The Wall Street Journal - 14.03.2020 - 15.03.2020

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Saturday/Sunday, March 14 - 15, 2020 |D5

ADVENTURE & TRAVEL

might be the moment to

pause. Retford, one mile

away, has recently opened a

Pilgrims Gallery in the Bas-

setlaw Museum, dedicated to

the Mayflower story.

The journey is far from

over. It is likely they

walked—or sailed—to Gains-

borough, where they proba-

bly gathered in the Old Hall.

Tucked away in back streets,

it is one of the best pre-

served timber-frame manor

houses in the U.K., with a

spectacular vaulted hall and

a vast kitchen and fireplaces

big enough to roast an ox.

This is the moment for

those with stout boots and

hearts to embrace the inner

Pilgrim and get hiking. You

can follow the River Trent as

it snakes its way to Torksey

Lock about 5 miles away,

where it meets the Fossdyke

canal, built by the Romans in

AD 120; on to Lincoln, an-

other 10 miles. Boston is 30

miles away along the banks

of the River Witham; you can

amble through empty marsh-

land with fishermen, butter-

flies and birds for company.

The trail is long, but it is flat.

The fugitives would have

slunk past Lincoln for fear of

arrest, but this is most defi-

nitely not a place to bypass.

Lincoln’s old town is a de-

light of cobbled streets, an-

tique shops and cafes, domi-

nated by the cathedral, a

confection of Gothic flying

buttresses, ribbed vaults and

pointed arches. From Aug. 1

to Sept. 30, its Wren Library

will display writings from the

Mayflower adventure such as

an original copy of “Good

News from New England,” an

account of life in the settle-

ment, written in 1624 by Pil-

grim stalwart Edward Wins-

low. Seeing its frayed pages

brings a flutter to the soul.

Let’s be realistic: Few will

walk the walk. Most will

rent a car to drive one hour

to Boston or join one of the

tours organized by May-

flower 400, which is super-

vising the anniversary

events and outings

(mayflower400uk.org).In

Boston stands the looming

16th-century tower of St.

Botolph’s church, better

known, rather inelegantly, as

the Stump. Stretching 272

feet high, it was a landmark

for seafarers and travelers

long before the Pilgrims ar-

rived. And on the bleak

banks of the River Haven a

memorial marks the spot

where the fugitives were

seized as they boarded the

ship they hired to take them

to freedom. They were flung

into the cramped cells of the

town’s 14th-century Guildhall

and forced to face the magis-

trates in the courtroom—all

still well preserved.

Nothing could deter them,

however. By the summer of

1608 most of them had es-

caped England, and Bradford

declared: “In the end... they

all got over... and met to-

gether again with no small

rejoicing.”

For details on following the

Pilgrims’ trail,see wsj.com/

news/life-arts/travel

HistoryThe stout, turreted

house where exiled Soviet

revolutionary Leon Trotsky

took shelter from Stalinist

agents along with his wife,

Natalia Sedova, and their

wary entourage still stands in

Mexico City’s leafy Coyoacán

neighborhood.

AllureThe lived-in rooms and

well-used objects remain as

they were the day Trotsky was

assassinated with an ice ax,

Aug. 20, 1940. Trotsky’s broken

glasses sit on the desk where,

a few months prior, he wrote,

“Life is beautiful. Let the future

generations cleanse it of all

evil, oppression and violence,

and enjoy it to the full.”

FansGrizzled keepers of the

Trotskyist faith, eager to share

details that museum guides

won’t; those impatient with

long lines a fewblocks away at

Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul.

Cult MomentIn the 1930s and

’40s, Trotsky, Kahlo and her

husband, Diego Rivera, weren’t

the only intellectuals and art-

ists hanging out in Coyoacan.

The intrigue of those days still

crackles in the air in their

homes and local haunts—you

can (and should) still knock

back tequila at Cantina La

Guadalupana (Calle Higuera 2).

Museo Casa de León Trotsky,

Ave. Rio Churubusco 410,

Coyoacán, Mexico City; mu-

seotrotsky.com

—Beth Kracklauer

Plot Twist

For fans of Russian

history—or thrillers

—Leon Trotsky’s

home in Mexico City

is an unexpected

highlight

CULT FOLLOWING

LUCY HAN

ALAMY (TOP); LAURA LAVENDER (MAP)

THE PILGRIMS’ PROGRESSThe city of Lincoln, where English colonists passed through on their circuitous route to New England.

simple limestone building

with a little bell tower and a

font in which the boy might

have been baptized in the

spring of 1590. The church is

an oasis of calm with its

graveyard of lopsided grave-

stones, looming conifers and

a view across empty country-

side that has changed little

since young Bradford’s day.

The boy’s beliefs in the

radical movement of Separat-

ism were fired by William

Brewster, who, as postmaster,

lived in Scrooby Manor a lit-

tle more than 2 miles away.

