discoverbritainmag.com 3LETTERSCOVER:STRAWBERRY HILL TRUST.THIS PAGE:© ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM.WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT LET TERS FOR PUBLICATIONCHELSEA
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Discover Britain ISSN 2397-7108) is published bi-monthly by The Chelsea (ISSN 0950-5245, USPS 000-135; Digital
Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ, England. Tel: +44 (0)20 7349 3700
Distributed in the US by NPS Media Group, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484. Periodicals postage
paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Discover Britain,
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© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2020. All rights
reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers.
The information contained inpublished in good faith and every effort has been made Discover Britain has been
to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check prices, opening times, dates,
etc, before making fi nal arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance
on the information contained within this publication is
hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by contributors
to necessarily those of Discover Britain are not
the publisher.SUBSCRIPTIONS
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(Please have to hand your subscription number,
found on your latest issue address sheet)
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Discover Britain, CDS Global, Sovereign Park,
Market Harborough LE16 9EF, EnglandLetters
On the cover:Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill House- see page 56. http://www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk
Welcome!
Britain is home to more than its fair
share of eccentrics. For a small island
nation, our history books are packed
with pleasingly daft behaviour. One
need only look to John “Mad Jack”
Mytton, the Regency MP who once
arrived at a dinner party riding a
bear and even set his own shirt on
fire in a bid to cure the hiccups.
As such, we have dedicated this
issue of Discover Britain to one
of our defining character traits:
eccentricity. We begin by introducing
you to England’s finest eccentrics via
their surviving homes (p10), before
detailing some rather unusual hotels
(p20). Anyone fancy spending a night
in a former prison cell?
We also celebrate the real-life
places that inspired Lewis Carroll’s
search for Wonderland (p46), as well
as marvelling at two of Britain’s most
eccentric buildings: Horace Walpole’s
Strawberry Hill House (p56) and the
Rushton Triangular Lodge(p77).STEVE PILLEditorGET IN TOUCH!
Write to us and win a book about Britain
Post: Letters, Discover Britain, The Chelsea
Magazine Company Ltd., Jubilee House,
2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ, UK
Email: [email protected]Curiouser and curiouser
I love your magazine and always read
it from cover to cover as soon as it comes.
And I love Oxford, where I spent a
delightful week in a Christ Church dorm
just last September. So, I was especially
excited to read the article comparing
Oxford and Cambridge.
However, I came to an abrupt stop in
the “Museums” paragraph where you claim
the Ashmolean’s [pictured] “cabinet of
curiosities was amassed by Elias Ashmole”.
The cabinet was actually first called
The Ark and was “amassed” by the
John Tradescants I and II at their home in
Lambeth during the 1600s. Mr Ashmole did
publish a catalogue of the collection, but he
acquired The Ark after John II’s death, and
some say he stole it. In spite of John’s widow
contesting the action, Ashmole did donate
the collection to Oxford in 1683, thus
founding the Museum named after him.
So please, dear editors, give credit to the
royal gardeners who actually did the work.Strawberry HillTHE ROARING TWENTIES EXPLORE LONDON’S ART DECO HISTORYThe last Shakespeare
Meet the Bard’sforgotten heir
Alice in WonderlandThe real places thatinspired Lewis Carro (^) ll
Inside London’s secret fantasy palace
EnglishTrue tales of curious (^) charactersEccentrics from history
a VIP BritishholidayWin with
flights
APRIL/MAY 2020 £4. 95
http://www.discoverbritainmag.com
Bonnie Prince CharlieRomantic hero or royal rogue?
Celebrate our nation’s history and heritage
OFC_DB_AprilMay 20.indd 2 25/02/2020 13:
The Tradescants story is an interesting
one, worthy of the several books written
about them. Many thanks for your
wonderful magazine.
Nancy Daley, Minnesota, USA
Sacred omission
Very interesting sacred sites and pilgrimages
featured in issue 212. My memories of
past visits to many were refreshed and
reawakened. To my surprise, Iona and
St Andrews were overlooked. With its
restored Abbey, Iona is still a popular
summer bus tour destination from the
mainland. I stayed there first in 1955
when there was also a round-trip
steamer cruise from Oban.
Pre-Reformation St Andrews was
an important pilgrimage destination
with relics of St Andrew probably in situ.
The cathedral was 700 years old in 2018
and St Andrews University was 600 in
- Routes have been recently developed
with fine signage and other facilities.
J Michael Buchanan, London
With every round-up we
write, there are always
places we have to miss out,
sadly, but we love to hear
reader recommendations.
As writer of this issue’s star
letter, you win a copy of
Cathedrals of Britain by
Stephen Platten (Pitkin).003_DB_letters_AprMay20 .indd 3 25/02/2020 14:discoverbritainmag.com 3LETTERSCOVER: STRAWBERRY HILL TRUST. THIS PAGE: © ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT LET TERS FOR PUBLICATION
CHELSEA
MAGAZINE
COMPANYTHELTDDiscoverBritainispublishedby
TheChelseaMagazineCompanyLtd,
JubileeHouse,2JubileePlace,
LondonSW33TQ,UK
Tel:
Email:[email protected]
Group EditorStevePill
Production EditorJennyRowe
Art EditorClareWhite
ADVERTISING
Sales DirectorCameronHay
Group Advertising ManagerNatashaSyed
Senior Sales ExecutiveSamEvanson
Sales ExecutiveLeeAdenPUBLISHING
ChairmanPaulDobson
Chief Operating OfficerKevinPetley
PublisherLindsayGreatbatch
Chief Financial OfficerVickiGavin
Director of MediaJamesDobson
EA to ChairmanSarahPorter
Subs Marketing ManagerBretWeekes
Digital Product ManagerBenIskanderPRINTED IN ENGLAND BY
WilliamGibbonsLtd
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
USA–US$39.75,Canada–US$49.
