OCT/NOV 2022 £4.95 www.discoverbritainmag.com Idyllicescapesisland Why the charming Channel Islands are well worth a visit The TowerLondonof What’s it like to live in the historic royal palace? Goldsmiths BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE LANDMARKHERITAGE Marble Hill How a graceful Georgian villa is gleaming once more HEROES SPECIAL THE GREATEST BRITONS HISTORY • HERITAGE • TRAVEL WIN a luxury Cumbrian break TheChildrenRailwayreturn VISIT THE LOCATIONS OF THIS NOSTALGIC FILM
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The West Sussex National Trust garden Nymans has unveiled its theatrical new ‘Garden in the Ruins’, created within the remains of the Great Hall, which was lost in a catastrophic fire 75 years ago and has been inaccessible ever since. The garden has been inspired by a former inhabitant of Nymans, the leading 20th-century theatre designer, Oliver Messel, and the plantmanship and artistry of his family, who bought Nymans in the 1890s. The Messels created one of the UK’s most exquisite gardens, and the new garden includes plants which the Messel family introduced to western horticulture, including Camellia and Forsythia suspensa. The design takes inspiration from Messel’s theatre scenery and includes motifs that reference the family and the original Great Hall building. With water features interspersed between the plants, the garden will be a calming space for visitors to see these unusual plants up close, and, for one hour at the beginning of each day, the garden will be a designated ‘quiet space’, where visitors will be encouraged to pause, relax, and simply enjoy the views of the beautiful Sussex Weald. nationaltrust.org.uk
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BEHIND THE KITCHEN DOOR Chatsworth Kitchen
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Celebrating produce sourced from the estate of one of Britain’s most famous, and most loved, stately homes, the newly opened Chatsworth Kitchen serves delicious fresh food from the farms and gardens of the Chatsworth Estate. Nestled in the pretty Peak District village of Rowsley, just a few miles from the estate, the kitchen builds on Chatsworth’s 500-year history of growing, harvesting and cooking, which it combines with a modern outlook, using local, seasonal ingredients, and supporting local producers and makers from across the Derbyshire Dales. Highlights include Chatsworth gin-cured salmon, Chatsworth Estate piccalilli, and Derbyshire blue cheese. To add a further Chatsworth twist to the dining experience, the restaurant’s interiors are inspired by the old kitchen at the house, and features many original pots, pans and artefacts, as well as reused chairs and tables made from reclaimed flooring from the estate. chatsworthkitchen.co.uk
The 15th-century Tattershall Castle has always been one of Lincolnshire’s finest fortresses, with its 33.5-metre-high tower and magnificent red bricks. However, new archaeological research has almost entirely re-written its history. The University of Nottingham and the National Trust have used new techniques, including the study of dating tree growth rings, to reveal that the castle is actually 15 years older than initially thought, and that it was a pioneering design that inspired buildings such as Hampton Court Palace. The castle was built between 1431-51 for Lord Ralph Cromwell, Treasurer to King Henry VI, and was designed to display wealth, position and power. The research confirms that the building was one of the earliest brick-built buildings in England, constructed on a scale that had rarely been attempted before. Crucially, the research shows that the castle was built for royalty, and, rather than being influenced by it, was itself an influencing power that went on to inspire an entire design of English architecture.
Celebrating Guernsey’s coastal scenery, local artist Gill Harrison’s artwork captures moments of beauty on the island. Her work is inspired by the light and colour of the sea, reflections in the sand, and the changing tides. This autumn, until 30 October, her work will form the penultimate Art at The Park exhibition of 2022, featuring watercolour, acrylic and oil paintings. Gill’s cyanotypes – camera-free photography in which the image is developed by sunlight – will also be on display, contrasting her paintings and demonstrating her love of the colour blue. For those who can’t make this show, Gill’s work is available to view and buy year-round at Guernsey’s Coach House Gallery in St Pierre du Bois. nationaltrust.gg/events; coachhousegallery.gg
HISTORY, TRANSFORMED Tattershall Castle
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Henrietta Easton uncovers some of the islands’ best-kept secrets wonder
Isles of
The Channel Islands are fringed with beautiful beaches, lapped by clear waters, teeming with wildlife, and rich in history, and yet remain relatively under-visited.
