English Heritage Members' Magazine, Spring 2023

TOGETHER WE

WALK

There’s nothing more exhilarating than a day spent exploring England’s historic landscapes, but we understand the need to protect our most precious places too.

To help you brave the elements and prepare for new adventures in the great outdoors, we’re offering English Heritage Members a 15% discount. You’ll also be supporting English Heritage in the process as we’ll contribute a percentage of every sale for every purchase you make.

Plus, when you shop in-store, make the most of our expert services. Whether that’s a custom boot fitting, using our Repair & Care service to get kit looking like new or giving old kit a new home with our Recycle My Gear scheme.

15% discount in-store and online for English Heritage Members.

Code: AF-EH-N9 Expires 31.12.2023. T&Cs online.

Make the right choice with our in-store experts.

David Hedges

Head of estates management

On page 13, David explains how we’re turning our sites into havens for nature and wildlife

Discover the stories of our hidden gems and start planning your Members’ Week

History will be made this spring following the coronation of a new king – and you’ll be able to join in the celebrations at our historic sites. Turn to page 8 to find out more.

The months ahead are also the ideal time to explore somewhere new with your membership, thanks to a major project to share the stories of – and create new experiences at – more than 100 sites nationwide. These aren’t our famous sites but rather our hidden gems that tend not to get so much

For Our Media

attention. Some of those preparing to reveal the changes include Richborough Roman Fort in Kent, Witley Court in Worcestershire and Grime’s Graves in Norfolk. Turn to page 20 to learn more.

To thank you for your support, we also have our annual Members’ Week, taking place from 10–16 April, with more than 60 free events and exclusive discounts to enjoy at sites or online. See page 18 for details. Enjoy the issue.

Group editor Matt Havercroft

Group production editor Oliver Hurley

Senior art editor Steve Gotobed

Account director Esther Procee

Dr Jeremy Ashbee

Head properties curator Jeremy reveals the royal visits to our sites ahead of Charles III’s coronation. See page 44

Get in touch

W www.english-heritage.org.uk/members

E [email protected] (for magazine queries only) or [email protected] (for membership queries and changes of address)

T 0370 333 1181

PO Box 569, Swindon, SN2 2YP

For English Heritage

Louise Dando, Johanna Lovesey, Tom Dennis, Tony Dike, Tersia Boorer, Tom Moriarty, Richard Leatherdale

Account manager Joanne Robinson

Account executive Kajal Grant-Hindocha

Director Julie Williams

Editorial director Dan Linstead

Design director Will Slater

Consultant editor Dave Musgrove

Advertising manager Jamie Bolton

E [email protected]

Contributors

Paul Pattison, Paul Robson, David Hedges, Win Scutt, Jeremy Ashbee, Harriet Cooper, Clare Gogerty, Kelly Ray, Eleanor Matthews, James Stewart

English Heritage Members’ Magazine is published three times a year, in March, July and October, on behalf of English Heritage by Our Media, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST

T 0117 927 9009 W www.ourmedia.co.uk

Support us

English Heritage is a charity. Without the support of our Members and donors, our work would not be possible. To find out more about how you can help by making a donation or leaving a gift in your will, please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us or call the fundraising team on 020 7973 3797.

English Heritage cares for more than 400 historic monuments, buildings and places –from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, and from Roman forts on

Eleanor Matthews

Curator of collections and interiors

Turn to page 74, where Eleanor explores the story of Margaret Cavendish at Bolsover Castle

the edges of the empire to Cold War bunkers. Through these we bring the Story of England to life for more than 10 million visitors each year.

Registered charity no. 1140351 (England)

Registered company no. 07447221 (England)

Product code: 200819

January to December 2022: 488,638

‘Family

48

What’s been happening behind closed doors at our sites to welcome you back

Margaret Cavendish

Discover the story of one of Bolsover Castle’s most colourful people

THE BIG PICTURE

The Romans return

Step back in time to experience the Roman heyday of Richborough Roman Fort in Kent at our new event,The Romans Return, on 17–18 June. One of the most significant Roman sites in England, Richborough witnessed both the beginning and end of Roman rule in Britain. Join us to enjoy a day in the life of a Roman and discover the clothes they wore, the food they ate and the lives they led through interactive, living history displays. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ richborough

EVENTS

Join us to celebrate the coronation

The coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6 May is set to be a truly historic moment – and you’re invited to join in the celebrations with us at sites across the country. You can watch all the pomp and pageantry in the splendid settings of Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire and Osborne on the Isle of Wight, with garden party decorations and big screens showing the day’s events. The screens will stay up for the rest of the bank holiday weekend, offering a selection of family-favourite films to enjoy.

A special programme of Kids Rule! events is planned for May half-term – expect monarch-themed merrymaking with costumed performers reigning over days of fun and games. Meanwhile, a series of Members’ Events in May will explore the history and significance of the coronation. There’s plenty more being planned to mark this momentous occasion, so be sure to sign up to the Members’ newsletter and keep an eye on our social media to stay up to date with all the latest news. www.english-heritage.org.uk/coronation2023

YOUR NEW HANDBOOK

Check out your new 2023/24 Members’ Handbook, which you will have received with this issue, for more inspiration on places to visit

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Have you visited one of our sites recently? Whether you attended a Kids Rule! event or explored a fort on Hadrian’s Wall, we want to hear about your experience. Contact us on our social channels.

GARDENS

instagram.com/englishheritage facebook.com/englishheritage twitter.com/englishheritage Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST [email protected]

Daffodils dazzle again at Clifford’s Tower

The slopes beneath Clifford’s Tower in York are once again ablaze with blooming daffodils commemorating one of the most shocking episodes in the city’s history. Some 200,000 daffodil bulbs were planted 30 years ago by artist Gyora Novak to commemorate the 150 men, women and children of York’s Jewish community who died in the massacre of 1190. Flowers on the southwest slope had

become depleted over recent years, so last autumn more than 100,000 bulbs were planted to replenish these memorial displays. ‘The Narcissus “February Gold” daffodil represents the Star of David, commemorating the appalling massacre,’ says James Taylor, head gardener at Mount Grace Priory.

‘To see them in bloom today, creating this wall of yellow, is very moving.’ www.english-heritage.org. uk/cliffords

CONSERVATION

Get hands-on with our touring van

Our Conservation in Action van will be back on the road from April, providing a host of hands-on activities that give visitors an insight into how we look after our heritage. The van has something to offer both adults and children and all the activities are free. Places can be reserved at the site on the day. The van will be visiting Belsay Hall in Northumberland, Chester Castle in Cheshire, Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire,

and Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The Conservation in Action van is supported by Sir Robert McAlpine. For dates and further information, go to: www.english-heritage.org.uk/ conservation-van

FUNDRAISING

STAY AT AUDLEY END

Thanks to the support of Airbnb, this March sees the opening of the Head Gardener’s House, a new holiday cottage at Audley End House and Gardens in Essex. www.englishheritage.org.uk/ cottages

Our new fundraising programme is set to hit the ground running this year. Members and supporters will be pounding pavements across the country to raise much-needed funds for our charitable work. Find out how you can get involved, get fit and support us at: www.english-heritage.org.uk/challengeevents

MEMBERS’ REWARDS

Find our latest offers to make big savings at www.englishheritage.org.uk/ rewards

Paul Robson, head of events, unveils our new series of Easter Escapades

What can we expect from the Easter Escapades events?

They’re themed around traditional Easter games dating back at least 300 years.Visitors can expect fun, hands-on family activities such as egg-and-spoon races and garden games.

What else will be happening?

In addition to the handson activities, we’ll have performers providing storytelling, games, music, jester shows and arena displays.There will be lots going on to keep the whole family entertained.

When and where are they taking place?

They’re being held at eight sites around the country, from Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight to Whitby Abbey in NorthYorkshire, from Friday 7 to Monday 10 April.They’re sure to be a great day out!

www.english-heritage.org. uk/events

Support us with sporting challenges nationwide

BLUE PLAQUES

The latest additions to our London blue plaques scheme

Lottery funding helps to bring the stories of our sites to life

Three major projects are helping to highlight the stories of a diverse selection of our sites, thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and other generous supporters.

At Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens in Northumberland, as part of the two-year

Recent London blue plaques have underlined the eclectic range of associations the roundels can be used to celebrate. Born to a Jewish family near what is now Lviv in Ukraine, Hersch Lauterpacht came to London to study law. He went on to help articulate the modern concepts of human rights and international law, and hold the Nazis to account at Nuremberg. His plaque marks his former home at 103 Walm Lane, Cricklewood.

Grace Wyndham Goldie (pictured) was one of the first female broadcasting executives, and a pioneer of BBC TV election coverage in the 1950s. Her plaque adorns the apartment block in Warwick Gardens, Kensington, where she lived for many years. Probably best known today for its wartime volunteer diarists, the pioneering social research organisation Mass Observation started its work in Blackheath in 1937 – a fact now inscribed on the facade of 6 Grotes Buildings.

Belsay Awakes project, the Greek Revival hall has been re-roofed, there is a new planting scheme in the formal gardens, accessibility has been improved, there will be a new play area for younger visitors and a new café will be created in the coach house.

Visitors to the Neolithic flint mine Grime’s Graves in Norfolk will soon enjoy animated projections as they descend into one of the pits, while a refreshed visitor centre at the site will include a 360-degree virtual tour of another of the mineshafts, Greenwell’s Pit.

Over at Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre in Kent, a family trail and new museum

have been added, while a reconstruction of the fortification’s timber gateway has two viewing platforms, providing a different perspective across the site. To find out more about these projects and others across the country, turn to page 20. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ visit

ALL THANKS TO YOU…

The essential conservation work taking place with your support as Members

CASTLE WALLS CONSERVED

Orford Castle in Suffolk has reopened following the completion of a major conservation project to halt the erosion of its outer walls. After more than 10 years of research and planning, the exposed septaria (mudstone) has been coated with a breathable, limestone render, preserving the much-loved castle now and for years to come.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ orford

GROTTO LANDSCAPE RESTORED

The grounds around the 18thcentury grotto at Marble Hill in Twickenham have been restored to their early Georgian grandeur. The gardens had been much altered during a century of use as a public park. Recent research enabled us to understand and partially recreate the landscape of the 1720s and ’30s, when it was created for Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ marblehill

PLASTER FRIEZES PROTECTED

Magnificent decorative plaster panels at Hardwick Old Hall in Derbyshire have been expertly preserved to protect them from the elements.The ornate friezes, which were created in the late 16th century, depict beautiful plants and animals as well as allegorical scenes. The hall reopens this summer following the intensive sevenmonth restoration project.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ hardwick

ENVIRONMENT

Following feedback from Members, we’re taking more steps to reduce the environmental impact of membership materials. You’ll now receive three issues of this magazine each year, for Spring, Summer and Autumn/Winter, which will reduce the energy use and emissions from printing and delivery. We’re also replacing our current plastic membership cards with a paper board alternative. While this is a degradable, compostable and recyclable material, it also doesn’t need to be laminated, hugely reducing

the energy consumption involved in production. Please don’t forget that your parking sticker (expiring in March 2023) can also be recycled.

Meanwhile, our Climate Action Plan is entering its second year of delivery. Our Building Carbon Reduction programme is well on its way to a 20% reduction in our carbon emissions and we’re reducing waste and increasing reuse across the charity. Site teams are also working hard on environmental action through our Green Impact Programme. www.englishheritage.org.uk/ sustainability

WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP THIS SPRING…

The events, offers and activities you won’t want to miss

SAVE DURING MEMBERS’ WEEK

Enjoy an exclusive 20% discount in our shops and cafés during Members’ Week, 10 –16 April.

www.english-heritage.org. uk/membersweek

MAKE THE MOST OF THE HOLIDAYS

Don’t miss our familyfriendly events taking place during Easter and May half-term. www.english-heritage.org. uk/events

GARDENS

BBC Gardeners’ World Fair to return

Following a sell-out event in 2022, the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair will return to Audley End House and Gardens in Essex from 1–3 September. This greenfingered festival offers visitors the chance to see showcase gardens, get advice from the experts and pick up quality plants from a range of specialist growers. Head to the Gardeners’ World Magazine stage to hear seasonal tips from special

guests including Frances Tophill and Adam Frost, book on to tours of the kitchen gardens with leading plant experts or join a talk in the formal parterre garden. There will also be mushroom growing workshops, live entertainment and a food and drink market curated by BBC Good Food. A visit to Audley End House also provides an opportunity to explore its award-winning gardens and ‘Capability’ Brown-designed parkland. English Heritage Members benefit from a reduced ticket price of £11.50 (booking fee applies), free parking and a complimentary copy of BBC Gardeners’ World or BBC Good Food magazines. To book your tickets, go to: www.bbcgardenersworld fairautumn.co.uk

CLAIM EXCLUSIVE REWARDS

Make great savings with our Members’ Rewards offers on everything from food to holidays. www.english-heritage.org. uk/rewards

TRY OUR FAMILY ACTIVITIES ONLINE

Discover a host of familyfriendly fun on our website, from draw-along art classes to games and quizzes. www.english-heritage.org. uk/kids

VISIT ASSOCIATED ATTRACTIONS

Members can enjoy free or discounted access to our Associated Attractions across the country.

www.english-heritage.org. uk/associated-attractions

How we’re making membership more sustainable

Te in 2023

Dreaming of a short spring break? A summer family escape? Or maybe an autumnal adventure? No matter when you want to travel, your English Heritage membership offers savings with Wightlink across the whole year.

Make 2023 the year of clifftop walks with extraordinary views. The year of epic open spaces, yours for the taking. The year of the Isle of Wight.

Book at wightlink.co.uk/englishheritage

Nature is in steep decline in this country. The causes are diverse and are being accelerated by the climate crisis.

According to the 2019 State of Nature Report, two per cent of species in Britain have become extinct since 1970 and a further 15 per cent are now threatened with extinction. Losses of biodiversity are greater now than ever.

As custodians of over 400 historic sites, English Heritage has a responsibility to play its part in reversing this decline. There are 7,900 acres of land in our care, and 81 of our sites hold a formal nature conservation status. Therefore, we’ve developed an ambitious new action plan to help nature to thrive at our sites, which is set over four priority areas. Protect. We will protect the wildlife that already thrives at our sites. For example, at Orford Castle in Suffolk, we have carefully considered lichen communities while rendering the sensitive stonework. At Dover Castle in Kent, we have worked with Kent Wildlife Trust to introduce a flock of Herdwick sheep to graze the surrounding earthworks, which will help restore chalk grassland habitats for scarce species like early spider orchid. Enhance. We will review the management of our green spaces, so they deliver more for the needs of wildlife as well as those of visitors and built heritage. In 2022, we began a partnership with the RSPB to review 19 of our most important sites for nature and help us improve how we manage wildlife habitats.

Connect. Nature doesn’t recognise the boundaries between our sites and the surrounding landscapes and so we’re reaching out to neighbouring

Discover more about our plans to improve the natural habitats at our sites at www.englishheritage.org.uk/ sustainability

landowners. One example can be seen at Berwickupon-Tweed Castle in Northumberland, where we are working with wildlife conservation charity Buglife through its Pollinators Along the Tweed project to improve the surrounding grasslands for insects such as the brown argus butterfly.

Involve. Changes in how we manage our estate will provide new opportunities for visitors to engage with the natural heritage of our sites. We will build on our nature-based activities and volunteer roles at sites such as Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens in Northumberland, where we’re conserving and celebrating the local wildlife, including red squirrels.

Against a backdrop of ecological crisis, we’ve set out a bold vision to play our part in addressing it. Nothing less would be appropriate as the charity that cares for Down House, the home of naturalist Charles Darwin, who spent his life studying the very nature we now need to protect.

With your support we will live up to Darwin’s legacy and create an estate rich in both history and nature.

