Autumn/Winter 2024 English Heritage Members' Magazine

INTO NARNIA

Step into another world this Christmas with our magical

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Dr Michael Carter

Senior properties historian

On page 19, Michael reveals the lost saint who changed our understanding of history

Susan Harrison

Senior curator, north

On page 40, Susan reveals the the historic game pieces excavated at Lindisfarne Priory

Dr Frances McIntosh

Collections curator

On page 58, Frances reveals the most unusual Roman object found on Hadrian’s Wall

Innovation and imagination are key to preserving our historic collections

Looking after the remarkable artefacts that tell England’s story is a huge responsibility. From the humblest tools and keepsakes to the grandest portraits and statuary, the items our ancestors treasured reveal fascinating, intimate details about their lives. You can find out more about the cuttingedge work we’re doing to protect our collections on page 50. And on page 54, find out how you can help care for our collections so everyone can understand and

For Our Media

Group editor Matt Havercroft

Managing editor Oliver Hurley

Senior art editor Dermot Rushe

Head of client services Ellen Wade

Get in touch

W www.english-heritage.org.uk/members E membersmagazine@ourmedia.co.uk (for magazine queries only) or members@english-heritage.org.uk (for membership queries and changes of address)

T 0370 333 1181

PO Box 569, Swindon, SN2 2YP

For English Heritage

Louise Dando, Megan Anders, Tony Dike, Daniel Di Paolo, Katherine Bond, Lorna Sharps,Tersia Boorer, Tom Moriarty, Richard Leatherdale

Managing director Clair Atkins

Editorial director Dan Linstead

Advertising manager Jamie Bolton E jamie.bolton@ourmedia.co.uk

Contributors

Dr Michael Carter, Rebecca Hallett, Sarah Baxter, Susan Harrison, Dr Jennifer Wexler, Dr Andrew Roberts, Dr Jeremy Ashbee, Eleanor Matthews, Jheni Osman, Win Scutt, Dr Frances McIntosh, Hannah Murray

enjoy them for many years to come. Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve got lots of ideas to help you make the most of your membership, from uncovering the lunar mysteries of Stonehenge (page 6) and discovering a winter wonderland at Wrest Park (page 14) to learning the secrets of Queen Victoria’s Osborne (page 30). Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Dr Nick Merriman Chief Executive

English Heritage Members’ Magazine is published three times a year, in March, July and October, on behalf of English Heritage by Our Media, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST T 0117 927 9009 W www.ourmedia.co.uk

Support us

English Heritage is a charity. Without the support of our members and donors, our work would not be possible. To find out more about how you can help by making a donation or leaving a gift in your will, please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us or call the fundraising team on 020 7973 3797.

English Heritage cares for more than 400 historic monuments, buildings and places –from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand

medieval castles, and from Roman

on the edges of the empire to Cold

Through these we bring the story of

to life for more than 10 million visitors each

Registered charity no. 1140351 (England)

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forts

War bunkers.

England

year.

20 On the road

London calling

Rebecca Hallett enjoys a city break exploring London’s hidden heritage

30 Behind the scenes

Victoria’s secrets

Sarah Baxter explores the secret life of Queen Victoria at her island retreat

36

Inspiration

Christmas gifts

Start feeling festive with perfect present ideas from our online shop

42 Stories of England

A history of Christmas

Charting winter festivities and feasting, from prehistory to the Victorian era

50

Expert care

Saving our portrait miniatures

Jheni Osman discovers a pioneering science research project at Kenwood in London

66 Past lives

William and Ellen Craft

The couple who escaped slavery and dedicated their lives to the fight for freedom

Cover image Exploring a magical, Narnia-themed winter wonderland at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire

instagram.com/englishheritage facebook.com/englishheritage threads.net/@englishheritage Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST membersmagazine@ourmedia.co.uk

Start planning unforgettable days out with our unmissable events

Turn to page 13

06

Big picture

Discover moonlight and megaliths at Stonehenge’s new planetarium

08 Update

Our latest news and inspiration for days out with your membership

19

In my view

How a lost saint helped to reshape our understanding of medieval history

28

Meet the expert Illustrator Bob Marshall on recreating history

40 Close up Learn about the historic games that were played at Lindisfarne Priory

65

20 questions

See if you can conquer a tricky 1066 Battle of Hastings quiz

OVER TO YOU

57 Your say

Your thoughts on days out at our sites, the magazine and much more

58 Ask the experts Our panel of experts tackle your questions

61 My favourite place Roz Saggers on the country house she once called home

62 Members’ Rewards

The latest discount offers to enjoy with your membership

Visitors to Stonehenge can now find out more about the monument’s links to the cosmic mysteries of the night sky. The site is already famous for its alignments with the sun – and, for pagans, the solstices represent a time to celebrate growth and life – but scientists now believe it may also have been aligned with the moon. In our pop-up planetarium, you’ll be able to take a journey through the solar system alongside our team of experts, learn more about what the moon and stars meant to our ancient ancestors, and discover how the stone circle may have been designed to mark a cyclical astronomical event – the major lunar standstill – which returns again this year. The Stonehenge Planetarium will be open from 26 October to 3 November. www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge

Inspiration for days out over the autumn and winter

MEMBERS GET MORE

Register in our new Members’ Area for more exclusive content www.english-heritage. org.uk/members

Archaeology

New discovery shines light on siege

Imagine the brutality of Kenilworth Castle’s medieval siege following the discovery of huge catapult shots

Eight perfectly preserved catapult shots dating from the 13th century have been discovered in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden in Warwickshire. The shots, unearthed during a project to improve accessibility around the castle, would have been launched while the castle was besieged by

Henry III in 1266, when England was locked in a vicious civil war. The largest weighs a massive 105kg. This formidable site, with its impressive Norman keep and four metre-thick walls, held off the king’s army for 172 days, despite almost constant attack. During a tour of the castle ruins today, you can imagine what it was like for

the soldiers garrisoned within the impressive defences as stones came screaming over the walls – along with around 60,000 crossbow bolts. Three similar trebuchet balls from the siege of 1266 that were found in 1960 are now on display in an exhibition in the castle’s stables. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ kenilworth

Kenilworth, a royal castle for much of its history, was first built in the 1120s

See Bronze Age crafts recreated

Watch prehistoric fabrics being made on a replica loom

Visitors to Beeston Castle and Woodland Park in Cheshire can now see first-hand how prehistoric fabrics were created by watching live demonstrations of a fully operational Bronze Age-style loom in the recreated roundhouse. The replica thatched dwelling gives you the chance to step back 3,000 years and see how our ancestors once lived – and now the new loom helps show how they worked as well. The loom took 12 months to build, a process

Expert advice

that involved lengthy research, museum visits and foraging for suitable building materials. ‘We made our own loom weights from Cheshire clay dug from a volunteer’s field,’ says volunteer supervisor Carolyn Hicks, who led the project. ‘We are also growing plants we can use to authentically dye the fabric, such as weld and woad. It’s been a complicated project. I am immensely proud of the volunteer team.’ www.english-heritage.org.uk/ beeston

Get creative with tips from Aardman’s animators

Learn the secrets of creating award-winning stop-motion animations from the team behind Wallace and Gromit

This summer, we invited a group of young aspiring creatives aged between 11 and 25 to take part in a series of stop-motion animation workshops with Aardman Studios – the brains behind multiple award-winning animated films such as the Wallace and Gromit series, Chicken Run and Early Man. The 40-minute workshops, which were organised as part of our youth engagement programme Shout Out Loud, took place at four English Heritage sites across the country. Using freely available kit, materials and apps, Aardman animators Hannah

Brooks and Zoe Hutber talked through their process of creating animations before offering tips and tricks for paper animation and creative storytelling. The workshop attendees were then encouraged to have a go at putting their new skills to the test by creating a stop-motion animation of their own using household objects.

To see hints, tips and tricks for creating your own stop-motion animation films, and to watch the videos created by the next generation of storytellers, go to www.shoutoutloud.org.uk/ project/animated-histories

Curator Win Scutt on the modern techniques helping to date an ancient landmark

What is the Uffington White Horse?

The giant figure of a horse, created by revealing the chalk underneath local turf, was made thousands of years ago by the people who built the hillfort of Uffington Castle in Oxfordshire. Ownership of horses may have been a symbol of power and prestige.

How old is the horse?

Nobody knew the age of the horse until 1990, when archaeologists from Oxford University came up with a likely date range of 1380–550 BC. Techniques have improved greatly since then so, with the help of generous donations, an Oxford team has recently been called in to date it again. We should have a more precise age for the horse in about a year.

Are you doing any other work on the horse?

Through precise surveying, the team has been able to measure the lines of the 1990s horse, so we can cut off turf here and add some chalk there to restore it to its former shape.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ uffington-wh-project

The loom shows how prehistoric people would have created fabrics

PLAQUES

Celebrate London’s pioneers

Explore the stories of the great and good

More fascinating life stories that lie behind the facades of London houses have been celebrated with blue plaques over the summer. The singer Adelaide Hall (1901–93) – a pioneer of ‘scat’ singing, whose career lasted seven decades – was honoured at her former home in

Kensington. John Thomson (1837–1921), known for his street photography in places as diverse as London and east Asia, has a plaque in Brixton. Another photographer, Christina Broom (1862–1939), is mostly remembered for her documentation of the suffragette movement, and is commemorated in Fulham.

The great pioneer of aseptic surgery Joseph Lister (1827–1912) – his name is otherwise perpetuated in a brand of mouthwash – now has a plaque on his former student digs in Fitzrovia. And a later medical pioneer, the neurosurgeon Diana Beck (1900–1956), has a new roundel in Marylebone.

Conservation See Cornwall’s finest cannons

Admire the historic cannons at St Mawes Castle following a conservation project

Explore St Mawes Castle this autumn and you will be able to see its substantial collection of cannons sparkling even more brightly than usual following a meticulous, three-week programme of enhanced conservation. Experts have removed any corrosion from the 15 cannons and guns at the site, wooden carriages were treated to prevent rot, and each of the historical weapons was given a coat of protective paint – except for the mid-16th-century Alberghetti gun, which was treated with hot wax instead of paint as it is made from bronze. St Mawes Castle is one of the best preserved and most elaborately decorated of the 30 coastal fortresses commissioned by Henry VIII in the 1540s. www.english-heritage.org.uk/stmawes

History

Experts have conserved 15 guns at St Mawes Castle

‘St Mawes is one of the best preserved and most elaborately decorated of Henry VIII’s series of 30 coastal fortresses’

Uncover the stories of Roman remains

Catch up with the latest work and finds at our Roman sites across the country

Birdoswald Roman Fort

A new exhibition at Birdoswald Roman Fort in Cumbria, ‘Voices from the Wall’, reveals the 2,000-yearold links between Britain and Romania. ‘This exhibition explores the lives of the soldiers from Dacia (modernday Romania) who were stationed on Hadrian’s Wall,

through history, stories and archaeology,’ says writer and historian Bronwen Riley, who created the exhibition. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ birdoswald

Wroxeter Roman City

Over the summer a team of archaeologists began excavating the centre of this

Excavation director Peter Guest at Wroxeter

Shropshire site, one of the largest cities of the Roman province of Britannia. They opened-up a series of evaluation trenches, which identified the city’s temple precinct wall, a shrine and a remarkable early-2nd-century mosaic with sealife motifs. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ wroxeter-excavations

North Leigh Roman Villa

Visitors to this Oxfordshire site can now enjoy its incredible 4th-century mosaic floor under the protection of a new roof. There has also been extensive conservation work to maintain the ruins of the villa walls. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ north-leigh-roman-villa

Celebrating 30 years of National Lottery funding

This November, the National Lottery celebrates its 30th birthday – and it’s been a game changer for our historical sites.

