults sharing a twin-bedded Inside cabin (Grade I), and include accommodation, all meals, entertainment, and port dues.

 For further information on Fred. Olsen, visit the website at www.fredolsencruises.com To make a booking, please call Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ UK Reservations Department on 0800 0355 109 or in the USA on 1-800-843-0602; www.bortonoverseas.com BRITAIN

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The fastest travel to and from all the attractions along the River Thames.

travelcard or 10% with Oyster pay as go.* (*Not applicable to Family River Roamer)

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Corporate events Reunions Historical tours & much more

The Thames Steam Packet Boat Co. www.britain-magazine.com 28/09/2012 15:55

British Inventors

haRRiSon 1693-1776

watt 1736-1819

babbage 1791-1871

fox talbot 1800-1877

StephenSon 1803-1859

logie baiRd 1888-1946

whittle 1907-1996

beRneRS-lee 1955-

Fathers of

inVEntion From John Logie Baird’s televisor, first demonstrated in Selfridge’s in London in 1925, to Tim Berners-Lee’s world wide web, we celebrate the inventors and inventions that put the ‘great’ into Great Britain WORDS bob barton

imaGeS: SuperSTock/aLamy/The Science muSeum

Stephenson's Rocket, an early steam locomotive

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photos: © Marko Djurica/reuters/justin Leighton/aLaMy/ the art gaLLery coLLection/royaL observatory greenwich

“T

his is for everyone”. Four simple words, in huge, animated letters, swirled around the Olympic Stadium as part of the opening ceremony for London 2012. The message was activated, by computer, by a relatively little-known man in the middle of the stadium. He was Sir Tim Berners-Lee, whose World Wide Web has been compared in importance to Gutenberg’s printing press by Time magazine.

He is among the latest in a long line of remarkable British inventors who have helped to change the world.

Born in London in 1955, Tim was fascinated from an early age with the way the human mind organises and connects seemingly unrelated information. At Queens College, Oxford he built his first computer using a soldering iron and secondhand television, before gaining a physics degree.

His Internet based system of information sharing, based on ‘hypertext’, was revealed in 1989 and the first ‘web site’ followed two years later. Thanks to his work, the Internet went from something technical, used only by scientists and the military, to a tool accessible to all, almost overnight. Ever since, he has worked to keep the Web open and free ‘for everyone’.

Two hundred and fifty years ago another British invention also revolutionised communication, this time by sea. John Harrison’s marine chronometer helped the country achieve pre-eminence as a trading nation. Knowing the time at two reference points was necessary to calculate longitude but pendulum clocks weren’t suited to sea travel. Until Harrison’s device was developed, ships faced the potentially fatal prospect of getting lost, as captains had only the position of moon and stars, charted at the new-fangled Royal Observatory, with which to estimate their position. The government offered a prize of £20,000 to anyone who could find a more accurate system. Harrison, a Lincolnshire carpenter, set about solving

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the problem by building a portable clock which would not be affected by a ship’s movement. His winning timepiece, the marine timekeeper H4 of 1759, was tried on a voyage to Jamaica in 1761 and found to be only five seconds slow. When Captain James Cook set sail on his second voyage of discovery, lasting three years, it was with a Harrison designed watch.

He reported it was never more than eight seconds out.

Several of Harrison’s timepieces are displayed at the home of world time, Greenwich, in Flamsteed House, the Old Royal Observatory. On his tomb in St John Churchyard, Hampstead are the words ‘The man who discovered longitude’.

For our next great man (alas, all our examples are male) we move from a regal observatory to a small, oil-lit outhouse. As your eyes adapt to the dark recesses of James Watt’s workshop www.britain-magazine.com

British Inventors

When Captain James Cook set sail on his second voyage of discovery, lasting three years, it was with a Harrison designed watch.

He reported it was never more than eight seconds out

you become aware that, like most great inventors, he was a tinkerer at heart. Pots, tools, screws, bolts, rules, dividers and plaster casts are strewn about and drawers and shelves are full to overflowing. The den now has pride of place in London’s Science Museum. Though Watt didn’t invent the steam engine – that honour goes to Englishman Thomas Newcomen – his improvements created something twice as powerful and three times as efficient. He teamed up with businessman Matthew Boulton in Birmingham and, from 1774, their Soho Manufactory turned out the engines that powered the Industrial Revolution. By using a separate condenser, the machines’ efficiency grew exponentially. Creating a rotary motion allowed them to run looms, mint coins and hammer iron. Several times a year, Watt’s Smethwick Engine, a giant www.britain-magazine.com

machine the height of four men, hisses, clunks and creaks into life at the city’s Thinktank science museum. Designed in 1778, it’s the world’s oldest working steam engine and ran constantly for 112 years. Powerful testament to a mechanical genius.