We’ve set out a bold vision to help nature thrive at our sites

DAVID HEDGES

Head of estate management

‘Against a backdrop of ecological crisis, we’re playing our part in addressing it’

Share your thoughts, experiences, tips and photos

Your say

A Roman ride

Two friends and I recently became Members of English Heritage and set off on bikes, loaded with tents, to cycle the length of Hadrian’s Wall, visiting sites along the way. We stopped at all the attractions and made the most of every moment. In order to immerse ourselves in the Roman theme, we decided that we would have a Roman picnic at one of our campsites. I made us outfits and we ate grapes, figs, olives and apricots and drank wine at a campsite just half-a-mile from Chesters Roman

STAR LETTER

Fort. We had a fantastic trip. Since coming home we have carried on visiting sites more local to us and are about to cycle to Old Sarum. Joining English Heritage has given us a great theme for our rides.

Our star letter writer receives a prize from Craghoppers – this issue it’s an insulated jacket worth £120. For a chance to win, simply send us an email for publication.

Family fun

Knight time

Stone circles puzzle

I can’t understand how English Heritage can suggest that there is a connection between our ancient stone circles and those found in Japan. Page 22 of the October issue shows Stonehenge and then on the next page we have the Japanese version – where is the comparison?

Potty for Palissy

I was fascinated to read about the exhibition of Palissy pottery at Ranger’s House in the October issue.

I am descended from Bernard Palissy and, although I saw some of his work at the V&A many years ago, they no longer seem to display it and I have not managed to track down any more elsewhere.

I shall look forward to a visit to Ranger’s House in the near future.

Our family has had a fantastic first year as Members. Our five-year-old son has become really interested in history. We enjoyed a knights’ battle re-enactment at Warkworth Castle and ventured to its riverside hermitage by boat. We also loved the temporary 12-metre slide at Belsay Hall – an innovative addition to the conservation project. Our membership has also come in handy on holiday – we even broke up a motorway journey at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire. Recently, we enjoyed exploring a contemporary art installation at Housesteads Roman Fort. Thank you for inspiring us to explore history as a family.

Hannah, Peter and Rubén Mackay-Jackson

We took our eight-year-old granddaughter to the Knights’ Tournament at Carisbrooke Castle. She was very happy staying the whole day, watching the tournament and being entertained by the fireeating jester. The icing on the cake was a chance meeting with the jester as we were leaving. She’d acquired her own wooden sword by then and he let her knight him with it. Brilliant.

Melanie Coussens, interpretation manager, Stonehenge, replies: Britain and Japan had similar climates and natural resources, which prehistoric people exploited and adapted to create flourishing communities. As well as making elaborate pots and finely crafted stone tools, both cultures constructed stone circles as communal and burial places. The ‘Circles of Stone’ exhibition at Stonehenge was developed with the guidance and expertise of archaeologists and curators in the UK and Japan and tells the story of prehistoric people 6,000 miles apart. There is no evidence for contact at the time, but the parallels between prehistoric cultures on opposite sides of the world are remarkable.

Donkey debate

I noticed the question in the October issue regarding donkey wheels. It reminded me that there is also an example at Greys Court in Oxfordshire, which prompted me to do a bit of digging via the internet. The first site I looked at stated that there are only two donkey wheels left in the UK, one at Carisbrooke Castle and the other in the well house at Annables Manor in Hertfordshire. There’s also another one at Saddlescombe Farm in West Sussex. So this has got me wondering: are there any more donkey wheels yet to be discovered?

Member Tim Kitchen has also pointed out there is a reconstructed 17th-century donkey wheel at Burton Agnes Manor House in East Yorkshire. Are you aware of any other examples around the country? Let us know!

Send your questions to your English Heritage experts

Ask the experts

Caroline Brock asks…

I wonder if you can tell me when our lovely Westbury White Horse is going to be cleaned?

Win Scutt, properties curator (west) replies…

We had hoped to start work to restore the Wiltshire hill figure’s brightness last summer. Unfortunately, we had to rethink our plans due to the drought conditions, as the full clean of the horse uses around 10,000 litres of water. In the autumn, we started with a smaller-scale clean to remove the graffiti from the horse’s head, ahead of the planned full clean this summer. The horse was overlaid with a concrete surface in the 1930s and, since then, has been consistently turning from white to grey every few years. We have undertaken a number of trials and analysis to find the best solution to this –and now have a cyclical programme of cleaning, infilling, and repainting in place for future years.

SEND US A QUESTION

To have your questions answered, email us at membersmagazine@ ourmedia.co.uk

Paul and Sheila Bonner ask…

We recently bought this watercolour painting dated 1852, showing a view of a castle up on a hill. Can you help us to identify it? One small clue is that the picture was framed in Liverpool. It is signed ‘John Henry’ but that hasn’t helped at all. We’d love to know the answer.

Jeremy Ashbee, head properties curator replies…

I can help, although it isn’t an English Heritage property – it’s part of the town walls in Conwy, north Wales, built in 1283–87 on the orders of Edward I and managed by Cadw. The walls form part of a World Heritage Site that includes castles at Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Harlech and Conwy, which are among Europe’s most complete. The Conwy walls run for threequarters of a mile and have 21 towers.

English Heritage Members can enjoy free or halfprice entry to Cadw’s historic sites.

Castle views

We recently visited Orford Castle in Suffolk for the scaffold tour, to see up-close the conservation work to render the exterior. This was a truly informative and enlightening tour. Having visited the castle numerous times over the last few years, to see this different and usually inaccessible view, including being atop one of the towers, felt a privilege. We look forward to viewing the finished project back at ground level.

Kids competition

MEMBERS’ AREA

The latest exclusive online content

Learn about Victorian stamps and design your own to win. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ kids

Try out our quizzes

Test your knowledge of English history. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ quizzes

Homes through history

Make a mini model of Brodsworth Hall.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ kids

MEMBERS’ WEEK START PLANNING

YOUR

Our annual Members’ Week is back, with more than sixty on-site and virtual events to choose from. Whether you fancy walking among the stones at Stonehenge, joining a guided tour of a medieval castle or designing your own dragon in a family workshop, we’ve got something for all interests and ages. What’s more, all of the events are free for Members, and you’ll also get a 20 per cent discount at our shops and cafés* as our way of thanking you for your support.

For history lovers, our in-person events across the country include everything from walking tours of Liverpool exploring the city’s American links, to blue plaque walks in London and guided tours of Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire and Deal Castle in Kent.

If you’re looking to learn a new skill, then

don’t miss the chance to join the tapestry workshop at Battle Abbey in East Sussex, family-friendly beginner’s ukulele lessons at Belsay Hall and Gardens in Northumberland, or introductory yoga classes at Witley Court and Gardens in Worcestershire or Walmer Castle in Kent.

There’s also a fantastic range of virtual events you can enjoy from home, including everything from an introduction to the farm animals at Boscobel House in Shropshire or Fool School with a jester, to the chance to explore the blue plaques of Fitzroy Square in London.

For more details, turn to our What’s On guide on page 57, look out for our email newsletter or go to the Members’ Area of our website for full listings.

This year’s Members’ Week is supported by Hurtigruten, which is offering English Heritage Members five per cent off its Norwegian Coastal Express cruises (and 10 per cent of the booking cost is donated back to English Heritage).With departures throughout the year, you can choose from a magical winter voyage under the northern lights or a summer voyage beneath the midnight sun. Stopping at 34 ports, you can expect delicious local food, behindthe-scenes experiences of regional culture and expert knowledge.

To book, please call 020 3131 6019 and quote UK Heritage

BOOK FROM 24 MARCH

For full details or to book, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/membersweek

To thank you for your support, we’re hosting over 60 free events for Members – plus you can enjoy a 20% discount at our shops, cafés and online shop for one special week

DAYS OF DISCOVERY

Following a major investment in sites across the country, it’s the perfect time to explore somewhere different with your membership. Here are just a few of our historic gems that will have new experiences to enjoy this spring and summer ve n w exp rience t enj

Warkworth Castle Secrets in Stone

Launch date spring

Towering ominously above the river Coquet, Warkworth Castle was the home of the powerful Earls of Northumberland, the Percys. Though this once mighty fortress is now a ruin, there is much to explore, especially with the introduction of five interactive trails, each based around a different figure from the castle’s history. You have Widow Nawton, a fish farmer; grizzled warrior William Stowe; John del Wardobe, responsible for the earl’s clothes; the aristocratic Countess Eleanor; and Henry Percy of Atholl, an unexpected teen hero. ‘You follow these

Supported by

Richborough Roman Fort Gateway to Britannia Launch

date spring

Richborough in Kent is where the Romans first arrived in Britain in AD 43 and it was still occupied in the early part of the 5th century, ‘neatly bracketing the history of Roman Britain,’ says senior properties historian Paul Pattison. It served its residents as a fort, a town and a port. Today’s visitors can see stone walls, defensive ditches and foundations, including those of a huge triumphal arch, which would have been one of the biggest in the Roman Empire. To help visitors better contextualise these remains, improved information panels feature reconstruction drawings of what these magnificent structures would have once looked like. A fresh spin has also been given to the audio tour and younger

explorers will enjoy the new family trail. Other major improvements include a new museum that features hundreds of objects on display for the first time and the excavation of the amphitheatre. And a reconstruction of what was a timber gateway in the first fortification here, which has two viewing platforms, provides a different perspective on the site.

‘I want people to go away with the realisation that this was where 400 years of Roman history started in this country,’ says Pattison.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/richborough

people around the castle, learning about their daily life,’ says senior interpretation manager Joe Savage.

‘At the end of each trail you’ll find a hidden sculpture that’s been designed to interpret a big event in Warkworth’s history.’

There are a further two new sculptures. One is a 1.5 metre-high 3D cast-iron reconstruction of the great tower, which is tilted to allow accessible exploration of the rooms; the other is a model of

Above and left Computer-generated images of the new stone model of the castle and the sculptures featuring in the new trails

the castle in its heyday, milled out of a solid block of Portland stone. A refreshed audio tour and games for younger visitors add to the offering. ‘What will also come across is the richness of life in a medieval household,’ explains Savage. ‘We want people to immerse themselves in the adventure.’

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ warkworth

Wroxeter Roman City

The Heart of a Roman City

Launch date late spring

Two thousand years ago, Wroxeter – or Viriconium Cornoviorum to its residents – was a huge thriving city spanning over 77 hectares and, at its peak, the fourth largest city in Roman Britain. It buzzed with a mix of people; from merchants and military men to spice sellers and slaves.

Today, its former glory can still be glimpsed when viewing the Old Work, a seven metre-high basilica

Above OldWork is the largest piece of freestanding Roman wall in the country

wall, along with the baths complex –Britain’s best surviving example of a Roman public baths. Across the road, where the forum sat, is a reconstructed townhouse built in 2010, using only the tools available to the Romans.

Above Wroxeter was founded in the mid-1st century AD as a legionary fortress, and developed into a town from AD 90

A new audio tour, larger-thanlife 3D objects and a series of panels with illustrated characters will guide visitors through the stories of the city and the people who once lived here. ‘Archaeological sites with little of the original buildings still standing are often hard to understand,’ says senior collections conservator Bethan Stanley. ‘We are making it much more personal by showing how the spaces were used outside and displaying more intimate objects such as a Roman dress fastener, perfume bottles and jewellery in the museum to bring the city and its residents to life.’ www.english-heritage.org.uk/wroxeter

Supported by

Grime’s Graves Digging Deeper

Launch date late summer

As you arrive at Grime’s Graves in Norfolk, you’re greeted by an open field pocked with mysterious grass mounds. As beautiful as this terrain is, it’s below the surface where the action takes place. For this is the only Neolithic flint mine open to the public in the country, and beneath the lunar landscape are more than 430 flint mines, dug thousands of years ago. Three mineshafts have been excavated – Pit 1, Pit 15 and Greenwell’s

Unmissable events in 2023

Easter Adventure Quests

1–16 Apr

Fun for all the family across multiple sites, this quest is themed around traditional games, from egg hunts to egg dances.

Easter Escapades 7–10 Apr

Head to these blockbuster events, taking place across seven sites, for performers, competitions and a cracking good time.

St George’s Festival

22–23 Apr

Experience this celebration of the country’s patron saint at Wrest Park with a pageant display, falconry and hands-on activities.

From swashbuckling duels and large-scale battles to activities fit for a king, there’s a historyinspired event for everyone across our sites this year

‘Two thousand years ago,Wroxeter was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain, buzzing with merchants and military men’

Pit. Of these, Pit 1 is open to the public and visitors can enter it via a new building. As you descend nine metres by staircase into the mineshaft, an immersive audiovisual experience will tell the millenia-old story of the site and its miners.

Above ground, the visitor centre includes illustrative interpretation by artist Rebecca Strickson and a 360-degree virtual tour of Greenwell’s Pit. There are two trails around the site – one aimed at families, the other highlighting key areas of interest. ‘We’d like the visitor to have a greater understanding of the uniqueness and importance of Grime’s Graves,’ says interpretation manager Iona Keen. www.english-heritage.org.uk/grimesgraves

Witley Court and Gardens

Contrasting Lives

Launch date late spring

Witley Court and Gardens in Worcestershire was once the home of the Foleys, who made their fortunes from manufacturing nails. They were followed, in 1833, by the Ward family – later the Earls of Dudley – whose wealth mostly came from coal and iron. A century of lavish entertaining and extravagant parties followed until, in 1937, a fire ripped through the mansion, destroying its roof and interiors. What remains is one of the country’s most spectacular ruins, set in restored formal gardens and a wider estate that teems with wildlife.

‘We’re introducing a new audio guide, interpretation panels and a family trail – all of which are designed to enhance your visit as you explore the site,’ explains Intepretation Manager Georgina

Bishop. ‘One theme we have explored is the contrasting lives of those who owned Witley and those upon whose labours their fortune was built.’ This is reflected in an installation by artist Keith Harrison. Designed as a small structure visitors can walk around, it takes inspiration from the pit-head baths at collieries, while colourful abstract shapes floating on the lake represent the steel girders that were made at the Dudley’s ironworks. www.english-heritage.org.uk/witley

Kids Rule!

27 May–4 Jun

Half-term sees nine days of royalty, coronation and king-themed fun across eight sites that have connections to kings and queens.

Pirates!

27–29 May, 5–6, 8–10, 15–18 & 22–24 Aug

Don’t miss these events at Dover, Pendennis, Carisbrooke and Scarborough castles and Whitby Abbey.

Knights’ Tournaments

30 May–28 Aug

Taking place at 11 sites, these authentic live action clashes between armoured knights are full of pageantry and excitement.

Siege

29–30 July

Relive the 1644 siege of Bolsover Castle at this action-packed event, featuring knights, a living history camp and more.

Lindisfarne Priory Illuminating Lindisfarne

Launch date spring

Lindisfarne in Northumberland is not only wildly beautiful but also home to the ruins of a priory that played a pivotal role in early Christianity. A monument to its famous monkbishop, St Cuthbert, by sculptor Russ Coleman, will be sited in the priory. Nearby, the redesigned museum houses unique and previously unseen objects and two new commissions. The first is an audio poem by Katrina Porteous, while the other is a mixedmedia work by Olivia Lomenech Gill, who illustrated JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts. She has created six illustrations for a family trail, based on the animal artistry of the illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels. ‘The new commissions explore the history of Lindisfarne through a contemporary lens,’ explains interpretation manager Ruth Haycock. www.english-heritage.org.uk/lindisfarne

Supported by

Belsay Hall,Castle and Gardens

Belsay Awakes

Launch date July

This summer, Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens in Northumberland will reveal the results of a major two-year project to conserve its buildings, refresh its gardens and introduce new experiences for visitors. The Greek Revival hall has been re-roofed and the medieval castle’s walls have been repaired. Outside, renowned garden designer Dan Pearson has created a new plant scheme in the formal gardens, while information boards have been placed along the walk around scenic Crag Wood for the first time. Accessibility

across the site has also been improved. Younger visitors will love the new play area, where they’ll find an amphitheatre and references to the Wild Man of Belsay, the emblem of the Middleton family who owned Belsay for centuries, who also features in a projected animation in the castle and family trail. A café in the coach house is another exciting addition.

