Table of contents for July/August 2015 in Britain

It’s now officially summer and what better way to celebrate than on a trip to the English Riviera in Devon, the setting for our feature Sun, Sea and Smuggling (p6), which also provided much of the inspiration for Agatha Christie’s famous mysteries. Of course it wouldn’t be summer in Britain without the ubiquitous picnic and with this in mind, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite outdoor theatres in Shakespeare Under the Stars (p22) so you can enjoy a bit of culture alongside your al fresco dining. Talking of the great outdoors, there are few destinations as evocative as the Lake District – Romantic poet William Wordsworth once described it as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found” – and we’ve tracked down some of the region’s most charming…

NEWS A royal welcome On 2 May 2015, the world rejoiced at the news that Princess Charlotte of Cambridge had been born at St Mary's Hospital, London, and within hours she had taken part in her first photo shoot with her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Princess Charlotte was born at 8.34am and weighed 8lbs 3oz. Unsurprisingly, the new princess was soon showered with gifts from around the world, including a Tasmanian merino wool blanket and donation to a possum sanctuary from Australia, and a snowsuit and $100,000 donation to immunisation charities from Canada. The newest member of the Royal Family was also introduced to her great-grandmother, HM The Queen, who told guests at a Buckingham Palace garden party that she was delighted to have another girl in…

Book tickets, grab your hamper, and make your way to one of these great outdoor venues. THE GLOBE, LONDON Book in advance at this popular summer venue. Arrive early and take one of the theatre’s guided tours to learn about life as a playwright in Shakespeare’s time, and how the modern venue was built. Open from May to September. Prices start at £5 for standing tickets.www.shakespearesglobe.com REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE, LONDON Tickets to Britain’s oldest professional outdoor theatre sell out fast, with exciting productions such as William Golding's Lord of the Flies and J M Barrie's Peter Pan. Make sure you get there early on sunny days to get a seat in the shade. www.openairtheatre.com THE MINACK THEATRE, CORNWALL A visit to the Minack Theatre is an event in…

In 1897 a widow applied for the exhumation of the grave of her late father-in-law. Her reason? She believed his body didn’t lie there at all but that he had faked his death to do his legitimate heirs, (and her son), out of their fortune, favouring his secret double life. The extraordinary claims of Anna Maria Druce led to a protracted legal battle between the 6th Duke of Portland and several pretenders to his throne who argued that he should not have inherited his cousin’s title and estate, as his predecessor had secretly fathered several children, one of whom must surely be his rightful heir. In The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse, Piu Marie Eatwell explores the Druce-Portland case, which was one of the most drawn-out…

Built in 1471 by Andrew Muirhead, Bishop of Glasgow, as the manse for the priest of Glasgow Cathedral and the nearby St Nicholas Hospital, Provand’s Lordship in Glasgow is one of the few surviving medieval buildings in the city. Over the years Provand’s Lordship has been a private residence and its position as one of the oldest buildings in Glasgow has led to it being affectionately known as the ‘auld hoose’. Inside, it is furnished with a fine collection of 17th-century Scottish furniture, donated by Sir William Burrell, with room settings giving a flavour of interiors of the period from 1500-1700, but the house is probably best known for its links to Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Henry Darnley, whose portraits hang here. The portraits allude to…

GETTING THERE There are good rail links to Cambridge (15 minutes) and London (70 minutes) and direct lines to Sheffield, Liverpool, the Midlands, Norwich and Stansted Airport.www.nationalrail.co.uk A regional bus service operates in and around Ely, with passes available for unlimited one-day bus travel. Long-stay parking is freely available in and around the town. WHERE TO STAY Ely offers plenty of bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation to suit all purses. For an approved list go to www.visitely.org.uk/accommodation The Nyton, a family guest house, adjoins Ely's 18-hole golf course, 10 minutes' walk from the city centre. www.thenyton.com Poet's House, which opened in 2013, is a stylish but unstuffy boutique hotel offering guests comfort in relaxed surroundings overlooking the cathedral and Oliver Cromwell's House. www.poetshouse.com Offering charming bed and breakfast accommodation…

Life Portraits Series by Zena Alkayat and Nina Cosford (Frances Lincoln, £12). Charming illustrated biographies that offer quotes, inspiration and trivia on literary legends such as Jane Austen. First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill by Sonia Purnell (Aurum Press, £25). To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death, this is a candid biography of his beloved wife. Beside the Sea: Britain’s Lost Seaside Heritage by Sarah Freeman (Aurum Press, £25). A celebration of the British seaside, with photography and memories from our forgotten youth. 25 Royal Babies that Changed the World (Amy Licence, £8.99). From Norman times to the birth of Princess Charlotte, Amy Licence examines royal births throughout history. The Mythology of Richard III (John Ashdown-Hill, Amberley, £16.99). Following Richard III's reinterment, this book…

THE HOUSE AND GROUNDS Following an £8m restoration project, Bletchley Park is now an interactive heritage site, with a new visitor centre and refreshed exhibits such as Bletchley Park: Rescued and Restored, which includes a time capsule and wartime notes found stuffed in hut roof cracks, including the only known example of used Banbury sheets, a system devised by Alan Turing to help find the daily-changing Enigma settings. Visitors can explore the Victorian house and grounds and listen to atmospheric soundscapes, which include snatches of conversation, music, laughter and noises that are reminiscent of the 1940s wartime era. The grounds have been freshly landscaped, with reminders of where the long-gone Huts 2 and 9 once stood and the tennis courts have also been restored to grass, as they would have…