Over that time, English Heritage has received more than £55m across 76 grants, enabling us to undertake over 50 transformational projects up and down the country. These vital improvements to the places in our care and the expansion of our community engagement programmes would not have been possible without this long-term support.

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens

A £3.5m grant transformed experiences across the site, brought the gardens back to their glorious best, and added a new play area and café.

Shout Out Loud

We received more than £1m to launch our national youth engagement programme and have since worked with more than 1,000 under-represented people aged 11 to 25.

Stonehenge visitor centre

With a grant of £10m, we were able to build a new and state-of-the-art visitor centre at Stonehenge, provide an immersive introductory exhibition and create a smoother transfer for visitors up to the stones.

Marble Hill

With almost £5m in funding, and the support of 385 volunteers, we conserved and renovated the 18th-century house and landscape, restoring it to its former glory.

our next game changer

To find out more about how you can play your part in helping to save our stories – whether it’s becoming a Guardian or leaving a gift in your will – go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us

What’s On

Many events are free or discounted for members. Find our full listings at www.english-heritage. org.uk/events

Unmissable events taking place over the autumn and winter

The Battle of Hastings

This October, step into the scene of England’s most famous battle

On 12 and 13 October at 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield in East Sussex, over 300 re-enactors will bring the Battle of Hastings back to life exactly where it was fought in 1066. Explore all the action in the rival Saxon and Norman camps. See the chain mail and weaponry makers, meet the falconers and weave your way through the tents where there’s food to prepare, logs to chop and clothes to mend. Kids can try archery or join in sword school. Then take your spot for the highlight of the day: let battle commence!

Illuminated events

See some of our historic properties in a whole new light

Head to Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire, Witley Court and Gardens in Worcestershire, or 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield in East Sussex to explore their atmospheric splendour and see these historic ruins bathed in dramatic illuminations. Food and drink will also be available at the events.

Diwali at Marble Hill

Celebrate the festival of light in the gardens of this Georgian mansion

Join us on 26 October to celebrate the festival of light as we mark Diwali in the beautiful gardens of Marble Hill in London. Create your own lantern at the craft table, learn the moves of bhangra at the dance workshop, and watch the light parade down to the bank of the Thames. This event is free to attend.

Halloween events

Find great-value days out at our Halloween events

For kids

HALLOWEEN HALF-TERM

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at our Halloween half-term events in October and November at sites that include Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight and Beeston Castle in Cheshire. Check our website for dates in your region.

For families

SPOOKY WOODLAND WALKS

Join our ghost-hunting storytellers on our family-friendly Spooky Woodland Walks in the grounds of sites including Walmer Castle in Kent and Tynemouth Priory and Castle in Tyne and Wear.

For adults (16+)

GHOST

TALES

For the truly intrepid, these Ghost Tales events are just for over-16s and give you the chance to join our storytellers as they share tales of ghosts and horrors from

Christmas events

Celebrate the festive season at a wide range of sites across the country

Moonlight and Megaliths

Enjoy a journey through the solar system at Stonehenge

Step inside our pop-up planetarium in late October and early November and embark on a journey through the solar system with our team of experts. Learn how to identify celestial objects such as stars, planets and the moon as we observe the night sky over the stone circle.

Half-Term History Makers

Join fascinating characters from the past for some half-term fun

This February half-term, children can join characters from the past for a wide variety of hands-on activities at sites across the country. At Audley End House in Essex and Belsay Hall in Northumberland, young visitors can attend butler school and find out if they’ve got what it takes to work in a country house. Interactive storytelling based around Alice in Wonderland will be at Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire, while compelling tales of myths and monsters will be shared at Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire. At Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, children can meet archaeologists and handle real medieval artefacts. Access to the events is included with the standard entry price and members go free.

Members’ exclusive events

Step back into the distant past at Uffington Castle

– White Horse and Dragon Hill

Thu 14 Nov, 11am–1pm

EXPLORE UFFINGTON: WHITE HORSE HILL & UFFINGTON CASTLE

Uffington Castle – White Horse And Dragon Hill, Oxfordshire

Join our expert guide to discover the famous White Horse of Uffington and the nearby Uffington Castle, one of the best-preserved hillforts in southern Britain. Both are now known to have been created nearly 3,000 years ago. Explore the subtle and enigmatic archaeological remains of White Horse Hill and take in breathtaking views from Oxfordshire’s highest point. £25. Access: moderate

Sun 3 Nov, 11am–12.30pm

WALK JOHN CONSTABLE’S HAMPSTEAD

Hampstead, London

Walk through the areas of London that inspired Constable’s masterpieces with art historian and art critic Estelle Lovatt FRSA. Follow in Constable’s footsteps to see the houses where he lived, worked and painted, as well as the inspiration behind his iconic landscape masterpieces on Hampstead Heath and around the surrounding area. Learn more about Constable’s life, his rivalries and his influences as you see the landscapes come to life before your eyes. £35. Access: moderate

Wed 18 Dec, 10am–12pm SATURNALIA AT CHESTERS

ROMAN FORT

Chesters Roman Fort And Museum, Northumberland

Join collections curator Dr Frances McIntosh for a look at the Roman festival of Saturnalia at Chesters Roman Fort. Learn about the traditions the Romans followed and see objects in the museum that illustrate some of these themes. £25. Access: easy

Sat 4 Jan, 11am–12.30pm

WINTER AT DOWN HOUSE

FAMILY TOUR

Down House, Kent

Bring the family to meet Charles and Emma Darwin and listen to stories of life at Down House. Hear about Darwin’s experiments and learn what life was like during the cold winter months. As part of this event, you and your family will follow in the footsteps of George Darwin, who as a young boy was very interested in heraldry. After hearing about life at Down House, you will be invited to design your own shield for the Darwin family and fill it with images inspired by Darwin’s experiments and the plants and mini-beasts in the garden.

Adult £10, child £5. Access: moderate DISCOVER

Sat 1 Mar, 10am–4pm FLINT-KNAPPING WORKSHOP

Grime’s Graves, Norfolk

Sat 1 Feb, 11am–12.30pm

EDWARD II AND PIERS GAVESTON AT SCARBOROUGH CASTLE

Scarborough Castle, North Yorkshire

In May 1312, Edward II and his favourite, Piers Gaveston (who was made Earl of Cornwall by the king), parted for the final time at Scarborough Castle in North Yorkshire. Chroniclers, poets and dramatists would soon develop their narrative into a tragic love story. Join Dr Kit Heyam, author The Reputation of Edward II, to uncover the lives and afterlives of Edward and Gaveston at Scarborough and beyond.

£25. Access: moderate

Sat 22 Mar, 5pm–6.30pm

ECHOES OF THE PAST

Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden, Warwickshire

Join Dr James Dilley for a flint-knapping experience at this Neolithic flint mine. Learn core and flake techniques to make basic flake tools such as scrapers, piercers, saws and backed blades – tools that were found across prehistoric Britain – before moving on to more challenging techniques to make axes and arrowheads. Grime’s Graves is the largest known prehistoric flint mine. It is the site of over 400 pits dug by miners, which now form an unusual lunar-like landscape.

£65. Access: moderate

Join us for a unique opportunity to experience the history of Kenilworth Castle through music. Professional musicians Archaedium will lead you on a musical journey through the castle’s past, from its early medieval beginnings through to it being recognised as a popular tourist attraction in the early 19th century. Hear music that may well have been played in the Great Hall for John of Gaunt or even to delight Elizabeth I when she visited Robert Dudley in 1575.

£30. Access: easy

Explore Kenilworth Castle’s history through music

Revenants and Remains

Discover monasteries’ historical connections with the supernatural

This autumn and winter, English Heritage is once again teaming up with Manchester Metropolitan University to organise a series of tours and workshops at selected monasteries exploring their historical connections with the supernatural. Expect medieval tales of foul fiends rising from their graves to torment the living, troubled souls returning from the dead, rotting revenants and 18th-century Gothic horrors. There will also be a spinechilling after-dark Christmas ghost story within the vaults of Battle Abbey’s 14th-century gatehouse. The tours will be led by English Heritage’s Dr Michael Carter and Professor Dale Townshend from Manchester Metropolitan University. You can also take part in writing workshops led by acclaimed Gothic author Rosie Garland. The events will be taking place at:

• Netley Abbey, Hampshire (Sat 12 Oct)

• Binham Priory, Norfolk (Sat 2 Nov)

• Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire (Sat 30 Nov)

• Battle Abbey, East Sussex (Sat 14 Dec)

Journey the length of Norway’s coast between the capital of Oslo and North Cape at the top of Europe. The North Cape Line includes our Northern Lights Promise, sailing to 16 ports for an average of seven hours. On board, taste the flavours of Norway and join inclusive activities designed to enhance your experience.

Departures: Dec 2024 – May 2025 Oslo – Honningsvåg – Bergen

Luxury Bespoke Fitted Furniture...

IN MY VIEW

DR MICHAEL CARTER Senior properties historian

‘A lost saint helped reshape how history is understood’

History may be the study of the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s static or fixed. It’s a constantly evolving discipline – and discoveries can reshape our writing of history.

As a historian specialising in England’s monasteries, one of my great interests is how the memory and relics of saints shaped the identity, art and architecture of medieval religious houses. In June 2023, my research for a lecture led me to the library of King’s College, Cambridge, to examine a 15th-century manuscript from Pontefract Priory – a monastery of Cluniac monks in West Yorkshire. This missal – a text for the Mass – is written in Latin on vellum, a high-grade parchment, with angular ‘black letter’ script ornamented with flourishes in red and blue. As is usual for manuscripts of its kind, there’s a calendar of holy days at the front. To my surprise and delight, I noticed that the entry for 6 February was for ‘Saint Thurstan, archbishop of York’.

One of the great churchmen of 12th-century England, Thurstan was archbishop of York between 1114 and 1140. He was a friend and supporter of hermits and monks destined for sainthood. Their number included St Godric, the hermit of Finchale, Saints William and Aelred, abbots of Rievaulx, and St Waldef, who served as prior of Kirkham.