‘Visitors will be able to interact with the site more. We want them to have a brilliant time,’ says national project manager Cheryl Moore.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/belsay

Legendary Jousts

29–30 Jul, 1–3, 8–10, 22–24 & 26–28 Aug

This is authentic medieval jousting at its most thrilling as four knights battle it out for honour and glory.

Battle of Hastings

14–15 Oct

Over 500 reenactors recreate the conflict on the very same spot where King Harold and Duke William fought in 1066.

Illuminated Whitby Abbey & Battle Abbey

21–31 Oct & 7–10 Dec

Join us as we light up the nights at these atmospheric medieval m .

Diwali at Marble Hill

11 Nov

A colourful evening celebrating the Festival of Lights at Marble Hill, with illuminations, dancers, giant puppets and more.

Enchanted

30 Nov–30 Dec

Experience the past in a new light this winter as Eltham Palace and Walmer Castle are transformed into enchanting worlds of sound and colour.

‘Family trails and activity sets will help to bring the story of Belsay Hall to life’

Gerard Lemos CMG

English Heritage’s new Chair on his passions and plans

I’m passionate about heritage and culture and have been involved with many museums, galleries and arts organisations. My particular interests have been improving the lives of the most excluded: homeless people, prisoners and ex-offenders, and people with learning disabilities. I believe that a society that works well for the most excluded works better for everybody. I chair the board of the HM Prison and Probation Service, rather different to English Heritage, but I do know about working with government. I was Chair of the British Council, so I have seen how other countries relate to culture and heritage, and how visitors from other countries love Britain’s heritage.

English Heritage is a unique institution with a portfolio that contains some of the most iconic and best-known heritage sites in the world, as well as hundreds of sites deeply loved by local communities up and down the country. It is almost impossible to imagine England without English Heritage, so when someone suggested I should apply for the role of Chair I jumped at the opportunity. Since being appointed, I have visited many sites all over the country and have been overwhelmed by the commitment of the staff and volunteers. People’s love for what we do is genuinely uplifting.

My job is to work with the Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive and the senior managers to build and strengthen the organisation for the future. My predecessor, Sir Tim Laurence, and his colleagues have done a remarkable job of establishing English Heritage as an independent charity. We shall be looking to build on that work towards greater financial sustainability. We need to have enough money to maintain and improve our sites, and there’s always more to be done in conservation and historical research.

We have the responsibility and privilege of looking after the nation’s heritage. We want English Heritage to be a source of pride and affection for our local communities.

There’s no single English Heritage property that is my favourite to visit, although my nearest site is Totnes Castle in Devon. I have a large family and

Above Totnes Castle in Devon Facing page Gerard at Kenwood in London, where he recommends a day spent admiring the art collection

many mock battles have been won and lost inside those walls and on those battlements. For greater tranquillity, time spent with the paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Gainsborough in Kenwood in London is unbeatable. The Yorkshire abbeys breathe religious grandeur and turbulence. The bridge at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall is an architectural wonder… but I mustn’t go on!

Even the smallest of English Heritage sites, some barely visible but nevertheless historically important, are treated with the same respect as Stonehenge or Hadrian’s Wall. It’s an inspiration. Our 400 sites are indoor and outdoor centres of learning in history, archaeology and who we are.

I’d like to thank English Heritage Members for their support. Let us know what you think, enjoy all our sites – not just the famous ones or the ones near you – and keep supporting us. We couldn’t do it without you.

Support us

For more information on how you can support our work, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us

‘It is almost impossible to imagine England without English Heritage’

Cruises with a difference

Enjoy unbeatable value from Ambassador Cruise Line, whose premium value, no-fly cruises from the UK offer the warmest of welcomes from the friendliest of crews

Ambassador Cruise Line is your way to experience great value cruises without compromising quality. With a range of inspiring destinations combined with unbeatable value, Ambassador Cruise Line promises you a holiday you won’t ever forget.

A new kind of cruise line

Founded in 2019, Ambassador Cruise Line has two adult-only ships in its fleet: Ambience and Ambition (which will make its maiden sailing in May). And with Ambassador’s ships sailing from seven departure ports across the UK, you can avoid the stress of long transfers or flights, and start your much-deserved holiday even sooner. Once on board, you’ll enjoy the warmest welcome at

sea, accompanied by exceptional service, a great range of outstanding dining options and amazing entertainment, including quizzes, crafting, plays, cabaret, West End-style shows and much more. You’ll use pounds sterling, so you don’t have to worry about fluctuating exchange rates. Ambassador knows it has a responsibility to protect both our oceans and the destinations it visits, and so is on a mission to be among the most sustainable cruise lines, even down to the dresses worn by the entertainment team, which are made from 100% recycled plastic. Other initiatives to date include partnerships with charitable bodies, energy-efficient engines and, where possible, using locally sourced ingredients for on-board dining.

An inspiring range of destinations

Ambassador Cruise Line has a fantastic range of itineraries available. If you’re looking to keep it local, you’ll find a selection of cruises travelling around Britain and Ireland. For those seeking adventure further afield, there’s an enticing range of cruises exploring Europe, from journeys in the Mediterranean to trips around Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Or, for the ultimate cruise, check out the Grand Round the World that lasts for 120 nights – a true trip of a lifetime.

As well as a range of destinations, Ambassador Cruise Line also offers themed cruises that allow you to explore your interests and hobbies, with amazing guests, hosts and experts.

Being mid-sized ships, Ambience and Ambition are able to visit ports that larger ships cannot reach, giving guests opportunity to explore destinations that other cruisers will miss.

Your exclusive offer

As a special offer for English Heritage Members, Ambassador Cruise Line is offering an exclusive 10% bonus discount on top of any of its current deals and offers.

THREE POPULAR CRUISE DESTINATIONS

CANARIES, MADEIRA & MOROCCO WINTER SUN

This 17-night Mediterranean voyage provides a dose of sunshine and balmy temperatures – all while visiting some of the most unspoilt destinations on the planet.After calling atVigo, you’ll hop around the sun-soaked Canaries, followed by Casablanca, from where you can reach medieval Marrakech and its maze-like souks, Gibraltar, Portugal’s vibrant capital Lisbon and Oporto.

BRITISH ISLES DISCOVERY

Discover the wealth of history and breathtaking beauty close to home as you embark on this 11-night circumnavigation of Britain. Departing from Bristol, you’ll cruise along the Cornish coast to Falmouth. Next, Normandy’s charming town of Honfleur brings a flavour of France.After calling at Newcastle, you’ll sail to the Isles of Skye and Mull, before completing your journey with visits to John O’Groats and Belfast.

FJORDLAND

On Ambassador’s sevennighters to Norway’s fantastic fjords –departing from London, Newcastle or Dundee – you’ll sail along mirror-calm waters, calling at picture-perfect ports as you soak up some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery.The Majestic Fjordland cruise will take you along the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest ford, while the Summertime Fjordland cruise goes further north to the fairytale Geirangerfjord,

a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

‘Destinations range from a cruise around the British Isles to a 120-night round-the-world trip of a lifetime’

At historic gardens across the country, students on our Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme are learning traditional skills to kick-start their horticultural careers

Strolling around the immaculate formal gardens at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire on a crisp sunny morning, it is easy to take the hard work behind the clipped hedges and precision-planted polyanthus for granted. It can slip your mind that historic gardens such as these need significant knowledge and skills to keep them looking this good. Skills that are in danger of being lost as opportunities to learn them lessen, and fewer people choose horticulture as a career. ‘The requirements of a garden of this significance aren’t fully appreciated,’ says Elinor Davies, English Heritage’s historic and botanic garden training manager.

‘Skills shortage is a real problem.’

It was this shortage of heritage horticultural skills that prompted English Heritage to set up its Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme (HBGTP) in 2006. The programme offers year-long placements in noteworthy gardens to trainees who work alongside expert garden teams. Its emphasis on practical, hands-on experience has seen 300 graduates successfully complete their training since its inception, with

Garden guardians

A new partnership is helping us to train the next generation of heritage gardeners

many going on to work in horticulture. ‘It is an invaluable scheme for someone changing career to learn skills, gain knowledge and understand how a garden of this scale is planned and managed,’ says current Wrest Park trainee Hannah Fisher. Hannah previously worked as a database administrator studying for RHS qualifications in her spare time. ‘I knew I wanted to get into horticulture,’ she says. ‘I had been to Wrest Park as a visitor and loved it, so working here now is a dream.’

Four English Heritage gardens participate in the programme: Wrest Park; Audley End House and Gardens in Essex; Osborne on the Isle of Wight; and

The future of the Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme has been secured after the National Garden Scheme committed to offering substantial support of the programme over the next three years.‘The HBGTP has acquired an impressive reputation for the quality of its training, and for the inclusivity of its recruitment of trainees,’ says chief executive George Plumptre. ‘The latter is an important priority for the National Garden Scheme.’ The agreement will form the basis of a wider partnership between the two charities and see English Heritage host five events for the National Garden Scheme between May and September.These will take place at Audley End House and Gardens, Belsay Hall, Marble Hill,Walmer Castle and Gardens, and Wrest Park (see www.english-heritage.org. uk/events).‘The National Garden Scheme has a long-established tradition of supporting and training gardeners through donations to a variety of charities over many years,’ adds Plumptre.‘We feel there has never been a more important time to promote gardening to young people, and to encourage them through the training on offer in HBGTP.’

‘I knew I wanted to get into horticulture. I had been to Wrest Park as a visitor and loved it, so working here now is a dream’

Walmer Castle and Gardens in Kent, as well as several partner gardens. It is an indication of the success of the scheme that a good proportion of graduates from the programme return to work in the garden that trained them. Out of the nine gardeners currently working at Wrest Park, seven are HBGTP graduates. Louise Ellis, head gardener at Audley End and an HBGTP alumna, applied for the scheme because she knew her practical experience was limited, and she wanted a structured programme where she could learn from horticulturalists. ‘I was particularly drawn to Audley End because it’s open to the public and offered the chance to work in ornamental gardens, a kitchen garden and the wider landscape,’ she says. ‘I was involved in a very broad range of tasks – many of which I had not done before.’

Getting on to the programme is competitive, with around 200–300 applicants every year across all of the participating gardens. ‘We look for people who have a commitment to horticulture, whether that’s voluntary experience, working in a nursery or anything we consider relevant,’ says Davies. ‘An

Flower power

Take our interactive tours to discover the stories of our most spectacular gardens

Innovative new schemes are helping visitors dig into the stories of three of our historic gardens.As you explore, you will come across clever and thought-provoking ways to discover more about the history of the land and the people who have gardened there for centuries.

At Wrest Park, 10 new interactive schemes include benches with builtin sound apps that bring to life the people who once lived there.The focus is on the women who had a profound impact on the development of the garden: Jemima, Marchioness Grey and her daughter Amabel.

On the Isle of Wight, 25 carefully chosen trees comprise the Tree Trail at Osborne, each of which has been chosen for a particular reason, whether they were planted by Prince Albert to remind him of his home or because they have distinctive characteristics.

understanding of the role is essential because it can be challenging to work outside in all weathers.’

This did not daunt another current Wrest Park trainee, Ruth Bidgood, who had previously worked at Kent Wildlife Trust. ‘There is never a dull day,’ she says. ‘Even when it’s raining, there are things to do in the glasshouses or splitting logs and sharpening tools.’ Jack Fleming, the third trainee at Wrest Park, previously worked as a solicitor and on an organic farm in Scotland. ‘The programme seemed perfect for a career changer with limited practical experience and lots of enthusiasm,’ he says.

At Wrest Park, the trainees work in two teams, alternating from one area (woodland) to the other (the formal garden) to gain a variety of experience. Each team follows a carefully structured programme that combines specialist horticultural training with written projects, plant identification and keeping a daily journal. Twice a year, events are held where trainees attend seminars and visit other historic or botanical gardens. ‘Each of the gardens we visit has a conservation or restoration element,’ says

Robert Dudley’s 1575 pageant – an attempt to impress Queen Elizabeth I – is the inspiration for the five new installations at Kenilworth Castle. Visitors look through viewfinders to imagine what took place at specific sites.The answers, revealed by lifting the viewfinder arm, range from a display of mechanical dolphins to the royal suitor sneaking about at night.

‘In the past, there could have been around 30 gardeners working here.There are machines to help us now but we still do much by hand’

Above Planting out spring bedding in Wrest Park’s Italian parterre, which was created in the 1830s

Right Trainees alternate between working in Wrest Park’s woodland and formal garden

Bidgood. ‘It’s interesting to learn about how gardens are managed in different settings and with different audiences.’

Back at Wrest Park, head gardener Andrew Luke is keeping a watchful eye over the trainees as they plant out polyanthus in the parterre. There is a jovial mood as the other gardeners pitch in – managing the bedding is very much a team effort. ‘The trainees get involved in all the interesting parts of horticulture,’ says Luke. ‘I do all the less exciting bits!’ These include managing the gardening teams around the visitors (155,000 annually), dealing with contractors and keeping the restoration projects on track. He is keen that trainees have an understanding of what his role involves, as they too may one day be head gardener at a similar property.

Luke is more than aware that a garden of historical significance such as Wrest Park has its own requirements and challenges. Period-appropriate plants must be considered but it is much larger than that. ‘We have to think about the whole landscape, not just the plants,’ he says. Wrest Park comprises large areas of water and woodland, as well as herbaceous borders, fruit trees and formal gardens – all spanning three centuries of landscape design.

When English Heritage took over as guardians of the estate in 2006, it launched a 20-year restoration masterplan. Luke and his team not

only work on restoration projects but maintain what is already there. ‘In the past, there could have been around 30 gardeners working here,’ he says. ‘There are machines to help us now but we still do much by hand.’

Keeping the garden’s history in mind is an essential part of the training programme. ‘The amount of research that goes into the decision making of what we are restoring can be restricting but is really interesting,’ says Bidgood. Every trainee is required to undertake a research project, and Bidgood’s is about the history of the women who shaped the garden at Wrest Park.

‘It is fascinating to research the journals and letters of Jemima de Grey and her daughter Amabel [Wrest Park was home to the de Greys for more than 600 years]. They are a significant record of the work that went on in the garden – the planting, the changing path of streams and lakes, the statues.’ Hannah Fisher, meanwhile, is studying the original plant scheme in the conservatory – her findings will help the team make the existing planting more historically accurate.

Away from the research, the trainees have a 90-acre garden to keep them occupied. One of the unusual tasks they have to master is pruning the wall-trained cercis, or Judas trees, one of which is believed to date from the early 1830s. ‘It is the best example in the world,’ says

Luke. ‘Cercis flower on wood and have to be pruned really hard to ensure plenty of flowers along the main stems.’ It’s a good example of a skill worth preserving and passing on to the new generation of HBGTP trained horticulturalists.

‘There is a misconception that being a gardener is low-skilled, not something to aspire to and doesn’t offer a varied and interesting career,’ says Davies. ‘Through the Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme, we want to correct that, make gardening more valued as a profession and keep our historic gardens looking good in the process.’

