Sommaire pour January/February 2017 de Britain

It is tempting to cling to the romantic image of a writer working away in a garret, oblivious to everything but their art. Yet whenever that has been the case in real life, it’s usually because the writer in question could afford nothing better. Contrary to popular belief, most writers love comfort and grandeur, which is why so many of them have stayed in the best hotels that would take them. Oscar Wilde is famously associated with London’s Cadogan Hotel after he was arrested there in 1895, but it was The Savoy that was more in keeping with his extravagant style. Today you can stay in one of the rooms where Wilde wrote and lived, intermittently, with Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. Opened in 1889, The Savoy was London’s…

From the first mysterious beginnings of civilisation to the complex society of the present day, each culture has left something behind by which future generations can remember them. Often the legacy is a cultural one, such as place names, new words in the language, or works of art and music. However, it is an era’s buildings that perhaps leave the biggest mark on the landscape and the most tangible link to our ancestors. As we look through their windows or walk through their doorways, we are allowed glimpses into the lives they must have led. From prehistoric ruins to modern day skyscrapers, a journey through the buildings of Britain is a journey through its past. Here are 10 key settlements and structures that you can visit today to discover the…

The British Broadcasting Company, as the BBC was originally called, was founded on 18 October 1922. The true beginnings of the institution that millions of people around the world know and love today came a few years later, however, when King George V granted the company a first royal charter and the British Broadcasting Corporation was born. Coming into effect on 1 January 1927, the original charter noted that two million people had already applied for licences to receive radio broadcasts and acknowledged the potential for the BBC as “a means of education and entertainment”, adding that it was “desirable that the service should be developed and exploited to the best advantage and in the national interest”. In doing so, it helped ensure the corporation would enjoy a unique place…

With its pastel painted houses, medieval closes, busy harbour and ruined castle looming over the town, it’s easy to see why Kirkcudbright (pronounced kir-coo-bree) on the southern Scottish coast has drawn painters for a century or more. Dubbed the artists’ town, this day trip destination is set amid glorious countryside where magnificent red kites soar. Named after an 8th-century church – the Kirk of Cuthbert, in honour of the Saxon saint – Kirkcudbright has been an important port on the estuary of the River Dee for centuries. The Lords of Galloway built a powerful base here, and the medieval walled town thrived and traded from its natural harbour: fleets of small vessels sailed from here, and a Franciscan friary once stood on the shore. Signs of the old Meikle Yett,…

The sight of thousands of people lining Edinburgh’s Royal Mile on St Andrews Day, 1996, to witness the cavalcade bringing the Stone of Destiny back to Scotland 700 years after it was forcibly removed by King Edward I is a testament to its symbolic power. Yet the Stone of Destiny is no precious jewel or ancient carved megalith; in fact, it is little more than a crude oblong-shaped slab of red sandstone. But this simple object is wrapped in myth and legend, making it the focus for centuries of royal and political struggle. Now safely ensconced in Edinburgh Castle, the Stone of Destiny was used in the coronations of the monarchs of Scotland, and later England. Its mythology stretches back to biblical times, as some consider it to be the…

Though it sounds like one of the home counties, you won’t find Wessex on a 21st-century map of Britain. It was, in fact, the name given to the ancient kingdom of the West Saxons, an area covering much south England. As Destination Wessex puts it, this is “the land of King Arthur and King Alfred, of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, of Bath and Stonehenge,” yet the North Wessex Downs is undoubtedly its most picturesque corner. While the area is bordered by some larger towns, such as Reading, Basingstoke and the horse-racing hotspot of Newbury, the North Wessex Downs themselves are blissfully rural. It is an officially designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, the third largest in England at 668 square miles, and it is easy to see why.…

• Free international flights • Two nights at Duke’s in Mayfair, London • West End tickets • Afternoon tea • Free entry to stately homes • Two nights at a Tudor hotel in Lavenham, Suffolk • A steam train journey Our luxury holiday is the ultimate way to visit the UK. Starting with free international flights from your nearest gateway city (for all overseas entrants), the winner will enjoy the holiday of a lifetime, giving them and a partner the opportunity to take in many of Britain’s iconic landmarks while enjoying top-quality service. Luxury London Our winners will enjoy two nights at sophisticated Duke’s, a charming luxury hotel in the heart of London’s upmarket Mayfair. Set in a majestic and historic building just five minutes from Buckingham Palace, Duke’s also…

Not for nothing is Wortley Hall known as the ‘Workers’ Stately Home’ – this is perhaps Britain’s most left-wing country estate At first glance, Wortley Hall looks like many another stately home: a grand 18th-century sandstone building surrounded by 26 acres of landscaped gardens and woodland. Walk through the doors to the hall, however, and things are not quite as one might expect. The wings are named after socialist heroes such as Keir Hardie, the first Labour member of the UK Parliament. On the corridor walls hang posters advertising “The Gathering Of the Unions” or declaring “Unions Still Fighting!” In the hallway, the conventional Yorkshire tourism brochures sit beside copies of Building Worker, the magazine for the construction union UCATT. Not for nothing is Wortley Hall known as the ‘Workers’…

Set high on the rugged, windswept Cornish coast, few places beat the drama and romance of Tintagel Castle The legends and myths of King Arthur swirl throughout Britain, with countless locations from Scotland to the far south west of England claiming connections to the fabled leader and his adventures. Few though can beat the drama and romance of Tintagel Castle, said to be the place of Arthur’s magical conception. Set high on the rugged, windswept coast of North Cornwall, history and legend have become inextricably intertwined here, steeping the ancient site in a sense of mystery. And Tintagel is just the starting point on the trail of Arthur in Cornwall. From the magnificent court of Camelot to the final, fatal battle with Mordred, some of the most famous tales…

In November 1501, Catherine of Aragon married the heir to the Tudor throne. She was just 15 years old; short, red-haired and regal in bearing, having been raised in the anticipation of this moment. A daughter of the most important marriage in late medieval Europe, her parents, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, had negotiated the match when she was a mere three years old. After she had secured her prince, Catherine intended to replicate that successful partnership, to become a loving, fruitful and ambitious wife, to rule England at her husband’s side and lead the country in the 16th century. Her wedding at Old St Paul’s Cathedral was accompanied by a fantasia of pageantry, spectacle and ceremony. Six weeks later, the young couple departed London to establish their…

Distinguishing himself during the siege of Smerwick in Ireland, the handsome Raleigh caught Elizabeth’s eye Famous as a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, bringing potatoes and tobacco to these shores, patronising the arts and sailing off in search of El Dorado, Sir Walter Raleigh’s explorer-courtier legacy epitomises the Elizabethan age. Born into a well-connected family near Budleigh Salterton in Devon in the middle of the 16th century, little is known about his early years, except that he was raised staunchly Protestant. As a teen, he headed to France to fight with the Huguenots, before attending Oxford and studying law at Middle Temple in the City of London. The fascination with America that would define his legacy began in 1578, when he set out with his half-brother, explorer Sir Humphrey Gilbert,…

North Wales has been named as one of the top four places to visit in 2017 by Lonely Planet and Visit Wales is celebrating a Year of Legends, so what better time than to plan a break in the principality? Wales is a place rich in heritage, history and culture, not to mention gorgeous rural landscapes. Getting to see the full extent of the country may be thought a little tricky, but now there is help at hand. A new guidebook, published recently by the Great Little Trains of Wales, in association with Arriva Trains Wales, has been designed to help navigate Wales by train with ease. So leave your car behind, sit back and enjoy the scenery. This Bradshaw’s-style guide helps you with travel, accommodation, activities and more. You…