Robert Stephenson’s Rocket was the premier inter-city locomotive, winning the Rainhill Trials, a competition held 25 years later to choose motive power for the new Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Built in Newcastle, it incorporated important new features, notably a multi-tubular boiler. This enabled its fire to heat water more efficiently, becoming the basis for every steam locomotive built since. It travelled at the remarkable speed of almost thirty miles-per-hour. Robert, born in a cottage near Newcastle in 1803, was the son of pioneering railway and engine builder George Stephenson,

From left to right: The Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games; Tim Berners Lee; John Harrison; one of Harrison’s timepieces are displayed at Greenwich Royal Observatory

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Hidden britain1-4

30/1/09

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Page 1

Jane Austen The Dancing Years

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Taste award winning Welsh whisky and wine, enjoy a traditional afternoon tea in a restored Victorian Kitchen, listen to a Welsh male choir concert, drive along single-track lanes in Snowdonia National Park, take a trip on a narrow gauge steam railway, and try learning the notoriously difficult ancient Welsh language.

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UNIQUE THEMED HISTORICAL TOURS Elizabeth I: The Child, Lover and Warrior Queen 3 nights Henry VIII: Defender of the Realm 5 nights Finding Henry VIII 7 nights Six Wives of One King 10 nights A Grand Day Out An active Tudor day for corporate or student groups A Royal Progress Tailor made itineraries for individuals or family groups

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www.britain-magazine.com RTL Britain Ad - Beautiful Britain by Train-Quarter Pg 10 July 2012.indd 1

10/07/2012 13:48

photos: the science museum/superstock

British Inventors

As your eyes adapt to the dark recesses of James Watt’s workshop you become aware that, like most great inventors, he was a tinkerer at heart

DID YOU KNOW?

Clockwise from top left: James Watt; the Rocket on display at the Science Museum; Robert Stephenson; James Watt’s workshop at the Science Museum

J The most

successful inventions are often the simplest.

Reflecting roadstuds known as ‘cats eyes’ were patented in 1935

by Yorkshireman Percy Shaw. After observing the eyes of a cat reflecting his car headlights, he resolved to make an indestructible, artificial version, now used by the million.

J One of James Watt’s early steam engines was nicknamed Beelzebub as it had a tendency to go violently out of control.

with whom he worked closely. On his death, aged just 55, he was buried beside kings and princes at Westminster Abbey and, in his eulogy, was described as ‘the greatest engineer of the present century’. His statue has pride of place outside Euston Station, London’s first railway terminus. You can often see a replica of Rocket in action at the National Railway Museum in York, while the Science Museum has the original.

Five years after Rocket took to the tracks, a pioneer of photography sealed his place in history. William Henry Fox Talbot created the first permanent negative image, using paper soaked in silver chloride. This was the beginning of the negative/positive process, which he later called ‘calotype’, that became standard in most photography until the age of digital imaging. The oldest surviving negative, exposed in August

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1835, pictures an oriel window at his home, Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, where he conducted his experiments. Fox Talbot also discovered the use of gallic acid to develop the latent image on exposed film. In 1844 he produced The Pencil of Nature, the first commercial book illustrated entirely by photographs.

A hundred years later his descendants gave the house and the surrounding village to the National Trust. Now this beautiful location is often used as a location for period dramas while William and his family rest in the village cemetery.

While Fox Talbot was experimenting with light and chemicals, a contemporary was obsessing over mathematical conundrums. Charles Babbage, the son of a rich Devon banker, sought a way to eliminate error in complicated calculations. These required the use of printed mathematical britain

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Shetland 6000 years of history starts here ....

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Ensuite and Standard B&B accommodation is available in historic buildings which are far older than their Georgian frontages suggest.

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18 North Bailey, Durham DH1 3RH Tel: 0191 334 3358 • email: chads@durham.ac.uk www.britain-magazine.com

British Inventors

Charles Babbage, the son of a rich Devon banker, sought a way to eliminate error in complicated calculations

DID YOU KNOW?

Clockwise from top left: Charles Babbage; Fox Talbot outside his photographic studio; Lacock Abbey; gearwheel cut-outs for Charles Babbage

photos: © sCienCe MuseuMsspL/superstoCk/WorLD history ArChive/ALAMy

J The catalyst

for Fox Talbot’s invention of a photographic process was his failure as an artist.

