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1 The Best of England

Planning a trip to England presents a bewildering array of choices. We’ve scoured the country in search of the best places and experiences; in this chapter, we share our very personal and opinionated choices. We hope they give you some ideas to help you get started.

1 The Best Travel Experiences • A Night at the Theater: The of London, its rolling hills and torch passed from Shakespeare pasturelands peppered with ivy- still burns brightly. London’s the- covered inns and honey-colored ater scene is acknowledged as the stone cottages. See chapter 12. finest in the world, with two • Punting on the Cam: This is major subsidized companies: the Cantabrigian English for gliding Royal Shakespeare Company, per- along in a flat-bottom boat with a forming at Stratford-upon-Avon long pole pushed into the River and at the Barbican in London; Cam’s shallow bed. You bypass the and the National Theatre on the weeping willows along the banks, South Bank in London. Fringe watch the strolling students along Theater offers surprisingly good the graveled walkways, and take in and often innovative productions the picture-postcard vistas of staged in venues ranging from green lawns along the water’s edge. church cellars to the upstairs See “Cambridge: Town & Gown” rooms of pubs. in chapter 14. • Pub Crawling: The pursuit of the • Touring Stately Homes: England pint takes on cultural significance has hundreds of mansions open to in England. Ornate taps fill visitors, some centuries old, and tankards and mugs in pubs that we tell you about dozens of them. serve as the social heart of every vil- The homes are often surrounded lage and town. Quaint signs for by beautiful gardens; when the such names as the Red Lion, the owners got fanciful, they added White Swan, and the Royal Oak splashing fountains and miniature dotCOPYRIGHTED the landscape and beckon you pagodasMATERIAL or temples. in, not only for the pint but also for • Shopping for Antiques: What- the conviviality—and perhaps even ever treasure you’re looking for, the entertainment or the food. you can find it somewhere in Eng- • Motoring through the Cots- land. We’re talking Steiff teddy wolds: If driving involves a deter- bears, a blunderbuss, an 1890 tin- mined trip from one place to plate toy train, an egg cup another, motoring is wandering at allegedly used by Queen Victoria, random. And there’s no better a first-edition English print from place for it than the Cotswolds, 1700, or the definitive Henry less than 161km (100 miles) west Harper grandfather clock. No one 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 4

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polishes up their antiques and lake. You’ll see the Lake District’s curios quite as brightly as English scenery, with its tilled valleys lying dealers. From auction houses to in the shadow of forbidding quaint shops, from flea markets to peaks, as it was meant to be country fairs, England, particu- viewed—from the water. A great larly Victorian England, is for sale. jaunt is the round-trip from Bow- • Cruising on Lake Windermere: ness to Ambleside, at the head of Inspired by the lyric poetry of the lake, and back around to the Wordsworth, you can board a village of Lakeside, at the southern boat at Windermere or Bowness tip. See “Windermere & Bow- and sail England’s most famous ness” in chapter 17.

2 The Best of Literary England • Samuel Johnson’s House (Lon- 8 College St. in Winchester. She is don; & 020/7353-3745): The buried in Winchester Cathedral. backwater at No. 17 Gough See chapters 8 and 9. Square, situated on the north side • Stratford-upon-Avon (Warwick- of Fleet Street, was Johnson’s shire): Although the bard remains a home from 1748 to 1759. Here mysterious figure, the folks who live he worked on his Rambler essays in touristy Stratford gleefully peddle and his Dictionary, and here his his literary legacy, including Shake- beloved wife, “Tetty,” died in speare’s Birthplace, where the son of 1752. See p. 186. a glover was born on April 23, 1564. • Keats House (London; & 020/ He died in Stratford on the same 7435-2062): Most of the poet’s day, 52 years later. Anne Hathaway’s brief life was spent in London, Cottage, in the hamlet of Shottery, where he was born in 1795 in a is also popular; Shakespeare mar- livery stable run by his father. He ried Hathaway when he was only moved to Hampstead in 1817 and 18 years old. See “Stratford-upon- met his fiancée, Fanny Brawne, Avon” in chapter 13. there. In this house, he coughed • Sherwood Forest (East Mid- blood into his handkerchief. lands): You won’t find Errol Flynn “That drop of blood is my death in Technicolor green tights galli- warrant,” he said. “I must die.” vanting through a forest of mighty He left for Rome in 1820 and oaks with his band of merry men. died there a year later. See p. 191. Although most of the forest has • Jane Austen Country: The author been open grassland since the of Pride and Prejudice and Sense 14th century, it lives on in legend, and Sensibility wrote of rural literature, and lore as the most delights and a civilized society— famous woodland in the world. At set mainly in her beloved Hamp- the Sherwood Forest Visitor Cen- shire. In 1809, she moved with her tre at Edwinstowe, the world of mother to Chawton, 80km (50 Friar Tuck and Little John live on. miles) south of Bath, where she See “Nottinghamshire: Robin lived until 1817. Her house is now Hood Country” in chapter 15. a museum. Her novels Persuasion • Grasmere (The Lake District): and Northanger Abbey are associ- William Wordsworth lived here ated with the city of Bath, where with his sister, Dorothy, who com- she visited frequently in her youth mented on the “domestic slip of and lived from 1801 to 1806. mountain” behind their home, In her final year, she moved to Dove Cottage. The cottage itself is 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 5

