Table of contents for November/December 2020 in Britain

As the nights draw in and we approach the end of this turbulent year, BRITAIN brings good cheer to warm your autumn and winter. We’ve fallen for the charms of North Norfolk, now that the summer crowds have left for the year (Historic Norfolk, p14); and we’ve found the cosiest countryside inns to stay in – fireside cheer guaranteed (Winter warmers, p48). For a further dash of winter warmth, turn to A royal Christmas (p30), a nostalgic look at how monarchs through the ages celebrated the festive season. As always, we have some fascinating life stories to absorb you: the (almost) explosive tale of Guy Fawkes (Gunpowder, Treason & Plot, p39) and the heart-stirring story of one of our best-loved authors (The real Beatrix Potter, p56). Finally, we’re proud to…

GETTING THERE Trains leave London Liverpool Street and King’s Cross every hour, arriving in Norwich or King’s Lynn in just under 2hr. From both towns there are local bus services. www.thetrainline.com WHAT TO SEE AND DO Holkham Hall is the grand seat of the Earls of Leicester, with lavish interiors and extensive grounds. www.holkham.co.uk Houghton Hall, once residence of Sir Robert Walpole, has beautiful gardens dotted with contemporary sculpture. www.houghtonhall.com The North Norfolk Railway travels a scenic route between Sheringham and Holt from April to October. www.nnrailway.co.uk Blickling Hall is a magnificent Jacobean house surrounded by splendid gardens. www.nationaltrust.org.uk Felbrigg Hall, home to the Windham family for 300 years, has a homely, intimate feel. www.nationaltrust.org.uk Sandringham, the Queen’s winter retreat, is partly open to the public from April to October.sandringhamestate.co.uk…

Sandringham House and Gardens Visitors can explore all the main ground-floor rooms of the house, along with 60 acres of formal gardens. The Luminate Light Trail, a mile-long illuminated route, will take place 20 November to 20 December. sandringhamestate.co.uk Windsor Castle A Christmas display lights up the castle in December; check the website for details. www.rct.uk Osborne House An outdoor 'twixtmas trail' will take place in the gardens of Queen Victoria's Isle of Wight home. www.english-heritage.org.uk…

GETTING THERE The best way to get to Wells from London is to get a train to either Bristol or Bath, and then catch a bus. Great Western Railway operates regular trains from Paddington Station to both Bristol (approximately 1hr 30min) and Bath (approximately 1hr 20min). Bus no. 376, the Mendip Xplorer, can then get you to Wells in around 50min from Bristol, and from Bath you can catch the no. 173 (1hr 10min). www.gwr.com; www.bustimes.org EAT, DRINK, SLEEP Beryl Country House is just a mile from Wells Cathedral, yet blissfully secluded in a leafy nook of the Mendip Hills. Channelling its history as a quintessentially English country home, its 12 rooms are elegantly furnished and there’s a self-catered cottage option on-site. For tea, coffee, cake, freshly prepared quiche, hearty…

Shakespeare and the Making of America by Kevin Hayes (£20, Amberley Books). From London’s Drury Lane Theatre to South Carolina, this is how Shakespeare was applied in a new home across the Atlantic. Roman Britain and Where to Find it by Denise Allen and Mike Bryan (£20, Amberley Books). The history of Britain’s best Roman villas, forts, walls and bathhouses, and some hidden gems you might walk right past. The Biscuit: The History of a Very British Indulgence by Lizzie Collingham (£18.99, Penguin Random House). The humble biscuit’s transformation from a staple for sailors to the nation's comfort food. Mad and Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch (£13.99, Hachette). The independent -minded, real women of the Regency behind the fictionalised myth. Wartime Christmas by Anthony Richards (£12.99,…

On a quiet Chelsea street between the River Thames and the bustling King’s Road, the odd passer-by pauses to ponder two small blue plaques set into the red-brick walls of numbers 30 and 34. Once home to the composer Philip Arnold Heseltine and wit and dramatist Oscar Wilde respectively, the circular signs serve as a reminder of these famous names and help us make the imaginative leap that connects us with the past. Tite Street, as this particular street is called, was a fashionable location for those of an artistic disposition in the late 19th century, and its most famous resident, Wilde, moved into number 34 with his wife in 1884. The house’s plaque, like others all over London, gives enthusiasts a tangible place to associate with the life and…