Hopeless at sketching scenery while on holiday in Italy, he was inspired to create a machine that did the drawings for him.

J Longitude wizard John Harrison built his first longcase clock mechanism entirely from wood, at the age of 20. Three of his wooden clocks have survived, the oldest exhibited at the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.

tables, which were prone to inaccuracy. Despite working in the mechanical rather than the electronic age, Babbage is regarded as the father of the programmable computer. His inventions were heavy, cumbersome, incredibly complex – and, partly because of this, never completed! His Difference Engine No 1, a calculating machine, would, if completed, have had 25,000 parts, stood eight feet long, seven high and three deep. This was nothing compared to his Analytical Engine. A major intellectual feat of the age, conceived in 1834, it possessed all the features of a basic, modern computer. When the Science Museum built his Difference Engine No 2 from original drawings in 1985, it contained 4,000 moving parts, weighed 2.6 tonnes and worked perfectly. A plaque marks the house in Dorset Street, Marylebone where he lived and worked. His

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grave of 1871 can be seen in London’s first commercial necropolis, Kensal Green Cemetery.

The world’s one billion television sets owe their existence to a Scot, John Logie Baird, born in 1888 near the River Clyde in Helensburgh. Though the cathode ray tube, which converted electricity into light on a screen, had been invented sometime before, it was Baird who, in London in 1926, first demonstrated his ‘televisor’ – a televised moving image of a person in his attic laboratory at 22 Frith Street, Soho. It hadn’t been easy: earlier experiments in his Hastings laboratory, using a transmitter and receiver created from biscuit tins, penny lenses and string, led to a small explosion, after which his landlord evicted him.

In 1936 an early BBC transmitter, on a hilltop overlooking London at Alexandra Palace, began beaming pictures britain

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British Inventors

By the time the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was televised in 1953, the ‘small screen’ was the must-have household gadget

photos: © trInIty MIrror/MIrrorpIx/AlAMy/ AlEx sEgrE/John roBErtson/supErstoCk

Clockwise from top left: Model of Frank Whittle Jet at Lutterworth ; John Logie Baird in 1924; Alexandra Palace; Sir Frank Whittle

created on his mechanical, 240-line system. EMI-Marconi’s rival electronic system using 405 lines, trialled simultaneously, ultimately won the day but Baird was the pioneer and went on to invent colour, stereoscopic and big screen television. By the time the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was televised in 1953, the ‘small screen’ was the must-have household gadget.

To see some of Baird’s original apparatus in the National Media Museum in Bradford is to return to the exciting early days of grey, flickering ‘pictures by wireless’.

Our final subject, Sir Frank Whittle, was small in stature.

It took three attempts and a high-calorie eating regime before the RAF would recruit him – yet he stands tall among British inventors. The Coventry-born creator of the first jet engine was only 22 when he realised that piston-powered flight was

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yesterday’s technology. While still at flying school in 1929, he designed a gas turbine that could become a power source for jet thrust, patenting his ‘turbo-jet’ the following year.

Unfortunately, the Air Ministry failed to recognise the invention’s potential for speed. It was years before work started on a prototype in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.

Eventually, in 1941 at the height of World War II, a test pilot powered his Gloster E28/39 (later the Gloster Meteor) off the runway at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. The age of Allied jet flight had begun. Who knows what life-changing invention a Brit will create next?

 For contacts details and opening times for all the museums mentioned in this feature please visit www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com

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www.parkers-group.co.uk britain 85

Albro House Hotel

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.

Comfortable rooms all with TV, private facilities, tea / coffee maker, phone, radio and hairdryer. Friendly efficient service. Quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Some parking.

Families and small groups welcome. Tours booked. Luggage storage. Free WiFi Rates per person including cooked English breakfast & all taxes Single rooms from Twin / double rooms from Family (3 or 4) per person from

Low Season £46 to £52 £29 to £39 £25 to £35

High Season £54 to £65 £50 to £60 £38 to £46

A GOOD VALUE HOTEL IN CENTRAL LONDON

VISITING LONDON???

Affordable and comfortable selfcatering holiday apartments in a unique location in St. Katharine’s Marina adjacent to

Tower Bridge and the Tower of London

Sleep up to 6 persons. Weekly letting, linen, towels, washer/dryer, TV, telephone, broadband etc.

EARLY BOOKING RECOMMENDED!!