THE BEST OF ANCIENT & ROMAN ENGLAND 5

now part of the Wordsworth romance. Emily wrote Wuthering Museum, displaying manuscripts Heights, Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre and memorabilia. The poet also and Villette, and even Anne wrote lived for a time at nearby Rydal two novels, The Tenant of Wildfell Mount, just north of Ambleside Hall and Agnes Grey, though nei- (one of his descendants still owns ther measures up to her sisters’ the property), where you can see work. See “Haworth: Home of the gardens landscaped by the poet. Brontës” in chapter 18. Throughout the region, you’ll • Dylan Thomas Boathouse find the landscapes that inspired (Laugharne, Wales): Sixteen kilo- this giant of English romanticism, meters (10 miles) east of Tenby in including the shores of Ullswater, Wales, Swansea-born Dylan where Wordsworth saw his famous Thomas lived and worked. Later, “host of golden daffodils.” See of course, he was to be acclaimed “Grasmere” in chapter 17. as one of the great poets of the • Haworth (West Yorkshire): Sec- 20th century, but this “untidy ond only to Stratford-upon-Avon wretch of a man” turned out his as a major literary pilgrimage site is masterpieces in a modest little the home of the Brontë Parsonage shack here. It’s one of the most Museum. Here, the famous Brontë evocative literary shrines in Britain. sisters lived and spun their web of See p. 727.

3 The Best of Legendary England • Stonehenge (near Salisbury, Wilt- Jesus came here as a child with shire): The most celebrated pre- Joseph of Arimathea. According to historic monument in Europe, another legend, King Arthur was Stonehenge is some 5,000 years buried at Glastonbury, the site of old. Despite “definitive” books on the fabled Avalon. See p. 387. the subject, its original purpose • Tintagel (Cornwall): On the remains a mystery. The romantic windswept Cornish coast, the cas- theory that Stonehenge was “con- tle of Tintagel is said to be the structed by the Druids” is non- birthplace of King Arthur. The sense; it was completed before the castle was actually built much Druids reached Britain in the 3rd later than the Arthurian legend, century B.C., but the legend per- around 1150. But who wants to sists. See p. 362. stand in the way of a good story? • Glastonbury Abbey (Somerset): No one in Cornwall, that’s for One of the great abbeys of Eng- sure. Tintagel merrily touts the land and once a center of culture King Arthur legend—in town, and learning, Glastonbury quickly you can order an Excaliburger! See fell into ruins following the Disso- “Tintagel Castle: King Arthur’s lution of the Monasteries. One Legendary Lair” in chapter 11. story about the abbey says that

4 The Best of Ancient & Roman England • Roman Painted House (Dover, heating system used by the Kent): Called Britain’s “buried Romans. It’s best known for its Pompeii,” this 1,800-year-old unique bacchic murals. See p. 278. structure has exceptionally well- • Avebury (west of Marlborough, preserved walls and an under-floor Wiltshire; east of Bath, Avon): 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 6

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Although not as famous as Stone- along with provincial sculpture, henge, this is one of Europe’s lead- such as figures of Minerva and ing prehistoric monuments. Its Mercury. See p. 455. circle of more than 100 stones— • Hadrian’s Wall (near Hexham, some of them weighing in at 50 Northumberland): A World Her- tons—is arrayed on an 11-hectare itage Site, this wall—now in (28-acre) site. See p. 363. ruins—was ordered built by • Roman Baths (Bath, Avon): Hadrian, the Roman emperor, in Dedicated to the goddess Sulis A.D. 122 to hold back barbarian Minerva, these baths were invasions from the north. Mark- founded by the Romans in A.D. ing the far northern border of the 75. Among the finest Roman Roman Empire, the wall stretched remains in the country, they’re still 118km (73 miles) from Wallsend, fed by Britain’s most famous hot- or Wall’s End, north of Newcastle water spring. The site of the Tem- upon Tyne in the east to Bowness- ple of Sulis Minerva is excavated on-Solway beyond Carlisle in the and open for viewing. See p. 368. west. A milecastle (small fort) was • Corinium Museum (Cirencester, added at every mile along the wall. in the Cotswolds): This museum A highlight is Vindolanda, the last contains one of the best collec- of eight successive Roman forts tions of archaeological remains built on a site adjacent to the wall. from the Roman occupation of See “Hexham, Hadrian’s Wall & Britain. You’ll see Roman mosaics the Pennine Way” in chapter 18. that have remained in Britain,

5 The Best of Norman & Medieval England • Battle Abbey (East Sussex): At this England’s best preserved towns— site of the famous Battle of Hast- was a smuggling center for cen- ings (fought on Oct. 14, 1066), the turies. Writer Louis Jennings once Normans defeated King Harold’s wrote, “Nothing more recent than English army. William the Con- a Cavalier’s Cloak, Hat and Ruffles queror built a great commemora- should be seen on the streets of tive abbey here; the high altar of its Rye.” See “The Ancient Seaport church was erected over the spot of Rye” in chapter 7. where Harold fell in battle. The • Dunster Castle (Somerset): This abbey was destroyed during the castle was built on the site of a Dissolution of the Monasteries Norman castle granted to William (1538–39). Some ruins and build- de Mohun of Normandy by ings remain, about which Tennyson William the Conqueror shortly wrote, “O Garden, blossoming out after his conquest of England. A of English blood.” See p. 284. 13th-century gateway remains • Hastings Castle (Hastings, East from the original fortress. The Sussex): Now in ruins, this was the Luttrell family held possession of first of the Norman castles erected the castle and its lands from 1376 in England (ca. 1067). The until the National Trust took it fortress was defortified in 1216. over in 1976. See p. 391. An audiovisual presentation of the • Warwick Castle (Warwickshire): castle’s history includes the One of the major sights in the Mid- famous battle of 1066. See p. 285. lands, little remains of William the • Rye (East Sussex): Near the Eng- Conqueror’s motte-and-bailey cas- lish Channel, this port—one of tle of 1068, but much of its external 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 7

