Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2021 i Discover Britain

The River Cam gives arguably the best view of the 500-year-old King’s College Chapel Punting on the River Cam is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Once the pole pushes down and the punt gains momentum, you’re away. A gentle breeze, a hazy afternoon sun and centuries’ worth of history gliding by on either side between the weeping willows and manicured lawns. Jerome K Jerome famously said “punting is not as easy as it looks” yet at times like this it can feel positively effortless. There are several advantages to the new riverside vantage point that punting in Cambridge provides. The first is a chance to see “the Backs” – the rear grounds of many of the 31 colleges that make up the University of Cambridge – many of which are…

The 15-year-long Napoleonic Wars came to a dramatic end on 18 June 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke of Wellington lead an Anglo-Prussian army to a momentous victory over Napoleon’s French forces that would be decisive in world history and usher in nearly four decades of international peace in Europe. After Wellington’s return to London, it was not long before the British Parliament had voted through the monumental Church Building Act in 1818, which would have a similarly transformative effect on the British capital. The government’s decision to focus on building new public places of worship was long overdue. A transcript of the House of Commons sitting dated 16 March 1818 records that the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced: “For more than a century, the want of accommodation…

Why Burford? American business magazine Forbes famously named Burford the sixth “most idyllic” place to live in Europe, beating countless other capital cities and more established destinations. It is easy to see the appeal of the location, known as the “Gateway to the Cotswolds” and situated on the eastern edge of the picturesque area, a little over an hour’s drive from west London. Once there it is easy to get trapped in an atmospheric, bygone place. The town’s population of around 1,400 has barely grown since the Middle Ages, meaning that you’ll struggle to find a building younger than two centuries old and everything is within gentle walking distance. History The first significant mention of Burford came in the mid-8th century. At the time, this corner of the English Midlands…

1 Callanish Stones On Lewis’ west coast, the Callanish Stones is a group of 5,000-year-old monuments in close proximity. The main stone circle – Callanish I – is known as the “Stonehenge of Scotland” and is made of Lewisian gneiss. The largest, central monolith is 16 feet high and weighs around 5.5 tonnes. As with Stonehenge, the reasons behind the creation of the circles remain shrouded with mystery. Some academics believe in a cosmic influence, arguing that they were arranged so that people could better see the sun, moon and stars. Others say that they were created to commemorate the dead. The Callanish Visitor Centre explores these theories and shows how the stones have been used over time. www.callanishvisitorcentre.co.uk 2 Stornoway The largest town in the Outer Hebrides, Stornoway sits…

The recent Netflix TV period drama Bridgerton was focused on “the season”, a rather competitive aspect of the Regency period life that saw debutantes presented to high society in the hopes of finding a husband. A host of dinners, dances and other events were staged by the nobility during this time and it centred around a ball held by the Queen herself. It began, as so many things do, in London. During the late 18th century, when Parliament was in session, members of the Houses of Lords and Commons would travel up to the capital from their country estates. Poor roads and slow transport meant daily commutes weren’t an option so politicians would be joined at their city mansions for the duration by their families. The season was a competitive…

Time of the season I’m a photographer based in Walthamstow, London and have been documenting the changing of the seasons during lockdown in Epping Forest. I have published a photobook, Follow the Light: A Year in Epping Forest and Hollow Ponds, which explores the ancient woodland throughout the changing of the seasons. In the extraordinary year of 2020, the forest bordering London and Essex provided me with a place of tranquillity amongst the chaos of the outside world. Wandering between aged oaks [above] and fields of yellow gorse, I documented the warm, dry spring in the first lockdown to the chilly winter days in the woodland. Discovering the beauty of nature through photography has positively benefited my mental wellbeing and I hope that others find inspiration through my photographs of…

1. Howthwaite GRASMERE, CUMBRIA This slice of the mountainous English Lake District will forever be associated with Romantic poetry, especially William Wordsworth’s paeans to the flowers and the fells that dot Grasmere and Thirlmere. Wordsworth wrote his most famous verses in Dove Cottage, which sits around the corner from Howthwaite, and so you can enjoy those very same views which inspired one of England’s greatest writers to bring these landscapes to life. The four-bedroom house itself was built in 1926, some time after Wordsworth’s tenure in Cumbria. It was made for Jessie McDougall of the flour milling family –bags of McDougall’s flour can be bought to this day in Britain’s supermarkets. Howthwaite ended up being built here because the land lay empty after an incident that changed the face of…

