editor's letter

As Britain begins to emerge into a new spring, we are more ready than ever to embrace the season’s life-affirming joys. This issue, we smell the roses (literally) in the blooming gardens of Kent and Sussex (Wonders of the Weald, p14) and explore the quaint, lost-in-time villages of Lincolnshire (Hidden England, p66). We also look back at the heyday of the great British seaside getaway, beloved of buttoned-up Victorian ladies and gents for its collar-loosening effects (Beside the seaside, p30). And we ponder the history of money and minting – once a murky business that even tarnished Henry VIII (Coin of the realm, p39). Now that stately homes are reopening, join us for a spin around four historic houses (Stately splendour, p22), and get an insider’s view from Tracy Borman, who looks…

your letters

STAR LETTER STEP BACK IN TIME BRITAIN As a teenager, I worked in Sudbury and spent many days driving the country roads through Clare, Long Melford and Lavenham. The small village of Kersey, just a few miles outside of Lavenham, was made famous for kersey, a wool cloth. Kersey’s main street is lined with beautiful listed buildings and is one of the best representations of medieval England. At the centre of the village is a ford. Wade through the water (minding the ducks) or take the footbridge and walk up the hill to the Church of St Mary’s. Then turn back to look at the village. You will then truly feel you have stepped back in time. Margaret Settle, St Robert, Missouri, USA LETTERS FROM AFAR Thank you for publishing the letter from Shirley Johnson…

top model

As lovers of Britain, its countryside and its history, your magazine has given us many hours of pleasure over the years. Back in 2001 and 2005 we got to spend a few unforgettable weeks over there. Now in our retirement, we decided to build this model train layout [right], highlighting some of the most memorable places we visited on our travels. An ongoing project of course, and a true labour of love! Rich & Jill Bailey, Juneau, Alaska, USA WRITE TO US! By post: Letters, BRITAIN, The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ Via email: editor@britain-magazine.com FOLLOW US! Twitter: @BritainMagazine Instagram: @britain_magazine Facebook: www.facebook.com/BritainMagazine Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/britainmagazine…

the bulletin

NEW OPENING Home improvements Having been confined to our own homes for more days than we care to count, it will be a treat to escape and explore East London’s Museum of the Home. Set to reopen in May 2021 following a major £18.1 million development, much more of the museum’s collections will now be on display in new galleries exploring personal experiences of home life over four centuries. In addition, the much-loved Rooms Through Time displays have been revived, bookended with new offerings such as ‘Domestic Game Changers’, which showcases how everyday objects have had a radical effect on the quality of life at home through history. And in a supernatural twist, a new Victorian room will present the clashing textures and patterns of a middle-class London parlour set up to…

reading corner

Life after Gravity: Isaac Newton’s London Career by Patricia Fara (£25, Oxford University Press). This new biography overturns the idea that Newton cared little about money and fame. Great Britain’s Railways: A New History by Colin Maggs (£12.99, Amberley Books). An expert's take on 400 years of British railway history, with a look to its future too. The Crichel Boys: Scenes from England’s Last Literary Salon by Simon Fenwick (£25, Constable). The biography of a house in Dorset that became a hub of literary and creative activity. John Keats: Poetry, Life and Landscapes by Suzie Grogan (£19.99, Pen & Sword). Grogan places Keats and his poetry clearly on the map, tracing his short life through the UK, from London to the Lakes and beyond. Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines by Henrietta Heald (£9.99,…

wonders of the weald

Picture a quintessentially English landscape and it probably looks much like the slice of southeastern England known as the High Weald. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty presents a timeless ensemble of wooded hills, sunken country lanes and magical villages dotted with Tudor manors, medieval churches and the red-brick oast houses that once held kilns for drying hops. It was Henry VIII who first crowned Kent ‘the Garden of England’. The High Weald, spanning 560 square miles across Kent and neighbouring Sussex, has long been renowned for its horticultural wonders. Nurtured by a warm and sunny microclimate and fertile soil, an extraordinary number of beautiful gardens bloom here, tucked away down ancient country lanes. First stop for any dedicated garden enthusiast should be Sissinghurst. When the author Vita Sackville-West and her husband…