Indice dei contenuti per May - June 2016 in Britain

Founded in 1570, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the oldest manufacturing company in Britain, moved to its current premises on Whitechapel Road, east London, in 1739. The buildings themselves, which once housed a coaching inn, date back to 1670 and because they’re Grade II listed remain much as they were. As I squeeze up narrow staircases where floorboards shimmer with years of bronze dust, duck under low beams in the attic carpentry workshop and look out over higgledy-piggledy rooftops through tiny dormer windows, it feels like I’ve been transported back in time. The craft of bell founding hasn’t changed much, explains Alan Hughes, who is company director, along with his wife, Kathryn, of the family business. The process goes like this: mix together sand, clay, goat’s hair, horse manure and water…

GETTING THERE Chester is served by the West Coast Main Line with regular, direct train connections from London Euston in around two hours. Once in Chester, everything within the city walls is walking distance. A taxi from the station to most city hotels costs less than £5. www.nationalrail.co.uk www.abbeytaxis.net WHERE TO STAY For a home from home at the heart of the city, Edgar House is a secluded Georgian townhouse with views across the River Dee. It was recently voted the Best Small Hotel in the World in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards and the owners have now opened the fine-dining restaurant, Twenty2, on the same site.www.edgarhouse.co.uk Carden Park Hotel, located in the village of Broxton some 14 miles from Chester, is a country-estate hotel with a spa, golf and…

When Henry VIII became king in 1509 he was acutely aware his claim to the throne was open to challenge. He needed a standing navy and quickly ordered two carracks – ships equipped to fight at close range – the Peter Pomegranate and the Mary Rose. They were to be both weapons and symbols: in the 16th century warships and their cannon were the ultimate displays of wealth and power. As the larger of the two, the Mary Rose won the king’s favour. At 500 tonnes and with around 80 guns, she needed a huge crew. A crew list from 1513 recorded 415 mariners, soldiers and gunners and, during wartime, soldiers could swell the number to over 700. The Mary Rose served 34 years. She saw action during the First…

Sussex is best known for its soaring chalk cliffs, rolling downland and bustling seaside resorts. Yet this county – so close to London – is peppered with some of the finest medieval buildings in England. Historically, Sussex was densely wooded and these historic houses, castles and churches still need seeking out down picturesque lanes. Once William of Normandy had landed in Sussex he quickly started to fortify his newly conquered kingdom. Castles were constructed on prominent hilltops and to protect vulnerable river estuaries. Today the scant remains of Hastings Castle stand like broken teeth on their windy clifftop, while the historic town of Lewes is still dominated by its tall keep built of local flint-stone. It was here in 1264 that rebel barons under Simon de Montfort defeated King Henry…

British Heritage Chauffeur Tours (BHCT) does exactly what the name implies: offers personal guided tours of Britain for the discerning traveller and, this year, you can mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare with a tour of his old haunts, or bid a final farewell to Downton Abbey with a visit to its real-life setting of Highclere Castle. BHCT’s guides will entertain you with enjoyable journeys filled with fun, culture and gastronomic delights, and they pride themselves in making your days with them the most memorable time that you will spend in Britain. Their extensive travel experience and vast local knowledge enables them to be your chauffeur, tour guide, concierge and heritage tour planner. You only have to read some of their testimonials to appreciate the high…

On 9 September 2015 HM The Queen became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, surpassing the previous record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. In her 64 years as Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II has been served by 12 prime ministers and has overseen the ongoing transformation of the British Empire into the modern-day Commonwealth of Nations, while becoming an internationally recognised figurehead for Britain. However, Her Majesty’s life began way before she was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Head of the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey on 2 June, 1953. Born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, London, in the upmarket area of Mayfair, as granddaughter to King George V and Queen Mary, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was third in line to…

18 STAFFORD TERRACE The former home of Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne and his family, this Victorian townhouse is a rare example of an ‘aesthetic interior’ and is a real hidden gem in London. Highlights of the house, which is like a time capsule of Victorian England, includes the studio where Sambourne worked for the last decade of his life, which was turned into a bedroom in the 1960s but where you can still see a section of the cartoonist’s embossed and gilded studio paper. Throughout the house the walls (right) are adorned with more than 1,000 cartoons, drawings and sketches from Sambourne’s collection as well as many photos taken by the keen photographer. Guided tours run every Wednesday and Sunday at 11am, or you can join an immersive costume…

