Indholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2016 i Britain

This issue I managed to escape the confines of my desk and venture to a place that had long been on wish list the Isle of Skye. You can read about my travels and the allure of western Scotland in Land of the Clans (p6) , in fact I’m fairly confident that it will soon be on your wish list too. In 2016 we celebrate the Year of the English Garden, alongside the 300th anniversary of the birth of the man who transformed our stately grounds. In The Legacy of Capability Brown (p24) we visit some of the finest examples of the landscape architect’s work, to bring you our nation’s grandest parks and palaces. If, like us, you prefer nothing to curling up with a good book then you’ll certainly…

The revolutionary landscape style that Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown brought to the great houses of England in the 18th century is now synonymous with our image of stately homes. The likes of William Kent before him and Humphry Repton afterwards also coaxed wealthy clients to abandon earlier fashions for formal gardens in the Tudor, Dutch and French manner. But it is Brown who is most famous for the landscape tradition that came to epitomise Englishness, setting our grand houses in (artfully contrived) Edens of parkland. Weston Park’s sweeping views from the Temple of Diana, across sheep-dotted grass to the redbrick 17th-century house and merging with the distant Shropshire hills are typical of Brown’s naturalistic style, says Martin Gee, head gardener at the grand estate near Shifnal. Martin has been preparing to…

Selfridge & Co department store, London In the opening image overleaf, lift attendants at Selfridge’s department store on London’s Oxford Street pose with military precision in 1928. The photograph by Sydney W Newbery, who specialised in architectural photography, was taken around the time that the store’s western extension was completed. A Picnic’, Kennack Sands, St Keverne, Cornwall, c1910 This photo from Alfred Newton & Son records relaxed picnickers. Kennack Sands on Cornwall's Lizard peninsula is quite a remote location and the photographer would have been unlikely to stumble on, and record, this particular scene. More probably, members of the group asked him to take this photograph and ordered sufficient copies to make it commercially viable. St Paul's Cathedral from Southwark Bridge, London This view of St Paul's Cathedral looming beyond…

From 1642 to 1651 England experienced an unprecedented period of civil unrest, the likes of which haven’t been seen since, caused in no small part by a king who insisted on ruling without government, much to the disdain of his people. At the new National Civil War Centre in Newark, Nottinghamshire, you can discover more about the gruesome reality of this period of unrest, which resulted in the deaths of one in 30 people and which saw many castles and cathedrals destroyed across the country. When King Charles I came to the throne in 1625, succeeding his father, King James I, he was soon embroiled in a series of arguments with Parliament over his insistence of raising taxes without its authorisation. The king also aroused suspicion, particularly among Puritans, over…

OUR FAVOURITE LETTER A CHILDHOOD IN CHILHAM I was delighted to see a picture of Chilham village in your November issue (Volume 83, Issue 5). In 1921, when my parents were living in Africa, I was sent to boarding school in England and every Christmas I stayed at Chilham Castle in Kent, as my parents were friends of Sir Edmund Davis who owned Chilham. Years later I took my wife to Hever Castle and nearby Knole and its magnificent deer park. It reminded me of how walking in the deer park at Chilham as a young boy, I bumped into an amiable gentleman who started to extol the beauties surrounding him. I was somewhat startled when he said: “To think that all this loveliness belongs to me.” I was forced…

NEWS Buried treasure As Britain prepared to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, which took place on 25 October 1415, the Holighost, one of four ‘great ships’ commissioned by King Henry V to help in his war against France, was believed to have been found in Hampshire. The discovery began with an aerial photograph of the River Hamble taken over 30 years ago. Dr Ian Friel, author of Henry V’s Navy, The Sea-Road to Agincourt and Conquest, 1413–1422, studied the photo and others like it and had a hunch that the ship was buried there. Going on Friel’s theory and other research, Historic England has launched an investigation of the area using sonar, remote-sensing and drones. The Holighost (also known as the Holy Ghost), which was built…

Here are some of the best ways to mark the tercentenary of Capability Brown in 2016: The Temple of Diana (far right) at Weston Park, Shropshire, sleeps six people, with stays starting from £1,000 for three nights. Bookings at www.ruralretreats.co.uk Capability Brown events at Weston Park range from monthly exhibitions to talks and guided walks around the grounds.www.weston-park.com Visit Capability Brown &the Landscape Created for Blenheim Palace, an exhibition at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, from 13 February to 2 May 2016.www.blenheimpalace.com Enjoy special Capability Brown guided garden tours and a Terrestrial Delights exhibition (from 25 March 2016 to the end of October) at Bowood House and Garden, Wiltshire.www.bowood.org/bowood-gardens You can visit the Open Garden weekend at the church at Fenstanton, the final resting place of Capability Brown, from 18–19 June 2016,…