Dotted across parts of the Sutton Hoo estate in the English county of Suffolk, mysterious mounds rise out the earth. Though they may look unassuming, mere manmade hillocks, it was from the confines of their compacted soil that one of the country’s most remarkable archaeological finds was uncovered – a discovery that would change the way Britain’s Anglo-Saxon history was viewed forever. It is this incredible discovery – made in the late 1930s, as the Second World War loomed on the horizon – that is the focus of new film, The Dig. Released on Netflix earlier this year and starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, the movie relays the true story of how the estate’s owner Edith Pretty employed self-taught archaeologist Basil Brown to excavate what they believed to be…

In 1959, the fate of the London Library in St James’s Square was hanging in the balance. Established at the beginning of the Victorian era by the author Thomas Carlyle, it was London’s first public lending library and Charles Dickens was among the founding members. Now, however, the institution had received a near-punitive income tax demand from Westminster City Council, after previously being exempt from rates for 80 years. A government investigation ensued. The library’s then-president, the poet and playwright TS Eliot, had previously claimed that “if this library disappeared, it would be a disaster to the world of letters, and would leave a vacancy that no other form of library could fill”. That grim possibility was becoming a reality. Despite several appeals, the London Library owed £20,000 in debts…

Living in a castle, complete with turrets, battlements, great halls and land as far as the eye can see is surely a staple of every child’s fantasies. Yet for Lady Violet Manners and her four siblings home really was a dream come true. Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire was her childhood playground – and her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Rutland still live there, and run the 16,000-acre estate; the family have lived there in an unbroken line for just shy of 1,000 years. “Growing up in Belvoir was the really the biggest gift,” says Lady Violet. “It was like a giant Aladdin’s cave as a child. And we could occasionally be found hiding under beds and pretending to be ghosts as the guides brought groups around. I remember all…

Amelia Taylor, Morris Dancer The first time I watched Morris dancing was in Devon. It was the Sidmouth Folk Festival and I vividly remember the colourfully-costumed dancers yielding sticks. The seed of my interest was sown there. I dance with Pump House Clog Morris. We perform a traditional style called North West Morris, which originated in the industrial towns of the north west of England. My costume is similar to what women would have worn to work in the factories and mills. We celebrated our 40th anniversary with a “Day of Dance” at the Tower of London. We invited four other groups to join us. Morris dancing is so social. We often bump into our friends from other Sides at the annual folk festivals in Rochester, Swanage and Wimborne. I…

THE QUEEN’S BACKYARD Besides the Queen’s London residence being an iconic building that is famous the world over, Her Majesty also enjoys the largest private garden in the British capital. Of course, the 39-acre garden at Buckingham Palace is required to fulfil many ceremonial roles, with around 24,000 party invitees in attendance every year, yet it is also a very personal space, shaped by each successive monarch. A new book is set to give an exclusive look at a year inside this historic royal oasis. Buckingham Palace: A Royal Garden is written by Claire Masset, former garden editor of our sister magazine, The English Garden. It details the full extent of the private outdoor space – including a 3.5-acre lake and more than 1,000 trees – while also sharing tips…

When the Museum of London polled visitors in 2016 to find out who the British public considers to be the “Great Londoners” throughout history, Queen Elizabeth II came in a surprising third place, behind only wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and the late great pop star David Bowie. The results were surprising to say the least. While Bowie’s death mere weeks before the poll took place perhaps inflated his position, the appearance of Her Majesty was a similar curio, if only to see her classed as a “Londoner”. The longest-reigning British monarch in history and head of the Commonwealth realms? Sure, but a living, breathing London resident? It didn’t quite fit with her stately demeanour and the broad reach of her 69-year reign to date. And yet Elizabeth Alexandra Mary…

The Western Isles float off the northwestern shoulder of mainland Scotland and have been part of the country since the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Most of the population lives on the isles of Lewis and Harris, which are actually a single land mass and make up the northern half of the archipelago. Meanwhile North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra are the largest islands in the south. Numerous other shards of land combine to make up this far-flung 130-mile chain of islands, also known as the Outer Hebrides. The stark, unruly scenery you find here is sure to make a lasting impression on anyone who visits. Though the Western Isles are certainly rural, with their own unique industries, habitats and architecture, you wouldn’t necessarily describe them as quintessentially British.…

1 The Lanesborough London When a hotel is a precious stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, it needs to offer palatial surrounds. At the Lanesborough, they go one further as The Royal Suite has views over Buckingham Palace Gardens. That said, you’d struggle to tear your eyes away from the seemingly endless interiors. The combined suite is some 4,800 square feet, at least four times larger than most London family homes. Book the seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom configuration and you can enjoy free use of the hotel’s chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce Phantom too. Regardless, there is a dedicated butler. British skill and craftsmanship are on display throughout, from Old Master oil paintings to fine mahogany furniture by Restall, Brown & Clennell, whose pieces also decorate 10 Downing Street. www.oetkercollection.com 2 Glenapp Castle Ayrshire Situated…