Inhaltsverzeichnis für May/June 2018 in Britain

I’m sorry to say that this is my last issue in the editor’s chair – I’m off to pastures new (well, Scotland). As I reflect on my four years at the helm of this magazine, I can’t help but think of how wonderful it’s been hearing about all of your adventures in Britain. I hope I have played a small part in inspiring you to visit the places in these pages. One place I will certainly be visiting this year is Royal Deeside. In Paradise in the Highlands (p14), our writer follows in the footsteps of Queen Victoria and uncovers a Scottish landscape rich in natural beauty and culture. However, with the promise of warmer weather on the horizon, you may be dreaming of sweeping beaches, coastal walks and seaside…

HERITAGE Keeping the faith The triforium of Westminster Abbey, 70ft above the floor, has been hidden away for more than 700 years. In June, it finally opens to the public. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries will display more than 300 objects telling the story of the grand Gothic church as the setting for every Coronation since that of William the Conqueror in 1066 and the venue for a mere 16 royal weddings. Look out for Queen Mary II’s Coronation Chair; the Liber Regalis (Latin for ‘Royal Book’) – a 14th-century illuminated manuscript with guidance on how to conduct a coronation (should you ever need to) and the marriage licence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.www.westminster-abbey.org STAY A cut above When 18th-century industrialist Walter Barton May suspected that his wife…

One of England’s largest counties, Devon’s centuries-old harbours, secluded smugglers’ coves and picture-perfect beaches have sparked the imaginations of some of our most revered writers. From Kipling to Christie, this rural southwestern corner of England is a literary treasure trove and the perfect coastal destination for a summer holiday. Founded by the Romans in AD55, large parts of the defensive wall still remain in Devon’s ancient city of Exeter. At the heart of the city lies the magnificent Gothic cathedral, which dates largely from the 12th and 13th centuries and is home to the longest stretch of Gothic stone vaulting in the world. Exeter was put on the map after the boom in the wool trade, and prosperity grew throughout the Tudor and Georgian eras with merchants erecting elegant houses…

This year marks 200 years of London’s Old Vic, but the theatre that opened in Waterloo as the Royal Coburg is far from the oldest in Britain. That honour goes to the Bristol Old Vic, which opened its doors in May 1766 when King George III was on the throne, much of America was still a British colony, and a 10-year-old musical prodigy called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had just finished wowing audiences in London. Initially, the new theatre on Bristol’s King Street was named the Theatre Royal, and it soon began a long association with the great tragedienne Sarah Siddons, who is said to haunt the building today. The auditorium was a classic horseshoe shape. Originally, it was quite plain; the current splendid red and gold colour scheme dates from…

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL Dispatch from the winner of last year’s Great British Holiday competition: I’ve just finished the London leg of my tour and had a brilliant weekend. The five-star Dukes hotel was marvellous, very luxurious and relaxing, with succulent food at the Great British Restaurant. After spending the morning shopping on Oxford Street, we browsed Harrods, then went for a wonderful afternoon tea at The Capital –my friend and I were treated like royalty. We returned to our hotel, and after a quick change, it was off to the theatre to see Wicked. A fantastic show, not to be missed. After a splendid day, we slept like babies. I can’t wait for my next excursion to The Swan at Lavenham, in Suffolk. Lisa Yeomans, Kent, UK BRITAIN…

Shakespeare’s London on 5 Groats a Day by Richard Tames (Thames & Hudson, £12.95) Sightsee in the capital as if it were Elizabethan times, among merchants, courtiers and the Bard. The Servants’ Story: Managing a Great  Country House by Pamela Sambrook (Amberley Publishing, £20) Life below stairs at Trentham in Staffordshire during the 19th century. Lost Lanes West by Jack Thurston (Wild Things Publishing, £16.99) One for cyclists. Pedal through Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset or Wiltshire. Shades of Green by John Sales (Unicorn, £25) The secrets of looking after 50 glorious landscapes by the National Trust's former Head of Gardens. Walk Through History: Discover Victorian London by Christopher Winn (Ebury, £9.99) From mansion blocks to chapels, the capital is full of delights. You just need to know where to look.…

