BASICS Pre-departure tips and practical information
THE GUIDE Comprehensive, in-depth guide to England, with area highlights and full-colour maps throughout
CONTEXTS History, architecture, recommended books and films, plus sixty years of English pop
We’ve flagged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special restaurant – throughout the guide with the ★ symbol
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO
This tenth edition updated by Jules Brown, Samantha Cook, Keith Drew, Matthew Hancock, Emma Harrison, Rob Humphreys, Phil Lee, Claire Saunders, Ann-Marie Shaw, Jos Simon, Helena Smith, Matthew Teller, Amanda Tomlin and Steve Vickers
England Introduction to
No one enjoys knocking England more than the English, but – modesty and self-deprecation aside – this little nation packs a powerful punch, and retains a boundless capacity to surprise, charm and thrill. England has a long history and heritage to be proud of, and a glorious regional diversity – from rugged coasts to ancient woodlands, offbeat festivals to artisan foods – that has few parallels. And for all the glories of the past, it’s a nation that keeps moving forward, boasting vibrant cities, innovative modern architecture and a rich cultural scene that ensures it’s as exciting a destination as any in Europe.
Whether you’re in the market for city breaks and shopping sprees, or hanker after a hedonistic, muddy weekend at a music festival; whether you want to live like a lord in an aristocratic pile, or kip under canvas in one of the country’s many cool campsites, there’s an abundance of options for a fabulous break. England is also emerging as an increasingly foodie nation, with an ever-expanding choice of excellent food and drink – locally sourced and seasonally produced, championed in cafés, restaurants and pubs, at food festivals and farmers’ markets in every corner of the nation – challenging every outmoded stereotype about dreary British cuisine.
The English do heritage amazingly well. There are first-class museums all over the country (many of them free), and what’s left of the nation’s green and pleasant land is protected with passion and skill. Indeed, ask an English person to define their nation in terms of what’s worth seeing and you’re most likely to have your attention drawn to the golden rural past – the village green, the duckpond, the hedgerowfringed winding lane. And it really is impossible to overstate the bucolic attractions of the various regions, from Cornwall to the Lake District, or the delights they provide – from hiking trails and prehistoric stone circles to cosy pubs and arcane festivals. Don’t be entirely misled by the chocolate boxes and the postcards, however – farming today forms just a tiny proportion of the national income and there’s a
marked dislocation between the urban population and the small rural communities, many of which are struggling.
So perhaps the heart of England is found in its towns and cities instead? These, too, have more than their fair share of heritage and historic attractions, which, when matched with the buzzy energy of regeneration and innovation, can make a very heady mix – for every person who wants to stand outside the gates of Buckingham Palace or visit the Houses of Parliament, there’s another who makes a beeline for the latest show at Tate Modern, the cityscape of downtown Manchester or the vibrant Liverpool waterfront. Urban civic pride is not a new phenomenon for the English, however. In fact, it’s been steady since the Industrial Revolution, and industry – and the Empire it inspired – has provided a framework for much of what you’ll see as you travel around. Virtually every town bears a mark of former wealth and power, be it a magnificent Gothic cathedral financed from a monarch’s treasury, a parish church funded by the tycoons of the medieval wool trade, or a triumphalist civic building raised on the back of the slave and sugar trades. In the south of England you’ll find old dockyards from which the Royal Navy patrolled the oceans, while in the north there are vast, hulking mills that employed entire towns. England’s museums and galleries – several of them ranking among the world’s finest – are full of treasures trawled from its imperial conquests. And in their grandiose stuccoed terraces and wide esplanades, the old seaside resorts bear testimony to the heyday of English holiday towns, at one time as fashionable as any European spa.
FACT FILE
• As part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“the UK”), England is a parliamentary democracy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Its traditional industries – fishing, farming, mining, engineering, shipbuilding – are in decline and business today is dominated by banking and finance, the media and technology, steel production, oil and gas, and tourism.
• Bordered by Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, England is the largest country in Great Britain, occupying an area of 50,085 square miles (129,720 sq km). The terrain is diverse, from plains to peaks, cliffs to beaches, though the superlatives, much like the natives, are all modest on a world scale – the largest lake, Windermere, is 10 miles (16km) long, the highest mountain, Scafell, just 3205ft (978m) above sea level.
• The population of around 54 million is dense for a country of its size. Settlement is concentrated in the southeast around London, and in the large industrial cities of the Midlands and the North.
• England is one of the world’s most multiethnic countries, made up largely of people of Anglo-Saxon, Scots, Welsh and Irish descent, but with sizeable communities from the Caribbean, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.
Where to go
To begin to get to grips with England, London is the place to start. Nowhere else in the country can match the scope and innovation of the capital city, a colossal, vibrant metropolis that’s still going through a convulsion of improvements following the confidence-building success of the 2012 Olympics. It’s here that you’ll find England’s best spread of nightlife, cultural events, museums, galleries, pubs, shops and restaurants, its most mixed population and its most fully developed tourist infrastructure.
