Discover Britain - 04.2020

discoverbritainmag.com 89

CROSSWORD

New hardbacks covering British history and culture

Square Haunting by Francesca Wade

On the eastern reaches of London’s Bloomsbury,

Mecklenburgh Square is a grand, unassuming set

of Regency townhouses. In the interwar years,

however, five trailblazing women lived, loved

and worked here, from historian Eileen Power to

author Virginia Woolf (whose 1925 diary entry

inspired the title). Though some were here only

briefly, their stories combine to paint a rousing

picture of female autonomy. (Faber & Faber, £20)

The Northumbrians by Dan Jackson

As a founding member of the Northumbria World

War One Commemoration Project, historian Dan

Jackson has helped collate stories from the people

of northeast England. He puts his local knowledge

to good use here, as he seeks to better understand

the origins of the area’s political outlook, cultural

history and innate good nature. (Hurst, £20)

Providence Lost by Paul Lay

From 1653 to 1658, Oliver Cromwell ruled as

Lord Protector in place of the monarchy. The rise

and fall of his ill-fated Protectorate, our nation’s

only attempt at a republic, is told in gripping

fashion; each chapter is filled with enough

intrigue to fuel a TV soap opera. The various

warring factions are explained with vigour and

clarity, while lesser-known events, such as a

failed attempt to assassinate Cromwell, are

packed with detail. (Head of Zeus, £30)

Across

7 Supporter of the royal house of Stuart

after James II’s deposition in 1688 (8)

9 Type of sailing vessel used notably on

the Norfolk Broads (6)

10 School near Windsor, founded in

1440 by Henry VI (4)

11 Stone circle near Keswick (10)

12 A small or private room (6)

14 Village served by the North

Yorkshire Moors Railway (8)

15 Scottish royal burgh, formerly the

county town of Sutherland (7)

17 Former royal residence on the

Isle of Wight (7)

20 Valley of the North York Moors

through which the River Seven flows (8)

22 A preliminary drawing for later

elaboration (6)

23 Chill lanes (anag), site associated

with Battle of Hastings in 1066 (6,4)