The manor had become a hot-

bed of dissent, and Bradford

would trudge along the cart

tracks to join his mentor. The

manor was demolished

around 1636, though one

wing was renovated as a pri-

vate farmhouse in 1750. The

church of St. Wilfrid’s is still

standing, where, it’s said,

Brewster himself may have

prayed on two well-worn

pews, preserved from the

16th century. The Scrooby

congregation often walked

the 7 miles to All Saints’

Church, Babworth, to seek in-

spiration from one of the

movement’s most charismatic

speakers, Richard Clyfton.

It’s an atmospheric, shad-

owy spot with a churchyard

covered in snowdrops in late

winter and daffodils in

spring. Inside—forgive the ir-

reverence—you will find the

force is with you; a well-

worn stone figure in the

knave looks uncannily like

Yoda, the seer of Star Wars.

These churches are hum-

ble places of worship—some

of the pews are in need of

varnish, the paint is often

peeling on walls, the floors

uneven, with memorial

stones smoothed down by

generations of footsteps.

There’s the slight damp smell

that pervades ancient build-

ings. Let the imagination

roam; conjure up the voices

raised in pietistic passion.

It is possible to follow in

Bradford’s footsteps along

the 9 miles or so from Aus-

terfield to Babworth, though

the cart tracks and byways

have been mostly replaced by

tarmac. Walk or drive, this

K

ING HENRY VIII

of England had

no doubts. In

1536, faced with

uppity “traitors

and rebels,” he dubbed the

county of Lincolnshire as one

of the “most brute and bees-

telie [beastly] of the hole

realme.” It was a tad unfair

but, even today, the county is

not an immediate choice as a

vacation destination. It’s a

part of northern England that

drivers speed through, unim-

pressed by the big skies and

widescreen sunsets and un-

aware of the historic secrets

to be discovered in the vil-

lages, great halls and solid

stone churches.

This year presents a com-

pelling reason to visit: 2020

is the 400th anniversary of

the Mayflower voyage to

New England, and it was in

that ‘beastly’ county and the

neighboring districts of Not-

tinghamshire and Yorkshire

where the seeds of religious

dissidence were sown, lead-

ing eventually to that mo-

mentous adventure.

Where to start? The trail

begins in the village of Aus-

terfield, some 160 miles due

north of London. It ends

some 60 miles away near

Boston, Lincolnshire, where,

in 1607, the dissidents made

their first abortive attempt

to flee persecution and settle

in the tolerant Netherlands.

Eventually they succeeded

and moved first to Amster-

dam and then to the city of

Leiden until, disillusioned,

they decided to settle in

America. After their own

ship, the Speedwell, sprang a

leak, they were forced to sail

on the Mayflower from Plym-

outh, England.

It was in Austerfield that

William Bradford, who was

to become the governor of

Plymouth, New England, was

born in 1590 and where he

lived in his grandfather’s

house, which today is a mod-

est private home. There’s

nothing picture-postcard,

thatch-and-timber about the

village, but the 11th-century

church of St Helena’s is a

BYRICHARDHOLLEDGE

Those with stout boots and hearts can

embrace their inner Pilgrim and get hiking.

The Pilgrims came to America 400 years ago

this summer, but the journey began much

earlier. Follow their trail around northern

England—and keep an eye out for Yoda

English Beat

Pleasevisitusonline:

http://www.frankstellanyc.com

NEWYORKLOCATIONS

9217thAve.(cor.58st.)

M-F.10-7, Sat.10-6,Sun.12-5 (212)957-1600

440ColumbusAve.(cor.81st.)

M-F.11-8, Sat.11-7,Sun.12-6 (212)877-5566

FindUsonFacebook.com/frankstellanyc FindUsonInstagram.com/frankstellanyc PhoneOrdersAccepted

FREESHIPPING!

Ourclassiccorduroy,

awaleofajacket.

$

197

50

LastChance!

FinalWinterSale

Lastchanceforincredible

savingsasweclearout

ourWinterInventory!

Ourclassicshearlingsare

beautifullytailoredand

craftedforusofthefinest

qualityEnglishMerinolamb.

Softtothetouch,thesedurable

3/4lengthcoatsofferrealwarmth

inthecoldestwinterweather.

Availableinyourchoiceof

blackorbrown.

Reg.$1,995,65%OFFSale$698

ClassicShearlings

$ 698

Lastchanceforhugesavings

duringourFinalWinterSaleat

ourlowestpriceoftheyear.

Exclusivelytailoredforusofthe

finest100%cotton,finewale

corduroyfabricfromItaly.

Ourclassicsportcoatfeaturesa

softcorduroyforexceptional

comfortandisadefinitemustfor

thewelldressedman.Innavy,

black,olive,brownorcamel.

Reg.$395,50%OFFSale$197.50

Hurryin,limitedquantities

Whiletheylast!