The capital is an irresistible destination and should not, on any account, be missed. However, each of the other large cities – Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool among them – makes its own claim for historic and cultural diversity, and you certainly won’t have a representative view of England’s urban life if you venture no further than London. And to some extent it’s in these regional centres that the most exciting architectural and social developments are taking place, though for many visitors, as tourist attractions, they rank well behind ancient cities like Canterbury, York, Salisbury, Durham, Lincoln and Winchester – to name a few of those with the most celebrated of England’s cathedrals – the gorgeous Georgian ensemble in Bath, or the venerable university cities of Cambridge and Oxford, arguably the two most beautiful seats of learning in the world. These all, in their different ways, provide a glimpse of England’s history and heritage in a less frenetic environment than the capital.
Cities can be tiring, and nobody should visit England without spending some time in its old villages, hundreds of which amount to nothing more than a pub, a shop, a gaggle of cottages and, if you’re lucky, an old farmhouse or wayside inn offering bed and breakfast. Devon, Cornwall, the Cotswolds and the Yorkshire Dales harbour some especially picturesque specimens, but every county can boast a decent showing of photogenic hamlets.
ENGLAND’S BEACHES
Although rarely mentioned in the same breath as the sun-baked sands of the Mediterranean or Caribbean, England’s beaches can compare with the best of them, both in terms of natural beauty and for cleanliness. For a combination of decent climate and good sand, coastal Cornwall and Devon, in the southwest, are hard to beat. England’s largely pebbly southeastern coast is perhaps less suitable for lounging, though it does boast the surreal shingle stretch of Dungeness and some glorious sandy strands around Thanet in Kent, while the low cliffs and gravel of East Anglia’s shore give way to a string of wide sandy beaches between Cromer and Hunstanton. There are spectacular stretches of sand in the northeast, notably around Scarborough in Yorkshire and in Northumberland, though the stiff North Sea breezes may require a degree of stoicism. Offshore islands, too, have some stunning coves and beaches, notably the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Man.
Almost every stretch of English coast is walkable, and mostly waymarked – check out in particular the Norfolk Coast Path, the Cleveland Way along the Yorkshire coast, or the 630-mile South West Coast Path, Britain’s longest National Trail, which takes in some of the country’s wildest and most picturesque scenery. And then there are the quintessentially English resorts: a good beach, a pier or two, the piercing screech of gulls, fish and chips, saucy postcards, donkey rides, and lobster-red flesh at every turn. Blackpool in the northwest is the apotheosis – full-on, glamorous and tawdry, and with seven miles of clean beach to boot. Other resorts blend the same basic family-friendly ingredients with, in varying degrees, old-fashioned gentility (including Scarborough, in Yorkshire – said to be the country’s oldest resort – and Broadstairs in Kent); elegance (classy Southwold, in Suffolk); and vintage hipster appeal (Kent’s Margate and Morecambe in Lancashire). On the south coast, meanwhile, Brighton has a fiercely independent identity that combines the Georgian charm of its architecture with a gay-friendly boho appeal.
Evidence of England’s pedigree is scattered between its settlements, as well. Wherever you’re based, you’re never more than a few miles from a majestic country house or ruined castle or monastery, and in many parts of the country you’ll come across the sites of civilizations that thrived here long before England existed as a nation. In the southwest there are remnants of a Celtic culture that elsewhere was all but eradicated by the Romans, and from the south coast to the northern border you can find traces of prehistoric settlers, the most famous being the megalithic circles of Stonehenge and Avebury.
Then of course there’s the English countryside , a diverse terrain from which Constable, Turner, Wordsworth, the Brontë sisters and a host of other native luminaries took inspiration. Most dramatic and best known are the moors and uplands – Exmoor, Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor, the North York Moors and the Lake District – each of which has its over-visited spots, though a brisk walk will usually take you out of the throng. Quieter areas are tucked away in every corner, from the flat wetlands of the eastern Fens to the chalk downland of Sussex. It’s a similar story on the coast, where a number of resorts take advantage of the choicest spots, but which also offers blissful pockets of peace and quiet – along the exposed strands of Northumberland, for example, the flat horizons of East Anglia or the crumbling headlands of Dorset
TOP TEN COASTAL BEAUTY SPOTS
Blakeney, Norfolk. See p.402
Calf of Man, Isle of Man. See p.551
Cromer, Norfolk. See p.399
Hartland Point, Devon. See p.343
Heysham, Lancashire. See p.546
Holy Island, Northumberland. See p.673
Lizard Point, Cornwall. See p.352
Lulworth Cove, Dorset. See p.212
The Needles, Isle of Wight. See p.194
Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire. See p.629.
Author picks
Fish and chips You can get a lip-smacking seaside supper at Yorkshire Fisheries, Blackpool (see p.543), Maggie’s (see p.157), on the beach in Hastings’ Fishing Quarter – which has the biggest beach-launched fleet in Europe – or at Whitby’s Magpie Café (see p.633), one of Rick Stein’s favourites.
Marvellous markets Manchester’s German Christmas Market is a magical wonderland, with Glühwein too (see p.527). Norwich’s huge open-air market is always bustling (see p.394), but for the best foodie shopping in England it has to be Borough Market in London (see p.86).