Despite having many of the qualities that the medieval mind associated with sainthood, there is a consensus among modern scholars that he never achieved this status.

‘The academic research couldn’t have happened without your support as members’

Thurstan died at Pontefract Priory on 6 February 1140. The evidence from the missal, combined with late 12th-century sources that describe the recently deceased Thurstan appearing in a vision and the exhumation of his incorrupt, sweetsmelling corpse, led me to conclude that the archbishop was indeed venerated by the monks at Pontefract as a saint.

It was a discovery that caught the attention of the national media and redefined my understanding of Thurstan’s life.

As with my previous discoveries about sacred relics at Battle Abbey, the Black Death at Furness Abbey and the monastery suppression in 1537, the academic research couldn’t have happened without your support as English Heritage members. And I suspect that’s something Saint Thurstan would have thoroughly approved of.

Discover more

Learn more about the history of England’s monastic buildings or plan a visit at www.englishheritage.org.uk/ abbeys

London

Enjoying a London city break with friends, Rebecca Hallett finds a duke’s domain, an art deco palace and a king’s secret treasure house

PHOTOGRAPHS NATHANIEL ROSA

As we climbed the steps at Hyde Park Corner tube station, grand silhouettes appeared against the blue sky. Rising above us was a statue of an impressively hatted man astride a horse; behind him, more horses, a chariot and an angelic figure holding a laurel wreath aloft. ‘I sometimes forget that London is so full of history,’ my friend Siobhan remarked. ‘You don’t expect to see that before you’ve even made it out of the station.’

Above Emerging from the tube at Hyde Park Corner

Facing page, left Paintings at Apsley House Top right

Heading into Apsley House

Middle right Exploring the house Bottom right The imposing Wellington Arch

We had arrived the day before, catching up over hot chocolates on the train from Newcastle. Despite living close to each other, life just kept getting in the way of meeting up. So, we had decided a weekend away was in order – quality time together, exploring some of the capital’s historic nooks and crannies.

And here was our first stop – the grand neoclassical Wellington Arch, the Angel of Peace sculpture on top, and nearby, a statue of the Iron Duke himself.

Beneath the arch, we spotted a doorway, and were thrilled to find out we could explore inside. Several fascinating displays waylaid us as we climbed the stairs to the balcony. One told of the tiny police station that operated here until the 1950s, and its resident cat, Snooks. Another highlighted the war heroes memorialised by the building.

Finally, we emerged at the top. Above us the rearing horses of the vast sculpture; below us, the green of Hyde Park, Green Park and Buckingham Palace gardens; close by, Apsley House, where Wellington himself had lived.

The imposing exterior of the duke’s former home turned out to be the warm-up for its dazzling interiors. Our eyes darted around as we entered each room, caught here by a Velázquez or Titian, there by a shimmering chandelier or gilded architraves.

Not all of the house’s contents reflected the Duke of Wellington’s tastes. Take the vast Egyptian table service, a ‘divorce present’ from Napoleon to Joséphine. She didn’t want it, and it ended up with King Louis XVIII of France, who sent it to the duke in 1818 with a handwritten note. Though mostly in French, the letter has one underlined English sentence: ‘Do little gifts – keep friendship alive.’

‘Seems like regifting isn’t a new idea,’ I whispered.

In a small room downstairs, we learned about Wellington the person. We read about his fraught marriage. We saw orders he had written at the Battle of Waterloo, the slanted writing bunching up at the end of lines. And we had glimpses into his private life – a sleeping cap, a hearing aid, well-worn slippers his daughter-in-law had made for him. ‘I know he was the Duke of Wellington,’ Siobhan noted, ‘but I guess he was also… just a man.’

‘Our eyes darted around as we entered each room, caught here by a Velázquez or Titian, there by a shimmering chandelier’

Musing on this, we walked to a nearby bus stop and caught the 148 to Westminster and our next destination, the Cenotaph. This memorial takes its name from the Greek for ‘empty tomb’ and was built to remember the horrific losses of the First World War. As time has passed, its meaning has expanded to encompass other conflicts. We both became quiet as we approached, moved by its significance and the austere beauty of its Edwin Lutyens design.

As we walked around it, our thoughts turned to specifics, and our conversation to our families’ wartime histories. ‘My grandad fought at Dunkirk,’ Siobhan told me. ‘He was shot in the head – it’s a miracle he survived.’

I shared my own family’s stories. My mum’s ancestors were farmers, so they did war work on the home front. My greatgrandfather Alfred volunteered in 1916 aged 38 and survived

the war. My grandfather, who was in the RAF, met a beautiful Neopolitan woman at the end of the Second World War. Leslie and Giuditta fell in love across the language barrier and married right there in Naples.

In a reflective mood, we strolled past Horse Guards Parade, Nelson’s Column and the National Gallery in search of lunch, and found a cosy Vietnamese spot under railway arches. Refuelled and ready for more, we wandered back to Westminster and the 14th-century Jewel Tower, squeezed between the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

This is one of only four buildings from the original Palace of Westminster that survived an 1834 fire. The rough ragstone exterior and small windows speak to its purpose as a treasury – a tough building, designed to protect Edward III’s riches. But it’s also a fine example of Gothic architecture, with elegant stone vaulting and eye-catching roof bosses on the ground floor.

Inside, we found ourselves torn between admiring the building itself – the pleasing geometry of the spiral staircase, the oddly shaped doors, the age-warped window glass – and the exhibits. Right at the top, in a room where records were kept, are copies of handwritten documents (crossings-out included)

‘Inside, we found ourselves torn between admiring the building itself – the pleasing geometry of the spiral staircase, the age-warped window glass – and the exhibits’

Facing page, top left Jewel Tower Bottom left Treasures inside the tower Main image Taking a break outside Westminster Abbey This page, top On the approach to Eltham Palace Above The GPO Film Unit blue plaque

such as the death warrant for Charles I and the Act of Parliament abolishing the slave trade. After a cup of tea in the café, we decided our brains had reached capacity, and we would spend the rest of the day just wandering around the city – and maybe lazing about at the hotel.

The next day, we set off for leafy Blackheath in south-east London to meet a local friend, Miharu. After a round of hugs at the station, we decided to take a little detour before heading to our main destination. Just round the corner, on Bennett Park, were three blue plaques we wanted to see.

Miharu is a maths teacher, so took charge of explaining the achievements of Sir Arthur Eddington, the astrophysicist and mathematician remembered on the first blue plaque. I gushed over the importance of Night Mail, the pioneering 1935 documentary produced on this site by the GPO Film Unit. And all three of us groaned when we looked up and recognised Donald McGill, of saucy postcard fame, who had also lived here.

Impressed by the concentration of talent in just one road, we headed back to the station for the short journey to Eltham Palace. Having visited here years ago, I had given my friends an idea of what to expect: an impressive medieval hall and a stylish art deco mansion with lush gardens. But the more I thought about it, the unlikeliness of the combination struck me, and I wondered if I was remembering it correctly.

My doubts were quickly laid to rest. We crossed a moat, entered the house, and were immediately immersed in 1930s splendour: a chic art deco rug in the centre of a circular room; wood-panelled walls inset with marquetry; and a modernist dome above, studded with glass roundels.

Details throughout the house captured the forward-looking, sociable Courtauld family who had commissioned it. A letter in one room left us marvelling at the mod cons – including underfloor heating – and wishing we had been guests of

‘We made our way to the glasshouse café for sandwiches and cake, then settled by the pond to watch the ducks and koi’

Virginia and Stephen. ‘Dinner is served at eight,’ we read, ‘but you really must join us for cocktails beforehand. We’ve had each room fitted with synchronised electric clocks, so there really are no excuses for being late.’

The style and ingenuity were timeless, and we found ourselves discussing which bits we would have in our own homes.

‘It’s the gold mosaic bathroom for me, the one with the Greek-style bust.’

‘No, no – the best part was Ginie’s boudoir, with that huge built-in sofa.’

The medieval hall, our final stop, was a breathtaking contrast to the house. From the minstrels’ gallery you can see the huge room in its entirety, spread out beneath the vaulted dark-wood ceiling.

Fired up with unrealistic home decor plans, we made our way to the glasshouse café for sandwiches and cake, then settled by the pond to watch the ducks and koi. That’s how we spent the rest of the afternoon: chatting and laughing in a beautiful garden, heads full of fascinating facts, and spirits lifted by the company of good friends. We all agreed that another historical weekend was in order soon. The only question was: where next?

We know that sustainability is important to both English Heritage and to our members, so please use public transport to visit our sites wherever possible

TAKE ME THERE

Start planning your own tour of London’s heritage sites

Wellington Arch and Apsley House

Address Hyde Park Corner, London, W1J 7NT By train Nearest station Victoria By tube Hyde Park Corner By car The nearest car park is in Hyde Park (NCP). There is parking for one vehicle at Apsley House for disabled visitors. This should be pre-booked by calling 020 7499 5676

Cenotaph

Address Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET By tube Westminster and Charing Cross By bus 6, 9, 11, 12, 24, 87 or 88

Jewel Tower

Address Abingdon Street, Westminster,

Above Dressing-up at Eltham Palace, the luxurious art deco mansion that belonged to Stephen and Virginia Courtauld Left Eltham’s dazzling circular entrance hall, a mix of art deco and cuttingedge Swedish design

London, SW1P 3JX By train Victoria and Charing Cross By tube Westminster By car The nearest parking is the Abingdon Street underground car park (NCP)

Blackheath blue plaques

Address Bennett Park, Blackheath, London, SE3 9RA By train Nearest station Blackheath By bus 53, 54 or 89 By car Pay-and-display parking

Eltham Palace and Gardens

Address Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, London, SE9 5NP By train Mottingham 1/2 mile (about 10-minute walk) By bus 124, 126, 160 or 161 By car Small car park but public transport recommended on busy days

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Studley Castle

‘I hope visitors will get a real sense of the grand scale of the castle, as well as its strategic military importance’

Bob Marshall

Historical reconstruction artist, Dover Castle, Kent

I am an architectural illustrator, working as part of a small team who produce the graphics on the information panels at our sites, in site guides, and on our website. We help visitors make sense of the often complex, fragmented remains of buildings and monuments by bringing history to life.

I recently developed a showpiece reconstruction illustration for the new Dover Castle at Siege exhibition. It shows what the castle looked like before it was besieged in 1216 by Prince Louis of France. I created a computer model that animators used to create a visual sequence showing how the castle changed between 1216 and 1227, when its defences were refortified.

Historical reconstruction demands real dedication, patience, meticulous attention to detail, and methodological rigour. My work gets a lot of scrutiny from both experts and the public. It’s essential I follow all the evidence carefully, consult with the right scholars, and work with both an academic and an artistic mindset.