THE BEST OF VICTORIAN ENGLAND 7

structure remains unchanged since monks constructed “a place remote the mid-1300s. Today, Warwick from all the earth.” Explore the Castle is the finest medieval castle ruins as well as the Studley Royal, in England, lying on a cliff over- whose lavish 18th-century land- looking the Avon River. Its most scaping is one of the few surviving powerful commander in the 1400s examples of a Georgian green gar- was the earl of Warwick, who, dur- den. See p. 680. ing the War of the Roses, was called • Conwy Castle (North Wales): the “Kingmaker.” One of the best Edward I ordered this masterpiece collections of medieval armor and of medieval architecture con- weapons in Europe is behind its structed after he’d subdued the last walls. See p. 497. native prince of Wales. Visitors • Fountains Abbey & Studley today can tour the royal apart- Royal (southwest of Ripon, in ment where Edward brought his North Yorkshire): These ruins queen, Eleanor. The castle’s eight evoke monastic life in medieval towers command the estuary of England. In 1132, Cistercian the River Conwy. See p. 753.

6 The Best of Tudor & Georgian England • Hampton Court Palace (outside Britain. Architect John Wood London): The most magnificent of (1704–54), among others, helped the grand residences and royal create a city of harmony and palaces lining the River Thames beauty, with landscaped terraces, west of Central London, Hamp- famous crescents such as the Royal ton Court was built in grand style Crescent, and Palladian villas. See for Cardinal Wolsey—until Henry “Bath: Britain’s Most Historic Spa VIII snatched it away. Henry Town” in chapter 9. added the great hall in 1532, forc- • Kenilworth Castle (Warwick- ing laborers to toil 24 hours a day shire): This castle was the setting in shifts. The sheer size of the for Sir Walter Scott’s romantic palace is amazing, and on its novel, Kenilworth, first published grounds is the world’s first indoor in 1862, which recounts the sup- tennis court. See p. 191. posed murder of Amy Robsart, • Bath (Avon): Much magnificent wife of Robert Dudley, earl of 18th-century architecture remains Leicester. Elizabeth I had pre- exactly as Jane Austen saw it, sented Kenilworth Castle to her despite repeated World War II favorite earl in 1563. The castle bombings. At one time, Bath was was destroyed after the civil war the most fashionable spa in and is now in ruins. See p. 500.

7 The Best of Victorian England • Albert Memorial (Kensington Culture Centre, his last legacy. The Palace, London): If any statue sym- 4m (14-ft.) high statue, with the bolizes an era, this flamboyant trib- blessing of the queen, went into ute to Victoria’s consort, her place in 1876 and was instantly beloved Albert (1819–61), does; it described as an “outsize reliquary is the epitome of Victorian excess. casket.” See p. 168. The statue depicts Albert holding a • Houses of Parliament (London): catalog of the Great Exhibition. He No government building in Eng- overlooks the South Kensington land symbolizes the Victorian age 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 8

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like the Palace of Westminster, • Manchester (Lancashire): A housing Parliament. Replacing a major inland port since 1894, palace destroyed by fire in 1834, it Manchester long had a reputation cost £2 million to build, a princely as a blackened, foggy, and forbid- sum at the time. The building was ding city, grim and dowdy, the completed in 1860 and turned out worst of the Midlands. But it has to be a Gothic fantasy, its facade been cleaned up, and today its decorated with monarchs ranging center is filled with masterpieces from William the Conqueror to of sturdy, solid Victorian architec- Queen Victoria. See p. 162. ture, including homes built for the • Osborne House (southeast of great industrial barons of the 19th East Cowes on the Isle of Wight): century. See “Manchester: Gate- This was Queen Victoria and way to the North” in chapter 16. Prince Albert’s most cherished res- • National Railway Museum idence. Constructed at Queen (York): The first national museum Victoria’s own expense, it is to be built away from London is imbued with her spirit. The rooms devoted to the locomotive that are a perfect period piece of changed the face of Victorian Victoriana, with all their artifacts England. Set in an original steam and stuffy chairs—a cozy clutter locomotive depot, the museum is best evoked by her sitting room. filled with railway memorabilia Grief-stricken at the death of left by the Victorians. More than Albert in 1861, the Queen 40 full-size locomotives are on dis- requested that the house be kept play, plus the century-old Royal as it was upon the death of her Saloon, in which Queen Victoria husband. See p. 339. rode until her death (it’s like a small hotel!). See p. 661.