For more information, contact Tel: +44 (0) 1462 678037 • Fax: +44 (0) 1462 679639 E-mail: hamlet_uk@globalnet.co.uk www.hamletuk.com

Specialist providers of Self Catering accommodation throughout North Wales

GREAT LOCATIONS

COSY LIVING ROOMS

TASTY KITCHENS

3-5 star quality self catering properties in and around Llandudno, Conwy, Anglesey, Llŷn and Snowdonia.

Pets stay FREE

DREAMY BEDROOMS

to book or request a brochure call

+44(0)1492

582492

email: info@nwhc.co.uk

www.northwalesholidaycottages.co.uk The

Independent Traveller Established 1980

LONDON APARTMENTS • Central, suburban and commuter areas • Edinburgh and other UK cities also

Tel: +44 (0) 1392 860807 Email: maryandsimon@btinternet.com

Web: www.gowithIT.co.uk

Accommodation | Weddings | Meetings and much more….

Hawkwell

House Hotel

Save 20.12% on our best available rate in 2012!

Simply enter the promotional code VB2 when you book online at www.hawkwellhouse.co.uk to receive this amazing offer! Must stay a minimum of 2 nights to qualify, also available in January & February 2013.

Hawkwell House Hotel | Oxford | OX4 4DZ | 01865 749988 W: www.hawkwellhouse.co.uk | E: reservations@hawkwellhouse.co.uk

86 britain

www.britain-magazine.com

a mini adventure in London Your chance to stay in a beautiful apartment by tower Bridge and enjoy a unique tour of London in your very own mini!

During your stay you’ll have ample time to immerse yourself in the treasures of the National Gallery, browse to your heart’s content round the famous Harrods department store, or relax with a wander in the green open spaces of Hyde Park.

For one miraculous day, you will see the sights of the city in style with award-winning tour company smallcarBIGCITY. On a special extended Great Escape Tour you will be picked up from your apartment by a chauffeur-driven classic Mini Cooper, to experience the ultimate London adventure, covering every sight in the city from Buckingham Palace to Big Ben and many more.

 Think Apartments offer stays from one night to one year and can supply the perfect accommodation for both business and leisure visits to London. From Grade II listed warehouse conversions to cutting-edge apartments, they provide a fantastic home away from home, with four locations in the city alone. Tel: 0203 465 9100 or visit www.think-apartments.com. Using only iconic, classic Mini Coopers and the most knowledgeable and charming drivers, smallcarBIGCITY offer a range of exciting tours that are private, personal and completely unique.

Tel: 02075 850 399; http://smallcarbigcity.com www.britain-magazine.com

How to enter

To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous competition, simply answer the question below and send the coupon to the address provided. Alternatively, enter via the BRITAIN website, www.britain-magazine.com. The closing date is 31 December 2012.

Question: Which 1969 film is famous for featuring three classic Mini Coopers? a) The Italian Job b) The Spy Who Loved Me c) Four Weddings and a Funeral PRIZE: includes three nights in a one-bed open-plan

apartment for two with early check in and late check out, gym passes and restaurant vouchers. the prize is non-transferable and subject to availability. Further t&Cs can be found at www.britain-magazine.com

mini adventure COmPetitiOn entrY FOrm Send YOur COuPOn tO: mini adventure Competition, Britain magazine, the Chelsea magazine Company, Liscartan House, 127-131 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9aS, uK. Or to: Grosvenor House Competition, Britain magazine, 116 ram Cat alley, Suite 201, Seneca, SC 29678 uSa. my answer: name: address:

✁

aLL photos: courtesY thinkapartments/smaLLcarBigcitY

W

hat could be more iconically British than touring the Capital in a classic Mini Cooper and hopping out at archetypal London landmarks wherever you fancy? Plus, enjoy a stay in your own luxury apartment within walking distance of London’s greatest sights. This issue, BRITAIN magazine has teamed up with Think Apartments and smallcarBIGCITY to bring you all this and more.

One lucky winner (and guest) will enjoy a three-night holiday in London, staying in a one-bedroom Think Apartment next to Tower Bridge, just moments from the City, Canary Wharf and the attractions of the Southbank. Think Apartments have all the comforts of home, including flat screen media TV and WiFi, living and bedroom area, and a fully equipped kitchen giving you the freedom to cook or visit one of the wonderful restaurants nearby.

tel no:

email:

terms and conditions apply. For full details go to chelseamagazines.com/terms-and-conditions. Please tick here if you subscribe to Britain Please tick here if you would prefer not to be contacted by Britain , the competition sponsor , or carefully selected third parties .