Dover is the country’s largest castle, with many towers, gatehouses, and other structures, and working with its scale and complexity was very challenging. I had to develop a strategy for handling each part of the castle model and break the whole project into smaller, more manageable tasks, before assembling everything together at the end.

The project took around five months. The first month was spent gathering data and archival drawings, visiting the site, and drafting documents to communicate with our team of historians. The digital model itself took four months.

I worked closely with historians throughout the project. Archaeological reports contained important details that helped me to understand the castle’s structural development.

The process was mutually rewarding for both me and the historians. Computer 3D models help them to visualise historical information, and I can turn their thoughts and ideas into models and images.

We can then use these to test theories that factor in the surviving evidence, historical data, and information from other, similar sites.

This is the first of my reconstruction projects where I have used Artificial Intelligence to assist in the development of such a detailed image. I am always looking for innovative new ways to improve my work. But I am wary not to cross the line where the AI takes too much away from the creative process.

I am very proud that my reconstruction has been granted such prominence within the new exhibition. I hope visitors will get a real sense of the grand scale of the castle and its complex defences, as well as something of its strategic military importance, and its place in England’s history.

See it for yourself

For more information or to plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/dover

An aerial photograph shows the lunar landscape left behind by the Neolithic miners Facing page Phil stands on one of the pit mounds near to where he excavated Grime’s Graves in the 1970s

The castle endured two epic sieges in 1216–17, a story told in immersive new displays Bob stands in front of his finished image in the Dover Castle at Siege exhibition

INTERVIEW MATT HAVERCROFT PHOTOGRAPHS ALUN CALLENDER

Above

VICTORIA’S SECRETS

From November, visitors to Osborne will be given a whole new perspective on Queen Victoria’s life, with tours presented by costumed visitor assistants, as Sarah Baxter discovered

PHOTOGRAPHS MARIA BELL

Osborne is unrivalled for the insight it gives us into the private lives of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Patrick Ford, in character as Thomas Newell, and Jeanette Valentine, as Mrs Smith, welcome writer Sarah Baxter to Osborne

Walking down the low-lit corridor, past the 19th-century statuary, the only sound was the swish of skirts: Mrs Smith, wafting in crinoline-puffed peach-pink broadcloth, her neatly pinned curls bouncing beneath beaded crêpe. I followed behind, trying to take in the works of art without treading on her frills. ‘The number of times people stand on it…’ she tutted, rearranging her gown as we came to a stop. I had to ask: how long did it take you to dress?

‘About half-an-hour. I can just about do it on my own but it’s a tussle.’

Born in 1823, the daughter of a Nottinghamshire picture frame maker, Mrs Smith first went into service to the Duke of Portland but eventually ended up working for Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent.

In 1859 she was engaged as housekeeper at Osborne – Victoria and Albert’s family home on the Isle of Wight – and remained in this prestigious position for 28 years.

Now, she was showing me around and, like all the costumed guides at Osborne, her character is based on information from the 1861 census and historic photographs.

The wider Osborne estate, including its walled garden, extensive parkland and private beach, is accessible all year. But during the winter season, from early November until late March, only the ground floor of the house is open to visitors, and only then by guided tour.

This year, those tours will be led by Mrs Smith. Or footman Thomas Newell. Or another of Queen Victoria’s entourage – all historical characters played by the site’s knowledgeable visitor assistants. Each one will greet the public dressed in their 19th-century finery, and each one will be full of stories. ‘Visitors get a different perspective,’ said Thomas – AKA Osborne guide Patrick Ford – looking dapper in his Victorian morning coat.

‘Each of us has different interests and knowledge, so with each person, you’ll get a different tour, you’ll see new things.’

The upcoming tours, which will last around 45 minutes, will be led by just one of the queen’s household at a time.

But today, for my preview, both Thomas and Mrs Smith (in real life, Jeanette Valentine) had been spared their busy schedule of daily chores.

I met them waiting in the Equerries’ Corridor. ‘By 1845, Victoria and Albert already had four children – a further five would follow – and were looking for a family home,’ Thomas explained.

‘They already had the use of several residences. They didn’t like Buckingham Palace. Windsor’s drains smelt awful. Brighton Pavilion was by the sea but people could look in through the windows. They wanted privacy. Osborne gave them that.’

Thomas pointed out an 1887 painting of the royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert – a neat way into the backstory of how Victoria and Albert fell in love with this beachfront plot in East Cowes and, between 1845 and 1851, designed and built a honey-hued Italian palazzo that they would describe as ‘a little paradise’.

As we progressed – slowly and stately with those rustling skirts – Mrs Smith urged me to look up and around: ‘The thought that went into this house is quite incredible.’ And the elegant Grand Corridor was the perfect example.

It’s not only a sculpture gallery, it’s a practical artery, linking different sectors of the house while allowing staff of varying ranks to move around easily and separately (there was a strict hierarchy).

Some members of the royal household travelled with Victoria, but Osborne had its own staff, most of whom probably never even saw the queen. Mrs Smith lived here permanently, she told me, and was paid £112 a year plus £75 board. ‘But we did hear on the grapevine that footmen earn £300…’ She shot Thomas daggers.

Next, we headed to the elaborately decorated Council Room, where Victoria would have met her privy council.

It contains the most exquisite paintings: portraits of Victoria and Albert by Franz Winterhalter, rendered lustrous – almost three-dimensional – on Sèvres porcelain plaques.

‘Alexander Graham Bell did a telephone demonstration here for the queen’

Facing page The costumed characters are based on census information and historic photographs

Below ‘Mrs Smith’ reveals the secrets of everyday life in Victorian times at Osborne

‘Forever young, handsome, immortal,’ Thomas said. He also told me that it was in this room in 1878 that Alexander Graham Bell performed a telephone demonstration for the queen. She complained the line was ‘rather faint’.

‘Victoria sent blizzards of memos,’ Thomas added. ‘Today, she’d have sent so many texts.’

What I liked most about the tour were these asides and revelations, which continued as we went. Somehow Thomas digressed on to the queen’s hypochondria. ‘One of her biggest problems’ – he lowered his voice to a whisper – ‘was flatulence.’

Mrs Smith and Thomas also pointed out things I wouldn’t have noticed. For instance, the ‘marble’ pilasters were

actually made of painted plaster – one of Albert’s many money-saving measures.

Then there were the family portraits that feature not fusty ancestors but the couple’s children – who, noted Mrs Smith, can still be traced to modern royals.

Then there was Victoria’s lift, installed in 1893, and operated by hand. ‘I know what it’s like to walk in this dress,’ Mrs Smith confessed. ‘There’s no way I’d be running up the stairs.’

Through all these titbits what emerged was a picture of incredible opulence –the gold upholstery in the Drawing Room is very monarch-bling – but also of a place inhabited by real people and real characters, from sovereign to scullery maid.

The Durbar Wing, the last part of the tour, had a different feel. Added in 1890–91, this was Victoria’s little India. It’s like walking into a wedding cake – an 18 metre-long, 9 metre-high cake, iced in a white-plaster panoply of Hindu symbols.

Every inch of this house reflects a different part of the royal story. Over the course of the tour, my guides had helped build a picture of Victoria that was far fuller than the dumpy, grumpy empress of popular conception.

Mrs Smith revealed her own admiration for her queen: ‘She wasn’t just this stodgy old character, she was an amazing lady who drank whisky and

‘I know how hard it is to walk in this dress, so there’s no way I could run up the stairs’

claret in the same glass, and who loved dancing, music and gossip.’

I must admit that I rather like gossip too. So I was especially pleased when, while I was admiring the table setting and she thought I wasn’t listening, the housekeeper became a little loose-lipped about a footman – a neat touch that drew me further into Osborne’s myriad stories.

Osborne is a house that, though built less than 200 years ago, has seen so much life. And I have the sense that no two tours here would ever be the same, which is part of the appeal. These tours are a wonderful way to soak up the history and atmosphere of the property.

Thomas concurred: ‘It’s very easy to come here and not see the really interesting things. But with our knowledge, we can share them.’

Find out more

To plan your visit and find out more about the Victorian tours at Osborne, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/osborne

Three must-sees

The treasures that reveal the regal reality of royal life at Osborne

Queen Victoria statue, Grand Corridor

This is not only a fine statue but an insight into Victoria and Albert’s relationship. Created by John Gibson, it depicts Victoria in Classical costume. She gave it to Albert on his 30th birthday.

Chandelier, Audience Room

This chandelier is festooned with glass lilies and convolvulus. Every chandelier at Osborne was lit with expensive beeswax candles, which were changed daily even if unused. When thrifty Albert found out he immediately halted the practice.

Munshi Hafiz Abdul Karim portrait, Durbar Corridor

Rudolf Swoboda was commissioned to draw the people of India and his paintings line the corridor. Notable is this portrait of Karim, who was hired as a servant in 1887 and became the queen’s confidant.

The most wonderful times of the year

Gift an English Heritage membership from just £42*

Give someone special a year of joy, wonder and merry moments with their loved ones. It’s a fantastic way to feel connected to our rich heritage, with unlimited access to 400 sites, free entry for kids**, exclusive members’ magazine, and more. Plus, when you buy a gift of membership, you’re helping us make sure that England’s heritage is here for everyone to discover, share and enjoy.

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Christmas gifts to go down in history

Spread some festive cheer this year with these perfect present ideas from our online shop

From left Salted caramel biscuits £5.50 ; English Heritage Christmas cards £12 ; William Morris happiness vegan box £65; ‘12 Days of Christmas’ velvet cushion £35; Strawberry bon bons £5; Black cherry and rum jam £4.25; Recycled large check throw £35; Elizabeth Scarlett ‘Bee’ coin purse £16; Elizabeth Scarlett ‘Sun Rust’ everyday pouch £32 ; Kind Bag green recycled plastic rucksack £65; Queen Victoria mug £22; Queen Victoria bauble £22; ‘Blood Rose’ scented candle jar £10 ; English Heritage bear £20 ; Traditional mead £15; ‘The Nutcracker’ double-sided jigsaw puzzle £12

Remember, if you’ve renewed your membership past its first term, you can save 10% www.english-heritage shop.org.uk

WIN A £250 SHOP VOUCHER

This is your chance to win £250 to spend in the English Heritage online shop. It’s the perfect way to start your Christmas shopping early, with a unique range of gifts from Christmas jumpers to teddy bears. To enter, simply go to our website at www.english-heritage.org. uk/christmas-prize-draw

Closing date 2 December 2024. Terms and conditions apply – see the entry form for more information.

ALONG THE ADRIATIC COAST

A cruise from Pula to Dubrovnik aboard the 36-passenger Queen Eleganza 10th to 20th May; 18th to 28th June & 28th September to 8th October 2025

Come with us to explore the beautiful Adriatic Coast and its hundreds of islands aboard the charming, 36-passenger Queen Eleganza. We have devised our itinerary with the view that we have a private yacht as our base and are therefore able to create a journey that is somewhat different from regular cruises. Added to this we have the benefit of a two night stay in Pula before our cruise to explore the Istrian peninsula, including the atmospheric coastal town of Rovinj and the Medieval hilltop village of Bale, surrounded by olive groves.