Get with the programme

English Heritage is grateful for the support of the National Garden Scheme and other donors towards the Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme.To learn more, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/hbgtp

il ff h f

Family trails offer the perfect way to explore our sites and discover something new along the way. Here is a selection of some of our newest and most popular trails to transport you back in time

WORDS KELLY R AY

ACCESS DETAILS

To check accessibility information for each trail, go to www.englishheritage.org.uk/ magazine

DOVER CASTLE TRAIL

DOVER CASTLE, KENT

This walk around the grounds at Henry II’s mighty fortress will transport you on an adventure back in time. Your journey starts with a walk down from the visitor centre to the castle’s First World War Fire Command Post, where you will learn how to spot enemy ships. Keep an eye out for the aviary built to house rare red-billed choughs nearby. Then, you’ll descend into the Secret Wartime Tunnels, where you’ll experience the sounds and smells of the Second World War as you follow the journey

of a wounded pilot in the underground hospital. Your time in the Middle Ages will begin as you journey through the medieval tunnels, before ascending the castle’s Great Tower, where vividly recreated rooms bring Henry II’s medieval palace to life. Finally, make time to admire the Roman pharos – the oldest surviving lighthouse in the country – once used to guide Romans across the Channel. There’s much more to discover throughout the castle’s 80 acres of grounds. www.english-heritage. org.uk/dover

‘Follow a wounded pilot’s journey in the Secret Wartime Tunnels’

WITLEY COURT TRAILS

WITLEY COURT, WORCESTERSHIRE

This Easter, four new mini trails – each with an activity to complete – will be available to guide you around the vast grounds of one of England’s most magnificent country houses, now a spectacular ruin. Built in the 17th century, this Italianate mansion was remodelled in Victorian times before being ravaged by fire in 1937. Choose your trail and get acquainted with characters from Witley’s past, who will help guide you

round the mansion’s glorious grounds as you discover their stories. Two of the trails will take you through the mansion’s recreated gardens, with their ornate terraces, intricate parterres and vivid flower beds. At the heart of the South Parterre is the Perseus and Andromeda fountain, one of the grandest in Europe. While here, don’t miss the wilderness play area near the visitor centre.

www.english-heritage. org.uk/witley

WYVERN TRAIL

WREST PARK, BEDFORDSHIRE

Coming in late April

The wyvern – a winged, dragon-like creature – was the emblem of the de Grey family, who owned the magnificent Wrest Park estate for over 680 years. The site’s French chateaustyle house, which was built in the 19th century, is set amid an outstanding restored garden landscape blending three centuries of English garden design. Your challenge on this new

trail is to try to spot the many images and sculptures depicting wyverns in the house and gardens. Only the keenest pairs of eyes will be able to spot the tiny wyverns hiding in unexpected places. For those who want to take a deeper dive into the story of the gardens and the people behind them, there are also three new interactive outdoor trails, offering visitors the chance to

Below The grounds are full of intriguing features to discover, including the

explore the landscape. Along the way, you’ll discover the iconic Archer Pavilion as well as some hidden garden gems –there’s the ornate marble fountain, the Chinese temple and bridge, and the 18th-century bowling green house. On top of all that, ‘ghost’ building viewers bring buildings of Wrest Park’s past back to life.

www.english-heritage. org.uk/wrest

‘Meet characters from Witley’s past, who will help guide you round’

‘Only the keenest pairs of eyes will be able to spot the tiny wyverns hiding in unexpected places’

RICHBOROUGH FAMILY TRAIL

RICHBOROUGH ROMAN FORT AND AMPHITHEATRE, KENT

From the spring, this new trail, created as part of our Gateway to Britannia project to retell Richborough’s story, offers young adventurers the chance to step into the shoes of a Roman citizen, while discovering this historic site on a quest through time. As the landing place

of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, Richborough is among the most symbolically important of all Roman sites in Britain. The settlement became a bustling port town that served as the gateway to Britain, later giving rise to one of the most important Saxon Shore forts, whose formidable

walls still stand tall today. Romans from all over the globe lived and worked here, probably well into the 5th century – making Richborough one of the last Roman forts to be occupied. As part of the trail, you’ll be armed with your very own ‘time machine’ to find your way back to the present day.

START EXPLORING

For more information and to download the trail maps, go to www.englishheritage.org.uk/ magazine

As you explore the fort’s huge stone walls and encircling defensive ditches, you’ll hear the varied tales of characters from across history, which will bring Richborough’s rich story to life and help you to imagine it in its heyday.

www.english-heritage. org.uk/richborough

FAMILY TREE TRAIL

OSBORNE, ISLE OF WIGHT

Tree planting has long been used to mark special occasions or events, and Queen Victoria’s Isle of Wight home is teeming with interesting trees that were planted by the royals and their visitors. From cork oaks and common limes to enormous coastal redwoods and giant sequoias, this new trail reveals the stories behind these special trees, with mini challenges to complete while exploring this royal residence. The trail takes you beyond the main house into the wider parkland leading down to Queen Victoria’s private beach. On

your way back up towards the house, you’ll pass the Swiss Cottage – a little Alpine-style chalet created by Prince Albert as a playhouse and museum for his children. Outside are the princes and princesses’ kitchen garden and play fort, along with a modern play area for 21st-century kids. Don’t forget to look out for the animal sculptures along the path between the beach and Swiss Cottage, and keep your eyes peeled for red squirrels as you amble through the woodland. www.english-heritage. org.uk/osborne

WARKWORTH CASTLE TRAIL

WARKWORTH CASTLE AND HERMITAGE, NORTHUMBERLAND

Once home to the powerful Earls of Northumberland, the Percys, this nowruined castle offers five new interactive trails, each based around a different figure from the castle’s history. From fish farmer Widow Nawton to

teenage hero Henry Percy of Atholl, you’ll learn about the daily life of your chosen character as you follow them around the castle on a quest. Will you help find the earl’s missing robe with John del Wardrobe, or assist William Stowe

CHESTERS FORT TAKEOVER TRAIL

CHESTERS ROMAN FORT AND MUSEUM, NORTHUMBERLAND

Embark on a family adventure at Britain’s best-preserved Roman cavalry fort. Positioned to guard a vulnerable section of Hadrian’s Wall where it crossed the River Tyne, Roman soldiers and cavalrymen guarded Chesters Fort for hundreds of years – and now, it’s your turn. Pick up a copy of the Takeover Trail and choose your characters – will you

be the commander, messenger, musician, guard or even the commander’s dog? The whole family can explore the ruins together to find the rubbing stones hidden among the buildings, each revealing a tip to help you run the fort. Your quest will take you on an adventure to the barracks, the headquarters, the commander’s house and the spectacular

in patrolling the castle as it faces attack? The trails will lead you inside the castle’s magnificent keep –where you’ll explore wine cellars, kitchens and the great hall via hidden stairways – and around the grounds contained within the still-complete circuit of towered walls. The question is, who will you choose to follow first? www.english-heritage. org.uk/warkworth

bathhouse. While you’re here, inspire your inner archaeologist with a stop at the unique Clayton Museum, home to hundreds of Roman artefacts. www.english-heritage. org.uk/chesters

‘Queen Victoria’s home is teeming with trees planted by the royals’

The original spirit of Norway

Discover the spectacular Norwegian coastline on a historic voyage 130 years in the making

offers an array of optional excursions (these are an additional cost).

Back on board, there’s ample time to soak up the gorgeous scenery as you glide from port to port, but there’s also an extensive programme of activities to get involved in – pick your own pace.

Eco-friendly exploring

To help you better understand the destinations, there are talks on history, culture, nature and more – all delivered by the on-board Coastal Experience Team, many of whom are local Norwegians. And with meals featuring fresh ingredients sourced from where you sail, you won’t just see Norway, you’ll taste it.

In 1893, Captain Richard With established an express shipping route along the Norwegian coastline as a remedy to the unreliable, infrequent services of the day. First between Trondheim and Hammerfest, and later expanded to sail some 780 miles from Bergen to Kirkenes in just seven days, the route became known as ‘hurtigruten’, meaning ‘the fast route’. Captain With’s company – now Hurtigruten – has faithfully connected Norway’s coastal communities for 130 years. Now, it’s your turn make this historic journey.

Picture perfect

Described as ‘the most beautiful voyage in the world’, Hurtigruten’s signature Norwegian Coastal Express route takes you through a wonderland of snowcapped mountains and glittering fjords between the picture-perfect ports peppering the Norwegian coastline. Whether you embark on a classic 12-day

round-trip voyage or a one-way adventure, year-round sailings give you the chance to experience one of Norway’s four varied but equally fascinating seasons. Will you sail under the midnight sun in summer or beneath the dancing skies of the Northern Lights in winter? What’s more, if you do choose to pursue this incredible experience on a round-trip voyage during the aurora season, you’ll receive a free six or sevenday cruise* if you don’t get to see the lights on cruises of 11 days or more.

Along this remarkable journey, you’ll call at coastal communities steeped in history and culture: from quaint fishing villages and idyllic islands, to towns and cities such as Ålesund and its art nouveau architecture, and the Viking capital of the country, Trondheim (don’t miss the magnificent Nidaros Cathedral while you’re here). To help you get even closer to your destinations, Hurtigruten

The world’s most beautiful voyage is also one of the greenest and most sustainable.

Channelling the same pioneering spirit as its founder, Hurtigruten is upgrading its entire fleet to hybrid vessels – cutting emissions by 25% –and intending to build its first fully zero-emission ship to sail on the Norwegian coast by 2030.

English Heritage Members can save 5% on a Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express voyage. Plus, 10% of the booking cost will be donated to English Heritage. To take advantage of this special offer, please call 020 3131 6019 and quote UK Heritage. To find out more, visit www.hurtigruten.co.uk/uk/ partners/english-heritage

Model yacht, Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, South Yorkshire

This model yacht, with cotton sails and a polished wooden deck above a blue and black hull, dates from the 1930s. Named Foam Fairy, the yacht belonged to Pamela Grant-Dalton (below) of Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in SouthYorkshire, and was possibly a birthday present. Before her father inherited the Brodsworth estate, Pamela and her family lived on the south coast at Lymington in Hampshire, and the yacht was sailed on local ponds and taken on holiday. Pamela later decorated the hull with pieces of newspaper. The fragments that remain provide snapshots of the era, featuring Player’s cigarette advertisements and announcements of automobile races.The family were members of LymingtonYacht Club until the 1950s and owned many motor launches and yachts over the years.The collection at Brodsworth also holds a black felt sailing cap, alongside lists of club members and racing fixtures. Pamela’s model yacht is now displayed in the bedroom in which it was found, no longer afloat, instead supported by a towel rail.

See it for yourself

To plan a day out at Brodsworth Hall, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/brodsworth

ISLAND HOPPING IN THE CANARY & CAPE VERDE ISLANDS

Discover the Atlantic Archipelagos aboard the MS Island Sky 17th to 28th October 2023

This wonderful island hopping itinerary aboard the MS Island Sky visits the diverse islands of the Atlantic with their mountainous landscapes, intriguing topography, lunar like landscapes, verdant pine forests and stunning national parks. Every new day brings a different vista and in the company of just 100 or so like-minded travel companions, we will be able to fully explore the dramatic beauty and cultural vibrancy of these amazingly varied groups of islands.

We will begin our voyage in the Canary Islands and during our three days of exploration discover the lesser known islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma. Enjoy nature at its very best in these remote, volcanic islands that impress with their unique flora and fauna and boast rugged, rocky landscapes, evergreen cloud forests, metre-high ferns and bizarre-looking dragon trees. After a relaxing two days at sea we arrive in our next island group, the remote and intriguing Cape Verde archipelago whose islands have been used by mariners as a staging post through the ages, and there is no better way to explore their dramatic beauty and cultural vibrancy than by small ship. Each island is a little world of its own; some are arid and flat with extraordinary beaches and sand dunes whilst others by contrast are more mountainous and verdant.

MS ISLAND SKY is one of the finest small ships in the world. With a maximum passenger capacity of only 118, the all-suite vessel has the benefit of unusually large accommodation, public areas and spacious outside decks. All suites feature a sitting area and some have a private balcony. The spacious and finely decorated public rooms include a lounge, elegant bar, library and a single seating dining room. Outside there is a rear sun deck, a bar and comfortable deck furniture. The atmosphere on board is akin to a private yacht or country hotel. A little music in the lounge or bar after dinner, talks from the onboard speakers, informative port briefings and of course good food which may be enjoyed leisurely in the attractive dining room, all contribute to making any voyage aboard the MS Island Sky a memorable experience.

THE ITINERARY IN BRIEF

Day 1 London to Tenerife, Canary Islands. Fly by scheduled flight. On arrival transfer to the MS Island Sky. Sail later this evening.

Day 2 San Sebastian de la Gomera, La Gomera. Arrive this morning on beautiful and unspoilt La Gomera. On a full day tour we will explore the island including Garajonay National Park, home to the world’s only surviving laurel forest and visit the villages of Hermiqua, Agulo and Las Rosas followed by lunch in a local restaurant. Before returning to the ship experience a demonstration of Silbo Gomero, the island’s unique whistling language, and visit the magnificent rock formations of Agando. Alternatively, you may wish to join a morning guided trek through the Garajonay National Park.

Day 3 Puerto de la Estaca, El Hierro. Probably the least known of the Canary Islands, and once considered to be the end of the world, El Hierro is unique and utterly captivating. On a morning drive we will explore the island and will also have the opportunity to sample some of El Hierro’s local wine and visit the lizard house where the island’s unique giant lizards are bred; near extinction, they are protected by international law. Alternatively, opt for the La Llania hiking excursion which will take us to El Hierro’s top viewing point affording spectacular views of the western parts of the island.

Day 4 Santa Cruz de la Palma, La Palma.

La Palma is known by locals as the ‘Beautiful Island’, and it is easy to see why. It is a simply stunning, peaceful and most importantly an un-spoilt destination that has deservedly been declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This morning there will be a choice of excursions. You may wish to join the tour to Caldera de Taburiente, a massive eight kilometre wide depression which scientists agree was a majestically tall volcanic mountain that collapsed in on itself. Explore on foot and whilst all may seem stoic and still, the forces of erosion are hard at work and some geologists estimate that it will finally disappear in just 5000 years. Alternatively, take a drive to visit Los Tilos Forest, nestled between colossal mountains, it is one of the few surviving Laurisilva

forests on the planet. Continue to the charming town of San Andres where we will visit the El Tendal Museum and learn more about the island and its history. Finally for those who would prefer a more energetic excursion there will be a guided trek on offer through the El Pilar area.

Days 5 & 6 At Sea. Spend two days relaxing at sea.

Day 7 Palmeira, Sal, Cape Verde. In the late morning we arrive in Cape Verde, a varied archipelago off the West African coast. Sal was relatively undeveloped until the mid-nineteenth century when the salt export business was established and this afternoon we will visit one of the original sites at Pedra de Lume. We will see the saltpans, learn of the salt extraction process and even have the chance to float in the waters. Alternatively, shuttle buses will run to the town of Santa Maria where you can swim from the beaches or explore the local shops for Cape Verdean crafts.

Day 8 Porto Novo, Sao Antao. We have a full day on the most beautiful of the islands, Sao Antao. Driving up the old trading route, we pass the volcanic crater ‘Cova’ with its agricultural plantations and enjoy panoramic views of the island before arriving in the tiny, picturesque mountain village of Fontainhas, on the northern side of the island. After lunch in the seaside village of Ponta do Sol, we will take the coastal road towards the greenest valley in the archipelago, the valley of Paul. Here we will enjoy a coffee break whilst learning about the production of sugarcane on the island. Also discover ‘Grogue’, the national drink of the islands and have a taste of it at the oldest traditional Grogue distillery on the island.

Day 9 Mindelo, Sao Vicente. Enjoy a full day in Mindelo, one of the most attractive of all the Cape Verde towns with its colonial buildings, cobbled streets, cafes and lively restaurants. Depart on a morning discovery tour of the lively markets and the secret corners of the harbour town followed by a coffee break in a typical Cape Verdean bar. The afternoon is free to further explore the vibrant town independently and this evening we will be entertained by local music and capoeira on board.

