Table of contents for September - October 2016 in Britain

Britain is an island nation, outlined by more than 11,000 miles of coastline. If you stand in any British town it is said you will never be more than 84 miles from the sea. Little wonder, then, that we are a nation enthralled by the seaside as a means of escapism. The 20th century saw the peak popularity of the British seaside resort and also its steady decline, as UK holidaymakers looked to cheap package deals abroad. In recent years, however, interest has boomed with more than £3.4 billion spent last year on seaside holidays in England according to the Great Britain Tourism Survey. In truth, no trip to Britain is complete without sampling the pleasures of a traditional seaside resort, particularly towards the end of the summer season, when…

A major re-presentation of the Battle of Hastings Battlefield and Abbey has been revealed by English Heritage in this the 950th anniversary year of the most famous, and arguably the most important, battle in English history. A new exhibition and two previously unseen areas are now open, as well as a host of fabulous carved Norman and Saxon figures dotted across the landscape bringing it to life. Battle Abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings, which took place on 14 October 1066. The triumph of Duke William of Normandy over King Harold marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England, the replacement of its Scandinavian links by new ties with western Europe, and the imposition of a new and more cohesive ruling class. Society became bound by ties…

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 brand new guidebook, published this month by the Great Little Trains of Wales, in association with Arriva Trains Wales, has been designed to help navigate Wales by train with ease. Like the pioneering painters, poets and holidaymakers who travelled into Wales on the Great Western and London Midland & Scottish Railways, you can enjoy the romance of the train journey, following them along cliff edges looking out over the sea, across epic bridges, through dark tunnels and into the mountains on your very own Welsh railway adventure. So leave your car…

The Tower of London, founded in 1066 by William the Conqueror, has remained at the heart of British life for nearly a millennia. Over the years, it has not only housed the Crown Jewels and many of Britain’s most infamous criminals, but also the Royal Mint, the Royal Observatory, the Royal Menagerie and Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency founded by King George III, and with each change of function a new layer of myth and intrigue was created. The Tower started life as William the Conqueror took the throne following the Norman Conquests in 1066. Keen to overawe Londoners, he chose the north bank of the Thames for its strategic position and proximity to trade routes. Twelve years later, work on the White Tower, a castle keep with a…

GETTING THERE Aberdeen International Airport flies direct to 19 other British airports, as well as many major European cities. There are direct trains to Aberdeen from London with a journey time of around seven hours. www.aberdeenairport.com www.nationalrail.co.uk WHERE TO STAY Book a room at the new Chester Hotel in Queen’s Road for a five-star boutique stay and treat yourself further with a visit to the spa or a spot of afternoon tea. www.chester-hotel.com For stunning views in Royal Deeside and close proximity to several renowned castles, stay outside the city at the Banchory Lodge Hotel and watch the River Dee surge past. www.banchorylodge.com The recently refurbished Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course (above) is a 13th-century baronial mansion house with a 240-acre estate and renowned golfing under 20 miles…

LETTER OF THE MONTH BRIEF ENCOUNTER I enjoyed your piece about Hastings on www.britain-magazine.com very much. On 15 December 1945, my parents, Gary Gezel (an American GI) and Dorothy Findlay (a member of the RAF), were married at St Leonard’s Church in Heston, England, after writing to each other for four years after meeting only once on a train to Scotland in 1941. It’s an amazing story and they had an amazing life together. They honeymooned in Hastings and went on to live in Pella, Iowa, where I reside now. They were married for 60 years, before my mother’s death in 2004. My father is 97 and still alive. I will be printing out your article, so that I can read it to him. Janet K Sharp, Iowa, USA BRITAIN…

Beatrix Potter is best known as the creator of the Peter Rabbit books, a series of children’s stories that has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide in 35 languages. Aside from her illustration and storytelling skills, she also made groundbreaking advances in science and helped protect the Lake District. We’re celebrating her 150th anniversary by looking at the life of this remarkable woman and the place she adopted as home. Born Helen Beatrix Potter on 28 July 1866, she lived in London for the first 47 years of her life, but was never happy there. She had a lonely childhood and was home-schooled, yet she found an escape drawing and painting the family’s many pets, including rabbits, frogs and even a bat. As an adult, she longed to be…

