Table of contents for January - February 2023 in Britain

Britain|January - February 2023

EDITOR’S LETTER

There’s no cosier place in the depths of winter than a Cotswold village, the honey-stone cottages all aglow and the rolling hills blanketed in silvery frost. This issue we visit some of the loveliest examples, all clustered together in the North Cotswolds (Pretty as a Picture, p14). And there’s plenty more to cheer you, from the proud tradition of the Welsh male voice choir (Land of Song, p56) to stirring stories of Britain’s bold medieval queens (Warrior queens, p33). Elsewhere this issue, we explore the new King’s homes (Royal residences, p49), from grand castles and palaces to country manors, and find out how you can stay on one of the royal estates; we meet the Duchess of Rutland, who shares her surprising journey from farmer’s daughter to chatelaine of Belvoir…

1 min

Britain|January - February 2023

Pretty as a picture

Picture the quintessential English village. Chances are you’re thinking of a hamlet of honeycomb-coloured cottages, all thatched roofs and rose gardens. There’ll be a cobbled street, with a tinkling river running alongside, and a creaking pub with an open fire, where you can warm yourself after a bracing walk through the green hills on the horizon. Chances are you’re thinking of the North Cotswolds. The Cotswold Hills stretch for nearly 800 square miles across the heart of England, but it is the chocolate-box charm of its northern villages that draws visitors from all over the world. Trying to pick the prettiest is a lifelong challenge for some, but the villages are so clustered together in this bucolic corner of the country that you don’t have to settle on just one.…

7 min

Britain|January - February 2023

Queens WARRIORS

On the bank of the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament a dramatic bronze statue depicts a spear-wielding charioteer. This is Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni tribe, who in AD60 raised a spectacular (if ultimately unsuccessful) rebellion across East Anglia against Roman rule, in the process sacking Colchester, St Albans and London. The Roman chronicler Tacitus described her flowing red hair and her rallying cry to her tribesmen – a precursor of another redheaded warrior queen, Elizabeth I, and her legendary address to troops when the Spanish Armada threatened invasion of her realm in 1588. Boudicca and Elizabeth have long been celebrated as iconic female embodiments of power: outliers either side of a medieval era that generally venerated male bellicosity and looked with suspicion at ‘strong’ females who upset…

7 min

Britain|January - February 2023

LAND OF SONG

Is there any sweeter music to the ears than Joseph Parry’s elegiac Myfanwy, when sung by a Welsh male voice choir? A staple of the choirs’ repertoire, it tells of a penniless young poet’s forlorn love for a beautiful noblewoman. But it is not the words so much as the beauty of the harmony, and the hywl and hiraeth of the delivery (roughly translated as yearning and spirit, though for Welsh speakers, the words have layers of meaning), that send shivers down the spine. Male voice choirs are one of the great glories of the land of song. They sing at rugby matches, weddings, funerals and festivals, at eisteddfods and miners’ galas, in pubs, shire halls, school halls, the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall… They sing for charity, community, comradeship,…

5 min

Britain|January - February 2023

CHICHESTER

Despite its small size, it’s not hard to believe that the pretty town of Chichester, the only city in the southeast English county of West Sussex, was once a major Roman settlement, known as Noviomagus. Aside from the fact that there are several Roman sites surrounding the city, including the largest Roman palace in Britain and the remains of some once mightily impressive Roman walls, Chichester has the air and wisdom of an ancient city; its mishmash of Tudor, Georgian and Victorian buildings along medieval cobbled streets also enhance its historic atmosphere. It is believed that one of the earliest Roman landings in AD 43 was in Chichester. The local Atrebates tribe were friendly to the incoming Romans, and the ‘king’ of the local Celtic district, Cogidubnus, was left in…

