CONTENT
- Attractions: Public Records Office
- UK Travel tips and news
Welcome friends, its time to put the kettle on, settle into a comfortable armchair, and enjoy the best of Britain with Britain Update. But before you do, please take the time to forward this newsletter to someone who loves Britain as much as you do.
David Ross, Publisher
Attractions
Public Records Office
Kew, Richmond, Greater London
Where can you find England's earliest surviving public record -- William the Conqueror's "Domesday Book" of 1085-6? Or the last wills of Jane Austen and William Shakespeare; the last telegram sent from the Titanic; Magna Carta, as issued by King John in 1215; and letters and seals of great monarchs, from King Henry VIII to Queen Victoria?
The answer is the Public Record Office at Kew in West London, the national archive of the United Kingdom. Formerly at Chancery Lane in the centre of town, the modern, spacious offices at Kew were opened 25 years ago in 1977.
Visitors can see:
~ An exhibition of the nation's most historic documents, with the most precious items in a secure Treasury area.
~ Those who register, using a document such as a passport or identity card, can enter the reading rooms, where a wealth of information on subjects ranging from the Titanic and Jack the Ripper to emigration from the UK and the American Revolution can be examined.
~ At total of 8½ million documents are stored on 100 miles of shelving and there are monthly 'behind the scenes' tours.
A variety of special events are held, including lectures, exhibitions and tours in period costume. For the Queen's jubilee year, an exhibition, "Coronation and Commonwealth", (on now until Nov. 17) explores coronation celebrations held throughout the Commonwealth and other themes from the 1950s.
The Public Record Office is in Kew, West London and admission is free. The nearest station to the Kew office is Kew Gardens (Underground - District line and Railway - Silverlink Metro / North London line). Kew Gardens is in both zone 3 and 4, and the journey from central London to Kew takes about 40 minutes. It is a 5-10 minute walk from Kew Gardens tube to the Public Record Office; signs direct you from the station.
Address: Public Record Office, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU.
Website: http://www.pro.gov.uk.
Travel Tips and News
National Garden Scheme Anniversary
The National Garden Scheme is celebrating 75 years. The NGS allows visitors access to the best private gardens in England on specified days throughout the year, with proceeds going to charity. Details of gardens and a calendar of opening days are to be found in the NGS "Yellow Book" and online at http://www.ngs.org.uk. Check the regional pages on the website for garden photographs and more information about these highlighted gardens, among the many open in July.
Newton Farm, Hemyock, Devon:
Open Saturdays and Sundays, July 20 & 21 and 27 & 28 from 10-6pm.
Sunningdale, nr Westbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire:
Open every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday in July from 2-5pm. http://www.manntaylor.com/Sunning.html
Lord Byron at the National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery in London is giving visitors a chance to experience the 'Mad Bad and Dangerous' in a new exhibition in the Porter Gallery later this year. It explores the life of the poet -George Gordon Noel Byron (1788-1824) -- his literary fame and social notoriety and goes on to examine his influence on leading figures of the 19th and 20th centuries including Oscar Wilde, James Dean and Mick Jagger.
The exhibition includes contemporary portraits of Byron along with photographs, letters, manuscripts and examples of Byronic dress. It runs from November 20 until February 16 and will then move to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh (March-May 2003) and Dove Cottage in the Lake District (June - October 2003). Open daily, admission free, late opening on Thursday and Friday until 9pm.
Website: http://www.npg.org.uk
Literary Landmarks Map
The producers of England's only 18th-century gin, Plymouth Gin, have created a map inviting visitors to the South-West to explore the literary landmarks of Devon and Cornwall. Travellers can finish off with a visit to their distillery in the historic port city of Plymouth, 240 miles west of London.
Readers of the map are advised how to:
~ Search Dartmoor for the Arthur Conan Doyle's "Hound of the Baskervilles",
~ Take refreshment in Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn
~ Visit the only place in the world whose name is followed by an exclamation mark: Westward Ho!
~ Follow "Tarka the Otter's" trail
Guided tours of the distillery are available daily. Visitors can tour the weighing room and touch, and smell the ingredients before sampling the end product.
Website: http://www.plymouthgin.com
Alice in Wonderland statue for Oxford?
A model of a five-metre-high statue of Alice in Wonderland planned for Oxford has been unveiled in the city's Alice Gallery. The sculpture, by Graham Piggott, also features other characters from the much-loved children's book, and is expected to become a focal point for Oxford if planning approval is given.
The gallery, part of Alice's Shop at 83 St. Aldates -- where the real-life 'Alice in Wonderland' once bought her sweets -- features illustrations from the story by various artists.
Despite its diminutive size, Alice's Shop - situated opposite Christ Church where author Lewis Carroll was a don and the second "Harry Potter" movie was recently filmed - attracts 500,000 visitors annually. It was the Sheep Shop in Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" and has launched a new website selling its unique goods world-wide.
Website: http://www.aliceinoxford.net
England's Cycling Country
Cycle rides don't come any easier - or more appealing - than those that cross the flatlands and rolling countryside of eastern England, dubbed 'England's Cycling Country' by the regional tourist board.
The Thatcher's Way, Apples and Ale, The Jockey's Trail, and Nelson's Norfolk are some of the 25 Cycling Discovery Routes so far charted across the seven east of England counties, from Essex and Hertfordshire to Norfolk and Lincolnshire. This is bite-sized day-trip cycling at its best, each tour ranging from 15-30 miles in length (24-48km). Quiet country roads, swathes of open fields, stone-built villages. Much of the land is so flat that locals talk of skyscapes rather than landscapes.
Each route guide comes with a waterproof and tear-resistant narrative map (£1.50 each; multiple issues can be bought at a discount). One route, The Brecks, is a circular one from the Norfolk market town of Swaffham. Travel from London to the area by train and you can just as easily join it at the moated manor house of Oxburgh Hall, nine miles from the train stop at Downham Market. You can take a cycle on the train (from King's Cross, London - and many local services) free of charge.
Another alternative is to rent bikes locally - and one company, Suffolk Cycle Breaks, goes further. It will provide a quality cycle wherever you want it across the region, arrange accommodation and transport your luggage between overnight stops.
Websites: http://www.eastofenglandtouristboard.com
http://www.cyclebreaks.co.uk
Bournemouth's family fun
The lively seaside town of Bournemouth is claiming it is Britain's best resort for families. This summer it plans a six-week-long 'Kid's Free' festival (from July 24); organised beach games daily; two carnival weeks with parades; a weekly candle-lighting ceremony at dusk and puppeteers and other entertainers performing. The sandy beaches are colour-coded and children issued with wristbands so they do not get lost. The town is 106 miles south-west of London. Website: http://www.bournemouth.co.uk.
150 years of Waterlillies
A giant waterlily - Victoria amazonica - whose water-repellant properties are so good it inspired new types of paint, is the star exhibit in the Waterlilly House at London's Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The Waterlily House, now celebrating its 150th anniversary, features a new photographic display capturing the subtle beauty of these exotic flowers. Website: http://www.kew.org.
That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.
David Ross, Publisher, Britain Express
