Sample: Britain January/February 2022

FIND YOUR

BRITAIN 6

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

TRAVEL CULTURE HERITAGE STYLE

Historic haunts Shadowy tales of London’s spookiest places

WIN

ELIZABETH I

a luxury stay in the

Making of a Tudor Queen

Heart of England

Last invasion of Britain

10 romantic rail journeys York through the ages

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JAN/FEB 2022 £4.95

WADDESDON MANOR

Discover Durham Mighty castles and medieval treasures

The original party palace

This issue, we’re indulging in the best wintry pursuits that Britain has to offer: cosy up in a vintage train, enjoying the country’s most scenic landscapes from the comfort of your carriage (Romance on the rails, p32); tour the castles of County Durham, at their most impressively forbidding in the winter months (Land of the Prince Bishops, p14); and explore the ancient streets of London, where the ghosts of ages past still lurk in the shadows (Historic haunts, p56).

History buffs are in for a treat too. In the first of a two-part series we delve into Elizabeth I’s eventful childhood and the precocious political games she learned from an early age (The making of a Queen, p25). We also tell the little-known tale of Britain’s last invasion – centuries after 1066 (The last invasion, p43). And we amble along the Shambles in medieval York (p77) and discover the city’s many-layered history. You can even win a stay in Leicester, site of the astonishing discovery of the remains of Richard III (Competition, p76). Enjoy the issue!

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Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

CONTENTS VOLUME 90 ISSUE 1

FEATURES

Natasha Foges, Editor For the best articles straight to your inbox, sign up to our free BRITAIN newsletter at www.britain-magazine.com/newsletter @BRITAINMAGAZINE

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LAND OF THE PRINCE BISHOPS

25

THE MAKING OF A QUEEN

FACEBOOK/BRITAINMAGAZINE @BRITAIN__ MAGAZINE PINTEREST/BRITAINMAGAZINE

BRITAIN 6

TRAVEL CULTURE HERITAGE STYLE

Historic haunts Shadowy tales of London’s spookiest places

WIN

ELIZABETH I

a luxury stay in the

Making of a Tudor Queen

Heart of England

43

THE LAST INVASION

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MAGNIFICENT MANOR

Last invasion of Britain

10 romantic rail journeys York through the ages

www.britain-magazine.com

WADDESDON MANOR

OFC_BRI_JanFeb22 final 1.indd 1

Discover Durham

The original party palace

Mighty castles and medieval treasures

25/11/2021 10:53

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Cover image: The Tower of London © Antonio Bartuccio/ 4Corners Images

In the first of this two-part series telling the story of Elizabeth I, we look back at her journey from pampered princess to royal outcast

ROMANCE ON THE RAILS

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

25

The northeastern county of Durham is full of remarkable treasures that tell the story of 1,000 years of English history

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FIND YOUR

MAR 2022 USA&CAN $7.99

PHOTOS: © GEORGY KRIVOSHEEV/GEORGE ROBERTSON/ALAMY/ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST/HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

EDITOR'S LETTER

From the Highlands of Scotland to the cliffs of Cornwall, you can enjoy some of the most heartstirring views of Britain from the comfort of a carriage A little-known French invasion, taking place centuries after 1066, has all but escaped the history books Waddesdon Manor was once an extravagant party venue to rival any in England

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FEATURES 56 64 68

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LETTERS

The centuries-old streets of London are full of ghost stories. We take a spine-tingling walk round some of the capital’s most haunted places

HENLEY Beyond its world-famous regatta, Henley-on-Thames offers a serene riverside stay all year round

HEART OF ENGLAND From the astonishing discovery of Richard III’s remains to Iron Age treasure and tales of witchcraft, the unassuming county of Leicestershire is full of surprises

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Share your stories and memories of Britain, and your thoughts on the magazine

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THE BULLETIN

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COMPETITION

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CITY GUIDE: YORK

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HISTORIC HAUNTS

Your chance to win a two-night stay and a host of activities in historic Leicester From the Roman to the medieval, a visit to York is a journey through layers of history

Publishing Chairman Paul Dobson Managing Director James Dobson Publisher Simon Temlett Group Editor Steve Pill Chief Financial Officer Vicki Gavin EA to Chairman Sophie Easton Subs Marketing Executive Bret Weekes For VisitBritain Sarah Wagner Printed in England by William Gibbons Ltd Production All Points Media

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LAST WORD Lady Carnarvon, chatelaine of Highclere Castle, takes us through a typical day in the life of ‘the real Downton Abbey’

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IN THIS ISSUE

SCOTLAND

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NORTHERN IRELAND

YORK p77 EIRE

FISHGUARD p43

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Prehistoric cosmology, Roman medicine and medieval manufacturing

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

BRITAIN is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700 Email: info@britain-magazine.com Editorial Editor Natasha Foges Art Editor Clare White Production Editor Jenny Rowe

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BRITAIN (ISSN 1757-9732) (USPS 004-335) is published bi-monthly by The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ , UK Distributed in the US by NPS Media Group, 2 Enterprise Drive, Suite 420, Shelton, CT 06484. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and other mailing offices.