Australia&NewZealand–Aus$79.
UK–£36,RestofWorld–£42(allsixissues)
http://www.chelseamagazines.com/subscribe
BACK ISSUES
£4.75eachplusP&P.Call02073493700or
visitwww.chelseamagazines.com/shopPUBLISHING OFFICE
Discover Britain ISSN 2397-7108) is published bi-monthly by The Chelsea (ISSN 0950-5245, USPS 000-135; Digital
Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ, England. Tel: +44 (0)20 7349 3700
Distributed in the US by NPS Media Group, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484. Periodicals postage
paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Discover Britain,
PO BOX 37518, Boone, IA 50037-0518.News distribution in the UK and Rest of World:
Seymour, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, England. Tel: +44 (0)20 7429 4000
© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2020. All rights
reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers.
The information contained inpublished in good faith and every effort has been made Discover Britain has been
to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check prices, opening times, dates,
etc, before making fi nal arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance
on the information contained within this publication is
hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by contributors
to necessarily those of Discover Britain are not
the publisher.SUBSCRIPTIONS
http://www.discoverbritainmag.com/manage
(Please have to hand your subscription number,
found on your latest issue address sheet)
USA: Tel: 866-926-0261 (toll free)
Email: [email protected]
http://britsubs.com/discoverbritain
Discover Britain, PO Box 37518, Boone, IA 50037-
Canada: Tel: 866-926-0261 (toll free)
Email: [email protected]
http://britsubs.com/discoverbritain
Discover Britain, 1415 Janette Avenue, Windsor,
Ontario N8X 1Z1, Canada
Australia & New Zealand: Tel: +61 (0)2 8296 5491
Email: [email protected]
http://www.chelseamagazines.com/5MMCWEB
Discover Britain, GPO Box 1282, Sydney, NSW 2001
UK & Rest of World: Tel: +44 (0) 1858 438 859
Email: [email protected]
http://www.chelseamagazines.com/5MMCWEB
Discover Britain, CDS Global, Sovereign Park,
Market Harborough LE16 9EF, EnglandLetters
On the cover:Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill House- see page 56. http://www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk
Welcome!
Britain is home to more than its fair
share of eccentrics. For a small island
nation, our history books are packed
with pleasingly daft behaviour. One
need only look to John “Mad Jack”
Mytton, the Regency MP who once
arrived at a dinner party riding a
bear and even set his own shirt on
fire in a bid to cure the hiccups.
As such, we have dedicated this
issue of Discover Britain to one
of our defining character traits:
eccentricity. We begin by introducing
you to England’s finest eccentrics via
their surviving homes (p10), before
detailing some rather unusual hotels
(p20). Anyone fancy spending a night
in a former prison cell?
We also celebrate the real-life
places that inspired Lewis Carroll’s
search for Wonderland (p46), as well
as marvelling at two of Britain’s most
eccentric buildings: Horace Walpole’s
Strawberry Hill House (p56) and the
Rushton Triangular Lodge(p77).STEVE PILLEditorGET IN TOUCH!
Write to us and win a book about Britain
Post: Letters, Discover Britain, The Chelsea
Magazine Company Ltd., Jubilee House,
2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ, UK
Email: [email protected]Curiouser and curiouser
I love your magazine and always read
it from cover to cover as soon as it comes.
And I love Oxford, where I spent a
delightful week in a Christ Church dorm
just last September. So, I was especially
excited to read the article comparing
Oxford and Cambridge.
However, I came to an abrupt stop in
the “Museums” paragraph where you claim
the Ashmolean’s [pictured] “cabinet of
curiosities was amassed by Elias Ashmole”.
The cabinet was actually first called
The Ark and was “amassed” by the
John Tradescants I and II at their home in
Lambeth during the 1600s. Mr Ashmole did
publish a catalogue of the collection, but he
acquired The Ark after John II’s death, and
some say he stole it. In spite of John’s widow
contesting the action, Ashmole did donate
the collection to Oxford in 1683, thus
founding the Museum named after him.
So please, dear editors, give credit to the
royal gardeners who actually did the work.StrawberryHillTHE ROARING TWENTIES EXPLORE LONDON’SARTDECOHISTORYThelastShakespeare
MeettheBard’sforgottenheir
AliceinWonderland
TherealplacesthatinspiredLewisCarrolInside London’s secret fantasy palaceEnglishEccentricsTrue tales of curious characters from historyaVIPBritishholidaywithWin
flightsBonnie Prince CharlieRomantic hero or royal rogue?Celebrate our nation’s history and heritageThe Tradescants story is an interesting
one, worthy of the several books written
about them. Many thanks for your
wonderful magazine.
Nancy Daley, Minnesota, USASacred omission
Very interesting sacred sites and pilgrimages
featured in issue 212. My memories of
past visits to many were refreshed and
reawakened. To my surprise, Iona and
St Andrews were overlooked. With its
restored Abbey, Iona is still a popular
summer bus tour destination from the
mainland. I stayed there first in 1955
when there was also a round-trip
steamer cruise from Oban.
Pre-Reformation St Andrews was
an important pilgrimage destination
with relics of St Andrew probably in situ.
The cathedral was 700 years old in 2018
and St Andrews University was 600 in- Routes have been recently developed
with fine signage and other facilities.
J Michael Buchanan, London
With every round-up we
write, there are always
places we have to miss out,
sadly, but we love to hear
reader recommendations.
As writer of this issue’s star
letter, you win a copy of
Cathedrals of Britain by
Stephen Platten (Pitkin).