Hampton Court Palace is one of Britain’s must-see sights. Home to Henry VIII’s Tudor court – after he ousted Cardinal Wolsey and moved in himself in 1529 – it’s positively brimming with history. The building, which retains much of its original Tudor

As a Londoner, I often make the mistake of overlooking the fantastic places to visit on my doorstep, so this issue our South East England travel special (p13) has fired me up for more weekends away. First up, Annabelle Thorpe takes us on a tour of th

‘There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover’ is a wartime lyric that virtually every Briton over a certain age can recite. A symbol of home for many during the First and Second World Wars, which also played a vital role in Britain’s defence

Friday 2 June. D minus 3. Just 48 hours to go before the launch of the proposed liberation of France, now scheduled for Monday 5 June. The United Kingdom is in a state of virtual lockdown. But where is the Prime Minister? He is not to be found in 10

Britain has one of the greenest capital cities in the world (and officially the greenest in Europe), with over 3,000 parks and gardens spread throughout Greater London. Its largest is Richmond, one of the capital’s eight Royal Parks, located on the c

Basketmaking is one of humanity’s oldest crafts, dating back at least 12,000 years. Now a surge of interest in eco-friendly traditional craftwork is sparking a resurgence of interest across Britain in the beguiling variety of these beautiful practica

There’s something rather wonderful about finding a hidden corner of Britain, right on your doorstep. Scattered across the border between East Sussex and Kent, just an hour from where I live, lies the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AON

Hever Castle is a 14th-century romantic hideaway set in glorious Kent countryside, spanning over 600 years of rich history. Though it has been home to 12 different families, the magnificent castle is best known as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, H

England’s South East has long been a place of refuge for those seeking to escape the bustle of life in London, with many esteemed Englishmen and women having a ‘place in the country’ in proximity to the capital in which to weekend when the working we

Nestled at the foot of the South Downs National Park, which boasts the highest chalk cliffs in the country, the south coast resort of Eastbourne is a quintessential seaside town less than 60 miles from London. With a daily average of 11.7 hours of su

My new book, 1000 Tudor People is a condensed collection of biographies of all kinds of people in the Tudor world, from royalty, nobles and courtiers, to artists, writers, scientists, rebels, pirates and witches. It’s a reference book of Tudor societ

Growing up in Gloucestershire, my childhood was pretty normal, with the exception of one thing. My dad’s hyperactive passion for creating events and making an opera festival meant that this art form became a backdrop to family life. My dad had the bi

With a new series of Bridgerton here, fans of the show may wish to visit the family home of one of its most glamorous characters, fresh from the successful spinoff that tells the love story of her and her husband: Queen Charlotte. Kew Palace, London’

Solutions in next issue 1 Fishing port and holiday resort on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall (9) 9 The herb valerian, formerly supposed to have many medicinal properties (7) 10 Hampshire home of Jane Austen (7)11 The great quadrangle of Christ Church

It’s long been one of the most popular exhibits at Windsor Castle, and now 100 years after it first went on display, new works have been commissioned for Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House’s much-loved Library. Built between 1921 and 1924 the incredible Edwar

In August 1274 London rejoiced over the spectacular coronation of England’s warrior-king Edward I. Little could the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ have known in that moment of glory that just one month earlier – and with no such fanfare – a child had been bor

After a dark, long and cold British winter, the heralding of spring is a time to celebrate. The clocks change, vibrant flowers rear their heads, and lambs bleat in the fields; summer is not far away and new life is starting. The British have been cel

It’s blossom time on our farm in the Cotswolds. I’ve written previously that early summer, as the hay meadows unfurl into a rich palette of wildflower colours, is my favourite time of year on the farm. But spring is a close contender for stealing the

“I’m satisfied that if a book is a good one, it is so whatever the sex of the author may be.” So wrote Anne Brontë in the preface of the second edition of her second published novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Published in 1848, this novel is widel

James Alfred Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot, the beloved Yorkshire vet and best-selling author known to millions around the world, was born in Sunderland in northeast England in 1916. He studied veterinary surgery in Glasgow, Scot

This issue, our travel special focuses on somewhere close to my heart: Yorkshire. I was at university in Yorkshire when I fell in love with my (now) husband, so it is still a very special place for us but I’m not the only one to have fallen for its c