Innehållsförteckning för March/April 2021 från Britain

Just as sales of red lipstick soared in the dark days of wartime (Winston Churchill decreed it was not to be rationed as it kept morale high), this winter many of us have sought cheer in frivolity, namely the Netflix series Bridgerton, which is set in the decadent Regency era. This issue, we channel the glamour and excitement of those heady days in Regency revels (p22), diving into a whirl of scandal and romance; and we stroll the seafront promenade in Brighton (p77), whose Royal Pavilion is the ultimate expression of Regency frippery. History buffs will also enjoy a skirmish at the Battle of Tewkesbury (Roses remembered, p33), and a peek at two of Henry VIII’s once magnificent – but sadly long-lost – palaces (England’s lost palaces, p50). Time-travelling done,…

MUSIC The show  must go on Determined to celebrate its 150th birthday in style after a challenging year of cancelled shows and closed doors, the Royal Albert Hall’s anniversary programme will commence on 29 March with A Circle of Sound, a multimedia spectacular that evokes the spirit and history of the Hall. Led by David Arnold, multi-award-winning composer for five Bond films, and created in collaboration with local schoolchildren, community members and the Chelsea Pensioners, the 10-movement work promises to be a star-studded performance. Among the many other highlights of the anniversary season, the Hall’s associate orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, will present a series of concerts as it celebrates its own 75th anniversary. www.royalalberthall.com PLACES TO STAY Fine and dandy The opening of a new hotel in the Iconic…

GETTING THERE By train, the East Coast Main Line runs from London King’s Cross to Berwick-upon-Tweed (around 3hr 30min), from where it’s a short drive across the border into the region. Alternatively, take the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston to Edinburgh, from where the Borders Railway connects to Tweedbank in an hour, stopping at multiple stations in the Borders. www.thetrainline.com; www.sleeper.scot WHERE TO STAY Some of the castles that dot this once embattled region now make special places to stay. Thirlestane Castle dates back to the 12th century and has a number of five-star apartments in its south wing, which can either be self-catering or make use of the castle’s own caterers. Or live like a laird at Traquair House with a stay in one of their four guestrooms, which…

A simple brass plaque in the quire of Tewkesbury Abbey commemorates the burial of Edward, the Lancastrian Prince of Wales who was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. The son of King Henry VI and Queen Margaret, he had been “the only light of his mother’s eyes and the last hope of his race.” From the vaulted abbey roof above, the Sun in Splendour looks down, a motif of the House of York installed by triumphant King Edward IV as a symbol of his victory in the Wars of the Roses. Hostilities between the two royal factions of Lancaster and York would flare up again, but the decisive battle of Saturday 4 May 1471 that concluded the first phase of their wars firmly stamped Tewkesbury on the map…

The British Museum has three big ticketed exhibitions planned for this year. First, Thomas Becket: murder and the making of a saint (22 April–22 August) marks the 850th anniversary of the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury with a look at an array of objects associated with Becket, including medieval stained glass, manuscripts, jewellery and sacred reliquaries. An exhibition devoted to the bloodthirsty Emperor Nero will run from 27 May to 24 October, while artefacts of ancient Peru, highlighting its history, beliefs and cultural achievements, will be on display from 11 November to 20 February 2022. www.britishmuseum.org…

Square Haunting by Francesca Wade (£20, Faber & Faber). A group biography of five trail-blazing women, who all lived between the wars at Mecklenburgh Square in London. The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by Anthony M Amore (£20, Pegasus). The true story of Rose Dugdale: from idyllic Devonshire upbringing to life of crime and major art heist. Stately Secrets by Richard Bradford (£9.95, Troubador). The 7th Earl of Bradford’s uproarious stories of life behind stately home doors. Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day by Captain Tom Moore (£20, Michael Joseph). The autobiography of the remarkable 100-year-old who became the nation’s hero during lockdown and was knighted by the Queen. Disraeli v Gladstone: Westminster’s Most Bitter Feud by Roger Mason (£25, Fonthill Media). An account of the bitter 40-year feud between the…