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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

Land of the

PRINCE BISHOPS The northeastern county of Durham is full of remarkable treasures that tell the tale of 1,000 years of English history

ILLUSTRATION: © LAURA HALLETT PHOTOS: © RAY EVANS/TIM GAINEY/ALAMY

WORDS NATASHA FOGES

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Almshouses built by renowned architect Sir George Gilbert Scott Right: Wildflowers growing near the stone folly, Broadway Tower www.britain-magazine.com

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Left: Thsjfklkjf oieufoieuf oisdjv oiu qe8uf efwei uwo iuwefou

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mighty Durham Castle. It was built to house the shrine of St Cuthbert, the Northeast’s most venerated saint, who had been a monk and a hermit on the isle of Lindisfarne; fleeing Viking raids, his followers had wandered England for seven years, carrying his coffin, in search of a suitable resting place. In this lofty, tranquil place they had finally found it.

Built in 1093, the cathedral is Europe’s supreme example of the Norman-Romanesque style, with a high vaulted nave and enormous stone pillars carved with Moorish-style geometric designs.

When Cuthbert’s coffin was opened 11 years after his death, it was discovered that his body was perfectly preserved. This, along with numerous accounts of miracles at the shrine, saw the emergence of a widespread cult that made Durham a major medieval pilgrimage site.

You can see St Cuthbert’s shrine – a simple marble slab that replaced a jewel-studded affair destroyed in the

PHOTOS: NAGELESTOCK.COM/EYE35/ALAMY/DURHAM CASTLE, DURHAM UNIVERSITY/ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL A HILL

Previous page: Durham Cathedral sits in a loop of the River Wear Left, top to bottom: Durham Castle, now University College; pedestrians cross the Wear on Durham's Framwellgate Bridge

he American writer and Anglophile Bill Bryson first visited on a whim, getting off the train at Durham station with the intention of having a quick look at the cathedral before heading on to his destination, Newcastle. But Durham was not to release him so easily. “I fell in love with it instantly in a serious way”, he wrote. “If you have never been to Durham, go at once. Take my car. It’s wonderful.”

Many visitors overlook this enchanting city, merely glimpsing it from the train while shuttling between the tourist hotspots of York and Edinburgh. But Durham and its surrounding county boast compelling reasons to visit, not least the magnificent building that Bryson called “the best cathedral on planet earth”.

Durham Cathedral sits in a loop of the River Wear, a location chosen for the natural protection afforded by the high riverbanks on three sides and the proximity of the

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county durham

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BRITAIN

Clockwise, from right: The 12th-century ruins of Barnard Castle; inside the newly restored Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland; the open-air and 'living' Beamish Museum

PHOTOS: ALLAN HARTLEY/DAVID FORSTER/NEIL MCALLISTER/ALAMY

Reformation – behind the High Altar. Treasures including his decorated oak coffin and a dazzling gold-and-garnet cross found within his robes are in the cathedral’s museum.

Shortly after Cuthbert’s death, William the Conqueror, fearful of the marauding tribes that roamed the Scottish border, granted the bishops of Durham the special title of Prince Bishop. It was a rank that afforded them almost regal power: they were able to form their own parliament, command their own armies, levy their own taxes and mint their own coins.

In return, the Prince Bishops would keep the unruly North under control. Their power base was Durham Castle, built in 1072, which stands across Palace Green from the cathedral. The Prince Bishops poured their considerable wealth into the castle, which became a palatial residence.

Tours take in highlights including the 17th-century Black Staircase and Norman Chapel, and tell the story of the rise and fall of the Prince Bishops, an astonishing reign of almost 800 years: temporarily subdued by Henry VIII’s Reformation, they clung to their powers until 1836, when they finally ceded them to the Crown.

In 1832 the last of the Prince Bishops approved the founding of England’s third university (after Oxford and Cambridge) in Durham. Like its more famous sisters, it maintains a residential college system, and the castle is now home to the lucky students of University College.

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PHOTOS: ©ANDREW LAWSON & THE SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST/D HALE-SUTTON/ALAMY

county durham

Left: The 14thcentury Raby Castle, the former home of the Nevill family Below: The Blue Bedroom at Raby Castle

PHOTOS: ANTON IVANOV/ALAMY/STUART BLACK/ ROBERTHARDING

Below the castle and cathedral, the centre of Durham is charming. Cobbled streets run between Georgian townhouses, and ancient stone bridges span the picturesque River Wear, along which students lark about in rowing boats or stroll the wooded riverbanks.

Among many rewarding day-trips from Durham is the Beamish Museum, an engaging open-air ‘living museum’ spread across 300 acres of countryside. Vintage buses and trams carry visitors between six different areas, where painstakingly restored buildings reflect life in northeast England from the 1820s to the 1950s. You can wander through a 1900s pit village complete with a drift mine; shop in a pre-war high street whose bakery, chemist and sweet shop bustle with costumed shopkeepers; and immerse yourself in wartime family life in a cosy 1940s farmhouse.

Some 20 miles south is the market town of Bishop Auckland, whose castle was the country retreat of the Prince Bishops. In a scenic setting high above a meander of the River Wear, Auckland Castle is one of the bestpreserved medieval bishops’ palaces in Europe, whose beautiful state rooms have recently been lavishly restored.

The castle is the centrepiece of the Auckland Project, an impressive cultural initiative that has seen the revitalisation of the town of Bishop Auckland. The town sits at the heart of the abandoned Durham coalfields; the mining industry boomed here in the 19th century, declining after the Second World War. The area’s revival has seen the opening of an array of attractions including the Mining Art Gallery,

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county durham

Raby is a picture-book castle, all crenellated battlements and forbidding stone walls and towers

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BRITAIN

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