8 The Best Museums • The British Museum (London): • Tate Britain (London): Two great When Sir Hans Sloane died in national collections—some 10,000 1753, he bequeathed to England works—call this gallery home. Sir his vast collection of art and antiq- Henry Tate, a sugar producer, uities for only £20,000, forming started the collection with only 70 the nucleus of a collection that or so paintings. But the Tate has would one day embrace every- grown and grown and was consid- thing from the Rosetta stone to erably enlarged when J. M. W. the hotly contested Elgin marbles Turner bequeathed some 300 (Greece wants them back). It’s all paintings and 19,000 watercolors here—and much, much more—in to England upon his death. The one of the world’s great museums. Tate Modern, a repository of See p. 163. avant-garde modern art, is directly • The National Gallery (London): across the river. See p. 165. One of the world’s greatest collec- • The American Museum (Claver- tions of Western art dazzles the eye. ton, 3km/2 miles east of Bath, Artists ranging from da Vinci to Avon): Housed in a neoclassical Rembrandt to Picasso is repre- country house, this collection sented here. The gallery is especially presents 2 centuries of American rich in works by Renaissance artists. life and styles—including George See p. 167. Washington’s mother’s recipe for gingerbread. See p. 367. 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 9

THE BEST CATHEDRALS 9

• The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cam- nearly complete study of British bridge, East Anglia): Although paintings is displayed here, from London dominates this list, some Tudor days to the present. The outstanding regional museums gallery also owns an outstanding exist, including this gem near collection of pre-Raphaelites. See King’s College. Exhibits range p. 615. from paintings by Titian and • National Museum of Wales Renoir to Chinese, Egyptian, and (Cardiff): This museum, Wales’s Greek antiquities. See p. 540. finest, presents the panorama of • Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool, the history of this little country Lancashire): One of the finest col- from prehistoric times until the lections of European and British present. And its collection of paintings in Britain, this gallery 18th-century porcelain is one of deserves to be better known. A the finest in the world. See p. 704.

9 The Best Cathedrals • Westminster Abbey (London): here, including Jane Austen. See One of the world’s greatest Anglo- p. 320. French Gothic buildings has wit- • Salisbury Cathedral (Salisbury, nessed a parade of English Wiltshire): The most stylistically history—from the crowning of unified of England’s cathedrals, William the Conqueror on this edifice was built in the mid- Christmas Day 1066 to the 13th century. Its landmark spire— funeral of Princess Diana in 1997. its most striking feature—was With few exceptions, the kings completed in 1325. The cathedral and queens of England have all epitomizes the Early English style been crowned here, and many are of architecture. See p. 357. buried here as well. See p. 161. • Durham Cathedral (Durham, • Canterbury Cathedral (Canter- Yorkshire): Completed between bury, Kent): The object of count- 1095 and 1133, this cathedral less pilgrimages, as described in exemplifies Norman architecture Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, this on a broad scale. Its nave, a struc- cathedral replaced one that was ture of almost majestic power, is its destroyed by fire in 1067. A new most notable feature. See p. 692. cathedral was also destroyed by fire • York Minster (York, Yorkshire): in 1174, when the present struc- The largest Gothic cathedral ture was built. Thomas à Becket, north of the Alps is also among the archbishop of Canterbury, was the grandest, with incredible murdered here, and his shrine was stained-glass windows. Its unusual an important site for pilgrims until octagonal Chapter House has a the Reformation. See p. 270. late-15th-century choir screen by • Winchester Cathedral (Winches- William Hyndeley. See p. 662. ter, Hampshire): Construction of • Llandaff Cathedral (Llandaff, the cathedral that dominates this Wales): Begun under the Normans, ancient city and capital of old this cathedral outside Cardiff makes Wessex began in 1079. In time, a dramatic impression. Its west front Winchester Cathedral became is one of the best works of medieval England’s longest medieval cathe- art in Wales. That didn’t prevent dral, noted for its 12-bay nave. Cromwell’s armies from using the Many famous people are buried edifice as a beer hall. See p. 704. 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 10

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10 The Best Castles, Palaces & Historic Homes • Woburn Abbey (Woburn, Bed- fame. Sarah, the duchess of Marl- fordshire): A Cistercian abbey for borough, battled the architects 4 centuries, Woburn Abbey has and builders from the beginning, been visited by everyone from wanting “a clean sweet house Queen Victoria to Marilyn Mon- and garden be it ever so small.” roe. You’ll see Queen Victoria’s That she didn’t get—the structure bedroom, and the Canaletto measures 255m (850 ft.) from room, with its 21 perspectives of end to end. Capability Brown Venice. The grounds, more popu- designed the gardens. See p. 257. lar than the house, include the • Knole (near Tonbridge, Kent): Wild Animal Kingdom, the best Begun in 1456 by the archbishop zoological collection in England of Canterbury, Knole is celebrated after the London Zoo. See p. 265. for its 365 rooms (one for each • Hatfield House (Hertfordshire): day of the year), its 52 staircases Hatfield was the childhood home (for each week of the year), and its of Elizabeth I, who was under an 7 courts (for each day of the oak tree there when she learned week). Knole, one of England’s she had become queen of Eng- largest private houses set in a 404- land. Hatfield remains one of hectare (1,000-acre) deer park, is a England’s largest and finest coun- splendid example of Tudor archi- try houses, with antiques, tapes- tecture. See p. 289. tries, paintings, and even the red • Penshurst Place (near Tonbridge, silk stockings Elizabeth I wore. Kent): One of England’s most See p. 264. outstanding country homes, this • Windsor Castle (Windsor, Berk- mansion was the former residence shire): The largest inhabited of Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sid- stronghold in the world and ney (1554–86). In its day, the England’s largest castle, Windsor house attracted literati, including Castle has been a royal abode Ben Jonson. The original 1346 since William the Conqueror con- hall has seen the subsequent addi- structed a motte and bailey on the tion of Tudor, Jacobean, and neo- site 4 years after conquering Eng- Gothic wings. See p. 292. land. Severely damaged by fire in • Hever Castle & Gardens (Eden- 1992, the castle has been mainly bridge, Kent): This was the child- restored. Its major attraction is the hood home of Anne Boleyn, great Perpendicular Chapel of St. second wife of Henry VIII and George’s, begun by Edward IV. mother of Queen Elizabeth I. In The chancel is known for its 1903, William Waldorf Astor, an three-tiered stalls, with its miseri- American multimillionaire and cords (ledges used for support) Anglophile, bought the castle, and ornate carvings. See p. 224. restored it, and landscaped the • Blenheim Palace (Woodstock, grounds. From the outside, it still near Oxford, Oxfordshire): Eng- looks as it did in Tudor times, land’s answer to Versailles, this with a moat and drawbridge pro- extravagant baroque palace was tecting the castle. See p. 292. the home of the 11th duke of • Beaulieu Abbey–Palace House Marlborough, and the birthplace (Beaulieu, in New Forest): Home of Sir Winston Churchill. The of the first Lord Montagu, Palace structure was designed by Sir John House blends monastic Gothic Vanbrugh, of Castle Howard architecture from the Middle Ages 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 11