16 discoverbritainmag.com TRAVEL Alderney’s perfect white-sand coves, impossibly blue waters, sea-bird populated cliffs, and quaint fishermen’s houses will warmly welcome you to the island
You can’t come to the island without meeting some of Alderney’s impressive wildlife, including the blonde hedgehog, with its distinct cream-coloured spine. The Alderney Wildlife Trust runs a wide range of activities, walks and tours throughout the year, including bat and hedgehog walks, and boat trips to spot seabirds (including the island’s puffin colony). For the more adventurous, there are even kayaking trips where you can venture into caves and reach unspoilt beaches.
Clockwise, from left: Alderney is a bird
The oldest site on the island is a burial chamber named Roc à l’Epine dating from 4,000 BC. Just a few metres from this site lies the best-preserved small Roman fort in Britain (now known as The Nunnery), which dates from the 4th century and looks out over the island’s only natural harbour at Longis Bay. Also overlooking Longis Bay are the ruins of Essex Castle, built by the Tudors. During Victorian times Alderney was heavily fortified by the British in response to the French extending their fortifications at Cherbourg. The British built 18 forts and batteries to protect the island. Many of these are now privately owned and some have been converted into stylish homes. Some of the forts are now derelict (these are particularly good for spotting the wildlife that have made them their home), while others were occupied and fortified by the Germans during the Second World War. The German forts are all in near-perfect condition, and visitors can walk through hidden passageways, warrens of trenches, and gun chambers, many of which still have reminders of their German occupiers, including bunks and bathrooms. If you’d like to learn more about Alderney’s Second World War story, the Alderney Museum in St Anne’s town centre has an enormous collection of artefacts, including real pieces of a wrecked Spitfire. Those looking for a typical bucket-and-spade seaside holiday will find every box ticked on the island. Braye, one of the island’s most popular beaches, is just a short walk from the town centre and close to a restaurant, café, and the Braye Beach Hotel, with its unrivalled sea views.
If you’d like a little bit of luxury during your stay, the brand-new boutique hotel, The Blonde Hedgehog, offers an effortlessly stylish and comfortable home away from home for your visit. Housing two suites, seven rooms, a family-friendly cottage, and a self-catering farmhouse,
During the day, the most popular shop in town is the bike shop, Cycle & Surf, which has queues out the door every morning during summer. It’s worth getting up early to join the queue, or better still book in advance, as although it’s perfectly possible to walk around the island in a day, using bikes is the easiest way to explore the 10 miles of paved roads and many more miles of pathways that snake their way around the island.
TRAVEL headland), and the island’s main town, St Anne, which practically covers Alderney in its entirety, is bustling during the day, even if in the evening activity is confined to one or two pubs and restaurants on the town’s main street, Victoria Street.
discoverbritainmag.com 19 clifftops, offering spectacular views and a glimpse into Alderney’s fascinating history, which dates from Neolithic times.
St Anne is wonderfully pretty, with winding cobbled streets that feel unmistakably French – not surprising since France is just a few kilometres away. You are aware that you are not in France, however, thanks to the number of undeniably British tea rooms that line Victoria Street, alongside gift shops selling buckets and spades, and the fact that the pubs are clearly the hub of the town’s activity during the evenings.
You can’t come to the island without meeting some of Alderney’s wildlife, including the blonde hedgehog with its distinct cream-coloured spine
Having bikes is also the best way to see the island’s abandoned forts, which are dotted on the island’s
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If you’re looking for somewhere quieter, one of the best beaches is Saye, conveniently located by an idyllic little campsite, and sheltered by rocky headlands, making it perfect for swimming. Even in summer you will often find you have the entire beach to yourself, but for a couple of grey seals or a noisy oystercatcher – instantly recognisable by their orange beaks and loud ‘peep-ing’ call.
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