Day 10 Tarrafal, Sao Nicolau. Sao Nicolau is a charming, peaceful and attractive island of plantations, smallholdings and busy farming villages. It also has impressive, almost untouched mountain scenery, friendly residents and lively traditions. On our tour we will drive through a spectacular landscape towards the historical capital Ribeira Brava. Here we will discover the lively centre of the island which reflects the character of the people and learn why Ribeira Brava was the bedrock of Cape Verdean intellect in the 19th century. After lunch enjoy an afternoon at leisure.

Day 11 Praia, Sao Tiago. Today we explore the historic capital of Praia on the island of Sao Tiago. Praia has a wonderful African feel and we visit Cidade Velha, the old Portuguese capital with a rich history which was once the centre of the slave trade. See the fort and cathedral which dominate the narrow-cobbled lanes and stone houses. Enjoy a traditional performance of Batuco dance before we continue into the green interior, climbing the steep mountains and enjoying the colours as we make our way to Rui Vaz where we enjoy a lunch of local produce in the shadow of Pico da Antonia. We will see local farms and drive past the only water dam in Cape Verde.

Day 12 Praia to London. Disembark this morning and transfer to the airport for our scheduled indirect flight to London.

PRICES & INCLUSIONS

Special offer prices per person based on double occupancy start from £5695 for a Standard Suite.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

Economy class scheduled air travel • 11 nights aboard the MS Island Sky on a full board basis

• House wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner • Noble Caledonia onboard team

• Shore excursions • Gratuities • Transfers.

NB: Ports and itinerary are subject to change. All special offers are subject to availability. Our current booking conditions apply to all reservations. Travel insurance is not included in the price.

With King Charles due to be crowned on 6 May between tours of the UK and the Commonwealth, head historic properties curator Jeremy Ashbee explores the stories of six royal visits to our sites

ILLUSTRATIONS ALICE PATTULLO

WHERE OLD SARUM WHO KING WILLIAM I (WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR) WHEN 1 AUGUST, 1086

he summer of 1086 saw the first Norman king of England stage the most spectacular event of his reign. Twenty years previously, he and his supporters had defeated the English king Harold at Hastings. But the first decades of Norman rule had not been smooth: there had been rebellions and foreign invasions, and the country was still gripped by a powerful sense of two nations sharing a single country. It had never been so important for the king to appear in his full majesty.

Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, was an inspired choice for a great ceremony. It lay in the centre of lowland, southern England, close to navigable rivers and Roman roads. But it also powerfully symbolised a combination of old and new. The mighty banks and ditches of the outer enclosure were created in the Iron Age as a hillfort, even before the Roman invasion. Now, rising above these prehistoric defences were two innovations of William and his supporters: a stone cathedral and a timber castle.

As the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle related, every land-holding man in England, including sub-tenants of others, now converged on Old Sarum, and performed an act of homage to King William. Probably in the open air, with the king seated on a throne, they all bowed down before him and swore oaths that they would be faithful to him over any other man. In return for this, they understood that their rights to hold their lands would be guaranteed by their new master.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/oldsarum

WHERE GAINSBOROUGH OLD HALL, LINCOLNSHIRE WHO KING RICHARD III WHEN 10 OCTOBER, 1483

hrough the late summer and autumn of 1483, the newly crowned king Richard III and his queen, Anne, made an extensive progress through the Midlands and the north to show themselves to their people. The king was anxious for an enthusiastic reception. His secretary wrote ahead of him to the city of York, hoping for pageants and speeches, and 13,000 badges of Richard’s symbol, the white boar, were to be given to friends and supporters.

The king’s return to London saw him stay one night at Gainsborough, in the fine new hall built by Thomas Burgh. He was exactly the sort of man with whom Richard wished to associate himself, for he embodied continuity with the previous regime. Burgh had been a leading supporter of King Edward IV, Richard III’s older brother. Richard rewarded his support by making him a Knight of the Garter, the highest order of knighthood

in England.Though no detailed descriptions of the festivities at Gainsborough have survived, we must imagine the king and queen dining in state in the magnificent great hall, surrounded by the leading families of the district.

Unfortunately, elsewhere in England, storm clouds were gathering.As Richard travelled south, he received news that his chief supporter, the Duke of Buckingham, was in open rebellion against him. Though the rebellion ultimately failed, the few days atYork and Gainsborough turned out to be the high point in Richard III’s short reign.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ gainsborougholdhall

‘Every land-holding man in England performed an act of homage to the king’

‘Richard III’s visit turned out to be the high point in his short reign’

WHERE ELTHAM PALACE, LONDON WHO KING HENRY VIII WHEN 6 JANUARY, 1516

f all the monarchs of England, King HenryVIII may have left the most striking impression, both on contemporaries and people in later centuries.The world-famous portraits capture the king in middle age. But records of an event at Eltham Palace in January 1516, when Henry was aged 24, show that even earlier in his reign, the king was acutely aware of the need to appear in royal magnificence.

Henry had known Eltham his whole life – lying close to the royal palace at Greenwich, Eltham was a natural choice for the young prince and his siblings to be brought up. This wasn’t a life of pure seclusion – the Dutch scholar Erasmus left a description of the nine-year-old Henry presiding over a stately reception in the Great Hall.And it was in this same building that, as king, Henry was later entertained by a truly spectacular piece of pre-dinner ‘theatre’.

The stay at Eltham ran through the entire Christmas period, culminating on Twelfth Night. On this evening, an imitation castle was built, in which elaborately dressed knights and ladies were stationed. The costumes, of crimson satin with gold and silver ‘spangles’, attracted admiring comments – the ladies’ headdresses followed the fashion of Amsterdam, while the men’s costumes were thought to reflect styles from faraway Hungary.The main event began after King Henry and Queen Katherine (of Aragon) were seated – a crowd of knights entered the hall and engaged in a mock battle to capture the castle. ‘Many a good stripe was given,’ though the attackers finally retreated, after which the knights and ladies paraded out from the castle, and the dancing could begin. Once this was over, a banquet of 200 dishes was served in the hall,‘with great plenty to everybody’.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ eltham

WHO QUEEN ELIZABETH I WHERE KENILWORTH CASTLE, WARWICKSHIRE WHEN 9–27 JULY, 1575

ne of the greatest practitioners of the royal progress was Elizabeth I. For the first half of her reign, she travelled around the country on progress every summer. This provided a great opportunity for her to be seen by her people. But those who hosted her in their houses and castles engaged in bitter rivalry to outdo each other in the lavishness of the entertainments they could provide.

Elizabeth visited her close friend, and possibly lover, Robert Dudley at his castle at Kenilworth four times: the fourth visit, lasting 19 days, would be the most elaborate and expensive entertainment

of her reign. Dudley had spent much of the previous five years updating some of the buildings and amenities of his ancient castle to make it truly fit for the queen, including a giant tower to contain her chambers and a private garden.

The entertainments during the queen’s stay included banquets, music and dancing, dramatic performances and elaborate tableaux and masques. In the early evenings, Dudley took the queen out into the park around the castle to hunt deer. Dudley and his master of ceremonies, George Gascoigne, tried to maintain the pretence that this was an informal visit: Dudley even ordered that the castle clock be stopped when she arrived, suspending her normal life of royal duty. But with several hundred people in attendance, and a packed programme of events, this was obviously not a simple few days’ holiday.

Several historians have suggested that Dudley was trying to persuade Elizabeth to marry him. If this was indeed his intention, he failed. But the events at Kenilworth in 1575 have echoed down the centuries as a high point in the history of royal progresses.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworth

WATCH THE CORONATION

See screenings of the coronation at our sites on 6 May. www.englishheritage.org.uk/ coronation2023

‘The entertainments included banquets, music, dancing and performances’

WHERE KIRBY HALL, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE WHO KING JAMES I WHEN 27–29 JULY, 1619

ike his predecessor, Elizabeth I, King James I embarked on a number of tours of his kingdom during his reign.This was an opportunity for the king to cement his association with important subjects, honouring them by staying in their houses. Sir Christopher Hatton II and his son Christopher III, owners of Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire, hosted the king nine times between 1608 and 1624. Kirby was an ideal place for a royal progress – a new and fashionable house, easily accessible from London, and within the royal forest of Rockingham, allowing the king to indulge his passion for hunting.

During a royal visit, the house was effectively made over to the royal entourage, numbering several hundred, and the king was naturally given the best bedchamber as his sleeping accommodation.The layout of Kirby, like other houses, contained

WHERE BOLSOVER CASTLE, DERBYSHIRE

WHO KING CHARLES I AND QUEEN HENRIETTA MARIA

WHEN 30 JULY, 1634

a sequence of state rooms, with the bedchamber in the most private and inaccessible part of the house: a back stair led to it directly, with a page guarding this route, and attending immediately to the king’s needs.

The house was elaborately furnished and decorated for the king’s stay. An inventory made shortly after the 1619 visit listed a gilded bedframe, hung with crimson curtains of velvet and taffeta, fringed with gold trimming (crimson was a colour especially associated with royalty).The walls of the bedchamber were covered with tapestries, over which were hung royal portraits – a constant reminder to the king of his host’s loyalty to him. www.english-heritage.org.uk/

kirbyhall

olsover Castle hosted a lavish one-day visit from the king and queen during their progress of summer 1634. The poet and playwright Ben Jonson devised a spectacular entertainment comprising music, dramatic performance and dance, entitled Love’s Welcome

The castle, belonging to William Cavendish, was used as a ‘retreat’ from the family’s more important residence at Welbeck Abbey, a few miles away, and it was there that the king and queen had been staying. As well as the entourage around the king and queen, Cavendish also invited all the gentry of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The entertainment came after a huge feast in which 30 swans, 30 peacocks, 30 turkeys, 40 herons, 120 geese and nearly 600 other birds were eaten.

At least part of the entertainment took place in the open air, in the Fountain Garden, where a troupe of dancers, dressed as builders, performed before the king and queen. But their spirited (and presumably comic) antics followed a more sober song, on the theme of the five senses, as depicted in the Pillar Parlour inside the Little Castle. The principal theme of the entertainment was love. After the dance, two cupid figures emerged from scenery clouds to set down a banquet for the royal couple, who were praised as the embodiment of love.

Events outside the castle nearly spoiled the impression of harmony, however. A crowd of lead miners assembled with the intention of petitioning the king to resolve a dispute but, on an instruction from the king’s secretary, Cavendish forcibly kept them away from the castle, and had their leaders imprisoned for several months. The royal couple were thus able to enjoy Love’s Welcome without distraction from rising political tensions in the country – tensions that would later erupt into civil war.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/bolsover

‘The fashionable house was an ideal place for a royal progress’

In the great hall of Audley End House and Gardens in Essex, 17thcentury portraits hang beside a palatial fireplace and moustachioed figures shoulder pillars on a vast Jacobean screen. A coffered ceiling is a blur of heraldic crests. Smelling faintly of polish, the hall looks every inch the statement the first Earl of Suffolk intended when, in the early 1600s, he built his extravagant home.

Dr Peter Moore has no time for any of that, though. I find the house’s curator of collections and interiors sat at his laptop, a pale twiggy orb in his hand. ‘This is really interesting,’ he says. ‘It’s a bird’s nest that has been petrified by calcium.’ He is researching what species of bird created it. His only clues are patterns on three eggs and a label that reveals the nest was collected at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, by Audley End’s Richard Neville, the third Lord Braybrooke (1783–1858).

Moore lifts a ruddy stone and reads its label: ‘“Porphyry picked

up by Jane Neville, October 1823, at Scarborough”. It’s romantic but I love the idea of them walking together and seeing who could find the best specimen.’

There’s a temptation to assume that English Heritage properties are mothballed over winter. Actually, it’s when much of the work is done to make visits so rewarding.

‘We’re pulled in so many different directions during the visitor season,’ explains Moore. ‘Now there’s time to really focus on objects. It’s the bread and butter of what curating should be.’

And Moore has plenty to curate. While most stately home collections were sold when family finances tightened in the early 1900s, those here were handed to English Heritage intact. Only in winter does Moore have time for detailed research into the house’s 25,000-plus objects.

That nest and lump of porphyry? Most of us would barely glance at them en route to Audley End’s magnificent rooms.

From cataloguing our collections to conserving historic carpets, our experts have been hard at work preparing to welcome you back this spring

Ask Moore, however, and he’ll explain how they can tell stories about life in the mansion and aristocratic collecting in the mid1800s. Which is why this winter, alongside cataloguing prints and drawings, and reinterpreting watercolours painted by women at Audley End as records of contemporary life (they had previously been dismissed as doodles), the third Lord Braybrooke’s cabinet of curiosities is getting the research treatment for the first time.

‘These objects have sat in these cabinets for a long time, but contain narratives that paint a picture of what they meant to their owners’ lives,’ explains Moore. ‘As a curator, I find ways to use research to engage and intrigue. These objects have a lot of potential to be unpacked and explored.’

Moore’s findings will enter a collections’ database for future researchers. A never-ending job, he admits – ‘We’re just custodians till we pass on the baton’ – yet a hugely rewarding one.

I expect collections conservator Sally Johnson empathises with that. We meet in the saloon, where assistants Hannah and Megan are laying winter protection over a modern carpet – a new ruse to reduce cleaning later.

From late October each year, the trio works methodically down from the attics through around 45 rooms: inspecting every cupboard and drawer; checking 6,000 leather-bound books in the library and Sir John Griffin Griffin’s Old Masters; opening storerooms, perhaps for the first time that year. A piano the public can play must be overhauled. Historic clocks must be serviced.

Although the team is looking for issues we might find in our own homes – mould, pests, lightdegradation, physical damage – the

scale is epic, the stakes terrifyingly high. ‘In summer we only have time to hoover and dust. But in winter we have the chance to deepclean and condition-check every nook and cranny,’ says Johnson.

Top of the priority list are rooms with collections of textiles. In a mansion filled with treasures such as an embroidered state-bed that was commissioned in anticipation of a visit by George III, pests such as carpet moths cause cold sweats.

When we meet, Johnson has just inspected a store of 30 carpets up to seven metres long. Heattreated to kill moths and larvae, they were unrolled for the first time in two years. ‘I was afraid they might look like tea bags but they were absolutely fine,’ she says. ‘Such a relief!’

Such household pests are not just a danger to textiles. Johnson leads me into galleries of stuffed birds. ‘Rare and unique’ is how she describes the collection of avian taxidermy – arguably the best in England – that was amassed by the fourth Lord Braybrooke. They’re

‘That we get to see such treasures is thanks to the diligence of our experts’

also irresistible to pests, which is why several thousand birds are thoroughly checked every winter.

Such specialist work is carried out at English Heritage sites across the country. At Whitby Abbey on the North Yorkshire coast, the cartulary – a medieval manuscript register, which is on long-term loan from North Yorkshire County Council Record Office – provides a record of abbey landholdings and activities between the 12th and 16th centuries. Written on parchment, it is beautifully illuminated, historically invaluable and worryingly fragile. Every winter, curator of collections Susan Harrison removes the open cartulary from its display.

‘Parchment is a live medium. It likes to move around. That’s why old books like this are generally best kept closed,’ she says.

Given the manuscript’s fragility, having it on open display might sound reckless, but part of English Heritage’s ethos is to make such treasures accessible. That we get to see it is thanks to the diligence of

Audley End’s 6,000 books are each checked every year

Down on the farm

The work to look after our farm animals at Audley End House and Gardens and Boscobel House and The Royal Oak

Garden and farm animal supervisor Dani Warner lists the animals under her care:Tamworth pigs, Shropshire sheep, assorted chickens and ducks.Though Boscobel House in Shropshire might be celebrated as the lodge where Charles II escaped Parliamentarian soldiers by hiding in its oak tree, itsVictorian farm is just as big a draw for today’s visitors.

turning its pages

experts like Harrison. ‘We gently close the book before turning each of the pages to ensure there’s movement,’ she explains. ‘Then we choose different pages to go on display.’ The trick, she says, is to find the balance between caring and handling to ensure longevity.

