Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2017 i Discover Britain

The dictionary definition of a village is simple: a collection of houses and buildings that is smaller than a town, larger than a hamlet, and in a rural setting. The real picture, however, is far more difficult to define. Britain’s villages are more akin to a patchwork quilt of fabrics in every size, shape and pattern imaginable. Each one has a charm and a character all of its own, and for visitors that’s precisely where the appeal lies. This difference is strikingly clear when one moves between neighbouring regions. Just as dialects vary from one postcode to another, so too do the village scenes. From humble cob houses with neatly thatched roofs to rows of half-timbered houses criss-crossed with extravagant patterns, Britain’s villages are a living, breathing embodiment of the…

“When it pleaseth her in the summer season to recreate abroad, and view the estate of the country, every nobleman’s house is her palace” Accounts for Queen Elizabeth I’s visit to her Secretary of State, Sir William Petre, at Ingatestone Hall in Essex early in her reign in 1561 provide an astonishing insight into the lavish feasting laid on for her royal retinue. Over three to four days, the hungry horde was offered three oxen, veal, muttons, rabbits, pigeons, plaice, sturgeon, “conger and other sea fish”, cygnets, gulls, herons, quails, geese, chickens, and on and on. Judging from the quantities of herbs, spices, cream, butter and eggs listed, dishes likely came served with an abundance of rich sauces – and gallon upon gallon of Gascon, French and Rhenish wines. Apart…

“Bamburgh lays claim to the dubious honour of having been the very first castle in the country to come under cannon fire” Cadwallader Bates, the pleasingly Arthurian-sounding 19th-century historian, wrote of Bamburgh Castle as “the very cornerstone of England”. Fifteen hundred years ago, it quite literally was. Its pre-Anglo Saxon name, Din Guarie, even encouraged some to believe that this fortress, towering aloft dolerite rock, was once the “Joyous Guard” of Arthurian legend, castle of Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad. Visitors to the castle today will find the sandstone monolith strikingly situated between the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland – the northernmost county in England – and the Farne Islands, which lie a couple of miles off the coastline and house a famous seabird sanctuary. Fiery beginnings There have been…

London thou art a jewel of jewels,” wrote Virginia Woolf in her diary in 1924. “Music, talk, friendship, city views, books, publishing, something central and inexplicable, all this is now within my reach.” The women at the heart of the Bloomsbury Group, Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell, were Londoners born and bred. Though in its later years Bloomsbury, a wide-ranging collective of writers and artists, became associated with the rambling countryside houses of Charleston and Monk’s House in Sussex, as well as Surrey, Hampshire and even France, it began, as historian Amy Licence writes, in “that part of London which sits snugly around the present University of London, with its museums, colleges and tall 18th-century houses”. The Bloomsbury Group, which has fallen in and out of fashion over the…

DO HAMPSHIRE Entering Winchester along the poker-straight Roman road that leads to a bronze statue of Alfred the Great speaks volumes about the part Hampshire has played in Britain’s early history. From Danebury hillfort, considered to be one of the best-preserved Iron Age settlements in Europe, to the historic dockyards in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on England’s southern coast, has featured consistently as an important centre in the tapestry of Britain’s past from its most primitive colonies to the Second World War. Hampshire was also the beloved home of Jane Austen for much of her life and 2017 marks the 200th anniversary of her death. Celebrations and special events will take place across the county from Steventon, where she was born, to Winchester, where she died. In and around Basingstoke, benches sculpted…

Escaping to the countryside needn’t involve extended journeys or sacrificing stylish accommodation. Just a short drive from London, Lavenham Priory dates back to the 1200s and yet mixes a rich sense of history with contemporary, stylish touches. It makes for the perfect destination when one wants to take a break from hectic city life. Originally belonging to an order of Benedictine monks, Lavenham Priory is one of the oldest buildings in the Suffolk village of Lavenham. The medieval half-timbered house boasts a historic herb garden, a water well, an underground culvert, and all sorts of historic and interesting nooks and crannies. On the outside of the building, there are some fine examples of decorative pargeting, as well as beautiful carved barge boards on the gables. It is even rumoured that…

In this green, pleasant and occasionally damp land, there are few items more appreciated than the umbrella. And yet the first Englishman known to have carried one met with considerable resistance on the streets of London. The man in question was philanthropist Jonas Hanway who is said to have adopted the practice from his travels abroad in the 1750s. Overseas, the history of the umbrella’s close relative, the parasol, stretches back over 3,000 years to Egypt, with the first record of a collapsible umbrella dating to AD 21 in China. As William Sangster writes in Umbrellas and their History, Hanway “probably felt the benefit of one during his travels in Persia, where they were in constant use as a protection against the sun”. (The word in fact derives from a…