THE BEST GARDENS 11

with Victorian trappings. Yet many • Castle Howard (Malton, North visitors consider the National Yorkshire): Sir John Vanbrugh’s Motor Museum, also on the prem- grand masterpiece, and also the ises and with a collection of more first building he ever designed, it than 250 antique automobiles, served as the principal location for more fascinating than the house. Brideshead Revisited. A gilt-and- See p. 334. painted dome tops the striking • Harewood House & Bird Garden entrance, and the park around (Harewood Village, West York- Castle Howard is one of the most shire): Edwin Lascelles began con- grandiose in Europe. See p. 679. structing this house in 1759, and • Caernarfon Castle (North Wales): his “pile” has been called an essay This is as close as Wales comes to in Palladian architecture. The having a royal palace. It was here grand design involved some major that the investiture of Charles as talents of the day, including Robert Prince of Wales took place in Adam, Thomas Chippendale, and 1969. Construction started in Capability Brown, who developed 1283 and proceeded rapidly, as 11 1 the grounds. A 1.8-hectare (4 ⁄2- great towers and massive curtain acre) bird garden features exotic walls were built to protect the cas- species from all over the world. See tle’s interior. See “Caernarfon” in p. 680. chapter 20.

11 The Best Gardens • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew tourists in summer, it’s lovely in (near London): A delight in any autumn, when the colors are at season, everything blooms in pro- their dramatic best. See p. 293. fusion in this 121-hectare (300- • Wisley Garden (Wisley, Kent): acre) garden, from delicate exotics Wisley Garden sprawls across 101 to commonplace flowers and hectares (250 acres), filled with an shrubs. It’s all part of a vast lab abundance of flowers and shrubs. dedicated to identifying plants Maintained by the Royal Horti- from all parts of the globe and also cultural Society, it ranges from growing some for commercial alpinelike meadows to summer purposes. An easy trip from Lon- carpets of flowers. In early sum- don, Kew Gardens, as it’s known, mer, the gardens are brilliant with possesses the largest herbarium on flowering rhododendrons. The earth. Fabled landscape architect landscaped orchid house alone is Capability Brown helped lay out worth the trip here. See p. 294. part of the grounds. See p. 193. • Stourhead (near Shaftesbury, • Sissinghurst Castle Garden (near Dorset): Outside of the Greater Maidstone, Kent): A notorious lit- London area is the most famous erary couple, Vita Sackville-West garden in England. The birthplace and Harold Nicolson, created this of English landscape gardening, garden. Its flamboyant parentage, Stourhead is still the best-executed unusual landscaping (the grounds example of the taste for natural were laid between the surviving landscaping that swept England in parts of an Elizabethan mansion), the 1700s. The grounds have been and location just 34km (21 miles) likened to a 3-D painting of an northeast of Cranbrook make it old master such as Constable. The the most intriguing garden on gardens are a wealth of flowering London’s doorstep. Overrun by shrubs, trees, and beds upon beds 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 12

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of multihued blooms. Grottoes, house. The largest garden in the bridges, and temples also add to Cotswolds, and one of the most the allure. See p. 390. intriguing in all of Britain, it was • Hidcote Manor Garden (near created in 1907 by Major Chipping Campden, in the Lawrence Johnstone, an American Cotswolds): Just outside one of horticulturist who traveled the the Cotswolds’ most charming world and brought back speci- towns, this stunning garden is laid mens to plant. See “Chipping out around a stone-built manor Campden” in chapter 12.