.

photo: english heritage

The vast and rambling remains of the palatial 19th-century mansion Witley Court, Worcestershire

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www.britain-magazine.com

Places To Stay

LIvIng In HIstory Imagine you could stay within touching distance of one of Britain's magnificent castles, ruined abbeys or grand country houses. English Heritage's range of stunning holiday cottages allow you to do just that, and enjoy five star luxury in an incredible historic setting WORDS sam pears

www.britain-magazine.com

britain

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2

1

3

I

n search of a summer home away from the stresses of court life, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert decided on the Isle-of-Wight and the tiny Georgian house where she spent two childhood holidays. The house was too small and given that it was the beautiful views of the Solent – that so reminded Albert of the Bay of Naples – that appealed most to them, the couple embarked on a project to create a more suitable residence. Designed by Prince Albert himself in the style of the Italian Renaissance, the beautiful cream-coloured Osborne House was completed in 1851.

Located moments from this unique building, probably named after the original square wing of the house – known as The Pavilion – and after its 1900s cricketing origins, English Heritage’s Pavilion Cottage is a delightful property from where you can imagine the royal couple looking out across the Solent on a sunny afternoon.

The single-story residence has two bedrooms and a large living room furnished in soothing sea-coloured shades, with doors that open onto the cottage’s pretty verandah. And it was from here that Queen Victoria is believed to have said: “It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot”.

Guests staying at Pavilion Cottage also have access to Osborne House beach and Osborne House itself. In fact, guests staying in any English Heritage cottage will receive a

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pass enabling you to access any English Heritage owned property for the duration of your stay – what more could you want from your heritage holiday?

If you seek a relaxing family holiday with a beautiful backdrop, then look no further than the Pool House – a beautiful property in the grounds of the charming Witley Court and its impressive garden, in Worcestershire.

The Pool House is a two-storey dwelling that sleeps up to eight people. It was built in the 1940s as a private residence and has spacious bedrooms, fully equipped modern kitchen, dining and music rooms and a sitting room with floor-toceiling windows overlooking its quiet and secluded garden.

The house is a glorious five-minute walk along the rhododendron-lined path to Witley Court mansion. The now ruined (originally Jacobean) mansion was at its peak in the 1850s when Lord Dudley lived there and when the then Prince of Wales was a regular visitor. Sadly the mansion was gutted by fire in 1937, but retains an enchanting appeal, which you will remember long after your stay in the cottage.

Built on the orders of Henry VIII between 1539 and 1545, St Mawes Castle is an incredible fortress on the Cornish coast. It is one of the prettiest coastline castles in the country. Shaped like a cloverleaf, the architects of the day used the finest masonry to create exquisite stonework festooned with impish gargoyles. www.britain-magazine.com

photos: english heritage/visit britain

Places To Stay

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6

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5

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9

Guests stay in the nearby Fort House, a single storey detached house that sleeps four in one double and one twin bedroom. It has a cosy sitting room with a wood-burning stove. But Fort House’s pièce de résistance is the view it shares with the castle from its terrace (reached through French doors from the dining room) – stretching out across the Fal estuary towards Falmouth and Pendennis Castle – from where you will want to sit and while away the hours.

In the grounds of Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire you will share the peaceful gardens with some very unusual inhabitants – 15 peacocks that live here and provide the inspiration for the next property, Peacock Cottage.

This cottage is extra special as you have direct access to Kirby Hall and grounds all year round and, in winter time when Kirby is only open to the public at weekends, you have days of undisturbed pleasure.

Owned by Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I, Kirby Hall was one of England’s greatest Elizabethan houses. Today it is a partial ruin but one where the stonework is in such superb condition that it is easy to imagine the house in its original form. The walls’ rich decoration reveals its owners must have taken great interest in modern architecture and design of the day. The Great Hall and state rooms remain intact, refitted and redecorated to authentic 17th- and 18th-century specifications. Kirby www.britain-magazine.com

Hall is in such superb condition that it was chosen as the location to film an adaptation of Jane Austen’s romantic novel, Mansfield Park in 1999.

A pretty two-storey property, Peacock Cottage (built in the 20th century) sleeps four in two double bedrooms and has a large private garden with outdoor dining area.

You may feel like you’re starring in a period drama when you visit Audley End House in Essex – the house and garden fizz with activity from the working kitchens to the historic stables. Dressed in period costume, the team bake bread and tend to the garden, and are happy to chat about what life must have been like for the staff of a large stately home.