When the British Museum first opened in London in 1759, entrance was “by ticket only to gentlemen with a special knowledge of or taste for works of art or virtu”. By 1810 that ticket was available to “any person of decent appearance”, but in 1814 after an outcry, the general public were finally allowed in. In a single year, over 28,000 people came to goggle at such puzzling artefacts as “Fish, swimming in boiling water” and “Spear, a curious”. Today the British Museum is Britain’s most visited attraction: over six million people a year come to Great Russell Street to ascend the stone steps and enter the world’s most comprehensive and fascinating museum. They may not know it, but they are fulfilling the Enlightenment philosophy of its 18th-century founder: to…

Stowe House The house is currently closed due to COVID-19. Ordinarily, house tickets are released one month before the date of the visit. A 20-minute ‘taster tour’ or 45-minute ‘full story tour’ is included in the price, though during school holidays visitors can also choose to explore at their own pace. www.stowe.co.uk/house Stowe Landscape Gardens Stowe’s spectacular gardens are National Trust-owned and remain open at this time, though advance booking is required. Garden admission applies to anyone visiting Stowe House unless you have pre-arranged house-only access. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stowe…

First let me say I really would be lost without your publication as I am the world’s biggest Anglophile! I have made several trips and on 3 of them I visited Wells, and although you encourage staying at a B&B a mile away [Vol 88 Issue 6], I found the Ancient Gate House Hotel within the walls around the cathedral a delightful place. My favourite room was up a very steep stair to a room over a gate in the wall and I had a view of the cathedral from my window. Being right there I was able to attend early morning service at the cathedral before setting out on my day of sightseeing. Keep up the good work helping us tour my beloved England from our armchairs. Maureen Donn, Owings,…

All of the houses featured are currently closed due to restrictions related to the pandemic; usual opening days are indicated below. Ickworth House, a Neoclassical beauty with splendid gardens, managed by the National Trust, is open daily. www.nationaltrust.org.ukChatsworth House, open every day, has lavish staterooms and splendid ornamental gardens to explore. www.chatsworth.org Lancaster House is only occasionally open to the public, but you can take a 360-degree tour online.blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/lancasterhouse Belvoir Castle opens for castle tours on reservation, or you can take a virtual tour with the Duchess of Rutland via the website. www.belvoircastle.comLyme Park is usually open every day except Wednesday, with restricted openings in winter. The gardens are open daily, year-round. www.nationaltrust.org.ukGoodwood House is open for tours and afternoon teas on selected dates throughout the year. www.goodwood.com Apsley House…

Though many of the museum’s artefacts were donated by explorers and collectors, a significant number were unearthed by members of the public. The coronavirus pandemic has seen a boost in finds, thanks to people searching their back gardens during lockdown, and in July 2020 the museum announced a historic milestone: the 1.5 millionth archaeological discovery made by the public. The item? A medieval lead seal of Pope Innocent IV, unearthed in Shropshire. The Portable Antiquities Scheme allows voluntary recording of found objects, and has contributed greatly to the museum’s treasures. Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum, said, “We look forward to many more objects being recorded, and who knows what exciting discoveries are yet to be found.” www.finds.org.uk…

Palace of Whitehall Henry VIII’s Thames-side ‘working palace’ was a magnificent residence and centre of royal power for over 150 years, until a devastating fire reduced it to rubble. Only the Banqueting House remains. Elsyng Palace Concealed beneath the Jacobean Forty Hall Estate in Enfield, north London, lie the remains of yet another palace in Henry VIII’s 60-strong portfolio, Elsyng, which was on the scale of Hampton Court. Clarendon Palace Medieval Clarendon Palace, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, once witnessed key events in English history, such as Henry II’s issue of the Constitutions of Clarendon, which ultimately led to Archbishop Thomas Becket’s murder. Theobald’s Palace James I took such a shine to this palatial pad – as had Elizabeth I before him – that he persuaded owner Sir Robert Cecil to swap…

The North Wessex Downs are home to chocolate-box villages, rolling hills and Neolithic sites. Sited plumb in the middle of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the handsome town of Marlborough is the ideal place to base yourself for a weekend’s exploring. On the historic western road from London to Bath, Marlborough has an impressive thoroughfare of its own: its unusually wide High Street – broader than almost any in the country – which gives it an air of grandeur only enhanced by the characterful, centuries-old facades lining both sides. A tiled and gabled facade at no.132 conceals the town’s must-see attraction: the Merchant’s House, a fascinating window into a turbulent time. In 1642 an early Civil War battle took place in Marlborough, and Royalist troops stormed the town’s narrow alleys…