5 min

Britain|January - February 2023

YOUR LETTERS

STAR LETTER NORTHERN BEAUTY In September 2022 my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful holiday touring the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. We visited stately homes, historic churches and some glorious gardens. But most importantly, we just soaked up the beauty of the English countryside. When we arrived back in Nova Scotia, a copy of BRITAIN (Vol 90 Issue 5), my favourite magazine, was waiting for me. As usual, I couldn’t wait to open it and begin flipping through its pages. What a delightful surprise to find that you had featured articles on both Yorkshire and the Lake District. It was such a pleasure to ‘visit’ these special places all over again, through Herriot country and its sheep-dotted dales to the many little towns and villages we meandered through.…

3 min

Britain|January - February 2023

A COSY STAY AT A LUXURY COTSWOLDS INN

Wild Thyme & Honey is a new boutique country inn in the heart of the Cotswolds. Set on the banks of a peaceful brook in the quintessential village of Ampney Crucis near Cirencester, the inn has 24 beautiful bedrooms. A love letter to Cotswolds living, it is a place to escape to for a taste of the good life and is ideally situated for exploring the pretty villages of Bibury, Burford and Tetbury. One lucky reader and their guest will win a two-night stay at this Cotswolds retreat, in one of the beautiful Ampney Hills rooms, with idyllic views over the surrounding hills. The bedrooms have been designed to make guests feel right at home, decorated in a calming palette of soft greys, rich creams and tactile textiles, with plenty…

2 min

Britain|January - February 2023

Clock watching

Clocks can tell us much about the times in which they were created. There may have been water clocks in Britain from the Roman period onwards, alongside sundials and astrolabes – complex tools that predict the positions of heavenly bodies. (There’s a fine modern example in the grounds of Hever Castle in Kent). But the development of the mechanical clock in Britain really began with clocks built for medieval churches, cathedrals and religious houses. The oldest still in use, at Salisbury Cathedral, is thought to date from 1386 and still contains many original parts within its wrought iron mechanism. The clock has never had a face – it simply rang a bell upon the hour to summon the medieval clergy to prayer. But the clock at Wells Cathedral, built in…

7 min

Britain|January - February 2023

Heart OF ENGLAND

In May 1776, celebrated man of letters and pugnacious patron saint of the dictionary Dr Samuel Johnson was introduced to the radical journalist and MP John Wilkes. During their ensuing conversation, Johnson told the notorious rake and hellraiser: “I lately took my friend Boswell and showed him genuine civilised life in an English provincial town. I turned him loose at Lichfield, my native city…” Johnson may have spent much of his adult life in London, but he remains one of Staffordshire’s most famous sons, immortalised in a statue which looks down over the square to one side of the house where he was born more than 300 years ago. The building was first opened to the public in 1901, making it one of the oldest museums dedicated to a historic…

8 min

Britain|January - February 2023

Great savings

As a subscriber you will enjoy these benefits: • Bumper travel specials on your favourite places• Behind-the-scenes tours at historic houses• Exclusive interviews with British makers & aristocrats• Competitions and discounts to stay at luxury British hotels• Free delivery straight to your door, so you never miss an issue The perfect companion to Britain Magazine SAVE 22% off the newsstand price www.discoverbritainmag.com Annual subscription to Discover Britain magazine: UK £23.95 | Europe €41.95 Australia | $79.95 US | $45 Canada | $55 Rest of World | £39.95 Two easy ways to order USA & Canada go to www.chelseamagazines.com/J323s1 Or phone 1-866-926-0261 (quote code J323s1) UK & ROW go to www.chelseamagazines.com/CHERBT23 Or phone +44 (0)1858 438 834 (quote code CHERBT23) If for any reason you’re not happy with your subscription, you may…

1 min

Britain|January - February 2023

THE BULLETIN

GARDENS Horticultural heritage A much-loved historic maze, Glendurgan in Cornwall, has become once again a place to lose yourself. Planted in 1833 by a Quaker couple, Alfred and Sarah Fox, to entertain their 12 children, this cherry laurel maze was starting to fail until the National Trust stepped in, restoring its 700 metres of winding paths over four years. Once described as ‘a small piece of heaven on earth’, the maze is set to delight for generations to come. www.nationaltrust.org.uk EXHIBITION The crime uncovered Treason – the crime of betraying one’s country – has been the downfall of many famous Brits, from Anne Boleyn to Guy Fawkes. A new exhibition at the National Archives in Richmond, London (until 6 April 2023) explores nearly 700 years of this most serious of…