12 The Best Luxury Hotels • Brown’s Hotel (London; & 020/ period furniture. And the meals 7493-6020): All Chippendale served in the Marryat Room and chintz, Brown’s was launched Restaurant are prepared with first- by the former manservant to Lord rate ingredients. See p. 335. Byron in 1837, and it has been • StonEaston Park (near Bath, going strong ever since. Today, it Avon; & 01761/241631): This occupies 14 historic houses just splendid 1740 Palladian house has off Berkeley Square and coddles been massively and magnificently its well-heeled guests in luxury. restored. Its gardens are reason See p. 111. enough to stay, but the bedrooms, • The Dorchester (London; & 800/ with Chippendale or Hepplewhite 727-9820 or 020/7629-8888): four-poster beds, are equally wor- Acclaimed for decades as one of the thy. Check in here for a taste of world’s great hotels, this citadel of 18th-century luxury. See p. 373. luxury is owned by one of the rich- • Thornbury Castle (Thornbury, est men on earth, the sultan of near Bristol, Somerset; & 01454/ Brunei. With such an owner, the 281182): Henry VIII seized this hotel naturally drips with opu- castle for a royal abode, and Mary lence. After a multimillion-pound Tudor lived here for a while. Even- restoration, “The Dorch” is more tually it was returned to the prog- splendid than ever. The rooftop eny of its original owner, the duke suites are dazzling, and the Prome- of Buckingham. This luxurious nade, the Grill Room, the Dorch- choice has all the elements associ- ester Bar, and the Oriental ated with English castle living— Room—London’s most exclusive and even a garden for croquet. See Chinese restaurant—all deserve p. 382. their acclaim. See p. 110. • Gidleigh Park Hotel (Chagford, • Chewton Glen Hotel (New Devon; & 01647/432367): Six- Milton, Hampshire; & 01425/ teen hectares (40 acres) of grounds 275341): On the fringe of New in the Teign Valley surround a Forest between Lymington and country-house hotel that is the Bournemouth, this hotel/health- epitome of gracious living. Every and-country club is the best place detail suggests the best of rural to stay in southwest England. Ser- life: premier antiques, big English vice, taste, and quality are its hall- sofas, and floral arrangements marks. The health club has a from the hotel’s gardens. All that stunning design, with a center- and a reputation for fine food piece swimming pool and 28 unequaled in the area. See p. 405. hectares (70 acres) of manicured • The Lygon Arms (Broadway, grounds. Guest rooms feature Cotswolds; & 01386/852255): 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 13

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Dating from 1532, this fabled inn • Sharrow Bay Country House in the Cotswolds has hosted many Hotel (Lake Ullswater, the Lake famous guests—Charles I used to District; & 01768/486301): This drop in, and even Oliver Cromwell gem is known as much for its cui- spent a night here, on the eve of the sine as for its accommodations. The Battle of Worcester. Some of location alone would justify check- the inn’s antiques are listed in The ing in: a 4.8-hectare (12-acre) site, Dictionary of English Furniture. with several gardens, in a national Request a room in the Tudor Wing park on bucolic Lake Ullswater, with its tilted oak floors and beneath Barton Fell. The lakeside wooden beams. Number 20, with dining room offers panoramic views its massive canopied bed, is our of the water, and whether it is grilled favorite. See p. 479. scallops from the Kyle of Lochalsh • Ettington Park Hotel (Aldermin- or noisettes of English lamb, you ster, south of Stratford-upon- can always find something delec- Avon, Warwickshire; & 01789/ table on the menu. See p. 654. 450123): From the plant-filled • Bodysgallen Hall (Llandudno, conservatory entrance to the spa- North Wales; & 800/260-8338 cious, antique-filled bedrooms, in the U.S., or 01492/584466): you know something special is One of Wales’s greatest country- here. The house is refurbished house hotels, this 17th-century every year, and guests can soak up mansion lies on 81 hectares (200 old England country-house living acres) of gardens and parkland. in the tasteful Victorian drawing Even though an antique, it oozes room or the richly paneled library with modern comforts while bar. See p. 493. retaining its charms in elegantly furnished suites. See p. 755.

13 The Best Moderately Priced Hotels • The Sanctuary House Hotel Garden is unbeatable. Everything (London; & 020/7799-4044): In is old-fashioned and traditional, a historic building close to West- but if you complain that the bed- minster Abbey, a brewery has rooms are too small, Smokey, the converted an old building into a African Gray parrot, will tell you traditional English inn with pub off! See p. 120. downstairs. It’s like something you • Jenkins Hotel (London; & 020/ might find in the countryside of 7387-2067): Hailed by one Lon- England, but instead it’s in don publication as one of the 10 the historic heart of London. The best hotel values in town, the place is a bit nostalgic, like the Jenkins was featured on the PBS food served—all the old favorites Mystery! series, Poirot. Those seek- such as roast beef, Welsh lamb, ing decent accommodations in and Dover sole. See p. 123. Bloomsbury, at an affordable • Fielding Hotel (London; & 020/ price, have made their way to this 7836-8305): Named after the address in Cartwright Gardens novelist Henry Fielding of Tom ever since Maggie Jenkins opened Jones fame, this hotel is one of the the place in the 1920s. Rooms are most eccentric in London. You’ll small but well furnished, and either love it or hate it. Most guests some of the original Georgian love its cramped, quirky, quaint charm remains. See p. 119. aura, and its location at Covent 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 14

