Listings

Primrose Hill is a grassy hill north of Regent’s Park, which offers great views over London and which has given its name to an adjacent, affluent, residential area. It's separated from Regent’s Park by Prince Albert Road and London Zoo and is a great place to watch the sun rise and set - or firework displays at New Year. Like Regent's Park, Primrose Hill was once part of a royal chase and is now managed by The Royal Parks Authority. The top of hill is about 200 feet above sea level and is one of 6 protected viewpoints in London. At one time, duels and prize-fights took place there and, apparently, medieval soothsayer Ursula Southeil, aka Mother Shipton, predicted dire consequences if London’s urban sprawl were to engulf it. Whatever, it is now a sacred place to Druids, some of whom believe the hill is an ancient site. However, this might only date from the 18th C, when a learned Welsh stonemason, Edward Williams (Iolo Morganwg) decided it was special.

Primrose Hill was purchased from Eton College in 1841 to extend the parkland available to the poor of north London for open-air recreation. On the summit is a York stone edging with a William Blake inscription: “I have conversed with the spiritual sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill.” An oak tree, ‘Shakespeare’s Oak’, was planted in 1864 in a ceremony watched by a large number of working people to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. A replacement tree was planted in 1964.

At the northern end of Baker Street near Regent’s Park is No 94, Chiltern Court. This was home to SOE’s Scandinavian Section and is where the famous Telemark Raid, commemorated on the memorial in Lambeth, was planned.  In happier times, it was also home to the novelists HG Wells and Arnold Bennett.

Regent’s Park – technically The Regent’s Park – was once owned by Barking Abbey, a nunnery. After the dissolution of the monasteries it became a chase – a royal hunting park – known as Marylebone Park. The architect John Nash developed it, creating a romantic and meandering lake and framing the park with elegant terraces. A summer palace for the Prince Regent, Nash’s friend, was planned, but never built. In 1835, the public were allowed into sections of the park on two days a week. These days, Regent’s Park offers memorials, fountains, open spaces, formal gardens, sports facilities, boating, playgrounds, an open air theatre and, of course, the famous zoo. It is also home to a variety of wildlife in its own right.

The Wellcome Collection is a medical museum that grew out of the Wellcome Trust, a global charity which, amongst other things, is a huge funder of medical research. The Wellcome Trust was established by the will of Henry Wellcome, a US Anglophile who co-founded the pharmaceutical firm Burroughs Wellcome (later absorbed into GSK). Wellcome was also an avid collector - anything from mainstream artwork to the bizarre - many of his items are now in the Science Museum. The Wellcome Collection includes two permanent displays, 'Medicine Man' about Henry Wellcome, and 'Medicine Now'. Its temporary exhibitions include an eclectic mix of art, history and somewhat off-the-wall - all with a medical bent - check its website to see what's on. There is also access to the Wellcome Library, a collection specialising in medicine and its history which includes many rare and unique items.

In the Middle Ages, the small village of Blakeney was a thriving port handling exotic products like spices. Silting of the harbour changed its fortunes and it’s now an attractive tourist destination and a good base for exploring north Norfolk. It is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the North Norfolk Coastal Path passes through the village and the whole area is a magnet for walkers and wildlife lovers. The harbour and surrounding marshes are owned by the National Trust and is a nature reserve. Within the village are the remains of the medieval Blakeney Guildhall, the twin-towered medieval St Nicholas church as well as pubs and restaurants. The largest seal colony in England can be visited by boat to Blakeney Point, which (with restrictions to protect wildlife) can also be walked to from nearby Cley-next-the-Sea. Samphire is grown on the point and, as well as seals, ringed plovers, oystercatchers, brent geese and common teal can also be spotted.