For Harrison, objects such as the cartulary inspire questions about the monks’ day-to -day life: how did the monks write such beautiful script in poor light with possibly poor eyesight? Where did the abbey source ink? Who prepared the quills? We may never know all the answers but such documents provide ‘a unique window into abbey life’, she says.

Within the impenetrable outer walls of Pendennis Castle in Falmouth, Cornwall, the critical winter task is equally surprising. ‘This is when we put our guns to bed’, explains site manager Kirsty Hedderly, who is the guardian of a collection that extends from Tudor cannons to a Second World War battery. ‘Salty Cornish air isn’t kind to metal. To keep the guns fireable,

Winter introduces distinct tasks to routine care. Health checks are carried out daily during cold snaps and pellet feeds are used to supplement hay produced on-site. In addition, it’s a window of opportunity to complete projects such as extending the sty and winter-proofing the aviaries – along with essential maintenance.

‘We can also do things we don’t really want visitors to see, like pest control or the annual vaccination of the pigs,’ adds Warner.‘They can make a bit of a racket.’

Cold isn’t a problem for the three horses at Audley End’s stables.‘They love to be outside,’ says stables manager Leila Khaldi.‘They throw a real strop if they’re kept in.’

Her main challenge over winter is how to keep the house’s most beloved permanent residents occupied. Khaldi schools the horses on a daily rota, either riding them or training them to pull carts used in the equestrian displays held throughout the year.

Although more physically demanding, winter is also a rewarding time for Khaldi:‘You have more time to make sure the horses are happy and healthy.The reaction they give you is fantastic.’

we take out breechblocks, lubricate the moving parts and make sure the platforms are stable.’

Skip this painstaking annual routine for a year and the popular summertime firing displays at the castle wouldn’t happen. For Hedderly, the guns are a key part of the Pendennis Castle experience: ‘They’re integral to its history and tell a story of technological change, from dangerous muzzle-loading guns to the safer rear-loading guns of the Second World War.’

Winter work extends to grounds and gardens too. At Audley End, November and December were spent renovating the Victorian Head Gardener’s House, which is being reinvented as a luxurious rental property sleeping six, with views out over the kitchen garden.

For Audley End’s head gardener Louise Ellis, winter also means months of hard graft across a 100acre site. In parkland landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown, greater use of machinery such as chainsaws and chippers can take place when the site is closed to the public.

Shrubs in the parterre garden are tidied to encourage flowering and climbing roses are pulled into shape. A 160-year-old Black Hamburg vine in a Victorian vinery is pruned and scraped for mealybug. Eight tonnes of homemade compost is prepared to be used as a spring mulch. This is also when planning begins for spring. This year there’s a trial of unusual perennial vegetables in the Victorian kitchen garden, plus preparations are underway to grow around 30,000 plants for the summer displays.

‘It’s a really busy time,’ Ellis tells me, with masterful understatement. Even with a dozen gardeners at her disposal, she admits ‘off-season isn’t long enough’ to achieve everything they would like to. We’re stood in the 2.5-acre kitchen

Above Dahlia tubers are prepared for storage over the winter months

Above right Daffodil and tulip bulbs ready to be planted by the gardening team at Audley End

garden at the time. Sleet rains downs on a team cheerfully planting bulbs and trimming gooseberries. Raspberry bushes past their prime must be replaced then restaked. ‘It’s a messy job but if we don’t do it this winter it’ll have to wait till next.’ Not that Ellis minds: ‘We love the public being here but during winter it’s fantastic to experience it as the working garden it was designed to be.’

So, when you’re welcomed back to your favourite site this spring, spare a thought for the people who never left to make it all possible.

‘It probably doesn’t occur to people what’s required because they don’t see the effort behind the scenes,’ explains Kirsty Hedderley at Pendennis Castle. ‘But it’s also so rewarding to ensure our properties and collections are conserved. As a charity that’s what we do.’

Discover more

For more exclusive behind-the-scenes content, head to www.englishheritage.org.uk/magazine

‘Preparations are underway to grow around 30,000 plants for the summer displays’

Time to explore Ontario

Tour Eastern Canada by train for tailor-made adventures

If your bucket list includes getting up close to powerful waterfalls, taking dining to new heights in a revolving restaurant and enjoying a spectacular island cruise surrounded by nature, it’s the perfect time to discover Ontario.

Independent travel

Travelling by train is a great way to explore this beautiful province in Eastern Canada, which is home to Niagara Falls, Toronto and capital city Ottawa. On Canadian Sky’s nine-night independent tour – Explore Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa and the Thousand Islands by Rail – you’ll enjoy scenic journeys aboard the VIA Rail network between stops.

After touching down in Toronto, you’ll spend the first few days exploring this vibrant city, where you can admire a bird’s-eye view from the CN Tower, before enjoying lunch in the 360-degree revolving restaurant. You’ll also be able to take an unforgettable boat tour to experience the spectacular Niagara Falls.

Nearby, in the pretty town of Niagara-on-theLake, you’ll have time to explore the lovely boutique shops and perhaps try some of the local wine. You’ll then catch a train to Ottawa, where you’ll discover why this is one of Canadian Sky’s favourite cities, with its impressive parliament buildings, lively downtown and pretty riverside parks. Soak up the sights on

a leisurely trip along the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which weaves through downtown Ottawa.

Known for its striking limestone architecture, the small city of Kingston will provide a charming conclusion to your trip. Established in the 17th century, its streets are lined with beautiful buildings, historic forts and museums. Strategically located on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the St Lawrence River, it’s also a perfect place to hop on a boat to tour the stunning Thousand Islands. This massive archipelago – also a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is home to an eclectic array of attractions, including quaint villages, storybook castles and grand, sprawling estates.

Free excursion

Exclusive to English Heritage Members is an additional free excursion worth up to £150. Choose from tempting options such as a foodie tour of Toronto, a wine tasting tour and more.

All this can be enjoyed following an easy eight-hour direct flight into Toronto. Without having to drive or join an escorted tour, you’ll retain your independence to explore in your own way. With Ontario’s warm welcome, natural wonders and enchanting cities, a truly captivating adventure awaits.

To book or see the full range of tours visit www.canadiansky.co.uk or call 01342 332 692 and quote English Heritage

Your latest spring savings

From fine wine and motoring to day trips and cruises, here’s an inspiring selection of our Members’ Rewards. Find the full range at www.english-heritage.org.uk/rewards

SAVE £25

£25 off a case of English wine

Hattingley Valley makes award-winning English wine from its winery in Alresford, Hampshire. Specialising in premium sparkling and still English wines, what sets Hattingley wines apart from the rest is the subtle use of oak barrels to age the wine. Hattingley’s sparkling wines take a minimum of 18 months to mature and develop, ensuring delicious flavours that showcase the versatility of English wine. You can enjoy a Hattingley selection case for just £150, saving £25 on the RRP – simply use code EH25 at checkout. This case of six wines contains Blanc de Blanc 2014, Classic Reserve, Rosé 2019, Still Rosé 2021, Still White 2020 and Pinot Noir 2020.

From farm diversification to award-winning wine

A short history of Hattingley Valley

When the Robinson family planted a vineyard as a farm diversification project in 2008, they had no idea what it would lead to. Hattingley was developed under the guidance of Emma Rice, one of the first people to obtain a BSc in Viticulture and Oenology from Plumpton College, who went on to win winemaker of the year in 2014 and 2016. Emma oversaw the creation of Hattingley’s eco-friendly, 600-tonne winery in time for the first harvest in 2010. During her tenure, Hattingley won numerous awards and helped develop the wider English wine community.

In 2022 Emma handed the reins over to Robert MacCulloch. With over two decades of experience in the wine industry, Robert holds the highest level of wine accolade, the Master of Wine. He’s one of a few full-time winemakers experienced in both wine production and wine commerce, boasting extensive skill in both cool and warm climates.

To redeem all of these offers and more, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/rewards

ONLY

Best available seats for a delightful stage show

Based on Deborah Moggach’s beloved book that also inspired the hit film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel takes you on a journey to India with an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life. The stage show is touring the UK this year and stars an icon of Hollywood’s golden age, Hayley Mills, plus Paul Nicholas and Rula Lenska.

SAVE 5%

Enjoy a special day out by steam

Get on board with The Railway Touring Company for a special trip hauled by steam locomotive. Perfect for celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other important events, The Railway Touring Company has an inspiring range of day trips to locations all over the UK, including York, Edinburgh, Worcester, Scarborough and Bournemouth. You can save 5% on all day trips.

SAVE

UP TO

Fantastic deals on new cars

Driving away a brand-new car might cost a lot less than you think, thanks to Motorfinity Corporate. You can save up to 30% on a huge range of car brands including Skoda, Ford, Toyota and BMW. From a family hatchback to a speedy two-seater or SUV, Motorfinity Corporate has the car to fit your lifestyle, including a wide range of full-electric and hybrid cars.

The original spirit of Norway

To redeem all of these offers and more, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/rewards

Over 60 free events to choose from

Get ready for Members’ Week

be W

Enjoy unforgettable encounters, guided tours, family days out and much more from 10–16 April

PLUS Easter Adventure Quests, Easter Escapades, St George’s Festival, Gothic Falconry, WWII Weekend and exclusive Members’ Events

Step into spring with our events

Get out and about with our events and activities taking place across the country, from swing bands to sword-swinging knights. For complete listings, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/events

Put a spring in your step this season by getting out and about at our events. Whether you’re a history buff, a culture vulture or looking for some family fun, there’s something for everyone. During the first half of April, our Easter Adventure Quests give you the chance to go on a family adventure and see our properties in a new light – there’s even a chocolate treat for kids who complete the challenge. At Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, children will

also love St George’s Festival – you can even see England’s patron saint taking on a dragon. The spectacular Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire hosts Gothic Falconry –your chance to see birds of prey up close – as well as our Pirates event, full of seafaring shenanigans and hands-on activities. There are even more family activities, as well as sideshows and traditional fairground rides, at Victoria’s Family Day Out at Osborne on the Isle of Wight. Or for something more sedate,

Unmissable events across the country

you can enjoy Yorkshire’s finest swing bands at Swing into Spring, or Classic Car Fun for Father’s Day, both at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in South Yorkshire. Over at Stokesay Castle in Shropshire, find out all about the Middle Ages in our Medieval Life event. Or you can head back even earlier in time with The Romans Return at Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre, Kent. For further details and full listings of all our events, go to our website at: www.english-heritage.org.uk/events

EASTER ESCAPADES

This April, join our performers at sites up and down the country for four days of Easter fun. There will be plenty of opportunity for the whole family to get involved in traditional games, activities and challenges at properties that include Beeston Castle and Woodland Park in Cheshire, Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, and Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire. Turn to page 9 to find out more.

WWII WEEKEND

Make the most of the bank holidays this May with our spectacular WWII Weekends, taking place at Dover Castle in Kent and Audley End House and Gardens in Essex. Witness an action-packed battle between the allied and German forces, featuring pyrotechnics and army vehicles. Experience life on the home front while the kids enjoy hands-on activities, including the sergeant’s assault course.

CLASH OF KNIGHTS AND KNIGHTS’ TOURNAMENT

At sites ranging from Pendennis Castle in Cornwall to Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire, you can experience the thrill of medieval combat with our special knights-themed events. The Knights’ Tournaments also give you the chance to experience life in a medieval encampment and meet people from the Middle Ages.

Exclusive offers just for you

From thoughtful treats to grand gestures, treat yourself with access to the Molton Brown Private Webpage, filled with exclusive offers. Simply scan the QR code to access

Wed 12 Apr, 11am

I’D NEVER HAVE SEEN THAT: SECRETS OF BOLSOVER CASTLE

Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire EM

Bookings open on 24 March

Members’ Week

From 10–16 April, we’re running a series of free events, supported by Hurtigruten Cruises, exclusively for Members.To book, and for full listings, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/membersweek

L London SE South East SW South West EE East of England EM East Midlands WM West Midlands Y Yorkshire and the Humber NW North West HW Hadrian’s Wall NE North East Family friendly

Mon 10–Tue 11 Apr, 11am

EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS’ TOUR OF THE JEWEL TOWER

Jewel Tower, London L

Join James Parkes, site manager of the Jewel Tower, for an exclusive tour of the property and grounds. Includes a free hot drink and biscuits.

Access: moderate

Mon 10–Fri 14 Apr, 1.30pm

KIDS HAVE A GO AT PLANTING

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Northumberland NE

Join our gardens team for a family friendly planting session in the gardens at Belsay Hall. Our gardeners will show little ones how to plant and take care of different types of seeds.

Access: easy

Kids Have a Go at Planting

Tue 11 Apr, 10am & 12pm

STANTON DREW: HISTORY AND FOLKLORE

Stanton Drew Stone Circles, Somerset SW

Join our expert guide to learn all about this surprisingly little known prehistoric site, which is the third largest complex of standing stones in England.

Access: moderate

Tue 11 Apr, 11am

INTRODUCTION TO LIVERPOOL’S HERITAGE WALKING TOUR

Pier Head, Liverpool, Merseyside NW

Join our local guide for a walking tour detailing the history of Liverpool, including some of the city’s most iconic buildings, statues and historical figures.

Access: moderate

Tue 11 & Thu 13 Apr, 6pm A TOUR OF DEAL CASTLE Deal Castle, Kent SE

Join us for an exclusive tour of one of Henry VIII’s device forts. This walk will take you down vaulted walkways and dark passages, all while covering the castle’s history, from the Tudor period to the Second World War.

Access: moderate

Join our local tour guide for a look at Bolsover Castle, paying special attention to the hidden mistakes and quirks that the builders and artists made while constructing the castle.

Access: moderate

Wed 12 Apr, 11am

LIVERPOOL’S AMERICAN LINKS WALKING TOUR

Lime Street Station, Liverpool, Merseyside NW

Discover the the links between Liverpool and America on this walk, including founding fathers, slavery and the cotton trade, and the American Civil War.

Access: moderate

Wed 12 & Sun 16 Apr, 5pm

THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF THE ABBEY

St Augustine’s Abbey, Kent SE This Members’ Week take an exclusive tour around St Augustine’s Abbey. Explore the ruins of this heritage site while learning about the first 100 years of this important landmark.

Access: moderate

Enjoy exclusive access

Wed 12 Apr, 7.30am

STONEHENGE: UP CLOSE

Stonehenge, Wiltshire SW

Gain a fascinating insight into the World Heritage Site with an exclusive tour around the monument, including the rare chance to enjoy early morning access to the stone circle.

Access: moderate

Wed 12 & Fri 14 Apr, 10.15am & 1.15pm

MEET THE HORSES AT AUDLEY END

Audley End House and Gardens, Essex EE

Join Audley End’s stables team to learn more about the resident horses and how they are trained. Plus you’ll even get the opportunity to try your hand at grooming the horses.

Access: easy

Wed 12, Fri 14 & Sat 15 Apr, 11am

MEET THE HUNGERFORDS

Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Somerset SW

Join our expert guide for a family friendly tour around the castle. Packed with storytelling and props, learn all about the history of the Hungerford family.

Access: moderate

Wed 12–Sat 15 Apr, 8.15am

YOGA AT WITLEY COURT

Witley Court and Gardens, Worcestershire WM

Join yoga teacher Janine Rusby in the tranquil setting of Witley Court for some gentle yoga to help improve your flexibility and quality of movement.

Access: moderate

Thu 13 Apr, 10.30am

DESIGN YOUR OWN DRAGON – DRAWING WORKSHOP

Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden, Warwickshire WM

Design your own dragon with dragon experts Perdita Worthy and her Uncle Flinders. This will be an opportunity to learn about dragons and their history as the Victorian dragon hunters share their experience and knowledge. You will also get a chance to draw a dragon of your own imagining.