Stay in Cambridge Lodge in the grounds of Audley End and you too become part of the story. The lodge is a two-story Victorian gatehouse built in 1842 at the entrance to the property, from where it’s easy to imagine yourself as an important part of the household. This two-bedroom cottage with its own pretty garden and courtyard is one that you will want to revisit year after year, and with so much to see and do at Audley End and with its close proximity to London, you can do exactly that.

1 Osborne House, Isle of Wight.

2 Pavilion Cottage.

3 Witley Cottage, in the grounds of Witley Court.

4 Fort House, near St Mawes Castle, Cornwall. 5 St Mawes. 6 Peacock Cottage in the grounds of Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire.

7 Peacock's interior.

8 Cambridge Lodge in the grounds of Audley End House, Essex. 9 Audley End House

 All the cottages are fully furnished and well equipped. Guests receive a pass to all English Heritage-owned properties during their stay.

For more information visit www.english-heritage.org/holidaycottages britain

91

BRITAIN’S CHOICE – take a tour and make the most of your holiday

www.scottishdreamtours.com Toll Free USA 800 511 7803

www.bywayholidays.com

2013 brochure out in November High quality all accompanied unhurried minibus tours. Small groups with excellent accommodation and knowledgeable, friendly guides

Offering our own line of specially handcrafted small group tours to Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England featuring amazing castles, cozy pubs, inviting tearooms, spectacular scenery and warm, friendly locals. Join us for an unforgettable journey to these Celtic lands that will capture your heart forever!

Project13

info@scottishdreamtours.com

23/6/10

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Page 1

Visit places such as: Brecon , Cumbria and The Lakes, Norfolk, Shropshire, Yorkshire Dales, Wolds and Moors To request a brochure call: +44 (0)1904 624700 or email: jan@bywayholidays.co.uk

Private Small Group Tours

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 experienced and bonded 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

Gardeners World Tours www.gardenersworldtours.com

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Chelsea Flower Show and National Trust Gardens 21-31 May 2013 n h(AVE .ATIONAL 4RUST 0ASS WILL TRAVELv n SUPERB GARDENER S ITINERARY MAX PARTICIPANTS n $2559.00 air extra

Hampton Court Flower Show, Devon, Cornwall, Bath, Isle of Wight, 5–15 July 2013 – $2599.00 air extra. %DEN 0ROJECT ,OST 'ARDENS OF (ELIGAN /SBORNE (OUSE (IGHGROVE MAYBE 2(3 7ISLEY +EW 'ARDENS

Cotswold Village Gardens/Antiques and Malvern Flower Show 21 Sept – 01 Oct 2013 *OIN !,!. 3 PERSONALISED MINI COACH TOUR STAYING IN THE 3AXON 6ILLAGE OF 7INCHCOMBE n $2289.00

WKURXJKRXW (QJODQG 6FRWODQG :DOHV HVSHFLDOO\ IRU RYHUVHDV YLVLWRUV WR %ULWDLQ

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www. gardenersworldtours.com FOR MINI COACH ITINERARIES AND 3UMMER .EWSLETTER

$QG D VSHFLDO &KHOVHD )ORZHU 6KRZ WRXU Âą WR FHOHEUDWH LWV WK DQQLYHUVDU\

or contact: s Karen@cwttravelsource.com lorna@gardenersworldtours.com

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“Downton Abbey�

A Week in London... ...A Day at “Downton�

An exclusive, PRIVATE tour to Highclere Castle with tea/coffee & biscuits in the magnificent salon.

February 2nd - 9th, 2013

With 6 nights in a 4 star hotel in London & much more!

Contact DHTour for more details on this and other “Downton� tours in 2013

Tour DHTour DH

313-2289 Fairview St, Burlington, ON Canada L7R 2E3

1-888-597-3519 905-639-9954 dhtour@interlynx.net www.dhgrouptours.com

London & U.K. Specialists

London & U.K. Specialists

313-2289 Fairview St, Burlington, ON L7R 2E3

TICO # 50012768

To book space call Julian +44 (0)20 7901 8013

BRITAIN’S CHOICE – discover fascinating heritage attractions ‘A Christmas Journey The Story of The Three Kings' at

BLENHEIM PALACE 10th November - 14th December 2012 (Wednesday to Sunday inclusive)

what will take your

breath away?

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden

Visit Living Crafts for Christmas 16th to 18th November Situated in the midst of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds

For information visit: blenheimpalace.com or call 0800 849 6500

Ripon, North Yorkshire.

