Innholdsfortegnelse for February - March 2023 i Discover Britain

A landscape of crumbling coastal castles, winding Roman ruins, dark forests and windswept fells, Northumberland is an enchanting but often overlooked pocket of England, tucked away in the country’s northeast corner. The region’s history and natural beauty are matched by the produce of its coast and countryside, and a food and drink tour is a great way to get a taste for Northumberland as you travel. This itinerary starts in the Northumberland interior beside the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall before heading east, via cheesemakers and a nice cup of tea, to the magnificent coast, where each morning fishermen haul in some of Britain’s finest seafood. Just south of the majestic ruins of Hadrian’s Wall lies a village with a perplexing name. Travel from east to west along the Military Road…

Sitting on the edge of wild Northumberland moorland, overlooking the picturesque valley of Meggie’s Dene Burn, a tiny stream that runs into the River South Tyne, is Carrawburgh Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall, known to the Romans as Brocolitia. Carrawburgh was one of 16 large Roman forts along the wall. It housed around 500 soldiers, with a vicus (civilian settlement) next to it. Built around AD130, Brocolitia is thought to have kept its garrison until shortly before Roman rule in Britain ended. It is likely to have been one of the last functioning Roman forts in Britain. Today, what remains of the fort lies beneath the ground, and can be seen only as earthworks. Earthworks of the civilian settlement, which included several streets and buildings, are also visible. Archaeologists have…

Crossword no 232 Solutions in next issue Across 7 The wife of an earl (8)9 River that flows through Winchester (6)10 River that flows through Peterborough (4) 11 Elm inn gale (anagram) ________craft producing objects with a hard glassy surface (10)12 Bird of prey with long pointed wings (6)14 Hamlet near East Bergholt in Suffolk with a watermill immortalised by John Constable (8)15 Ornamental fowl noted for its showy plumage (7) 17 Market town in the Eden Valley in Cumbria (7) 20 A wood valued for furniture-making (8)22 Market town in Powys, mid Wales (6)23 George ________, English engineer (1781-1848), a pioneer of steam locomotives and railways (10)24 ________ Castle, in County Durham, one of the largest inhabited castles in England (4)25 ________ Bart, composer of the musical Oliver! (6)26…

Berwick-upon-Tweed is a pub quiz favourite – the English town whose football team plays in the Scottish leagues – and that is just one reflection of the riotous history that has played out in the top right-hand corner of Northumberland. Once part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, the border town of Berwick enjoys the dubious title of being the most disputed, coveted town in Britain, having exchanged hands between Scotland and England no less than 13 times. In the late Middle Ages, it was Scotland’s richest town, exporting wool from monastic centres. English since 1482, one legacy of the town’s turbulence is the magnificent Elizabethan walls that encircle it, making Berwick the only completely walled town in Britain and drawing deserved comparisons with the historic cities of Chester and…

DISCOVER NORTHUMBERLAND – MEET THE LOCALS The Anglo-Saxon gatherings that took place 14 centuries ago below Yeavering Bell’s steep slopes helped govern one of the era’s most powerful kingdoms, yet few physical traces of the Northumbrian royal court are evident today. In spring 2023 a new visitor attraction in Wooler, four miles away, Ad Gefrin, will provide significant insight into the site’s historic importance. The footpath that rises to Yeavering Bell’s 1,158ft (361m) summit is accessible by parking in a layby by the B6351. A semi-circular wall of honey-coloured stone bears a plaque announcing the site as the location of a royal township during Anglo-Saxon times. It also mentions the 36 days of baptisms by Paulinus of York in the nearby River Glen during AD627. The efforts of Paulinus to…

DISCOVER NORTHUMBERLAND – ANCESTRY The earliest records we have of the indigenous population of Northumbria come via the 1st- and 2nd-century Vindolanda tablets (handwritten documents found at the Roman Vindolanda site, above) which record the names and professions of some local men. It sounds almost too good to be true (given what we know of the subsequent pre-occupations of this part of the world), but one of these natives was a man called Metto, who sold locally-made parts for wheeled vehicles – hubs, axles, spokes and seats – to the Roman garrison; mention is also made of two other local entrepreneurs: a general dealer called Gavo, and Atrectus, a brewer of cervesa – in other words, beer. When the legions finally evacuated Britain in the early 5th century, the local…

Watchmakers Rebecca and Craig Struthers never cease to be fascinated by the antique and vintage timepieces that come into their Birmingham workshop for repair and restoration: a battered watch that survived an air crash with its owner during the Second World War; an 18th-century pocket watch with a maker’s fingerprint accidentally baked into the underside of its enamel disk; family heirlooms revealing hidden inscriptions and mottoes. “There is always a story, a connection you feel to the individual who wore the watch or the people who made or have previously repaired it,” Rebecca explains. “Watches are symbols of time in themselves, and they capture moments in time.” Award-winning husband-and-wife founders of C & R Struthers in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Craig and Rebecca have more than 30 years of combined experience…

Stonehenge stirs memories Your article about Stonehenge in Issue 231, February 2022, was lovely and a reminder to bring out my grandmother’s photograph (see right) which was taken there in the late 1940s or early 1950s. It is my treasured photo. I’m originally from Shipley, but my parents moved us to Canada in my early childhood. I’ve gone back several times to visit my family, but I’ve yet to get to Stonehenge. Gail Kelly, via Facebook The maps are back I am so glad to see you are printing maps again. I have travelled in Great Britain several times, and it is so helpful to locate places we have visited on this map. When your map was not published for some time, I wrote to your magazine but never received…

Visitors to the ‘Holy Island’ of Lindisfarne often wonder about the white pyramid they can see just off the island’s northeast tip. This conspicuous structure, built between 1801 and 1810, marks Emmanuel Head and is one of the earliest examples of a day marker – a navigational aid for shipping – in England and is evidence of just how treacherous the waters off the coast of Northumberland can be. Life at sea in the 19th-century was not to be undertaken lightly and organisations such as Trinity House, a charity that had been created in the 16th century to ensure the safety of shipping and seafarers, which added this pyramid structure, were still crucial in terms of maritime safety (as they are today). However, despite all their best efforts, sometimes ordinary…

COLUMN Our kitchen table is the hub of life on our farm. Given to my husband and me as a wedding present 25 years ago, it is made up of portly, turned pine legs, over which lies a chunky pine top that has been drawn on by the kids (accidentally, or otherwise), burnt by overly hot pans, scratched and scarred, stained by a spilt glass of red wine and knocked over vase of flowers, and scrubbed repeatedly to attain a patina of life’s rituals. All this daily abuse, yet it is the love of our life. Sat, with a worn pine bench either side, homemade patchwork cushions in place to ease the rigidity of the wooden seats, the table looks out onto our orchard, two of our fields and beyond,…

Roll up, roll up, can there be a more London night out that a trip ‘up west’ to see a show in London’s theatreland? The West End, that glittering part of London, which lies just west of the City of London and encompasses some of the capital’s more famous spots – Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, Bond Street, Leicester Square, and Soho – can rival Broadway for its high-calibre stage shows and footfall, but how do you ensure you see a smash hit show rather than one forced to cut its run short? By listening to us, of course. Here are our recommendations of the ones to book for 2023. Wicked A worldwide smash hit, since premièring on Broadway in 2003, this musical, which tells the story of the…