The most frequent question PC Isabella Grotto has to answer? “Where the M&M shop is! But I don’t mind, because giving directions is one of the easiest ways to help, and we’ve all been lost in a foreign city. If I can help them have a good experience of London, that makes me happy.” It’s no wonder Isabella is part-tourist guide, as she’s a ward officer for the West End and Chinatown, “so we cover busy areas like Leicester Square. It’s a really exciting, varied place to be. I’m a year and a half in, and it’s still something different every day.” Isabella was born near Venice in Italy and came to the UK to study politics, philosophy and economics at Durham University. “I was applying for law school, and…

1 Burgh Island Hotel Devon One of the foremost examples of Art Deco in Europe, Burgh Island found global fame through the books and films of Agatha Christie, who wrote two of her novels on the island. A bolthole sought after by everyone from Noël Coward to Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, Winston Churchill to the Beatles, the gleaming white Art Deco building had glamorous beginnings. In 1927, the filmmaker Archibald Nettlefold bought the island and replaced the prefabricated wooden house with something more substantial, embracing the Art Deco style that was in vogue. By the 1930s Burgh Island had become one of the most fashionable hotels of the day, but sadly the Second World War saw it damaged by a bomb. After a period of post-war decline, the hotel…

In the summer of 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie sailed from France aboard the Du Teillay, landing on the island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides on 2 August. It was the start of the “Forty-Five” or the second Jacobite rising, which ended not in the restoration of a Stuart monarch, but in bloody ruin on the fields of Culloden, the last full-scale battle fought on British soil. The dramatic tale has received a recent boost in popularity thanks to American author Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling historic fiction series Outlander and the popular television adaptation – although Gabaldon takes a severely critical view of the oft-romanticised Prince Charles, characterising him as egomaniacal, out of touch and a disastrous tactician. Yet this last hope for the Jacobite Stuart dynasty remains a fascinating symbol…

Our luxury holiday is the ultimate way to visit the UK. Starting with free international flights from your nearest gateway city (for all overseas entrants), the winner will enjoy the holiday of a lifetime, giving them and a partner the opportunity to take in many of Britain’s iconic landmarks while enjoying top-quality service. Luxury London Our winners will enjoy two nights at sophisticated Dukes, a charming luxury hotel in the heart of London’s upmarket Mayfair. Set in a majestic and historic building just five minutes from Buckingham Palace, Dukes also boasts a legendary bar – frequented by James Bond author Ian Fleming and said to be the inspiration for the classic line, “Shaken, not stirred”. You will also be treated to dinner at the hotel’s award-winning restaurant. We will also…

Lavenham Priory is a remarkable Grade I-listed, medieval half-timbered hall dating from the 13th century, set in three acres of picturesque grounds in the heart of the beautiful and quaint Suffolk village of Lavenham. Discover Britain has teamed up with Lavenham Priory to offer a two-night stay to one lucky reader and his or her guest, together with a complimentary dinner at the famous Number Ten restaurant. You can share in this history by staying at Lavenham Priory, which offers luxury self-catering accommodation in one of two adjoining cottages that are ideal for either a couple or groups as large as six. Alternatively, you can stay in one of the beautiful Priory Heritage Rooms, which offer spacious, five-star luxury combined with a multitude of historic features – including huge vaulted…

Powerful women have driven British history. From Queen Elizabeth I’s golden age to the long and successful reign of our current monarch, female leaders have matched and often surpassed their male counterparts. Yet aside from famous figures, many others have broken the boundaries imposed on their sex and blazed a trail in their fields, only for their achievements to be largely forgotten. So, to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, we’ve gone in search of great British women to celebrate their groundbreaking brilliance. MATILDA (1102-1167) Officially, Mary I became the first queen to rule England in 1553 but there is an earlier contender – Matilda. Born the daughter of King Henry I in 1102, her determination to assert her rights plunged England into a 12-year civil war known as…

AMAZING LACE Lace has been used in fashion from the time of Shakespeare to the present day but did you know wearing it was once a sign of prestige enjoyed largely by royalty and the aristocracy? The Fashion Museum Bath’s special exhibition for 2017 is Lace in Fashion, which explores the museum’s extensive collection of lace dating from the 1500s to today. Drawing on the riches of the museum’s collection, as well as loans from contemporary fashion designers, the exhibition will showcase over 60 exquisite pieces, including a lace dress made in 1805, which may be the only surviving dress worn by Queen Charlotte, and a smock dating from 1580-1600 with Flemish bobbin lace on the sleeves and collar, the oldest object in the exhibition. The exhibition runs from 4…

In 1215, in a field at Runnymede, Surrey, squabbles between greedy King John and his barons were momentarily halted by the agreement of Magna Carta. Intended to curb kingly powers and redress the barons’ financial and feudal grievances, this Charter of Liberties would yet come to symbolise so much more: shining down the ages as a keystone of English democracy, law and freedoms, and an inspiration for democratic institutions around the world. Magna Carta was a quintessential product of the 331-year rule of the House of Plantagenet that had begun when King Henry II inherited the crown from his Norman cousin King Stephen. From 1154, 14 kings engaged in power struggles – with barons, the church and among themselves – that defined not simply who ruled but how they ruled.…