The village of Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Even without the River Windrush flowing through its centre, flanked on either side by wide grassy banks and warm, honey-coloured stone buildings, it would epitomise the perfect English village. But with the addition of clear, running water making its way downstream under five pretty low-arched bridges, it is understandable why the village is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’. The name Bourton comes from the Saxon word ‘burgh’, meaning a fort or camp, and ‘ton’, meaning a village or settlement. There is evidence of both Stone Age and Bronze Age burial mounds, and Roman pottery and coins have been discovered in the village, indicating extended Roman occupation. During the English Civil War, the…

Dating from the 15th century, this historic property just seven miles from Edinburgh has a fascinating past and a wealth of royal collections, and is now enjoying a modern incarnation as a splendid country house hotel. Once the home of Lady Elphinstone, sister to the late Queen Mother, HM The Queen and Princess Margaret stayed here regularly as children, along with their parents, then King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The land on which it stands was first mentioned in the 11th century when King David I of Scotland granted it to the monks of Dunfermline Abbey. The tower’s foundation stone was laid in 1480 and it has been a gathering place for kings and queens, princes and princesses ever since. On 15 June 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots surrendered…

GETTING THERE Sussex is well served by trains from London. The main lines serve Hastings, Brighton and Chichester. You may like to base yourself in two separate places during your visit as the county spans 90 miles from east to west. www.trainline.com WEALD & DOWNLAND OPEN AIR MUSEUM This collection of rescued rural buildings – recreated to represent different periods from 950 years of history – spans 40 acres, and as well as a new visitor centre planned for 2017, an Anglo-Saxon hall house will open in October, which promises to be a worthy new attraction.www.wealddown.co.uk AMBERLEY CASTLE This 900-year-old castle, enclosed by a 60-foot-high curtain wall and portcullis that remains open, is now a hotel with luxuriously appointed rooms – some with four-poster beds.www.amberleycastle.co.uk LOXWOOD JOUST This medieval-themed festival,…

Windsor Castle The Queen and members of the Royal Family will attend a pageant celebrating Her Majesty’s life at Home Park in Windsor Castle. Celebrations will take place over four nights from 12-15 May with the Queen attending on the last evening. Although tickets for the highly sought-after event are now sold out, the festivities will be televised. www.hmq90.co.uk Balmoral A new exhibition Highland Queen at the Scottish home of the Royal Family will provide insight into the traditions upheld at Balmoral Castle by the Monarch for 160 years, since they were introduced by Queen Victoria, from now until 31 July. The Royal Family spends around 10 weeks at Balmoral every year and this exhibition will give visitors the chance to find out what they eat when they’re here, and…

Discover Culture Visit Port Sunlight to receive an absorbing insight into a 19th Century model village. Marvel at award-winning gardens, an art gallery, and uniquely designed houses - all providing the setting for much filming, including the recent TV series, Peaky Blinders. Step back in time at Wirral Attraction of the Year - Port Sunlight Museum, before checking in to your hotel. The village has its own art-deco boutique resting place; unwind at the Leverhulme Hotel, the highest rated 4 star hotel in Merseyside, and dine in its 2 AA Rosette restaurant. Nearby, you will find ‘Merseyside Business of the Year’ - Claremont Farm, which is home to a range of popular events. Try one of the cooking courses here or visit the superb farm shop. Follow this by catching…

The northwest city of Chester is home to the largest Roman Amphitheatre in Britain and also the Duke of Westminster, one of Britain’s richest men. But the opening this year of Chester's new flagship arts centre, RE:NEW, ushers in a new era as a cultural destination, with its vibrant summer festival backed by a slew of new places to stay, eat and drink. “Chester is bigger than it thinks sometimes and, as a returned Cestrian, I see it as an increasingly cultural, creative city," says Alex Clifton, artistic director of arts production company Chester Performs. “Our new arts centre will be a beacon to light up the city after dark." The £37m building, adapted from the city's 1936 Odeon Cinema, with an added wing, will feature two theatre spaces, an…

DISCOVER Cheshire’s gardens, which feature heavily in events for 2016’s Year of the English Garden. Cholmondeley Castle Gardens (above) and Ness Botanic Gardens are both short drives from Chester, while the flagship event is the Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show at nearby Tatton Park, 20-24 July 2016.www.visitcheshire.com/cheshire-gardens SHOP The Rows – the mainstay of shopping trips to the city with high-street names. Also check out the independent boutiques and cafés in Rufus Court and Godstall Lane. DRINK at the Brewery Tap, where you can sup a pint of local ale from Chester's Spitting Feathers microbrewery, or head to Oddfellows for wine and cocktails, checking out the Alice in Wonderland room while you are there. By contrast, The Albion Inn harks back to the spirit of the Second World War with…