Isaac Newton formulated the laws of motion and gravity while watching apples fall from trees in the orchard at Woolsthorpe Manor Many great Britons have shaped the modern world. From philosophy, science, the arts, politics and medicine, extraordinary people across the centuries have pulled ideas from their minds that have not only seen them enter the history books but reshape our understanding of ourselves and our relationship with our surroundings. But what forces shape these incredible people into individuals who are capable of this kind of singular thinking? Are great thinkers born or made? We take a look around the homes of some of Britain’s intellectual icons to find clues to their greatness. Born in East Lothian at 1572, John Knox came to be considered the most dangerous man in…

As a result of the Norman Invasion, English life and culture underwent a huge transformation: French became the main language Nine hundred and fifty years after Britain’s most epic battle took place, the crumbled remains of William the Conqueror’s castle still stands high above Hastings, a constant reminder of the historic events that shaped the future of this Sussex town and changed England forever. William attacked King Harold II on Senlac Hill, a few miles outside of Hastings, on 14 October 1066. Outnumbered three-to-one, Harold’s army was seemingly doomed to lose the battle, until a rumour spread among the Norman troops that William had been killed and many fled in terror. When William lifted his helmet to show he was alive, however, his troops rallied and this was to be…

Enjoy a expert tour of the Crown Jewels and a two-night stay at the Great Northern Hotel The Tower of London is one of Britain’s most iconic and versatile buildings, founded in 1066 at the end of the Norman Conquest of England and expanded by successive monarchs. Over the years, it has served as everything from a royal residence and official treasury to a menagerie and high-security prison. As a result, it is steeped in history, myth and intrigue, making it the perfect destination for a day trip. THE PRIZE This month, we have teamed up with Historic Royal Palaces and the Great Northern Hotel to offer you the chance to explore this prestigious venue in style. One lucky reader chosen at random from the prize draw will win a…

There are simpler ways of fishing, yet very few are licensed. “Even the Queen couldn’t just drop a net into the river to catch migratory fish” When it comes to modern restaurant menus, provenance is key. Twenty-first-century diners are increasingly keen to know if ingredients are responsibly sourced, locally produced and carefully reared or grown. Nevertheless, you will struggle to find an ingredient with a more impressive back-story than the sewin – or sea trout – caught by the coracle fisherman of West Wales. Heading out at nightfall with nets strung between a pair of one-man vessels known as coracles, the fisherman will only begin to trawl the river when it is dark enough for seven stars to be seen in the sky. The fishermen’s families have been working the…

With its meandering streets of honey-stone houses, lush green spaces and magnificent central market square, it’s easy to see why Cirencester – dubbed “the capital of the Cotswolds” – is popular with those seeking history, character and charm. During Roman times it was the second largest town in Britain, and you can spend a happy few hours tracing that history, starting with a visit to the Corinium Museum, which includes some truly beautiful ancient mosaics. A visit to the Park Street venue is also the starting point for further discoveries; ask to borrow the keys to the Cirencester lock-up, a restored two-cell building that housed criminals in the 19th century. It was dismantled and moved to its current site in 1837, when it became part of the workhouse. For further…

VISIT the Tolbooth Museum at Castlegate, a former jail that celebrates its 400th birthday in 2016. Discover Aberdeen’s history of crime and punishment, as well as haunting stories about the local witch trials. www.aagm.co.uk DISCOVER Aberdeenshire’s castles. There are more castles per acre here than anywhere else in the UK. Dunnottar (above), epically located on a rock jutting out to sea, was once the hiding place of the Scottish Crown Jewels as Cromwell’s forces approached in 1650s. Meanwhile, with its turrets, gargoyles and chimneys, Craigievar Castle is thought to have inspired Walt Disney’s fairytale motif. www.visitabdn.com SHOP for big brands at the Union Square shopping centre, next to the train station. Take a stroll down Thistle Street or pop down to The Green for independent shops. www.unionsquareaberdeen.com DRINK in style…

Unfortunately for her, Mrs Edith Pretty’s 1939 party for local dignitaries to celebrate the discovery of a ‘Viking’ ship buried on her land in Suffolk descended into a squabble-fuelled disaster. Yet what the mound on the spur (or Hoo) of a hill revealed would more than redeem the evening’s hot-tempered proceedings. Persuaded by a local historian to excavate, the 27 metre-long ship soon gave up its true nature: at the centre of its hull lay a 1,400-year-old Anglo-Saxon burial chamber filled with unimaginable treasures – one of the most startling archaeological discoveries of all time. Most likely the funerary objects of Raedwald, a ruler of the East Angles (or East Anglia, as it is known today) who died around 624 AD, and collectively named after where they were found, the…