Access: easy

Thu 13 Apr, 1pm

BUILDING A DRAGON ADVENTURE STORY

– STORY WORKSHOP

Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden, Warwickshire WM

Perdita Worthy, noted collector of fairy tales, has a new hobby: dragon hunting! Using the latest scientific gadgets and a camera, our Victorian heroine has collected images and accounts of dragons and is setting out on an expedition, accompanied by her assistant, Major Flinders Worthy, to seek out more. Learn about these extraordinary creatures and, perhaps, find some means of taming one to study further. She will need your help! Come and learn how to find a dragon, track it and, if you’re lucky, gain its trust.

Access: easy

Thu 13 Apr, 10am

WILDFLOWERS OF MARBLE HILL

Marble Hill, London L

Join our gardening team at Marble Hill for a talk on wildflower management and the meadows of Marble Hill. Enjoy a guided walk through the meadows and learn how you can encourage wild flowers to grow in your own garden.

Access: moderate

Fri 14 Apr, 10.30am DESIGN YOUR OWN DRAGON – DRAWING WORKSHOP

Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire EM Design your own dragon with dragon experts Perdita Worthy and her Uncle Flinders. This will be an opportunity to learn about dragons and their history as the Victorian dragon hunters share their experience and knowledge.

Access: easy

‘Kids will love learning how to find a dragon, track it and, if they’re lucky, gain its trust’

Fri 14 Apr, 11am

MEET THE SERVANTS AT BOLSOVER CASTLE

Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire EM

Join our local tour guide for a tour of Bolsover Castle, bringing to life the people who made the castle tick, showing where they would have worked and how they lived.

Access: moderate

Fri 14 Apr, 1pm

BUILDING A DRAGON ADVENTURE STORY – STORY WORKSHOP

Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire EM

Perdita Worthy, noted collector of fairy tales, has a new hobby: dragon hunting! Using the latest scientific gadgets and a camera, our Victorian heroine has collected images and accounts of dragons and is setting out on an expedition, accompanied by her assistant, Major Flinders Worthy, to seek out more. Learn about these extraordinary creatures and, perhaps, find some means of taming one to study further. She will need your help!

Access: easy

Fri 14 Apr, 11am

TAPESTRY WORKSHOP

1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, East Sussex SE

Where better to learn tapestrystyle embroidery than on the site of the Battle of Hastings? Come along to Battle Abbey where you’ll pick up a brand new skill with our expert tutor in this special historic embroidery workshop.

Access: moderate

Don’t miss our virtual events

Online Members’ Week events you can take part in wherever you are

Fri 14 Apr, 1pm

HISTORY OF CASTLERIGG STONE CIRCLE

Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria NW

Join our knowledgeable volunteers on a journey through Neolithic Cumbria, and learn about the history and mysteries of Castlerigg Stone Circle. Please note that the walk to the stones from Keswick takes around 30 minutes.

Access: moderate

Can’t make it to any of the Members’ Week events taking place at our sites? There’s no need to miss out because there’s also a wide range of free online events exclusively for Members.

Take a virtual tour of sites including JW Evans Silver Factory, explore the blue plaques of Fitzroy Square in London, get upclose to historic coronation memorabilia with our expert curator or take a deep dive into our project to transform Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens.

Kids can go to Fool School with our resident jester, hear tales of legendary characters or meet the animals who live in the Victorian farmyard at Boscobel House.

Check the website for full details of the online programme and book your spot now.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ membersweek

Sat 15 Apr, 11am & 1pm

MEET THE MEDIEVAL SOLDIER

Beeston Castle and Woodland Park, Cheshire NW

Join our medieval soldier to hear all about Beeston Castle and the hidden secrets of the castle ruins in this family event. Learn about the soldier’s kit and armour, and what training and fighting might have looked like for a medieval soldier at Beeston Castle.

Access: moderate (there are steep cliffs at the site, as well as rabbit holes and large areas of uneven surfaces, so the event may not be suitable for prams or wheelchairs)

Sat 15 Apr, 10am

LAUGHTER YOGA AT WALMER CASTLE

Walmer Castle and Gardens, Kent SE

Laughter yoga is based on the principle that our bodies benefit from laughing – even when we’re only pretending. Using a combination of deep breathing techniques from yoga and playful laughter exercises, practised in groups where you can connect with your sense of childlike fun, laughter yoga floods your body with ‘happy hormones’ and helps you feel relaxed and restored. As long as you are willing to have a go, you will enjoy the psychological and physiological benefits.

Access: easy

Sat 15 Apr, 11am & 1.30pm

BLUE PLAQUES WALK: WESTMINSTER

Jewel Tower to St James’s Park, London L

Join historian Dr Susan Skedd on a guided walk to discover which famous figures from the past lived and worked in Westminster. Find out about the lives of the politicians, writers and pioneering women who have been commemorated with blue plaques as we explore the history of some of London’s finest Georgian streets.

Access: moderate

Sat 15 Apr, 1pm

BUILDING A DRAGON ADVENTURE STORY – STORY WORKSHOP

Sun 16 Apr, 10.30am A TOUR INSIDE

FRAMLINGHAM WORKHOUSE

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk EE

Join us for an exclusive tour and learn more about the history of Framlingham’s 18th-century workhouse. Hear stories about the inmates’ lives and learn about the conditions inside, including diet and work.

Access: moderate

Sat 15 Apr, 10.30am

DESIGN YOUR OWN DRAGON – DRAWING WORKSHOP

Wrest Park, Bedfordshire EE

Design your own dragon with dragon experts Perdita Worthy and her Uncle Flinders. This will be an opportunity to learn about dragons and their history as the Victorian dragon hunters share their experience and knowledge. You will also get a chance to draw a dragon of your own imagining.

Access: easy

Wrest Park, Bedfordshire EE Perdita Worthy, noted collector of fairy tales, has a new hobby: dragon hunting! Using the latest scientific gadgets and a camera, our Victorian heroine has collected images and accounts of dragons and is setting out on an expedition, accompanied by her assistant, Major Flinders Worthy, to seek out more. With her knowledge of their nests, habits, diet and behaviours, she hopes to observe them in their natural habitat and learn about these extraordinary creatures. But she will need your help! Come and learn how to find a dragon, track it, get close to it and, if you’re lucky, gain its trust.

Access: easy

Sun 16 Apr, 11am & 1.30pm

BLUE PLAQUES WALK: ST JAMES’S Green Park tube station, London L

Join historian Dr Susan Skedd on a guided walk around the blue plaques of St James’s and discover which famous figures have been commemorated at their former homes. You will encounter many celebrated names, including the first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons, and you will also have a chance to visit the house bearing the oldest blue plaque in London.

Access: moderate

‘Find out about the lives of the famous figures from the past who are linked to Westminster’

This superb collection of finely detailed Hornby Dublo models have been carefully compiled to celebrate the locomotive’s Centenary The selection of models traces the six major stages of both structural and livery changes of ‘Flying Scotsman’ from the time it was outshopped in 1923 to when it returned to traffic after a full restoration in 2016 This fine collection of models, all of which will be presented in special limited edition centenary packaging, will include a dedicated, model specific brass effect medallion For the collector it must be noted that this will be the first instance when any models of ‘Flying Scotsman’ have been produced under the Hornby

brand

Celebrate the centenary of Flying Scotsman with Hornby ARRIVING SPRING 2023

Thu 8 Jun, 10am–12pm & 2pm–4pm

EXPERIENCE YORKSHIRE –WHITBY WALKING TOUR

Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire Y

Join guide Sarah Milne-Day

Bookings open on 24 March

Members’ Events

Meet our experts and enjoy special access to sites as part of these events, which are held exclusively for Members. For full listings, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/members-events

L London SE South East SW South West EE East of England EM East Midlands

WM West Midlands Y Yorkshire and the Humber NW North West HW Hadrian’s Wall

NE North East Family friendly

Thu 1 Jun, 8am–10am

NATURE WALK: BOSCOBEL HOUSE AND WHITE LADIES PRIORY

Boscobel House and The Royal Oak, Shropshire WM

Learn about the amazing animals that inhabit this area and how to spot them, with a particular focus on the different species of birds that live here.

£20. Access: moderate

Tue 6, Thu 15, Tue 20 & Thu 29 Jun, 2pm–3pm GARDENS TOUR AT ELTHAM PALACE

Eltham Palace and Gardens, London L

Join our gardeners on a tour of Eltham Palace’s stunning grounds. As part of Gardens

Month 2023, our experts are on hand to provide you with insight into how the gardens are tended, while giving you plenty of tips and tricks along the way.

£18. Access: moderate

Wed 7, Wed 14, Wed 21 & Wed 28 Jun, 2.30pm–3.30pm

GARDENERS’ TOUR AT AUDLEY END HOUSE AND GARDENS

Audley End House and Gardens, Essex EE

Sat 3 Jun, 11am–1pm

LEEDS’ HIDDEN QUEER HISTORY

The Bookish Type, The Merrion Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire Y Historian Kit Heyam reveals the hidden queer history of Woodhouse and the university area of Leeds.

£20. Access: moderate

Join our gardeners on a tour of the stunning grounds surrounding Audley End House, created by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. As part of Gardens Month 2023 our experts will be on hand to provide you with insights into how the gardens are tended, while giving you tips and tricks along the way.

£18. Access: moderate

on a tour of Whitby. Starting at the spectacular abbey, you will then head down into the picturesque town and harbour to discover the history, industry and characters hidden among the winding alleys.

£25. Access: challenging

Sat 10 Jun, 11am–1.30pm & 2pm–4.30pm

QUEER LIMEHOUSE

Poplar station, Castor Lane exit, London L

Join Nick Collinson for a walk through the streets of Limehouse – the former Chinatown of London and a favourite haunt of foreign sailors. You will hear all about the LGBTQ+ history of the area, with some very famous names thrown in along the way. £18. Access: moderate

Tue 13 Jun, 10am–1.30pm

WILLOW WEAVING WORKSHOP

Witley Court and Gardens, Worcestershire WM

Join Nina from Green Spiral Willow for a morning of willow weaving. Learn all about how the willow is cut and processed, and some key willow weaving techniques, as you create two attractive willow bird feeders – one to fill with fat balls and one for seeds. These will make great additions to your garden or thoughtful handmade gifts. All the materials to create the bird feeders will be supplied. £45. Access: easy

Fri 16 Jun, 10am–12pm

BATTLEFIELD WALKS: THE BATTLE OF TORRINGTON (1646)

Great Torrington, Devon SW

Join Julian Humphrys of the Battlefields Trust for a closer look at the Battle of Torrington, one of the last battles of the Civil War of 1642–46. The walk is around two miles and the duration will be about two hours.

£22. Access: moderate

Fri 16 Jun, 1pm–2.30pm

INSIDE THE MOAT AT WALMER CASTLE

Walmer Castle and Gardens, Kent SE

Join our head gardener at Walmer Castle as he takes you on a journey through the ongoing moat project. This tour will provide you with an insight into how the moat garden is looked after, what plants are growing there and what the future looks like for this very exciting garden. As part of the tour, hot drinks and cake will be served.

£23. Access: moderate

Mon 19 Jun, 11am–12.30pm

MOUNT GRACE PRIORY GARDENS TOUR

Mount Grace Priory, North Yorkshire Y

Led by one of our gardens team, discover the secrets behind our latest projects as part of Gardens Month 2023. Explore the grounds and go behind the scenes of how the team brings the gardens to life.

£18. Access: moderate

City centre walking tour

Fri 16 Jun, 2pm–5pm

BATTLEFIELD WALKS: THE BATTLE OF STRATTON (1643)

Stratton, Bude, Cornwall SW

Join Julian Humphrys of the Battlefields Trust on this hike around the site of Battle of Stratton. The walk begins in historic Stratton, goes along country lanes, attractive woodland and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding area. The distance is four miles and the duration will be around three hours. £22. Access: moderate

Sat 24 Jun, 11am–1pm

YORK’S HIDDEN QUEER HISTORY

Clifford’s Tower, York, North Yorkshire Y Historian Kit Heyam reveals the hidden queer history of York. On a walking tour of the city centre, you’ll discover stories of Roman trans women, 19th-century lesbian marriages, and the origins of the UK’s first ever gay pride march. This tour is linear and will finish at the Yorkshire Museum. £20. Access: moderate

Tue 20 Jun, 11am–12.30pm

GARDENS TOUR AT KENILWORTH CASTLE AND ELIZABETHAN GARDEN

Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden, Warwickshire WM

Led by our expert garden supervisor, discover the secrets behind our latest projects as part of Gardens Month 2023. Explore the grounds and see how the team brings the gardens to life. Hear all about the history of the gardens at Kenilworth Castle and find out how they have been recreated today.

£18. Access: moderate

Thu 22 Jun, 10.30am–12pm

HEAD GARDENER TOUR AT BELSAY HALL

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Northumberland NE

Join the head gardener at Belsay Hall for a behind-the-scenes look at our latest garden projects as part of Gardens Month 2023. Explore the grounds and learn all about the plants in the 30 acres of Grade I-listed gardens, including the the Jurassic-feeling Quarry Garden.

£18. Access: moderate

Sat 24 Jun, 6pm–7pm

MIDSUMMER GARDEN TOUR AT DOWN HOUSE

Down House, Kent SE

The gardeners at Down House take you on an exclusive afterhours midsummer tour of the grounds that Darwin used as his ‘living laboratory’. Learn how the gardens are looked after and maybe even take some tips and tricks away with you that you can use in your own garden.

£18. Access: moderate

HEAD GARDENER TOUR

AT BRODSWORTH HALL

Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, South Yorkshire Y

‘Find out all about the festivities that Elizabeth I enjoyed during her 19day visit to Kenilworth’

Thu 6 Jul, 5.15pm–7.45pm IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ELIZABETH I Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden, Warwickshire WM

Sat 1 Jul, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1pm–4pm

ROMAN POT MAKING AT LULLINGSTONE ROMAN VILLA

Lullingstone Roman Villa, Kent SE

Join artist Brenda Burgess to explore techniques used by the Romans when making their pots at the inspirational setting of Lullingstone Roman Villa. This is a half-day workshop, so you will have plenty of time to really get to grips with this craft. Firing of your pot is available for a small additional fee. £35. Access: easy

On 9 July 1575, Elizabeth I rode down the Tiltyard at Kenilworth Castle and began her 19-day visit. Join our guide for a special tour to commemorate the stay of one of England’s most well-known monarchs.

£30. Access: moderate

Take

Roman Pot Making at Lullingstone RomanVilla

Wed 5 Jul, 11.30am–2pm

BLUE PLAQUE WALK:

CHELSEA AND THE RIVER

Cadogan Gardens, London L

Join historian Dr Susan Skedd on this guided walk, which will highlight a number of recently erected blue plaques. The walk will focus on the streets surrounding Sloane Square, which were home to a plethora of famous writers, as well as celebrated figures from the world of music and dance.

£25. Access: moderate

68 Spring 2023

Sat 15 Jul, 10am–4pm

BATTLEFIELD WALKS: THE BATTLE OF ROUNDWAY DOWN (1643)

Near Devizes, Wiltshire SW

Thu 13 Jul, 10am–4pm

BOOK ART – WREATHMAKING WORKSHOP

Wrest Park, Bedfordshire EE

Spend the day with our bookfolding team at Wrest Park and recycle the pages of old and discarded books into a beautiful floral wreath. You will learn how to make three different flowers using a variety of techniques and will transform paper and cardboard into a stunning threedimensional decorative wreath for yourself or as the perfect present. No previous experience is necessary and all materials are included. A light lunch and refreshments will be provided. £50. Access: easy

Fri 14 Jul, 10am–12pm & 2pm–4pm EXPERIENCE YORKSHIRE

– LEEDS WALKING TOUR

Black Prince statue, City Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire Y Join Yorkshire blue badge guide Sarah Milne-Day on a walking tour of Leeds. Think it’s all just shopping and socialising? Think again as the city’s industrial heritage, vibrant art and elegant arcades are revealed. We will visit the spectacular Corn Exchange, see the first Marks & Spencer and meet the area’s mascot on this two-hour walk around the city centre. £25. Access: moderate

Sat 15 Jul, 11am–1.30pm & 2pm–4.30pm CITY OF LONDON

– URBAN JUNGLE

St Paul’s station, London L

Did you know that London has nearly one tree for every inhabitant? The City of London contributes massively to this surprising statistic, and much of this is due to disaster. Join Nick Collinson and hear some unexpected tales of quarrelsome queens, supernatural stones and brimming burial grounds, and see how London has risen from the ashes on multiple occasions to become one of the most biologically diverse capital cities in the world.