With the Queen Eleganza, we are able to visit some marvellous places which do not cater for the big ships and each night we remain moored in the picturesque harbours affording the opportunity to take an afterdinner stroll and dine ashore on certain evenings. We will sail through some truly beautiful scenery which you can appreciate whilst relaxing on the sun deck, and our calls along the sedate Northern coast will include tranquil Primosten with its many beaches, and the picturesque island of Mali Losinj. We will also visit the majestic waterfalls of Krka, spend time walking through the beautiful old towns of Hvar and Korcula, and explore the wonders of Zadar and Dubrovnik. In addition to our included guided excursions, we have allowed ample time at leisure for independent exploration.

QUEEN ELEGANZA is the perfect ship to escape the formalities of larger vessels and enjoy the casual nature of small ship cruising along the most beautiful of coastlines. Launched in 2018 and accommodating just 36 passengers, she is one of the finest Croatian flagged vessels of her kind. The 18 cabins are finished to the highest standard and are equipped with an en-suite bathroom with shower, safe, air conditioning/heating, hairdryer and flat screen TV. The vessel has been designed with spacious outside public areas including a large Sun Deck with an excellent shaded area. Whether you choose to spend your time indoors in the lounge or bar area, or in a comfortable lounger on the Sun Deck, the ship has many perfect spots from which to relax and watch the passing scenery. Meals served on board feature wholesome and fresh Mediterranean cuisine and, when dining ashore independently, your knowledgeable Cruise Director will recommend popular local restaurants.

Korcula

Hvar Dubrovnik

CROATIA

Mali Losinj

Sibenik

Rovinj Pula

Primosten

Krka Waterfalls

Zadar

THE ITINERARY IN BRIEF

Day 1 London to Pula, Croatia. Fly by scheduled flight. On arrival transfer to the Hotel Park Plaza Histria for our two night stay. Settle in before enjoying dinner at the hotel this evening. (D)

Day 2 Pula & Rovinj. This morning we will explore some of the Istrian peninsula where we will first stop at the charming hilltop village of Bale. Spend some time exploring the Medieval streets before we visit a nearby olive oil farm where we will enjoy a tasting. Continuing to the coastal town of Rovinj, our guided walking tour will include the Franciscan Monastery, City Palace and the town’s main landmark, St Euphemia Church. After lunch at a local restaurant, return to the hotel where the rest of the day and evening are at leisure. (B, L)

Day 3 Pula. Check out of our hotel this morning and take the short drive into the historic heart of Pula, the former Roman settlement of Polensium. On our walking tour we will discover one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres left in the world. Exploring the town further we will see the varied architecture from Baroque palaces, Christian churches and Austrian villas. Following lunch at a local restaurant we will embark the Queen Eleganza. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner on board as we moor overnight. (B, L, D)

Day 4 Mali Losinj. Spend the morning cruising and take the opportunity for a swim before arriving at Mali Losinj which sits at the foot of a protected harbour on the southeast coast of Losinj Island. The seafront of the old town is lined with a string of imposing 19th century houses and villas and is a pleasant place to wander. Dine ashore this evening in one of the harbourside restaurants. (B, L)

Day 5 Zadar. Set sail this morning for Zadar, arriving after lunch. Once a dominant city on the Adriatic Coast rivalling Venice, Zadar is today a treasured city that has preserved its historical core. Enjoy an afternoon walking tour strolling around the old town with its Roman columns and portals, Romanesque churches and Renaissance and Baroque palaces. We will moor overnight, allowing you the opportunity to choose from one of the charming local restaurants to dine ashore. (B, L)

Day 6 Sibenik. Spend the morning at sea as we cruise to Sibenik, our base to visit the majestic waterfalls of Krka. Enjoy a guided walk along wooden walkways and across bridges through this unique fjord like landscape with its multiple waterfalls and interesting flora and fauna. Return to Sibenik where we join a late afternoon walking tour through the historic town. Enjoy dinner on board this evening. (B, L, D)

Day 7 Primosten. Sail this morning to Primosten, arriving at lunchtime. Join a guided walking tour of this pretty little town situated on a small peninsula and dominated by the church of St George which dates from 1485. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore independently, maybe head to one of the many nearby beaches to enjoy a swim in the crystal-clear waters. This evening you can sample one of the many local restaurants. (B, L)

Day 8 Hvar. Spend the morning at sea as we sail to Stari Grad where, upon arrival after lunch, we take a short coach ride across the island to the attractive Old Town of Hvar for a guided walk. We will begin in the main square which is the largest piazza in Dalmatia and see the cathedral, the Franciscan Monastery, and the Benedictine Nunnery. Return to the ship and enjoy dinner on board. (B, L, D)

Day 9 Korcula. Relax on board this morning as we sail to Korcula where we arrive this afternoon. The reputed birthplace of the explorer Marco Polo, we enjoy some time to walk along the crooked Medieval streets. We will moor overnight and you will be able to dine ashore in the Old Town this evening. (B, L)

Day 10 Dubrovnik. Spend a final morning at sea as we sail towards our final port of call, Dubrovnik, the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. After a short drive to Pile Gate, we will begin our guided walk through

the unique Medieval Old Town and see the major attractions such as the Rector’s Palace, the Romanesque-Gothic Dominican and Franciscan Monasteries, and the Sponza Palace. Return to the vessel and enjoy a farewell dinner. (B, L, D)

Day 11 Dubrovnik to London. Disembark and transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to London. (B)

PRICES & INCLUSIONS

Special offer prices per person based on double occupancy start from £4095 for a Category 1 cabin.

WHAT’S

INCLUDED:

Economy class scheduled air travel • Two nights hotel accommodation in Pula • Eight nights aboard the Queen Eleganza • Meals as indicated (B - Breakfast, L - Lunch, D - Dinner)

• House wine, beer & soft drinks with included lunches and dinners • Shore excursions • Noble Caledonia onboard team • Noble Caledonia Tour Manager in Pula • Gratuities • Transfers • Port taxes • Airport taxes.

NB. Ports and itinerary are subject to change. Travel insurance is not included in the price. All special offers are subject to availability. Our current booking conditions apply to all reservations.

Game pieces at Lindisfarne Priory

WORDS SUSAN HARRISON

One of the most remarkable archaeological finds at Lindisfarne Priory in Northumberland is a beautiful, cobaltblue glass gaming counter, decorated with swirls of white glass and a crown of five white balls, which probably represents a king.

It was found in a burial ground east of the priory church ruins in 2019 during excavations, led by Dig Ventures and Durham University, and may have been originally buried with a member of the Northumbrian elite in the 8th to 9th centuries.

The counter may come from a set for playing ‘tafl’, a game of strategy played on a board marked with a grid and safe zones, where players defend a central king from attackers. Recently a fragment of a stone tafl board was identified among finds excavated from the priory in the early 20th century.

Stone gaming boards also survive from later periods in Lindisfarne’s history. Nine men’s morris, or merrills, was played in the medieval monastery. Another board, carved with card suits, has a hollow for gambling tokens, and was probably used by soldiers when the ruins were a military storehouse in the 17th to 18th centuries.

Now play Viking chess yourself

Try taking on tafl – learn the rules and download a printable version at www. english-heritage.org.uk/viking-board-game

This cobalt-blue glass gaming counter is thought to date from around the 8th or 9th century

A fragment of a nine men’s morris (or merrills) board dating from the later medieval monastery

Dating from the 17th to 18th centuries, this stone board was used with playing cards for gambling

A section from a stone board for playing the strategy game tafl

Lighting up the dark

From enigmatic Neolithic rituals to Victorian traditions, our experts reveal how winter celebrations changed over time at the sites in our care

Roman revelry

Housesteads Roman Fort, Northumberland

Dr Andrew Roberts, properties historian

The Romans celebrated midwinter with at least five days of feasting and partying called the Saturnalia, which began on 17 December.

Prehistoric parties

Thornborough Henges, North Yorkshire

Dr Jennifer Wexler, properties historian

On a raised plateau above the river Ure lie the massive triple earthworks (henges) of Thornborough Henges. These three huge, identical circular earthwork enclosures were probably built at the same time around 4,500–5,000 years ago in open, dry grassland, on a plateau with extensive views of the sky, indicating that the skyscape may be key to understanding it.

The high banks of each henge would have blocked views of the surrounding landscape for people standing inside, except through the entrances. As with many monuments dating from the late Neolithic period, both the southern entrances of the northern and central henges were aligned with the rising sun on the midwinter solstice. This was part of a wider practice of orientating Neolithic monuments to the solstices, including most famously at the stone circle of Stonehenge.

While we do not know what rituals or practices were happening at Thornborough 4,500–5,000 years ago, we can picture people standing within its massive rings, awaiting the return of the sun and the light after the longest night, its first rays making the white gypsum that covered the earthworks glow for miles around. www.english-heritage.org.uk/thornborough-henges

Honouring Saturn, chief of the Roman gods, it was a time when all the usual rules about rank and etiquette were overturned. Slaves were served at meals by their masters, and everyone wore a pileus, the conical ‘cap of liberty’ presented to slaves when they were freed.

Gambling with dice, usually forbidden, was allowed, and instead of white togas or dresses everyone wore bright party clothes. Public feasts were followed by celebrations at home, and people exchanged small gifts, especially ‘sigillaria’ (little figures made of wax or pottery), or jokily satirical presents, songs or poems. Slaves could even criticise their masters, and (just this once in the year) got time off.

During Saturnalia at Housesteads Roman Fort, soldiers might have been served by their officers. They’d have varied their everyday diet of bread and beef with some of the luxury foods the Romans introduced to Britain, such as figs, dates, pine nuts, snails, fattened-up dormice and garum, a strong-tasting sauce made from fermented fish.

Instead of the usual Hadrian’s Wall beer, they’d have drunk imported wine, perhaps ‘mulsum’, which was wine blended with honey and spices. www.english-heritage.org.uk/housesteads

Power games

Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk

Dr Michael Carter, senior properties historian

In 1433, when King Henry VI was 11 years old, he spent Christmas at Bury St Edmunds Abbey, one of the greatest monasteries in the land. As well as feasting in the abbey’s great hall, the young king spent hours every day praying in the abbey’s enormous church. He was especially interested in the religious services celebrated there on 28 December, because a choirboy, little older than king himself, was in charge, taking on the role of ‘boy abbot’.