Wrap up warm and discover a beautiful winter landscape with over 800 acres to explore.

Open daily except Fridays November - January & 24/25 December.

Adult entry only £9 Under 5s and members go FREE

Britain’s Greatest Palace

Call 01765 608888, download our FREE App or visit nationaltrust.org.uk/fountainsabbey © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler Registered charity number 205846

ANCIENT & MODERN Southwark Cathedral is rich in beauty and history, formerly an Augustinian priory, now a magnificent cathedral with features, artworks and monuments old and new. Make your journey here.

London Bridge

Cawdor Castle Cawdor. A magical name, romantically linked by Shakespeare with Macbeth.

A superb fairy-tale Castle, and just what every visitor is looking for . . .

Scottish history that you can touch and see and sense for yourself.

Cawdor Castle is not another cold monument, but a splendid house and the home of the Cawdor family to this day.

Good furniture, fine portraits and pictures, interesting objects and outstanding tapestries are arranged to please the family rather than to echo fashion or impress.

Along with the three gardens, the Cawdor Big Wood, and our own 9-hole golf course, we believe Cawdor Castle to be a truly extraordinary place.

We hope that when you have seen all you want to see, Cawdor will give you a pleasing and lasting memory.

Cawdor Castle • Nairn • Scotland • IV12 5RD Tel: (01667) 404401 • Email: info@cawdorcastle.com Web: www.cawdorcastle.com Open to visitors 1st May to 6th October 2013

DAILY SERVICES • Shop • Refectory • RECITALS • EVENTS 020 7367 6734 • www.southwarkcathedral.org.uk

The Crowning Place of Scottish Kings

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Christmas at Lincoln Cathedral

Carols by Candlelight and the famous Lincoln Christmas Market John Ruskin said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have always held, and am prepared against all comers to maintain, that the Cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles.â&#x20AC;?

Why take his word for it?

Come to the County of Captain John Smith and discover the very special pleasure that is Christmas in Lincoln.

Join us for one of our services or come to visit.

Daily guided roof and floor tours.

Light refreshments are available from the Cloister Refectory.

Buy your Christmas gifts and cards at the Cathedral Shop or on-line.

Visit the website www.lincolncathedral.com for detailed information and events or contact 01522 561600. Admission charges apply.

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and do

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www.thirlestanecastle.co.uk

To book space call Julian +44 (0)20 7901 8013

BRITAIN’S CHOICE – favourite destinations to explore Visit Weyhill Craft & Desig http://www.fairg n Centre, rou immortalised in Ha ndcraft.co.uk/ rdy of Casterbridge as ’s The Mayor We where Michael He ydon Priors, nch wife (and both par ard sold his ties were happy with the result!).

It’s one of the ma ny lovely places to visit in Test Valley.

ely visit

Visit Ely A variety of attractions awaits you in the magnificent Cathedral city of Ely and beyond.

Whether it is historical buildings and stately homes or nature reserves and wetlands, the area has something for all tastes.

With a beautiful waterside the historic City of Ely and surrounding area is rich in history, beautyand charm making Ely your ideal group visit destination.

For further information, or to request our Group Guide, please call Ely’s Tourist Information Centre on 01353 662062 or visit www.visitely.org.uk

South Somerset

20 minutes from Waterloo 20 MINUTES

Rural England at its best!

DISCOVER

South

• Vibrant market towns and villages.

Somerset

• Stunning views.

F R O M W AT E R L O O Dine. Shop. Stay. Escape.

FREE VISITOR GUIDE 2013

    

• Flavours to delight.

All just waiting to be explored.

Village lanes & boutiques Pubs, restaurants & hotels Twickenham Stadium London Wetland Centre Kew Gardens, Richmond Park & Hampton Court Palace

Richmond upon Thames

discoversouthsomerset.com

discoversouthsomerset.com

01935 462781

www.discoversouthsomerset.com

BM 1212

For a FREE brochure call W W W. V I S I T R I C H M O N D . C O . U K

IDEAL BREAKS IDEALFOR FOR SHORT SHORT BREAKS IDEAL FOR SHORT BREAKS

Cheltenham Spa Cheltenham Spa Cheltenham Spa CENTREFOR FOR THE COTSWOLDS CENTRE COTSWOLDS CENTRE FOR THE THE COTSWOLDS

Morgan Group Visits Visits • Tailormade madeitineraries itineraries • Tailor MorganRomantic RomanticRoad Road packages packages • • Group

Morgan Romantic Road packages • Group Visits • Tailor made itineraries

   •         •           •     ••     •     •   •            • For further information visit www.VisitCheltenham.com For further information visit www.VisitCheltenham.com     

• •   •     For further information visit www.VisitCheltenham.com

For your perfect getaway

What do you want from a getaway? To escape to a different world without having to go round it? To enjoy a choice of things to do, surrounded by beautiful scenery? To sail from coast to coast, or to explore on foot, at your own pace? To do all of this and more, and then to relax into our warm welcome?