4 min

Britain|January - February 2023

A day with the Duchess

“Lovely Crack on!” Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland declares brightly after we have exchanged greetings at the beginning of our interview. Her Grace has recently published a lively autobiography charting her journey from pony-mad daughter of a Welsh farmer to chatelaine of Belvoir Castle, and ‘crack on’ seems a fair description of her energetic approach to life. The Belvoir Castle we see today, its fairytale towers and turrets rising from a hill over the Vale of Belvoir in Leicestershire, is the fourth castle to stand on the site. Its name (pronounced ‘Beaver’) derives from the French for ‘beautiful view’, harking back to Norman times when Robert de Todeni, William the Conqueror’s standard-bearer at the Battle of Hastings, first built a motte-and-bailey fortress here. The estate has since passed…

7 min

Britain|January - February 2023

Royal residences

In September 2022, the United Kingdom was rocked by the passing of its longest serving monarch. Most people had never known life without Queen Elizabeth II, and mourning was both deep and heartfelt. As Britain adjusts to a new king, Charles III himself must come to terms with a new life. We do not yet know which royal palaces will become most associated with him, but it is certain that some of His Majesty’s current houses will remain much loved and visited. Buckingham Palace was owned by royalty before it became the monarch’s official London residence. James I planted a mulberry plantation there, in an ill-fated attempt to start an English silk industry, but his son Charles I gave the estate away when the project failed. It passed through many…

7 min

Britain|January - February 2023

LLANDUDNO

Developed as a holiday town for well-heeled Victorian visitors, Llandudno is in a spectacular coastal location framed by two headlands, Great Orme and Little Orme. Linking the two, the elegant Promenade hasn’t changed much since its heyday, and nor has the pier along which Victorian sweethearts once strolled. In early May every year, Llandudno celebrates its heritage with the Victorian Extravaganza, when full-skirted ladies and frock-coated gents promenade around the town’s main streets. One of the town’s Victorian visitors was 8-year-old Alice Pleasance Liddell, who later became famous as the ‘real’ Alice in Wonderland. Alice’s family were close friends with the writer of the books, Charles Dodgson (pen name Lewis Carroll) and it is thought that he visited the Liddells at their holiday home in Llandudno, and took inspiration from…

5 min

Britain|January - February 2023

A day with... BEN FRY

BRITAIN: What does your working day look like? BF: As a radio DJ, my day starts at 6.30am with the breakfast show on YorkMix Radio. After that there is no routine as every day is different with my town crier responsibilities, radio events and running my own Wizard business. B: What is the history of the York town crier? BF: In York, the town crier position was traditionally called the Bellman, because they rang a bell to make announcements. Before the days of newspapers, radio and TV, the role involved making civic announcements, as well as providing paid-for advertising for local businesses. The town crier call of ‘Oyez! Oyez’ is the French for ‘listen’ or ‘hear ye’ and is designed to be heard above the clamour of the street noise,…

3 min

Britain|January - February 2023

THE GREAT BRITISH QUIZ

1 How many monarchs are buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor? a) 3 b) 5 c) 10 2 Which English King reigned the longest? a) Henry IV b) George III c) Edward VIII 3 Which was the only one of Henry VIII’s wives to survive him? 4 In which year did Queen Elizabeth II become Britain’s longest reigning monarch? a) 2010 b) 2015 c) 2020 5 How many kings of England have been named Henry? 6 Which king signed Magna Carta? a) John b) Henry VIII c) James I 7 Where was Charles I held prisoner on the Isle of Wight? a) Carisbrooke Castle b) Appuldurcombe House c) Osborne House 8 With what first name was Queen Victoria (below) christened? a) Alice b) Anna c) Alexandrina 9 What royal Christmas…

1 min