Such ‘boy abbots’ or ‘boy bishops’ were a part of Christmas celebrations at cathedrals and abbeys across medieval Europe. They were chosen by their fellow choirboys on 6 December, the holy day of St Nicholas, the origin of the name Santa Claus. But they had to wait another three weeks to take office on 28 December – Holy Innocents’ Day, also known in England as ‘Childermas’ (Children’s Mass). This holy feast commemorates the young boys who were slaughtered in Bethlehem on the orders of King Herod in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus. Charity was an important responsibility of the church, especially at Christmas. The boy abbot at Bury St Edmunds distributed small, coin-like lead tokens to children and the poor, likely exchanged for food and drink. The next day, the grown-up abbot or bishop took back control: the fun was over, and the natural order of things restored to its proper place.

www.english-heritage.org.

uk/bury-st-edmunds-abbey

Feasting and fighting

Eltham Palace, London

Dr Jeremy Ashbee, head historic properties curator

The winter of 1515 saw Henry VIII and his queen, Katherine of Aragon, celebrate Christmas in the palace where Henry had spent much of his childhood. Henry was 24 and had occupied the throne of England for six-and-a-half years. He had a taste for magnificence in all things – a taste that would allow the English royal court to compete with its rivals in France and the Holy Roman Empire. Christmas was celebrated with elaborate services in the royal chapel. Henry and his queen usually attended in a separate ‘closet’ on the first floor. At one of these services, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was invested as Lord Chancellor. The king’s love of spectacle led him to produce an outstanding celebration for Twelfth Night, on 6 January 1516. An imitation castle was built in the great hall and armies of knights competed in a mock battle, followed by a banquet that comprised an astonishing 200 dishes. www.english-heritage.org.uk/eltham

Family festivities

Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, South Yorkshire

Eleanor Matthews, curator of collections and interiors

Christmas at Brodsworth included many of the traditions that we are familiar with today. Popularised by Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, a Victorian Christmas was a family focused celebration. Crackers, Christmas cards, Christmas pudding and serving turkey all originated during her reign. Most families, including the Thellusson family of Brodsworth, would have attended church at Christmas, and the lyrics of many of our most popular Christmas carols are Victorian.

Although Queen Charlotte put up the first Christmas tree in England, the popularity of festive trees soared when Prince Albert imported spruce firs from his native Germany. It’s likely that the Thellussons positioned their tree in the entrance hall, where it could be seen by visiting friends and family. Christmas was also a time for revelry, and the Thellussons attended balls at nearby estates.

The name Boxing Day refers to the ‘Christmas box’ tips that were left for servants and tradesmen. At Brodsworth, a Christmas box was given to the postman and hampers were sent to 20 families. Parties and gifts for tenants’ children were also a Victorian festive event. This tradition continued well into the 20th century at Brodsworth, when Sylvia Grant-Dalton held Christmas parties for the local schoolchildren, supplying food, presents and a Christmas tree. www.english-heritage.org.uk/brodsworth-hall

‘Crackers, Christmas cards and Christmas pudding all originated during Victoria’s reign’

Stay where history happened

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Manoir du Hilguy, Brittany St Brides Castle, Pembrokeshire

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Stigliano, Tuscany

“In my experience, HPB has all the ingredients of a perfect holiday”

Sue Barker HPB Bondholder since 2001

For over 40 years, the Holiday Property Bond (HPB) has been discovering unique properties with a fascinating past and then carefully restoring and renovating them. From a Queen Anne Grade II* listed country house in the heart of Kent’s serene North Downs to a turreted Victorian mansion on the banks of Loch Achray in the Scottish Highlands, HPB is the custodian of over 30 historic properties throughout the UK and Europe that have been converted into exclusive holiday homes.

Become a Bondholder and you’ll be able to discover the fascinating history of these beautiful locations. Not only that, your holiday booking power will be reissued to you every year, so you can holiday in history time and time again.

Exclusive holidays for life An initial payment from £5,000 and a quarterly fee of under £38 (that is around £150 a year), which can increase in line with but not exceed the Retail Price Index Excluding Mortgage Interest (RPIX), gives you access to all HPB’s holiday homes. For each HPB holiday, you will pay a no-profit user charge covering only property running and maintenance costs and use of on-site facilities. The average charge is the same throughout the year, and for a studio is around £360 a week and £540 for a two bedroom property. Larger properties are also available. After an initial charge of 25% your money is invested in a fund of holiday properties and securities. The fund itself meets annual charges of 2.5% of its net assets at cost, calculated monthly. Your investment return is purely in the form of holidays and, as with most investments, your capital is at

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Buckland Court, Cotswolds

FIVE

REASONS TO FEEL GREAT ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP THIS SEASON

There are lots of ways to make sure that you’re getting great value as a member. Here are just a few reasons to feel excited about your membership…

REASONS TO FEEL…

ADVENTUROUS

You can explore more than 400 historic sites across the country. Why not enjoy an autumnal walk at sites such as Audley End House in Essex or Witley Court in Worcestershire? Or you could explore the story of our sites in museums from Dover Castle in Kent to Wroxeter Roman City in Shropshire.

REASONS TO FEEL…

ENTERTAINED

Members get free or reduced-price entry to hundreds of events all year round. Whether you want to see historic ruins in a new light at the Illuminated events or fancy getting into the festive spirit by meeting Father Christmas, there are activities all over the country to take part in.

Save the dates

Members’ Week returns in 2025 from 3 to 11 May, packed with free events that are exclusive to members. See the next issue of your Members’ Magazine for further details.

REASONS TO FEEL…

REWARDED

As a member, you’re playing a crucial part in protecting heritage sites for generations to come. From essential repair works to planting historic gardens, your support makes a difference every day.

REASONS TO FEEL…

INFORMED

You can enjoy exclusive access to the wide range of our Members’ Lectures – fascinating online talks given by leading experts and historians. Watch previous lectures and book to watch our latest series, starting in October, at www.englishheritage.org.uk/members-lectures

REASONS TO FEEL…

TOGETHER

Kids go free with an accompanying adult member. And at sites such as Belsay Hall in Northumberland you can sit in the café and watch the kids in the play area. Plus, if you’ve renewed your membership you can get 10% off in our cafés.

Little wonders

A groundbreaking scientific research project has informed the care and presentation of a collection of fragile, pocket-sized portraits at Kenwood in London, discovers Jheni Osman

PHOTOGRAPHS ROBIN MELLOR

Drawn blinds block the sunlight. Dusky pink and maroon patterned wallpaper envelopes the room. Along the walls stand glazed white wooden cabinets, laden with treasures. Inside one cabinet are elaborate hair pins, in another bejewelled shoe buckles. In the largest of the cabinets sit row upon row of small oval portraits, ranging in size from five to 10cm – intricate small paintings of ladies wearing ornate dresses, pearl necklaces and glistening jewels, and gentlemen in smart jackets, neckerchiefs and white wigs.

These portraits, from the Draper Gift, the Lady Cohen Collection and the Falk Collection, are just some of the 200 miniatures on display at Kenwood on the edge of Hampstead Heath in London.

Spanning the late 17th to late 19th centuries, all but a handful of them are painted in watercolour on ivory and housed in precious metal and enamel lockets, some of which include personal items such as locks of hair.

‘There is something incredibly intimate about portrait miniatures,’ says Louise Cooling, curator of collections and interiors at Kenwood. ‘These objects were intended to be held and worn, as tokens of love, friendship and loyalty – or as mementoes of those lost or absent. They

had a practical function in a way that most paintings don’t. They could be hidden away or revealed, so there’s a power in how they were used; for example, they could demonstrate royal and political allegiance.’

Portrait miniatures, painted in watercolour on calf skin (vellum), were introduced to England at the Tudor court of Henry VIII and remained popular for more than a century. At the start of the 18th century, miniatures were revolutionised by a new technique from Italy – painting watercolour on ivory.

It took a while for artists to get to grips with the oily, unabsorbent surface of ivory. But by the 1760s, a new generation had emerged who elevated the portrait miniature to new heights. Miniaturists such as Jeremiah Meyer, Richard Cosway and John Smart were not only leaders in their field but ranked alongside artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds as the greatest portraitists of the age.

The word ‘miniature’ derives from the Italian miniatura meaning ‘manuscript illumination’, which comes from the Latin miniare meaning ‘to paint red’. Red lead used to be used for capital letters on illuminated manuscripts. In the 15th century, a group of artists adopted this technique to paint portraits on vellum, which became known as

Left Kenwood’s collection traces the development of the portrait miniature in Britain over the course of the 18th century

‘limnings’ in the 16th and 17th centuries, before being referred to as ‘miniatures’ in the 18th century.

‘Miniatures feature in famous novels from the 19th century, such as in Jane Eyre when she draws a miniature of a lady she thinks Mr Rochester is pining for,’ says Cooling. ‘Openly wearing a portrait miniature back then might be a bit like the first time you post a photo of yourself with a new boyfriend or girlfriend on social media today.’

The advent of commercially viable photography effectively sounded the death knell for portrait miniatures. Only a few hobbyists continued to paint them. Many were lost to dusty jewellery cases and boxes in attics, only to be rediscovered years later by antiques collectors.

Portrait miniatures are fragile and sensitive to light, pollution and fluctuations in moisture in the air. These environmental factors can cause paintings to fade, ivory to crack and mould to grow on the painted surface.

At Kenwood, many environmental factors can be controlled. For example,

the blinds can be drawn to protect the watercolours from sunlight. But the biggest challenge is protecting them against changes in humidity, either from the central heating drying the atmosphere in winter or moisture in the air on damp summer days.

‘As ivory absorbs water from the air, if the moisture content goes up, the ivory will expand, and if the moisture content goes down, it will contract,’ says English Heritage senior conservation scientist, Dr David Thickett. ‘To control the relative humidity in the room housing the miniatures, we’ve had a humidifier running around the clock in winter and a dehumidifier in summer.’

A chemist by training, Thickett spent his early career working in industrial high-tech ceramics, before moving to work for the British Museum in preventive conservation, before finally settling at English Heritage.

Over the past couple of years, he has been investigating how much a locket can protect a miniature from the wider environment. Using a technique Thickett developed himself to measure oxygen

‘There is something incredibly intimate about miniatures. Wearing one was like posting a photo on social media today’

Above Miniatures on display at Kenwood Right

levels, he is able to calculate the amount of air moving into the lockets. He has also been studying how ivory responds to humidity fluctuations.

In another English Heritage property, Ranger’s House in Greenwich, London, Thickett has set up a laboratory (with equipment provided by a grant from the UKRI World Class Laboratories Fund via the AHRC CapCo scheme). In a robust see-through plastic bag is one of the lockets he’s working on, as well as a small pouch, which looks a bit like the silica gel desiccant inside a shoebox.

After heat-sealing the bag, the pouch gradually absorbs all the oxygen inside the bag. Shining a light on a small pink sticker, which is attached to the glass inside the locket, indicates how much oxygen is present – the less light emitted back from the sticker, the higher the oxygen concentration. Once the oxygen has been completely sucked out of the bag, it is opened and the oxygen levels inside the locket frame itself monitored over the course of a few days. The speed at which the oxygen level increases inside the locket reveals how leaky the frame is.