£18. Access: moderate

The joys of reading

Join us at The Reading List to get access to new books, special offers and more

As an English Heritage Member, you can enjoy exclusive access to the Vintage book club, The Reading List, to learn about new books, read exclusive extracts and interviews, and enter competitions. Each month, the club highlights a varied selection of new titles, including fiction, non-fiction and memoirs. To find out more, go to www.englishheritage.org.uk/members-area/rewards/vintage

A selection of Vintage’s recent titles to inspire your spring reading…

A House for Alice by Diana Evans

After 50 years in London, Alice wants to live out her days in the land of her birth. Her three children are divided on whether she stays or goes. This is the latest novel from Diana Evans, who has also written 26a, The Wonder and Ordinary People, which won the 2019 South Bank Sky Arts Award.

Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray

Explore a littleknown facet of First World War history in this new thriller from Philip Gray, which explores the aftermath of war and the impossible task of finding loved ones among the lost. The novel was inspired by the author’s own grandfather’s experiences as a soldier in the conflict.

I’m Black So You Don’t Have to Be by Colin Grant

A memoir told through a series of intimate intergenerational portraits, this is an unforgettable exploration of family, identity, race and generational change. Collectively these stories build into poignant and insightful testimony of the black British experience.

The New Life by Tom Crewe

Two Victorian marriages. Two dangerous love affairs. One extraordinary partnership that’s based on the vision for a better world. Tom Crewe’s beautifully written debut novel transports the reader to Victorian London and explores same-sex desire and the search for freedom.

Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino

From a tiny crimson pear in England to a Mexican exploding corn, thousands of foods are at risk of being lost forever. Dan Saladino uncovers their stories, meeting farmers, scientists, cooks and indigenous communities defending food traditions and fighting for change.

Pandora by Susan StokesChapman

London, 1799. A mysterious Greek vase is delivered to Dora Blake’s parents’ famed shop of antiquities. This then sets in motion a chain of events that has Dora questioning everything that she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it.

brought to you by

Elizabeth Finch was a teacher, a thinker, an inspiration. Neil is just one of many who fell under her spell during his time in her class. Tasked with unpacking her notebooks after her death, Neil encounters once again Elizabeth’s astonishing ideas on the past and on how to make sense of the present.

My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor

Based on a true story, My Father’s House is a powerful thriller from a master of historical fiction. Set during 1943, it tells the extraordinary tale of Vatican priest Hugh O’Flaherty, who risked everything to save Allied soldiers and Jewish refugees.

Now’s the time to tackle your smartphone

At last, using your smartphone can be easy, simple and stress-free. Find out how...

Modern mobile phones – smartphones as they’re called – can do so much more than just make phone calls.

From browsing the web wherever you are, checking train times, acting as a sat nav... And best of all they can make it so easy to keep in touchwithfamilyandfriends–insomanyways, from sharing photos to making video calls. But using them isn’t always as easy as you’d want – and that’s putting it mildly!

Do the manufacturers do it on purpose?

Sometimesitcanseemlikethemanufacturers deliberately make them complicated – and how you do things is often hidden away. It might be easy once you know, but until you’ve been shown the easy way, it can drive you mad.

In fact only yesterday I was talking to someone whose Mum had got a new allsinging-all-dancing phone – but she couldn’t work out how to answer a phone call on it! She’s not daft - it’s just that it’s different from what she’d used before and the phone didn’t come with a manual telling her what to do.

Whether you have similar problems or you’re trying to do something slightly more advanced, the thing is, it can be easy to use them... once you know how. But until you’ve been shown, it can be like talking a different language.

That’s why we’ve published these books: iPhones One Step at a Time, Android Phones One Step at a Time and Doro Smartphones One Step at a Time

Plain English... and that’s not all

They explain how to use the phone, in plain simple language with pictures of the screen showing you exactly where to tap or slide your fingers. No jargon!

What’s covered?

I can’t list it all here. But amongst other things, you’ll discover:

• The basics of controlling it – swiping, tapping, opening apps & so on.

• How to use it as a sat-nav.

• Send emails from your phone.

• Most phones have a good camera so you can take photos: here’s how to use it properly (and for videos).

• Video phone calls – a great way to keep up with family who live a long way away

• Share photos with friends around the world – quickly and easily.

• See updates, photos and video clips from friends and family – as soon as they “post” them.

• Instant messaging & how to use it.

• Make it easier to read the screen.

• Browse the web at home or out and about.

• Choosing and downloading apps.

• And obviously, you can make phone calls and send and receive text messages. (“Voicemail” is covered, too)

All explained nice and simply. (Find out more in the free infopack – read on...)

What one reader had to say:

“Thanks for a fantastic smart phone book. Very pleasant staff as usual.

I think this book should be sold with every smart phone. I have learnt so much from it, the info you get with the phone is non-existent. Smart phones are quite complex, and your books speak in plain English.”

Only half the story

That’s only half the story but I don’t have room to explain here. I’ve put together full

Suitable for iPhones, Android smartphones and Doros.

(Not sure what phone you have?

Best send off for the free info pack)

information on the books – who they’re for, what they cover and so on.

What’s more the books also come with a free gift – no room to explain that here either.

Don’t buy now, do this instead

The books aren’t available in the shops or on Amazon. Instead, send off now to get a completely free, no-obligation information pack. It’ll explain what the books cover, who they’re suitable for and so on – showing you just how it could help you.

Just call 01229 777606 and talk to Jade or Shanice (lines open weekdays 8am-5.30pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm). Or email your name and postal address to [email protected] orpostthe coupon to The Helpful Book Company, 13B Devonshire Road Estate, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4JS today to get your full Smartphone infopack. We’ll put it in the post to you straight away (and we’ll keep your details private).

Even if you don’t know what type of smartphone you have, the information pack will show you how to tell.

Best order your Smartphone infopack now and soon you could be getting so much more from your phone – with much less hassle.

Or Call: 01229 777606

Helpful Book Company, 13B Devonshire Road Estate, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4JS.

We

After lockdown bike rides ignited a fascination with London’s blue plaques, Liz Harwood and Robin Key decided to cycle to all 950-plus plaques

We both bought bikes in 2007 and our love affair with cycling began. We’ve cycled more than 20,000 miles on our longdistance rides taking in the great European rivers such as the Loire, Rhine and the Danube, as well as cycling in Scandinavia and Spain. But back at home, we realised that London is a great cycling city – it’s largely flat and cycling is the quickest and cheapest way to get around.

During the first lockdown, we used our daily exercise allowance to cycle around central London. We already knew about many of the city’s blue plaques but cruising down quiet roads meant we had time to stop and properly look at them. We soon invested in The English Heritage Guide to London’s Blue Plaques (www.english-heritageshop. org.uk/the-english-heritage-guide-to-londons-blueplaques), which further piqued our curiosity.

We began to take a much more orderly approach to visiting the plaques, poring over the guidebook’s maps to plan our routes. Initially, in places such as Kensington and Mayfair, we’d tick off as many as 40 plaques on one outing. But as lockdown eased, we began to cycle further afield, where the plaques are more widely scattered.

It’s always interesting to see the homes of people you already know, but it’s equally satisfying to unearth the stories

GOT AN INTERESTING STORY?

Email us at membersmagazine@ ourmedia.co.uk

Top left Liz and Robin attended the unveiling of the blue plaque to Helena Normanton, one of the first women in England to practise as a barrister Above The couple in front of the plaque to Lord Reith Below Perusing the blue plaques guidebook

of remarkable people you might otherwise have never heard of. Whether they’re scientists, musicians or authors, the blue plaques scheme brings these exceptional people to light. The very last blue plaque we saw was dedicated to Harry Beck, designer of the London Underground map. Completing the project was bittersweet but the great thing is that it’ll never quite be over. New plaques continue to be installed every year and we’ve been keeping up – we were even fortunate enough to be invited to the unveiling of the plaque for Helena Normanton, one of the first female barristers in Britain Thank you to English Heritage for managing the London blue plaques scheme and for giving us so many interesting cycle rides.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/blue-plaques

‘We cycled to every blue plaque in London’

‘The great thing is that the project to see every plaque will never quite be over’

Exclusive holidays for life

Enjoy exclusive holidays for life in some of the UK and Europe’s most u s

unspoilt places

From its inception in 1983, the Holiday Property Bond has strived to preserve and protect our natural heritage. With a passion for renovating and restoring historic buildings, HPB’s extensive portfolio comprises over 1,400 of the finest holiday properties in the UK and Europe. All are situated in beautiful countryside, with many in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

You can holiday in any of the properties for the whole of your lifetime and then pass the benefits on to your children or grandchildren. An initial investment of as little as £5,000 means that you can look forward to truly memorable holidays in wonderful places, with top quality accommodation year after year after year.

To find out more about HPB, please read ‘Exclusive holidays for life’ on the right and then ask for your FREE information pack. Visit hpb.co.uk/heritage

FREE

An initial payment from £5,000 and a quarterly fee of just over £35 (that is around £140 a year), linked to RPI, gives you access to all HPB’s holiday homes. For each HPB holiday, you will pay a no-profit user charge covering only property running and maintenance costs and use of on-site facilities.The charge is level throughout the year – there are no high season premiums. For a studio the charge averages about £347 a week, for a 2-bedroom property around £533 a week. Larger properties are also available. After an initial charge of 25% your money is invested in a fund of holiday properties and securities.The fund itself meets annual charges of 2.5% of its net assets at cost, calculated monthly.Your investment return is purely in the form of holidays and, as with most investments, your capital is at risk. You can surrender your investment to the company after two years or more (subject to deferral in exceptional circumstances) but you will get back less than you invested because of the charges referred to above, as well as other overheads and changes in the value of the fund’s properties and securities.

This advertisement is issued by HPB Management Limited (HPBM) registered at HPB House, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 8EH. HPBM is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is the main UK agent and the property manager for HPB, issued by HPB Assurance Limited (HPBA) registered in the Isle of Man and authorised by the Financial Services Authority there. The Trustee of HPB is Equiom (Isle of Man) Limited, registered at Jubilee Buildings, Victoria Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2SH. The Securities Adviser is Stanhope Capital LLP of 35 Portman Square, London, W1H 6LR. No medical examination required. HPB is available exclusively through HPBM. HPBM promotes only HPB and is not independent of HPBA. Holders of policies issued by HPBA will not be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the company becomes unable to meet its liabilities to them but Isle of Man compensation arrangements apply to new policies. We are now unable to accept new applications from residents of EU countries and some other jurisdictions. HPB Assurance Limited reserves the right to decline an application at its sole discretion.

“In my experience, HPB has all the ingredients of a perfect holiday – stylish and comfortable homes, excellent leisure facilities, and all in such beautiful parts of the world. As an HPB Bondholder, I’ve got a lot of holidaying to look forward to in retirement!”

– Sue Barker

20 questions

Test your knowledge of our country houses with this quiz

1 Which landscape gardener began to remodel the gardens at Audley End House and Gardens in Essex in the 1760s, only to be dismissed two years later?

2 Down House in Kent is renowned for being the home of Charles Darwin – but for how long did he live there?

A 20 years

B 30 years

C 40 years

3 Can you identify this site (below) – one of the most complete surviving examples of a Victorian country house in England?

6 Can you unscramble the name of this Lincolnshire site, one of the biggest and bestpreserved medieval manor houses in England?

LOLLING DOGS BROUHAHA

7 Where would you find the 18th-century Appuldurcombe House?

8 Lyddington Bede House in Rutland was converted into an almshouse in the 1600s. What is an almshouse?

9 Which property houses the Wernher Collection of art?

10 Which Bedfordshire property (below) boasts 90 acres of French, Dutch, Italian and English-style gardens?

12 Which king took refuge at Boscobel House (below) in 1651 after Civil War defeat?

Log into the Members’ Area at www.english-heritage. org.uk/quizzes to check your answers

17 The 17th-century mansion at Mount Grace Priory was remodelled in what style?

A Arts and Crafts

B Art nouveau

C Art deco

13 What saved Marble Hill from destruction in 1902?

14 Which site was the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement?

15 In which century was Sutton Scarsdale Hall (below) in Derbyshire built?

18 Can you identify this Northumberland country house (above)?

19 Which London property boasts 112 acres of parkland designed by Humphry Repton?

4 The Grange at Northington, Hampshire, was built in which style?

5 The ruins of the 15thcentury Minster Lovell Hall lie beside which Oxfordshire River?

A Windrush

B Evenlode

C Cherwell

11 The conservatory at Chiswick House and Gardens is home to the oldest collection in Britain of which flower?

A Hydrangeas

B Peonies

C Camellias

16 Which king loved Apethorpe Palace so much that he personally contributed to its extension?

A James I

B Edward VI

C William III

20 What is the name of the Alpine-style chalet at Osborne (above), built by Prince Albert for his nine children?

Listen and learn

Discover more about our country houses in episode 186 of the English Heritage Podcast. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ podcast

Margaret Cavendish at Bolsover

Margaret Cavendish was one of the most prolific female authors of the 17th century, writing plays, poetry, essays, biography, letters and more. Her interests were wide-ranging, encompassing literature, philosophy and science, and she wrote what is now considered one of the earliest sciencefiction novels, The Blazing World

Born Margaret Lucas, near Colchester, Essex, in 1623, and given a basic education by her wealthy parents, Margaret went on to become one of the most famous women of her age Aged 19, she moved to court and was a maid of honour to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. In 1644, the queen travelled to Paris to escape the violence of the Civil War, and Margaret accompanied her. While there, Margaret met and married William Cavendish, later Duke of Newcastle and owner of, among other properties, Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire. The Restoration of the

monarchy in 1660 saw William and Margaret return from exile and begin the long process of rebuilding William’s estates, including Bolsover.

The breadth of Margaret’s published work reflects her determination to create a legacy, and she was one of the first women to write under her own name rather than using a pseudonym. Her most well-known work, The Blazing World, follows a young woman who is shipwrecked in a strange utopian world full of creatures such as bear-men, fox-men, bird-men and worm-men. Featuring a woman as the ruling

mp ess, he n l simu ane u ly w rk s ienc - c , l tics,

empress, the novel is simultaneously a work of science-fiction, satire, politics, autobiography and imagination.

Margaret made headlines when, on 30 May 1667, she became the first woman to attend a meeting of the all-male Royal Society. Margaret’s visit was surrounded by excitement and drama, and people lined the streets to see her arrive. At the meeting, she viewed demonstrations by leading scientific thinkers Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke, and ‘several fine experiments were shown her of colours, loadstones, microscopes and of liquors’.

Margaret’s wide-ranging interests and perceived eccentricities later earned her the nickname ‘Mad Madge’, and the diarist Samuel Pepys described her as ‘a mad, conceited and ridiculous woman’. Despite such censure, she laid the foundations for many women writers, scientists and philosophers, and her work remains in print to this day.

Step into Margaret’s world

To plan a visit to Bolsover Castle and discover more about Margaret’s life, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/bolsover

‘ Margaret went on to become one of the most famous women of her age’

WORDS ELEANOR MATTHEWS ILLUSTRATION SUSAN BURGHART

On the 400th anniversary of the birth of Margaret Cavendish, it’s the perfect time to discover the story of Bolsover Castle’s most fascinating individual

‘WE’VE