With departure points across the UK, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to get here.

Make your escape at:

visitisleofman.com/ escape

Anglesey is a place where you can get away from it all.

Relax, enjoy the hospitality and lose yourself in the island’s winding lanes or on its spectacular coast.

www.visitanglesey.co.uk T: 01248 713177 E: tourism@anglesey.gov.uk

To book space call Julian +44 (0)20 7901 8013

Britain’s Top Ten

10 Things...

You never knew about Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey is famous for its royal spectaculars and soaring Gothic architecture, but there are many largely unknown – and sometimes rather strange – reasons for visiting the Abbey Very ap-peal-ing

hubbub of Westminster. It is said to be the oldest garden in England and originally grew food and medicinal herbs for the monks.

You can often hear the ringing of its bells well before you reach the Abbey. There are two Elizabethan bells to call worshippers to services and 10 modern bells for change ringing. A special royal or national event is celebrated by the remarkable full peal. At least 5,000 sequences are rung without a break.

This marathon takes over three hours and is all done from memory.

2

7

An oak door by the Chapter House was recently dated to about 1050 AD. Pieces of hide were noticed on the door in the 1800s and a legend grew that this was the flayed skin of a thief nailed to the door as a warning. But investigations showed that it is in fact cowhide, fixed to the door as a smooth base for decoration.

Wax and wood

The Abbey museum holds the unexpected sight of the lifelike figures of many monarchs, some in full costume. The effigies used to be displayed on top of the royal tombs and were often paraded at the funerals.

Some were created from death masks.

Coming face-to-face with these realistic figures can be an unnerving experience.

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England’s oldest door

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End of the world…

The sanctuary of the Abbey is covered by a Cosmati pavement, made up of thousands of cut pieces of mosaic and porphyry. Its brass lettering now just tells us its date (1268), the king (Henry III), and where it came from (Rome). But lost lettering helped explain a symbolic meaning which a calculated how long the universe would last – 19,683 years.

Abundance of tombs

The royal tombs and Poets’ Corner are well known, but did you know that there are 450 tombs and monuments in Westminster Bearded woman The remarkable monument commemorating Lady Elizabeth Nightingale Abbey? For several hundred years St Wilgeforte was a favourite anyone who could afford the fees could of women who wanted to be be buried in the Abbey, and then came the rid of abusive husbands. The saint was said to Cromwell’s cranium gradual change to public figures. The tombs of have grown a beard after praying to be made A stone in the pavement of the Lady the not-so-famous can be just as fascinating as repulsive to escape a forced marriage. Her Chapel of Henry VII records the those of the celebrated. Look for the skeleton statue is of one of the many sculptures of saints burial place of Oliver Cromwell. But in 1661 emerging from Lady Nightingale’s tomb – it’s a the monarchy was restored and the body of the and angels in the Lady Chapel of Henry VII. grisly vision of death.

Lord Protector was thrown out of the Abbey. It was dragged to Tyburn Gallows and hung on Grand graffiti the anniversary of the execution of Charles I. Chapel in the wall Since 1308 nearly every monarch Cromwell’s head was stuck on a pole outside has been crowned on the famous The five-foot Chapel of our Lady of Westminster Hall, where for many years it was Coronation Chair. But, up close, you will the Pew is hollowed out of the a chilling reminder of the English Civil War. notice that is that it is covered in graffiti – the thickness of the north wall of the Abbey. This work of schoolboys and other visitors in the tiny space was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1700s and 1800s. the 1300s and it was said that Richard II Glorious gardens prayed here before riding out to confront Wat When you sit in the lovely College Tyler and the Peasants’ Revolt. The Pew means Garden by the Abbey it is almost  Visit www.westminster-abbey.org for more a small enclosure and it’s standing room only. impossible to believe you are in the heart of the information and for opening and service times

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photo: © DeAn AnD ChApter of Westminster

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WORDS CAROLINE ELLIS

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