Nearby is another piece of kit – a dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) device,

which is used to measure the mass of a sample as it changes in response to variations in temperature or humidity. Usually used by the catering industry to check moisture content in food, the DVS can assess how absorbent the ivory is.

A final device measures the acoustic emissions from materials. When subjected to stresses such as heat or desiccation, materials develop microcracks, too tiny to see with the naked eye – or even a microscope.

However, microcracks can be picked up by measuring acoustic emissions, helping scientists understand the limits of a material before any major cracks appear. In the case of ivory, this has enabled Thickett to develop humidity guidelines that will prevent the cracks that damage the watercolour portraits.

‘We need to keep the relative humidity between 45 and 55 per cent,’ says Thickett. ‘When the locket interior falls within this band, our research has shown that we don’t need to constantly run the humidifier or dehumidifier.’

‘I don’t think any of the team envisaged that the results would be so clear cut,’ adds Cooling. ‘Previously we

thought humidifying or dehumidifying were the only tools to protect the miniatures in a Grade I-listed building like Kenwood, which has poor insulation and where we can’t install miles of ducting for an air conditioning system.’

Removing the need for this energyhungry equipment will enable Kenwood to cut 2.1 tonnes of carbon emissions in the summer alone. The innovative research will also inform how English Heritage cares for all the miniatures in its care, at sites such as Audley End House, Brodsworth Hall and Apsley House.

‘While miniatures are quite niche, there are a lot of institutions that are increasingly putting them on display, so it’s really important to understand more about how they function as a whole object,’ says Cooling. ‘This cutting-edge research will have an impact on how portrait miniature collections are stored and displayed around the world.’

Discover more

To learn more about the portrait miniatures at Kenwood, or to plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenwood

Curator Louise Cooling examines a precious miniature from the collection at Kenwood

1,000,000 AND MORE APPEAL

Stop stories being

This rare vase is just one of over a million items in our collection stores. Each one has a fascinating story to tell that brings the past to life. But each one must be carefully protected for everyone to enjoy, now and in the future.

Explore any English Heritage site and you’ll find a wealth of historical objects that will leave you feeling curious about the past. But did you know there are over a million objects in our collection stores, dating from prehistory to the Cold War?

Today, we urgently need your help to continue protecting and understanding many of these items.

Each one tells stories about people’s lives, from deep history to the not-too-distant past. Just as fascinating are the stories of the archaeologists who painstakingly scraped away layers of soil to make their discoveries, as well as the stories of the experts who now care for the items, with skill, knowledge and boundless enthusiasm. Every piece in our collections – and every story they tell – helps us all to build an understanding of England’s past.

Please donate to our Million and More Appeal. Without your support, many stories that inspire us to think about our history – and our place in the present – could be lost forever.

Visitor, face to face with a stone head from Whitby Abbey

Cleaning a memento mori at Ranger’s House

A military buckle from Richborough Roman Fort

Right now, we’ve got our work cut out to study and store an awe-inspiring collection of Roman glass from Corbridge. Every single one of these 7,000 shards of glass tells a story of Roman life – stories of style and celebration, of fashion and funerals, of cooking and cleaning. But we won’t be able to uncover stories such as these without your support.

Everything in our collection stores has to be carefully looked after. And each item needs to be documented, so that its untold stories can be unravelled and shared for many years to come. To protect precious objects from extreme changes in climate, the humidity levels and temperature need to be just right. We’re depending on our generous members to help keep them safe.

We need your support today.

Every year, at least £600,000 is needed to care for, and give access to, the historic objects in our stores. These costs simply can’t be covered by membership alone. As a charity, we’re relying on your support to prevent our collections from deteriorating and their stories being lost forever.

Your help is urgently needed to protect more than a million of England’s stories.

A Roman vase, 2nd century AD, found at Corbridge Roman Town

Help save England’s historic collections and protect the stories of the past.

a

A donation of £35 could secure one hour of an expert’s time, so they can catalogue some of the Roman glass from Corbridge.

A donation of £80 could help to cover costs to open up our stores for free public tours, so more people can discover a treasure trove of historical items and hear their stories. £35 £50 £80

A donation of £50 could help pay for four soft, natural-fibre brushes to prevent scratches while cleaning fragile works of art and historic photographs.

Scan here to donate

Or visit english-heritage. org.uk/millionandmore

Your donation will go towards the conservation and protection of the historical objects in our collections and stores.

Visitors viewing

selection of Corbridge glass

The joy of discovery at Swiss Cottage, Osborne

Cleaning a Roman pot at Corbridge Store

Share your thoughts, experiences, tips and photos

A day to remember We recently took our two granddaughters to visit Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire. They loved exploring all the rooms and running around in the Fountain Garden. The play area was also a firm favourite, but their highlight was the dressing-up box in the stables. We can highly recommend Bolsover as a wonderful day out.

Linda Boskovic

Value for money

After being diagnosed with long Covid, my partner Richard and I have had to make changes to our pace of life. I’ve been left with some mobility issues but have spare time on my hands, so we joined English Heritage. I’ve had the best year as a member. Most places have mobility access and I use a stick for the rest. I’m so determined to see all these places, it’s given me a motivation to keep mobile, and we’ve made back the cost of membership and more!

STAR LETTER

Sarah Stocker

Olympic champion

I write to congratulate you on your splendid article on double Olympic gold medallist Harry Mallin in the Summer issue. As a boxing historian myself, I have done a fair bit of research into his achievements in the ring. It was excellent to see his memory rewarded with a blue plaque a few years back as he is, in my humble opinion, the best amateur boxer this country has ever produced. What sets Harry apart is the ‘unbeaten’ tag. An amazing feat for someone with more than 300 bouts to their credit. I must confess though that I was not aware of his BBC TV commentary that you referred to. It’s always nice to learn something new.

Larry Braysher

Our star letter writer receives a prize from Craghoppers. This issue it’s a stylish, waterrepellent men’s or women’s vest worth up to £125. For a chance to win, simply send us an email for publication.

Unexpected bonus

We were fortunate enough to recently visit Ashby de la Zouch Castle in Leicestershire, where the friendly staff pointed out that peregrine falcons were nesting on top of the towers. This was exciting news as my husband Dudley is a keen amateur wildlife photographer. Not only did we enjoy the castle sights and history via the free audio guide but he had the opportunity to also photograph the birds. Not only is English Heritage preserving historical sites for generations to come, it’s also providing havens for many species of wildlife.

Julie Arnold Taylor

Find out more about spotting birds at our sites throughout the year at www.english-heritage.org. uk/bird-spotting

Northumbrian adventure

What an excellent article by Monisha Rajesh in the Summer issue extolling the virtues of Warkworth Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle and Lindisfarne Priory. I was born in Northumberland and lived in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders before moving to East Anglia 40 years ago. I tell anyone down south who will listen about this fabulous area. It was lovely to read such an enthusiastic account of this family’s Northumbrian adventure.

June Adams

Art attack

We noticed the colouring-in picture on the inside of the envelope of the latest English Heritage magazine. What a great idea! My daughter Isabelle coloured it all in when we were on holiday.

Andrea Deards

‘Not only is English Heritage preserving historical sites, it’s providing wildlife havens’

Holiday cottage

I recently stayed at English Heritage’s Coastguard’s Cottage on Lindisfarne with family and friends. This was our second visit and it was just as fabulous as the first. It’s such a special place. The welcome hamper is wonderful and the cottage has got the best view on the island. Of course, I took my latest English Heritage magazine to read while on my hols!

Abigail Ledder

Belsay improvements

It was wonderful to see the improvements to Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens in Northumberland recently. Not only has nature been protected during the process, the end result has enhanced the environment. The new play area is great for the kids – and I really appreciate having a café right next to it!

Oliver Futter

Georgian quandary

I was amused to read in the Summer issue that Georgian troops were barracked at Dover Castle during the Napoleonic Wars. Were the French shouting at them from across the Channel to try and intimidate them?

Ian McKeer

Get in touch

Email your thoughts, tips and photos to membersmagazine@ ourmedia.co.uk

Send your questions to the English Heritage experts

What’s the most unusual Roman object from around Hadrian’s Wall that can be seen at an English Heritage site?

Dr Frances McIntosh, curator of collections and interiors, replies…

Well, it depends what you think is unusual. There are lots of items you might not expect to find on Hadrian’s Wall, such as a giant clam shell from the Pacific Ocean, burnt wheat from a Roman fort in Scotland, or a Greek ceramic cup dating to centuries before the Romans arrived in Britain (thank John Clayton for these oddities).

But I think my favourite unexpected items used by the Romans on Hadrian’s Wall are two feeding bottles from Corbridge. They are ceramic and pear-shaped, with a narrow spout projecting from the side, standing between 10 and 11cm high. Analysis of examples from elsewhere in Roman Britain has identified fats indicating they contained milk. Thought to be used for feeding infants, they are the precursor to our modern baby bottles.

Daniel Thornhill asks…

SEND US A QUESTION

To get your questions answered, email us at membersmagazine@ ourmedia.co.uk

Is it true that Arthur’s Stone in Herefordshire played a part in inspiring The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

Win Scutt, senior properties curator (west), replies…

I’ve spoken to Professor Keith Ray, who is an expert on Herefordshire, about this and he tells me that C S Lewis visited the Golden Valley with his wife, inspired by a painting of the valley he had owned for a long time. While there he visited Arthur’s Stone and the large capstone gave him the idea for the stone table on which Aslan would be executed by the White Witch with a stone knife in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Whatever its association with C S Lewis though, I can highly recommend a visit to Arthur’s Stone, which is, in fact, a Neolithic chambered tomb that is nearly 4,000 years old. The surrounding Golden Valley is resplendent with wild, untamed country, rolling hills and delightful rural villages.

MEMBERS’ AREA

The latest exclusive online content

Test your knowledge

From Romans to ruins, test your history know-how. www.english-heritage.org. uk/quizzes

Kids’ competition

Design a wall painting for a chance to win a goody bag. www.english-heritage.org. uk/kids

Listen to our podcast Don’t miss the latest episodes of our podcast. www.english-heritage.org. uk/podcast

Mia Blackwood asks…

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Pauline sets sail again with TURMERIC+

Semi-retired photographer Pauline Rook, 73, living in Somerset, tells how Turmeric+ changed her life.

‘Both my mother and my grandmother had experienced discomfort in their joints during their lives and my knees were beginning to wake me up in the night and I wanted to do something proactively to try and help myself.

‘Turmeric was recommended and a nutritionist suggested I make a not very tasty drink, which I didn’t fancy at all. So when I saw an advertisement for Turmeric+ from FutureYou Cambridge I thought I’d try that instead.