During this time of social isolation, it is just a pleasure to go for a walk. Today when I went into town and opened my post office box there was the latest edition of BRITAIN and my day was made! I could hardly wait to get home to read about North Yorkshire [Vol 88 Issue 4]. Two summers ago a friend and I did a driving tour of the moors to the shore and this article brought back so many memories. We visited Castle Howard, rented a little cottage up on the moors, rode the steam train from Goathland to Whitby and back and visited Robin Hood’s Bay and traveled up the cliff lift at Saltburn-by-the-sea, as well as wandered the coastline at Ravenscar! We had so many adventures encountering…

“I am not palace-minded,” once confessed the Queen’s father, King George VI. The unassuming Sandringham House was much more to his taste. With its weathered red-brick facade and croquet lawn, it was less splendid royal residence, more comfy country home – which perhaps explains why, like his father and grandfather before him, it was his favourite place to celebrate Christmas. The Norfolk estate, which lies just north of King’s Lynn, was bought for the future Edward VII in 1862, and it was he and his wife Alexandra who first began retreating there for the festive season. The house had been completely rebuilt for the couple, and though it has been unflatteringly described as ‘frenetic Jacobean’ in style, it was nevertheless said to be one of the most comfortable in England.…

Banish the winter blues with a break at a cosy inn deep in the countryside, by the sea or in a quaint village or country town. There is something so delicious about stepping inside after a bracing walk, to the smell of wood smoke and the hum of chatter. Draw a chair up to a real fire before dining on tasty seasonal fare, then sleep between crisp sheets and wake to a lazy breakfast. THE INN AT WHITEWELL, LANCASHIRE Third-generation owner Charles Bowman combines absolute professionalism with a sense of fun at this friendly country-sports inn on the River Hodder. After a day’s fishing, or a walk in the Forest of Bowland, you can warm yourself by a blazing log fire in one of the flagstone-floored public spaces adorned with…

Wells may be lesser-known compared to the Roman spa city of Bath just a 45-minute drive northeast, and Somerset’s town of cheesy renown, Cheddar (25 minutes northwest), yet it warrants just as much attention, as a visit to its magnificent Bishop’s Palace will quickly attest. Today’s Bishop of Bath and Wells can still call the 800-year-old Bishop’s Palace home, albeit only a small section of it. The vast majority of the palace (and it is vast) is open to the public thanks to the Palace Trust and offers an atmospheric insight into the lives of its earliest inhabitants. Passing beneath a medieval archway known as the Bishop’s Eye, you are greeted with the less than welcoming but nonetheless impressive sight of the palace’s ramparts, complete with a moat, drawbridge and…

GETTING THERE ScotRail operates rail services between Stirling and all other major Scottish cities, while the Caledonian Sleeper currently arrives daily at 4.57am, having travelled overnight from London Euston. www.scotrail.co.uk; www.sleeper.scot WHERE TO STAY Grand country house hotel Cromlix stands in 34 acres of woodland and gardens just outside Dunblane and has its own loch as well as a fabulous Chez Roux restaurant and spacious suites. Slightly further north, Gleneagles is perhaps Scotland’s most famous hotel, a “glorious playground” that has everything from a world-famous golf course and two Michelin-starred restaurants to horse riding, fishing and falconry. There’s also an indoor-outdoor heated pool. www.cromlix.com; www.gleneagles.com WHERE TO EAT Scotland’s only two-Michelin-starred restaurant is Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, where the fabulous tasting menu features home-smoked Scottish lobster, roast Highland lamb and…

GETTING THERE Canterbury is well connected to London by coach and train. The rail journey from London St Pancras can take as little as 50 minutes; it’s just over 1hr 30min from Victoria station. www.thetrainline.com WHERE TO STAY A stone’s throw from the Westgate, The Falstaff is a charming boutique hotel which gets top marks for location and extra credit for the period features in some of its rooms. www.thefalstaffincanterbury.com WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Make a beeline for The Goods Shed farmers market and food hall to stock up on fresh local ingredients for the perfect riverside picnic. Alternatively, stay put for cocktails and dinner in the on-site restaurant. Be sure to pause for an obligatory afternoon tea at the family-owned Tiny Tim’s Tearoom. www.thegoodsshed.co.uk; https://tinytimstearoom.com…