Gardens Archives - Page 2 of 5 - A Bit About Britain

Ten of the best places to visit in North East England

Frankly, you’ll be spoiled for choice if you’re looking for things to see and do in North East England. From dramatic, wild coast and countryside, to wildlife, castles, Roman remains, the simple grandeur of Durham and the culture and vibrancy of Newcastle upon Tyne, there is something for everyone. To start you off, here is […]

Ten of the best places to visit in North East England Read More »

North East EnglandCastles and forts, Cathedrals, Co Durham, Coastal, Countryside, Gardens, National Park, Northumberland, Roman, Towns, Tyne & Wear, Walks, Wildlife, World Heritage Site

Somewhere in England – Part 3

This is the third, and fortunately final, part of our gripping video series exhibiting an unassuming English garden during the lockdown in April 2020. As with Parts 1 and 2, the narrator helpfully points out features not immediately obvious to the average viewer – such as garden benches, trees and stones. If you haven’t seen

Somewhere in England – Part 3 Read More »

NewsGardens, Stuff

Somewhere in England – Part 2

This is the second in our short three-part video series showing a humble English garden during the lockdown of 2020. Not to be taken very seriously – obviously – these videos perfectly illustrate why preparing a script is such good practice; I’ll try to remember to do that next time. But at least you get

Somewhere in England – Part 2 Read More »

NewsGardens, Stuff

Somewhere in England – Part 1

Most people have been unable to go far during the Coronavirus lockdown in the UK; some have been unable to get out at all. Many of us are lucky to have gardens so, even with the necessary restrictions on movement and travel, we have been able to enjoy fresh air and a certain degree of

Somewhere in England – Part 1 Read More »

NewsGardens, Stuff

Ten of the best in the west

South West England has two main draw-backs: it is popular and, as it’s on the west, it can suffer from wetness – particularly at its extremities. Other than that, it has pretty much everything, including mystery, prehistory, history, cuteness, grand vistas, impressive buildings and plenty of things to do. For an introduction, see A Bit

Ten of the best in the west Read More »

South WestAbbeys, Castles and forts, Coastal, Cornwall, Countryside, Devon, Dorset, Gardens, Georgian, Houses, Legend, Medieval, Military, Modern, Museums and galleries, Prehistoric, Roman, Ruins, Saxon, Somerset, Towns, Villages, Walks, Wiltshire, World Heritage Site

Ten things you really should do in Britain

There’s no shortage of things to do and see in Britain. But if you were visiting for the first time, what would you recommend? Here are a few arbitrary suggestions, in no particular order, just to get the ball rolling: Get out of London Many visitors to Britain head straight for London. It is one

Ten things you really should do in Britain Read More »

British StuffCastles and forts, Churches, Coastal, Countryside, Gardens, Prehistoric, Pubs, Retail, Stately homes and palaces

Walking around Oxford

I’m not easily given to hyperbole; I’ve told you that a million times. But it is genuinely hard to think of a British town that can be quite so achingly beautiful as Oxford. Perhaps I should qualify that by saying that I refer to the few square miles of the city centre where, quite frankly,

Walking around Oxford Read More »

South EastChurches, Gardens, Georgian, Literary, Medieval, Modern, Museums and galleries, Oxfordshire, Pubs, Stuart, Towns, Tudor, Victorian, Walks

Through cloisters and gardens – a visit to Lacock Abbey

For some, Lacock Abbey will always be associated with the invention of photography; for others, it is the Tudor-Gothic-Victorian house that gets the juices flowing; for me, the real pleasure was in wandering through cloisters and gardens. It was September and a stroll beyond the inevitable National Trust shop took us past pastel-shaded cottage-garden style

Through cloisters and gardens – a visit to Lacock Abbey Read More »

South WestFilm or TV, Gardens, Georgian, Houses, Medieval, Museums and galleries, Stuart, Tudor, Victorian, Wiltshire

Peter Pan in the Park

Peter Pan, statue, London, Kensington Gardens

Peter Pan flew away from his nursery and landed beside the Long Water in London’s Kensington Gardens. And there, on the very spot, Scottish author J M Barrie decided to erect a statue to his creation. It has been there since 1912, the boy who would never grow up frozen forever in bronze, surrounded by

Peter Pan in the Park Read More »

LondonEdwardian, Film or TV, Gardens, Literary, Memorial

Dunstan in the East

Constantly keep your eyes open when wandering round the old City of London. Behind the steel and glass and beneath your feet are about two thousand years of history. Reminders of the past are everywhere – some obvious, others not; and some are real hidden gems. One of the finest of those hidden gems is

Dunstan in the East Read More »

LondonChurches, Curious, Gardens, Medieval, Modern, Ruins, Stuart, Worship

Churchill’s Chartwell

Winston Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) was one of the greatest Englishmen that ever lived, and a brilliant man. Now, before anyone gets all hot and bothered about him being an imperialist, racist, capitalist, aristocrat, enemy of the working-class, opponent of women’s suffrage, self-publicist, reckless adventurer, glutton and all the other dreadful and unfashionable characteristics he may

Churchill’s Chartwell Read More »

South EastGardens, Houses, Kent, Literary, Modern

Tiptoe through the tulips at Constable Burton

According to property website Zoopla, on average, Britons move home every 23 years. This creates a diverting image of millions of us upping sticks and all swapping houses every two decades or so. It also means that the above average among us has moved far more frequently than that and, at the other end of

Tiptoe through the tulips at Constable Burton Read More »

Yorkshire and the HumberGardens, Georgian, North Yorkshire