Discover Britain

This issue our travel special takes us to the Heart of England – a region that includes the bucolic counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Shakespeare Country in Warwickshire. And, of course, it also encompasses Stoke-on-Trent, on

One of Britain’s most revered Shakespearean actors is to take to the stage in a Bard play once more. Ian McKellen, possibly best known today for playing Gandolf in The Lord of the Rings film franchise, has appeared in many Shakespeare stage productio

I’m intrigued about a photo on page 15 in Issue 226 of Discover Britain (Feb/Mar 22, April 2022), in Queen Victoria’s Scotland. The photo is of Blair Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. I see a striped flag flying at half-mast, why? In many other photos

The road winds its way through black and white villages, virtually untouched since they were built in the 15th and 16th centuries, past handsome Georgian farmhouses glimpsed up rutted tracks and fields of Herefordshire cattle steadily munching the lu

Affectionately known as ‘The Potteries’, the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area is shaped by its proud history as the British home of ceramics. Pottery has been made in and around Stoke since the mid 17th century. The industry grew drama

Birthplace and final resting place of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, is home to many Shakespearean attractions. The timber-framed home in the town centre, where the great playwright was born in 1564 (shakespeare.org.uk/vis

The Heart of England is a region of Britain with an impressive culinary tradition and currently home to more than a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants. These fine-dining destinations owe much, however, to the more modest dishes served up in what was

Some 45 million people visit Birmingham each year and many of those head for the iconic Cadbury World first, with the world-famous confectionery brand turning 200 in 2024 (cadburyworld.co.uk). John Cadbury, a proprietor and Quaker, founded his namesa

Built by the De Lacy family as a way of exhibiting their power over their lordship, magnificent Ludlow Castle’s origins go back to the 11th century. William de Lacy was made a lord and granted the manor of Stanton by William FitzOsbern, one of Norman

Secreted away in the picturesque Forest of Arden, this medieval moated manor house was home to the Ferrers family for more than half a millennium, having been extensively adapted by their ancestor Henry Ferrers, an antiquarian, diarist, and lawyer, i

At 11.55am on Shrove Tuesday in the Buckinghamshire town of Olney, a church warden will command a group of 20-or-so well-primed women to toss their pancakes. This eccentric instruction will coincide with the sounding of the church shriving bell, its

Parham House in West Sussex is one of the finest Elizabethan Houses in the country. It was one of the earliest houses of its size to be opened to the public, boasts the third longest long gallery, an early icehouse, and a very special painting, which

Pembrokeshire is one of those places that evoke a sense of nostalgia in people. Many British people have holidayed here at some point in their lives – whether they have memories of rain-soaked family outings, munching on fish and chips by the harbour

When it comes to getting around the capital, the easiest and most common way is by public transport. London’s famous red buses have been that colour since 1933, although the city’s very first bus — which ran from Paddington to Bank in 1829 — was pain

Solutions in next issue 1 Supporters of the royal house of Stuart after the deposition of James II in 1688 (9)9 National emblem of Scotland (7) 10 Seaside resort on the east coast of the Isle of Purbeck (7)11 Wat _____, leader of the Peasants’ Revol