At 885 square miles, the Lake District is England’s largest national park. Where better to wander lonely as a cloud, stride across hills, mess about in a boat, cycle the trails or simply relax and soak up the views? There is an incredible variety of camera-ready scenery here, from rugged hillsides and woodlands rich in Atlantic mosses, ferns and lichen, to glassy lakes and fells where ravens and birds of prey are a common sight. This is one of the best places in Britain to experience the great outdoors, though it has to be said the weather is unpredictable; locals say it is not unusual to experience all four seasons in one day. However, look at it another way – rain showers and racing clouds only serve to emphasise the…

Over the past 2,000 years, nearly 80 women have sat on the royal throne of England, either as consort or reigning queen. Some of the country’s most formidable rulers have been female, with our current queen, Elizabeth II, now approaching the record for longest-reigning monarch, a record held by Queen Victoria. Perhaps the most redoubtable of English queens was also the earliest. The records of queenship begin with Boudica (c.30-60/1 AD), the best known of all the Ancient Britons. She was the wife of Prasutagus, the King of the Iceni – a tribe based in East Anglia. Britain was conquered by Emperor Claudius in AD 43, with Boudica and her husband ruling as clients of Rome. When Prasutagus died, the Romans seized his kingdom – beating his widow and raping…

Being a chef is a notoriously high-pressured job, but for Carolyn Robb seemingly not enough of a challenge. Robb spent years as personal chef to the most high-profile of clients, including TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales, before becoming a food critic, entrepreneur and food advisor. Born and raised in South Africa, Carolyn was inspired to cook by her mother from an early age and her childhood spent in a warm climate, surrounded by fresh fruit and vegetables, provided her with plentiful ingredients. After going to university in South Africa she came to England and gained a diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, paving the way for her culinary career. How did you come to work in the royal household? From a very young age it had always been an…

THE LONDON EYE Just one revolution on board the giant Ferris wheel, the London Eye, will enable you to view a remarkable stretch of the capital. At its peak the wheel is 442ft (135m) high and you can see for 25 miles in every direction (weather permitting), from your comfortable glass pod. It offers plenty of packages for special occasions, from afternoon tea to a chocolate-tasting experience or a Champagne reception. www.londoneye.com THE SHARD While a little pricey to get up there, the view from the Shard, London’s magnificent 87-storey skyscraper, is certainly impressive. With the UK’s highest public viewing galleries, 787ft (240m) above street level, visitors can enjoy 360-degree views for up to 40 miles. Tickets allow you 30 minutes at the top, plus a weather guarantee, meaning that…

POET'S VIEW COTTAGE Situated in Hunting Stile, this three bedroom cottage-style apartment was formerly the ballroom of a gentleman's residence built for the grandson of William Wordsworth. Today it has been transformed into an idyllic holiday retreat.www.cumbrian-cottages.co.uk WAITBY SCHOOL This former school is now a cosy cottage offering a dose of nostalgia, with all the mod cons. It has two double bedrooms and three singles in a triple room, sleeping up to seven. The cottage is family-friendly with a cot and high chair available.www.waitbyschool.com LINDETH HOWE COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL This four-star hotel was once the home of children’s author Beatrix Potter. It overlooks Lake Windermere and boasts a 2 AA Rosette restaurant.www.lindeth-howe.co.uk DAFFODIL HOTEL & SPA This 78-room, 4-star hotel is the ideal lakeside location for enjoying a Champagne afternoon…

Aged just six days when she ascended to the throne following the death of her father, King James V of Scotland , Mary, Queen of Scots, led a tumultuous reign. She unsuccessfully tried to seize the English throne from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and when she was ousted from the Scottish throne in favour of her young son, King James VI (who went on to be crowned King James I of England), it was with her English cousin that she sought refuge. Unfortunately for Mary, her earlier inflammatory actions proved to be her downfall and Elizabeth imprisoned her in many of the country's castles and manor houses before having her executed for supposedly organising the plot to have her assassinated.…

DON'T MISS ELY'S SPLENDID CATHEDRAL, SURROUNDED BY MEADOWS AND PARKLAND WITH DUCKS WADDLING ON THE GREEN OUTSIDE, EXERTS AN IRRESISTIBLE PULL Whether approaching by road, rail or river, few sights compare with the first glimpse of Ely Cathedral. Rising out of the flat Fenland landscape of East Cambridgeshire, this immense edifice of ornate turrets and intricate flying buttresses against the expansive skies sends shivers down the spine. Of course, this is exactly the effect its builders desired; the cathedral was erected by the Normans as an awe-inspiring symbol of conquest, superiority and gratitude to God after overcoming fierce resistance from the local Anglo-Saxon population, just a few years after the Battle of Hastings. This glorious vision lends Ely its nickname, the Beacon of the Fens. Today Ely's light is shining…

OUR FAVOURITE LETTER FAMILY TIES I just wanted to let you know how much I look forward to BRITAIN arriving in my mailbox. I especially enjoyed reading the articles in the Winston Churchill Anniversary Special (Volume 83 Issue 2). It was of particular interest to see the Great Dining Room at Wemyss Castle, Fife (Houses of Nobility), home to the Wemyss clan. My great grandparents’ surname is Wemyss, so this has made me want to revisit Scotland to see the castle where Mary, Queen of Scots, met her future husband, Lord Darnley, in 1565. Next, I turned a few pages to see the article on the villages in the Cotswolds. This is one of my favourite places in the UK. My mother’s ancestor Thomas Ricketts and his bride Mary were…