On 19 May, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry in St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle, following in the footsteps of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles who received a blessing here after their marriage ceremony in 2005. Following Harry and Meghan’s wedding ceremony at midday, the newly-married couple will embark on a carriage procession through the streets of Windsor, before returning to the castle for a reception in St George’s Hall. St George’s Chapel is a spectacular example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture and is a more intimate wedding venue than Westminster Abbey, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge married in 2011. Though the origins of Windsor Castle go all the way back to 1070 when William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a fortress…

Flanked by the verdant acres of Hyde Park and a stone’s throw from walks along the River Thames, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a much-loved leafy corner of the capital with a rich history winding back centuries. Its royal connections can be traced back to 1689 when King William III chose it as his residence, and today Kensington Palace remains the jewel in the borough’s crown. The birthplace of Queen Victoria in 1819 and her residence until her ascension to the throne in 1837, the palace brims with exhibits, artefacts and original features. Nowhere is quite as ensconced in the modern royal fairytale; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reside in a 20-room apartment in Kensington Palace, while former residents include Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess…

Wallace denied being a traitor, saying he had never been Edward’s subject in the first place For many people, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart summed up William Wallace: a hero fighting for his country, capturing the imagination of thousands of his countrymen and dying a martyr. However, while Gibson’s portrayal included some historical fantasy, many tales of Wallace’s bravery are based on fact. Wallace was the younger son of a Scottish knight, and possibly the most extraordinary part of his story is how someone from relatively lowly beginnings achieved such power. The medieval world was beset with hierarchy, to a stultifying extent, but Wallace’s extraordinary military success freed him from standard constraints. Wallace was educated and understood French and Latin. He may have had military experience, but little is known about him…

We rightly grant some writers a flourish of poetic licence in their work, but the briefest glimpse of Oxford shows Matthew Arnold was on the money in the 19th century when he described it as “that sweet city with her dreaming spires”. For the pretty medieval city in southeast England is chock-a-block with Gothic buildings and cosy pubs, wrapped up in a network of literary links and scholarly thought. At its heart is the university, founded in 1167 – proudly making it the oldest in the English-speaking world (sorry, Cambridge). From Christ Church (the college of Brideshead fame) to Magdalen (with its magnificent deer park), the 38 colleges each have their own character. And over the centuries, it is the students who have invigorated the city, adding a dash of…

I have just read with interest the story of Winnie the Pooh (Volume 85 Issue 6). Though the article tells how Pooh Bear was named, it didn’t mention the ‘Winnie’ connection – an important part of the history of Pooh Bear. Winnie the Pooh was named after a bear at London Zoo, but that bear had been named Winnie by First World War soldier Harry Colebourn (right), who brought her to England and named her after his adopted hometown of Winnipeg. There are several books about the Winnipeg connection, many recently published, and many online resources, too. Christine Lussier, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Our star letter wins a copy of Cornish Short Stories, a charming collection of Cornish tales from a selection of brilliant contemporary writers (£12, The History Press).www.thehistorypress.co.uk…

There’s a popular view of the reign of King Charles II (1660–1685) as a jolly escape from oppressive Commonwealth reforms, a whirl of maypoles and mince pies, raunchy theatre and Restoration rakes. Textbooks often leapfrog the subsequent brief reign of Charles’s brother, James II (1685–1688; to 1690 in Ireland), passing it off as an unpleasant interlude on the way to more interesting times. Yet within these three decades of Stuart rule some of the murkiest and most momentous political wheeler-dealing took place. Royal murder plots, religious conflicts and power struggles between Crown and Parliament threatened to tear the country apart for the second time within living memory. Instead, there was a Glorious Revolution, whose consequences shaped monarchy and government to this day. It’s a tale of high drama, political fudge…

In the autumn of 1837 whispers of mysterious attacks in south London sparked local panic. Over the next 70 or more years, terror spread across the country, infesting the popular imagination and even, some claim, sparking an entire comic-book genre. Things escalated in January 1838, when the Lord Mayor of London published, in The Times, an anonymous tip-off he had received from “a resident of Peckham”. The letter spoke of a bunch of aristocratic wags who had laid a wager with “a mischievous and foolhardy companion”. The blue-blooded bandit was charged with visiting the villages of London in three disguises – a ghost, a bear and a devil – to scare locals. “The wager has been accepted,” the letter said, “and the unmanly villain has succeeded in depriving seven ladies…