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• Howfield Manor (west of Canter- have restored it and created a bury, Kent; & 01227/738294): period house of character with an This former manor house outside ambience of subdued elegance. the cathedral city retains architec- See p. 371. tural treasures from its days as part • Chideock House Hotel of the Priory of St. Gregory. Bed- (Chideock, Dorset; & 01297/ rooms are divided between the 489242): A former 15th-century original house and a new one. The thatched house, once used by the manor is filled with character and Roundheads in 1645, is now a has lots of details such as solid hotel of charm and grace with fire- oak pieces and exposed beams. See places and individually decorated p. 275. bedrooms. See p. 350. • Mermaid Inn (Rye, Sussex; • Bickleigh Cottage Country Hotel & 01797/223065): England’s (Bickleigh, Devon; & 01884/ most famous smugglers’ inn, the 855230): This small, thatched, Mermaid sheltered Elizabeth I on 17th-century cottage is a cliché of her visit to Rye in 1573. At the Devonshire country charm. A river- time of the queen’s visit, the inn side garden leads down to the had already been operating for 150 much-photographed Bickleigh years. Still going strong, it leans Bridge, where swans and ducks heavily on English romance— glide by. The cottage rooms are old-world furnishings, some four- cozy with oak beams and old fire- poster beds, and even a secret stair- places. See p. 401. case. From its doorstep, the • Ravenwood Hall (Bury St. cobblestone streets of ancient Rye Edmunds, Suffolk; & 01359/ await exploration. See p. 282. 270345): Deep in the heart of East • Powder Mills Hotel (Battle, Sur- Anglia, this discovery was once rey; & 01424/775511): Near the called Tudor Hall. Today, it stands famous battlefield at Battle Abbey, in a 2.7-hectare (7-acre) park and this Georgian house stands on 61 gardens with an outdoor pool and hectares (150 acres). A historic tennis courts. Sleep in a four-poster property that once catered to bed and immerse yourself in old luminaries such as the Duke of England after having had a good Wellington has been successfully dinner and a toasty “warm-up” at converted to receive paying guests, the fireplace. See p. 554. housing them in style and com- • Henllys Hotel (The Old Court- fort—all at an affordable price. house, Betws-y-Coed, North See p. 285. Wales; & 01690/710534): This • Apsley House Hotel (Bath, Avon; luxurious B&B has the amenities & 01225/336966): Away from of a small inn. It was converted the city center, this 1830 house from a Victorian magistrates court was supposedly constructed for and is set in lovely gardens along the duke of Wellington. Its owners the river. See p. 740.

14 The Best Restaurants • Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s that’s going a bit far, but Ramsay (London; & 020/7499-0099): is dazzling tout London with his Gourmet—and famous Broadway pots and pans. Everything he does musical producer—Andrew Lloyd bears an innovative twist, and Webber has proclaimed this hot though he has learned from the chef the finest in London. Maybe past, he’s hardly anchored there. 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 15

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Try anything, but make sure you elegant and airy Devon quay-side sample his “cappuccino” of white setting is ideal for the inspired cui- beans with grated truffles. You’ll sine of Joyce Molyneux, doyenne want to adopt him and take him of British chefs. Her imaginative home. See p. 132. and inventive technique is based • Le Gavroche (London; & 020/ on strong British tradition, but 7408-0881): Long known for its increasingly, flavors and aromas top-rate French cuisine, this stellar of Provence, Italy, and even Asia restaurant has risen to the top are appearing on the menus. See again following a bit of a slump in p. 415. the 1990s. Go here for that grand • Le Champignon Sauvage (Chel- meal and skip the trip to Paris (we tenham, the Cotswolds; & 01242/ don’t really mean that). The menu 573449): David Everitt-Matthias options are a delight, with such has awakened the sleepy taste tantalizing dishes as a cassoulet of buds of Cheltenham. Thoroughly snails with herb-seasoned frogs’ imbued in the French classics, he legs. Naturally, the wine cellar is also adds more modern and lighter among London’s finest. See p. 132. touches to his table d’hôte menus, • The Square (London; & 020/ the finest at this old spa. Some 7495-7100): One of the great dishes reach into the old English London restaurants to have repertoire, including stuffed leg of emerged in the 21st century, this wild rabbit served with black pud- gourmet citadel is the domain of ding and turnip sauerkraut. His master chef Philip Howard, whose desserts are acclaimed as the most continental cuisine has dazzled the luscious in England. See p. 462. food critics of London. Howard is • The Moody Goose (Bath, Somer- justifiably praised for his “magic” set; & 01225/466688): The spa in the kitchen and for his use of city of Bath offers some of the “stunningly fresh” ingredients, finest dining in the West Country, which he deftly concocts into his and in Bath itself this English masterpieces. See p. 133. restaurant is the market leader. A • Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons most refined cuisine is served here (Great Milton, southeast of in an elegant Georgian setting. Oxford, Oxfordshire; & 01844/ The kitchen is known for its 278881, or 800/845-4274 in the passion for fresh ingredients, and U.S.): The country-house hotel everything is cooked to order and and restaurant of self-taught chef to perfection. See p. 374. Raymond Blanc have brought him • Le Talbooth (Dedham, Essex; a TV series, as well as cookbooks & 01206/323150): In Constable and a school of cuisine. A new country, this restaurant dispenses lightness, inspired mainly by Japan its wares in a half-timbered Tudor and the Mediterranean, is more building on the banks of the River evident in the celebrated chef’s cre- Stour. In fair weather, you can ations, and more meatless dishes dine alfresco under canvas para- appear on the seasonal menu. But sols. The English/French a la carte the intensely French loyalties menu changes six times a year, and remain: sweetbread-stuffed pigs’ special dishes change daily, reflect- trotters, kidneys, and foie gras, ing the best produce available at even veal tongue. See p. 252. the market. See p. 560. • The Carved Angel (Dartmouth, • Miller Howe Hotel (Windermere, Devon; & 01803/832465): The in the Lake District; & 01539/ 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 16

16 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF ENGLAND

442536): At John Tovey’s Edwar- • Walnut Tree Inn (Abergavenny, dian country house above Lake South Wales; & 01873/852797). Windermere, the chef is renowned Dedicated foodies often drive all for his English cuisine. What the way across South Wales to dine makes his cooking unusual are the here, enjoying an unusual combi- unexpected combinations: mashed nation of kitchens—Welsh and rutabagas with cider, glazed carrots Italian. One of the owners brought flavored with Pernod, and most an 18th-century recipe for lasagna definitely, the cardamom ice to Wales. The best of native Welsh cream. See p. 637. produce is also featured. See p. 716.