When the writer and craftsman William Morris walked atop the Sussex Downs in the 19th century, he sighed: “You can see Lewes lying like a box of toys under a great amphitheatre of chalk hills… on the whole it is set down better than any town I have seen in England.” Were he to visit today, he would be pleased to see that little has changed in the East Sussex county town. Dating back to Roman and Saxon times, it has considerable historical interest, thanks to its immaculately maintained streets of Georgian and early Victorian housing, a Norman castle and even the house in which King Henry VIII intended his wife Anne of Cleves to live. Unlike many other London émigrés, she never actually inhabited Lewes. However, the town is…

THE NATIONAL CIVIL WAR CENTRE This brand-new £5.4m museum (right) in the historic town of Newark tells the story of the English Civil War using artefacts and video re-enactments, with a series of rolling exhibits upstairs. The National Civil War Trail, an app that explores key sites around the city, including Newark Castle and the Queen’s Sconce (a 'fort' made of earth), also supports the museum.www.nationalcivilwarcentre.com THE PRINCE RUPERT, NEWARK This half-timbered medieval pub (far right) – named after King Charles I’s nephew – is rich in history. Dating back to 1452, the pub has a doorway in its cellar that provided a secret exit to Newark Castle during the Civil War. Today, it serves hearty pub grub and real ale.www.kneadpubs.co.uk/our-pubs/the-prince-rupert THE GRANGE, NEWARK This family-run hotel offers cosy accommodation…

DON'T MISS ST MARY REDCLIFFE CHURCH, WHICH WAS ONCE DESCRIBED BY QUEEN ELIZABETH I AS “THE FAIREST, GOODLIEST, AND MOST FAMOUS PARISH CHURCH IN ENGLAND” Walk through the trees of Bristol’s Brandon Hill, in the city’s West End and it’s easy to imagine yourself in a country park. In fact, the beauty of this stunning location is its position, mere yards from the upmarket shops of Georgian Park Street. Brandon Hill is one of more than 450 parks and gardens in a city that (proportionately) has more green spaces than any other in the UK. It’s also one of the best vantage points to look down on a city packed full of history and heritage, which stretches back to at least 1051 when it appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The…

Capability Brown & Belvoir by the Duchess of Rutland with Jane Purden (£35, Nick McCann Associates). The discovery of Brown’s plans for Belvoir Castle inspired this beautiful hardback. The Shakespeare Trail by Zoe Bramley (£20, Amberley Publishing). This practical guidebook explores the many places dear to the Bard and his characters on the 400th anniversary of his death. Richard III by David Horspool (£20, Bloomsbury). In the wake of the discovery of Richard III's bones, Horspool reexamines the life of this enigmatic monarch and our enduring interest in him. Winston Churchill Reporting by Simon Read (£17.79, Da Capo Press). This biography traces the famous orator and wartime leader’s formative years, working as a war correspondent. Henrietta Maria by Dominic Pearce (£20, Amberley Publishing). The French wife of King Charles I…

Cavaliers supported the king and believed in his divine right to rule. They were known for wearing their hair in longer ringlets or under wigs and wore more flamboyant clothing. Their nickname came from the French ‘chevalier’, meaning horse, which referred to the fact that most of them fought on horseback. While many came from poorer areas in the north of England, they were also made up of Roman Catholics and members of the nobility. Roundheads were mainly Puritans whose nickname came from the cropped hairstyle they favoured. Supporters comprised merchants, more militant MPs and people from wealthier parts of England, such as the south and east. They supported Parliament and believed only it had the right to impose taxes or levies on civilians. Though initially most people chose sides…

The Light Railways of Britain and Ireland (£25/$38). First published in 1985, this book, which tells the story of Britain’s last railway development, was unavailable for 25 years, until now. Their Finest Hour (£19.99/$30) The fascinating stories of six of Churchill’s ‘few', each of whom played an important part in the Battle of Britain. Churchill’s Greatest Fear (£25/$38) This superbly researched work covers all the major aspects of the Battle of the Atlantic, a strategic battle for the Allies.…

GETTING THERE Bristol is in the south-west of England, on the direct line from London Paddington. From the north, direct trains travel down from Edinburgh and Manchester, each passing through Birmingham. www.nationalrail.co.uk If you’re driving, the M4 directly links Bristol with London to the east and Wales to the west while the M5 is perfect for heading north, or south. Bristol has its own airport with daily direct flights to most European destinations, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Newcastle. Flights with KLM via Amsterdam link to worldwide destinations. www.bristolairport.co.uk WHERE TO STAY There are plenty of good hotel chains located around the harbourside. Luxury options include the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel next to the cathedral. www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/ brsry-bristol-marriott-royal-hotel In a Georgian townhouse on the edge of Clifton Village, Number 38…