‘It was very good, and worked wonders, but I thought it was a little expensive, so I stopped and tried a cheaper one. My knee started playing up again. so I went back to it. That was about 10 years ago and I’ve not had a problem since.’

Turmeric contains compounds called curcuminoids, the most notable of which is curcumin.

Not only is curcumin responsible for turmeric’s distinctive yellow colour but it’s also what makes it such a powerful spice.

However curcumin is difficult for the body to absorb so the scientists at FutureYou Cambridge used a patented Curcuma Phospholipid Complex formulation to make Turmeric+, 30 times more absorbable than standard turmeric.

They also added vitamin C, which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and vitamin D, which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and maintenance of normal muscle function.

‘Our advanced formulation works by using plant- based lecithin to mimic the way the body naturally absorbs curcuminoids after eating turmeric cooked with fat,’ explains Dr Miriam Ferrer, PhD,

FREE Turmeric+

FutureYou Cambridge is offering you the opportunity to try its bestselling joint supplement, Turmeric+, for free, for 28 days.*

The Cambridge-based company is renowned for developing the highest quality health supplements backed by leading scientific research and actively work with highlyregarded scientific and nutritional experts.

Turmeric+ contains the most scientifically documented bioavailable curcumin formulation in existence, having been the focus of 45 human studies involving over 2,000 subjects. It has also

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Pharmacokinetics studies show the unique phytosome delivery system significantly increases curcumin absorption by 30 times; offering an advanced natural alternative to black pepper.

The vegan-friendly formula contains the full bouquet of curcuminoids including high levels of demethoxycurcumin (DMC), the most powerful curcuminoid. It has also been combined with vitamin C and D which contribute to normal function of cartilage and normal muscle function.

‘It was very good, and worked wonders’

Head of Product Development. ‘But it delivers far more than you’d normally get from a meal.’

Pauline continues: ‘Recently I was dinghy racing with my husband, I’m by far the oldest

‘We want to support more people to become or stay active. We think Turmeric+ can play an important role in that journey.’ says Adam Cleevely, FutureYou Cambridge’s Chair. ‘We offer people their first pack of Turmeric+ for free so they can experience Turmeric+ for themselves. Most will know if it’s working for them within four to eight weeks – and if they like it, they will stick with it.’

active dinghy woman sailor in the club, but even after hanging over the toe straps in rough seas, my knees were fine. Turmeric+ has helped me live the life I want, fully mobile and no discomfort at night.’

‘I thought it was the most beautiful house I had ever seen’

Audley End House in Essex has been Roz Saggers’ special place ever since she lived here as a teenager

Audley End House is a very special place to me because it was once my home. I came to live here in 1975 when I was 14. I remember the first time I saw it from across the river, I thought it was the most beautiful house that I had ever seen.

Mum had got a job as custodian at Audley End, which at that time was run by the Department of the Environment. It came with one of the gatehouses to live in, Cambridge Lodge. She loved the job. When the head custodian retired, she took over and we moved into a service wing of the big house, which had been converted for staff accommodation.

It was great fun living there. My sister’s bedroom was the butler’s pantry. Mine had the alarm system for the house in it. If the alarm went off in the night, policemen from Saffron Walden would turn up armed with truncheons. Our bathroom was hidden up a twisting back staircase. I could lie in the bath and hear the guided tours on the other side of the wall. I used to sunbathe on a flat bit of the roof and even grew tomatoes up there.

We were the last people to live in this part of the house, and it was a lovely place to call home. But I do think the house and grounds are very well looked after now, and it is wonderful that anyone can visit. I really like the fact it is used to its full advantage for big events, like the Heritage Live concerts. The BBC Gardeners’ World Fair is also a wonderful event.

But most of all, I love coming here with our grandchildren, Ralph, Alaya and Harry. Sometimes they do seem to be enjoying charging around the grounds with sticks rather than appreciating the history of the place. But, when I told Ralph that ‘granny used to live here’, he wanted to know everything about the house! The children have also really enjoyed some of the special events that English Heritage has put on, like the Spooky Woodland Walks at Halloween, or the Big Brick Build, where they helped make a Lego model of the stables. I feel so lucky to have this beautiful place on my doorstep and, in a small way, to have been part of its history.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/audley

ROZ’S TIPS

TIPS

My favourite feature is the south-east tower. You can imagine the view from it has changed little

Walk through the kitchen gardens and enjoy a cup of coffee by the adventure playground.

Visit the beautifully restored nursery rooms on the upper floors of the house.

A good photo spot is from the track leading down the side of the castle,

Within the shop is an exhibition that includes a replica of the stunning

Bring a blanket and snacks and meet friends for a picnic. The stunning grounds are the perfect backdrop.

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‘I’ve used so many offers in the last six months, including ferry travel to France, free skincare and a discount on camping equipment. In fact, the savings I’ve made have actually paid for the cost of my English Heritage membership!’ Louise Romney, Leeds What our members are saying

Hobbies make us happy

With a heritage spanning over 100 years, Hornby Hobbies offers timeless fun for all ages

Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix, Pocher and CORGI are household names that are renowned for bringing joy to children and adults alike over the last few decades. These brands may well evoke a happy memory from your own childhood: hours spent racing cars on the living room rug, building imaginary worlds with scale-replica cars, spending time painting delicate models with tiny pots of enamel paint.

So if you want to recreate these happy memories, as well as potentially creating new shared ones with your children or grandchildren too, why not rediscover the delights of

‘It’s easy to share the joy you get from your hobbies with others around the globe’

Hornby Hobbies? It’s well known that having a hobby is great for your mental health, with documented improvements in wellbeing and happiness in those who regularly take the time to get involved with activities they love. As well as these individual benefits, hobbies are also a fantastic way to connect with others, whether it’s fellow enthusiasts or other members of your family.

Getting involved with Hornby Hobbies is easier than ever before. Alongside a dedicated website for each brand, you’ll find an extensive online community where you can meet like-minded people and connect with others over your shared passion. Whether it’s chatting in the forums or swapping images and videos on Instagram and YouTube, it’s easy to share the joy you get from your hobbies with others across the UK and around the globe.

So, dive into the world of realistic model railways with Hornby, experience the thrill of racing with Scalextric, indulge in creating detailed plastic model kits with Airfix and Pocher, or cherish the classic charm of CORGI’s celebrated models. Hornby Hobbies offers you some wonderful ways to embrace and share your creativity with others near and far.

Take advantage of 10% off all Hornby Hobbies products with your member discount. Use code HERITAGE10 at checkout at uk.hornby.com, uk.scalextric.com, uk.pocher.com, uk.airfix.com and uk.corgi.com

20 questions

Ahead of the annual Battle of Hastings re-enactment at Battle Abbey in East Sussex, test your knowledge of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest

1 Whose death, on 5 January 1066, set off the chain of events that would lead to the Battle of Hastings?

2 After William assembled his fleet, why did his ships not cross the Channel for more than six weeks?

3 What was the name of William’s ship?

4 Can you unscramble the name of the site near which William the Conqueror landed?

SETS CAPE EVENLY

5 Approximately how many soldiers were thought to be on each side?

A 5,000–7,000

B 10,000–12,000

C 20,000–25,000

6 What were the housecarls?

7 The Battle of Hastings actually took place how far from Hastings?

A 2 miles

B 7 miles C 15 miles

8 The appearance of which celestial object in 1066 was thought to be an omen of Harold’s fate?

9 Ivo Taillefer killed the first Saxon in the battle. What was Ivo’s usual job?

10 What is significant about the high altar at Battle Abbey?

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To reserve your tickets for this year’s re-enactment, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/events

11 Harold’s alleged grave is situated at which abbey?

12 One of the principal sources for the Battle of Hastings is the Bayeux Tapestry. Approximately how long is it?

A 20 metres B 50 metres C 70 metres

13 When was William crowned king of England?

14 When William returned to Normandy in March 1067, who did he leave to rule England?

15 Can you identify this Kent castle (below), a masterpiece of Norman architecture?

Log into the Members’ Area at www.english-heritage. org.uk/quizzes to check your answers

16 The artist JMW Turner was inspired by the ruins of which Norman castle in North Yorkshire?

17 Which of the following words was not introduced by the Normans?

A Custard B Kennel C Dirt

18 Where, in 1086, did William I summon landowners for them to swear an oath of allegiance to him?

19 Who, in 1087, became William’s successor to the throne?

20 Can you identify this Norman church (below) in Gloucestershire, which has one of the oldest roofs in England?

William and Ellen Craft

Discover the couple that escaped enslavement in the American south and turned their London home into a hub of activism against slavery

In 1852, Black activist and freedom fighter Ellen Craft wrote, ‘I would rather starve in England, a free woman, than be a slave for the best man that ever breathed upon the American continent.’ Alongside her husband and fellow freedom fighter William Craft, Ellen had experienced enslavement in Georgia, United States. She was forced to write her powerful words to challenge the racist lies of her white enslaver, who claimed she had become ‘bored’ of freedom.

In 1848, the Crafts enacted a revolutionary attempt at self-liberation: Ellen posed as a white, male, southern enslaver while William disguised himself as her enslaved servant.

Risking torture and death, they made the perilous journey of ‘one thousand miles to freedom’ from Georgia to Philadelphia. The Crafts briefly settled in Boston but were hunted by their former enslavers, who had the legal power to drag them back into enslavement. The

‘They fought for enslaved and liberated Black people in the US, Africa and around the world’

oppressive racial discrimination in the north once again forced them to flee. They travelled to England, where they lived for nearly 20 years, raised five children, and fought for enslaved and liberated Black people in the US, Africa and around the world.

Between national lecturing tours, William travelled to Dahomey (Benin) in West Africa to campaign for the end of the international slave trade and to encourage Britain to rely on free-grown cotton from West Africa rather than importing millions of bales of cotton

from the US south. Ellen attended antislavery meetings, built familial and kinship networks, supported fellow survivors of US enslavement, challenged white British racists, and turned their home – 26 Cambridge Grove in London, where their work has been honoured with a blue plaque – into a hub of Black activism.

In 1860, the Crafts published Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom in London, the story of their resistance against oppression in the US. The Crafts eventually returned to Georgia in 1869,

founded the Woodville Co-operative Farm School and taught fellow survivors of US enslavement.

Today, the blue plaque at their former home honours their heroism and revolutionary roles in the transatlantic social justice movement.

Discover more

To find out more about those commemorated through the blue plaques scheme, go to our website at www.english-heritage.org.uk/blue-plaques

WORDS DR HANNAH-ROSE MURRAY ILLUSTRATION RICHARD WILKINSON

NEW ADVENTURES AWAIT

Beautiful geographies, astonishing nature and rich culture. This is why our journey planners put so much consideration and pride into crafting itineraries each and every year. Because we want our guests to sail the most imaginative routes and to visit the world’s most wonderful destinations at the very best times to experience them.