15 The Best Pubs • Salisbury (London; & 020/7836- good place for a drink on a windy 5863): Glittering cut-glass mir- night, as log fires keep the lounge rors, old-fashioned banquettes, and bar snug. See p. 413. and lighting fixtures of veiled • The Punch Bowl Inn (Lanreath, bronze girls in flowing togas re- near Looe, Cornwall; & 01503/ create the Victorian gin-parlor 220218): Licensed since 1620 as a atmosphere in the heart of the pub, this was a former rendezvous West End. Theatergoers drop in for smugglers. High-backed settees for homemade meat pie or salad and old fireplaces evoke the atmos- buffet before curtain. See p. 221. phere of old England. Sample • Grenadier (London; & 020/ drinks in one of the kitchens— 7235-3074): Arguably London’s among the few “kitchens” in Eng- most famous pub, and reputedly land licensed in Britain as bars. haunted, the Grenadier was once See p. 428. frequented by the duke of • The Turk’s Head (Penzance, Wellington’s officers on leave from Cornwall; & 01736/363093): fighting Napoleon. It pours the Dating from 1233, this durable best Bloody Marys in town, and local favorite is filled with artifacts filet of beef Wellington is always a and timeworn beams. Drinkers specialty. See p. 219. take their lagers into a summer • The Ship Inn (Exeter, Devon; garden or retreat inside to the & 01392/272040): Frequented by snug chambers when the wind Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter blows cold. See p. 434. Raleigh, this pub near Exeter • The Lamb Inn (Burford, the Cathedral is the most celebrated in Cotswolds; & 01993/823155): Devon. It still provides tankards of This is our favorite place for a lager real ale, the same drink swilled by in all the Cotswolds. In a mellow the likes of Sir John Hawkins. You old house from 1430 with thick can also eat here; portions are large, stones and mullioned and leaded as in Elizabethan times. See p. 402. windows, it’s a good place to spend • The Cott Inn (Dartington, near the night, have a traditional Totnes, Devon; & 01803/ English meal, or quaff a beer. 863777): Constructed in 1320, Snacks are served in the timeworn and believed to be the second- bars and lounges or in a garden in oldest inn in England, it’s a low, summer. See p. 467. rambling, two-story building of • The Black Swan (Stratford-upon- stone, cob, and plaster under a Avon, Warwickshire; & 01789/ thatched roof. A gathering place 297312): A popular hangout for for the locals of Dartington, it’s a Stratford players since the 18th 01_568965 ch01.qxd 8/27/04 9:50 PM Page 17

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century, over the years we’ve spot- • Griffin Inn (Llyswen, South ted everybody from Peter O’Toole Wales; & 01874/754241): A to Lord Laurence Olivier having a cider house in the 15th century, drink. Locals affectionately call it this inn is frequented by fisher- “The Dirty Duck.” In cool men casting into the River Wye. It weather, an open fireplace blazes; was once voted Britain’s “Pub of stick around and order the chef’s the Year,” and it’s just as good or specialty: honey-roasted duck. See better than ever. See p. 719. p. 495.

16 The Best Websites for England • Britannia (www.britannia.com): • The 24 Hour Museum (www. This site is more than a travel 24hourmuseum.org.uk): It aims to guide; it’s chock-full of lively fea- promote Britain’s thousands of tures, history, and regional pro- museums, galleries, and heritage files, including sections on Wales attractions—and, boy, does this and King Arthur. excellent website do a good job. It • Automobile Association—UK is entertaining and downloads fast. (www.theaa.com): An outstanding You can search geographically or guide, this site lists hundreds of gear your holiday around one of its places to stay, ranked by price and themed “trails” and tour Museums quality with apparently objective and the Macabre, Art Treasures of reviews. Many lodgings accept the North East, and so on. online bookings. Dining informa- • Cathedrals of Britain (www. tion includes ratings based on cathedrals.org.uk): This well- food, service, atmosphere, and designed site features dozens of price. Most, but not all, restau- cathedrals, organized by region. rants list typical meal prices and Each listing includes a couple of which credit cards are accepted. photos, advice for getting there, • Londontown.com: The Official and history. You could surf here to Internet Site for London plan an entire touring vacation. (www.londontown.com): This fab • English Heritage (www.english- site from the city’s tourist board heritage.org.uk): This site has will get you panting to start your photographs and details of the trip. It lists accommodations, hundreds of glorious historic cas- pubs, events, attractions, and tles, country houses, Roman sites, places to live it up after dark. churches, abbeys, and ancient Daily special features include dis- monuments cared for by this count offers. You can download organization. It’s a must-visit for mini–area maps by Tube stop, pretrip planning. attraction, theater, or street. • Wales Cymru (www.visitwales. • This Is London (www.thisis com): The Welsh tourist bureau’s london.com): The Evening Stan- website is loaded with informa- dard operates this well-rounded tion on accommodations, dining, site, which includes a frank guide special events, activities, and plan- to dining, drinking, and clubbing. ning tips. The site also allows visi- You can search for city attractions tors to request brochures on and events. And the Hot Tickets outdoor activities, including golf, section offers independent insider hiking, fishing, and cycling. advice on theater, music, and comedy.