24 Albert Hall concert (briefly) (4)

(^25) ——— Regis, seaside resort in West
Sussex (6)
26 One of Shakespeare’s tragedies (4,4)
Down
1 Small circular tower for coastal
defence (8)
2 One of the Six Counties of
Northern Ireland (4)
3 Town in Oxfordshire, but formerly
in Berkshire, that grew as a major
railway junction (6)
(^4) ——— and Amazons, children’s book
by Arthur Ransome, set in the Lake
District (8)
5 World-famous sculptor born in
Castleford, Yorkshire, in 1898 (5,5)
6 Catherine of ———, first wife of
Henry VIII (6)
8 Until 1871, an infantry officer of the
lowest commissioned rank (6)
13 Port at the mouth of the River
Wear (10)
16 The Lord Chancellor’s court, a
division of the High Court of Justice (8)
(^18) ——— Hawksmoor, architect who
was one of the greatest exponents of
the English Baroque style (8)
19 English artist and wood engraver
(1753-1828), author of A History of
British Birds (6)
21 King of the fairies in Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (6)
22 The ———, strait separating the Isle
of Wight from the mainland (6)
24 Game played on horseback (4)
Crossword no 215
Solutions to crossword 214
Across: 7 Cornwall, 9 Arbour, 10 Eye, 11 Inverlochy,
12 George, 14 Land’s End, 15 Mendips, 17 Deborah,
20 Cordelia, 22 Bodmin, 23 Aspidistra, 24 Cam,
25 Bedale, 26 Rothbury
Down: 1 Cotehele, 2 Anne, 3 Native, 4 Laurence,
5 Abbotsford, 6 Buchan, 8 Levels, 13 Red Admiral,
16 Palliser, 18 Aviemore, 19 Garter, 21 Oyster,
22 Beauty, 24 Cubs
BOOK REVIEWS
089_DB_crossword_AprMay20.indd 89 25/02/2020 15:28
discoverbritainmag.com 89
CROSSWORD
New hardbacks covering British history and culture
Square Hauntingby Francesca Wade
On the eastern reaches of London’s Bloomsbury,
Mecklenburgh Square is a grand, unassuming set
of Regency townhouses. In the interwar years,
however, five trailblazing women lived, loved
and worked here, from historian Eileen Power to
author Virginia Woolf (whose 1925 diary entry
inspired the title). Though some were here only
briefly, their stories combine to paint a rousing
picture of female autonomy. (Faber & Faber, £20)
The Northumbriansby Dan Jackson
As a founding member of the Northumbria World
War One Commemoration Project, historian Dan
Jackson has helped collate stories from the people
of northeast England. He puts his local knowledge
to good use here, as he seeks to better understand
the origins of the area’s political outlook, cultural
history and innate good nature. (Hurst, £20)
Providence Lostby Paul Lay
From 1653 to 1658, Oliver Cromwell ruled as
Lord Protector in place of the monarchy. The rise
and fall of his ill-fated Protectorate, our nation’s
only attempt at a republic, is told in gripping
fashion; each chapter is filled with enough
intrigue to fuel a TV soap opera. The various
warring factions are explained with vigour and
clarity, while lesser-known events, such as a
failed attempt to assassinate Cromwell, are
packed with detail. (Head of Zeus, £30)
Across
7 Supporter of the royal house of Stuart
after James II’s deposition in 1688 (8)
9 Type of sailing vessel used notably on
the Norfolk Broads (6)
10 School near Windsor, founded in
1440 by Henry VI (4)
11 Stone circle near Keswick (10)
12 A small or private room (6)
14 Village served by the North
Yorkshire Moors Railway (8)
15 Scottish royal burgh, formerly the
county town of Sutherland (7)
17 Former royal residence on the
Isle of Wight (7)
20 Valley of the North York Moors
through which the River Seven flows (8)
22 A preliminary drawing for later
elaboration (6)
23 Chill lanes (anag), site associated
with Battle of Hastings in 1066 (6,4)
24 Albert Hall concert (briefly) (4)
(^25) ——— Regis, seaside resort in West
Sussex (6)
26 One of Shakespeare’s tragedies (4,4)
Down
1 Small circular tower for coastal
defence (8)
2 One of the Six Counties of
Northern Ireland (4)
3 Town in Oxfordshire, but formerly
in Berkshire, that grew as a major
railway junction (6)
(^4) ——— and Amazons, children’s book
by Arthur Ransome, set in the Lake
District (8)
5 World-famous sculptor born in
Castleford, Yorkshire, in 1898 (5,5)
6 Catherine of ———, first wife of
Henry VIII (6)
8 Until 1871, an infantry officer of the
lowest commissioned rank (6)
13 Port at the mouth of the River
Wear (10)
16 The Lord Chancellor’s court, a
division of the High Court of Justice (8)
(^18) ——— Hawksmoor, architect who
was one of the greatest exponents of
the English Baroque style (8)
19 English artist and wood engraver
(1753-1828), author of A History of
British Birds (6)
21 King of the fairies in Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (6)
22 The ———, strait separating the Isle
of Wight from the mainland (6)
24 Game played on horseback (4)
Crossword no 215
Solutions to crossword 214
Across: 7 Cornwall, 9 Arbour, 10 Eye, 11 Inverlochy,
12 George, 14 Land’s End, 15 Mendips, 17 Deborah,
20 Cordelia, 22 Bodmin, 23 Aspidistra, 24 Cam,
25 Bedale, 26 Rothbury
Down: 1 Cotehele, 2 Anne, 3 Native, 4 Laurence,
5 Abbotsford, 6 Buchan, 8 Levels, 13 Red Admiral,
16 Palliser, 18 Aviemore, 19 Garter, 21 Oyster,
22 Beauty, 24 Cubs
BOOK REVIEWS