Boutique bolt holes In a pretty Somerset village, Lord Poulett Arms combines history with contemporary chic (see p.304), while London’s Hazlitts offers ravishing Georgian elegance in the heart of Soho (see p.108). You can luxuriate in Lincoln at the Old Palace (see p.501) or enjoy a posh retreat at Randy Pike , a cosy Lake District hideaway (see p.564).
Glorious gardens Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst, in Kent, is the artistic cottage garden to end them all (see p.150), while Stourhead in Wiltshire (see p.227) offers a slice of traditional England at its best. Find French and Italian influences at Mount Edgcumbe garden near Plymouth (see p.330) and offbeat charm at Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, with its topiary snakes and a poison garden (see p.670).
Sandy beaches You’re spoilt for choice for glorious strands in the southwest, but stars include Studland Bay (see p.211) and Par Beach in the Isles of Scilly (see p.360). For vast expanses, head to Holkham Bay, where three miles of pancake-flat sands (see p.404) lie beyond the pines and dunes, or Northumberland’s Bamburgh, which offers acres of sky, sea and dunes with a dramatic castle backdrop (see p.673).
Our author recommendations don’t end here. We’ve flagged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special restaurant – throughout the guide, highlighted with the ★ symbol.
When to go
Considering how temperate the English climate is it’s amazing how much mileage the locals get out of the subject – a two-day cold snap is discussed as if it were the onset of a new Ice Age, and a week above 25°C (upper 70s °F) starts rumours of drought. In recent years, however, the Brits’ weather obsession has had some grounding in serious reality: summer temperatures have been known to soar into the 30s (over 90°F) before dropping drastically the next day, while catastrophic winter and spring flooding, and violent coastal storms, has laid waste to many parts of the country.
However, as a rule, English summers rarely get very hot and the winters don’t get very cold. There’s not a great deal of regional variation (see box p.32), though there are small microclimates; in general it’s wetter in the west than the east, and the south gets more hours of sunshine than the north. Regional differences are more marked in winter, when the south tends to be milder and wetter than the north.
The bottom line is that it’s impossible to say with any certainty that the weather will be pleasant in any given month. Obviously, if you’re planning to camp or go to the beach, you’ll want to visit between June and September. That said, even August has been known to present weeks of rain on the trot. Elsewhere, if you’re balancing the likely fairness of the weather against the density of the crowds, the best time would be between April and early June or in September or October. England in the springtime, and in the autumn, can be a very beautiful place.
BEER AND BREWERIES
When you order a pint, you’re doing more than having a drink – you’re celebrating English heritage. Beer (see p.36) has been a staple of the local diet for centuries, dating back to times when water was too dangerous to drink, and in recent years there’s been a huge resurgence in regional brewing that reflects the wider interest in locally sourced food and drink. England has a fantastic selection of beers (the best in the world – no argument), and there’s no more quintessentially English experience than to sample a pint or two in the nation’s one great surviving social institution, the pub.
While the major international breweries and pub companies are facing the economic squeeze, England’s medium-sized and small microbreweries are flourishing. Each region has its own independent outfits, brewing beers that are sometimes confined to one particular area or even just one pub. Cumbria alone has more than thirty small breweries, with several pioneering one-pub outlets like the Bitter End in Cockermouth (see p.577), Hesket Newmarket’s Old Crown (W theoldcrownpub.co.uk), said to be Britain’s first cooperatively owned pub, and Dipton Mill Inn in Hexham (see p.666). The Hook Norton Brewery in Oxfordshire (W hooky.co.uk) still uses a working steam engine in its beer production, while there can’t be many more remote ale-making locations than that of the Dent Brewery (W dentbrewery.co.uk), hidden in a secluded corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Elsewhere, many of the big beer names on the bar (like Boddington’s of Manchester, or Tetley’s from Leeds) started out as family businesses, though are owned by multinational conglomerates these days. Others with widely available beers – Adnams of Suffolk (W adnams.co.uk), Shepherd Neame of Kent (W shepherdneame.co.uk), Harveys of Sussex (W harveys.org.uk), Yorkshire’s Black Sheep (see box, p.606) and Timothy Taylor (W timothytaylor.co.uk) – are still independently owned and regionally based, though beer aficionados gravitate naturally towards the smaller, more idiosyncratic breweries. Many of these, along with smaller outfits including Jennings in Cockermouth (see p.576), offer guided tours – with the inevitable free tipple at the end.
30 things not to miss
It’s not possible to see everything England has to offer in one trip – and we don’t suggest you try. What follows is a selective taste of the country’s highlights: stunning architecture, dramatic landscapes, fun activities and world-class museums. Each highlight has a page reference to take you straight into the Guide, where you can find out more. Coloured numbers refer to chapters in the Guide.
STONEHENGE
Page 225
Redolent of mystery and myth, this is the most important stone circle in England, attracting crowds of thousands, including white-robed druids, for the summer solstice.
EDEN PROJECT
Page 346
With its ecological agenda, the West Country’s most popular attraction presents a refreshing alternative to the hard sell of many of the region’s crowd-pullers.
SURFING IN NORTH DEVON
Page 341
The beaches strung along the northern coast of Devon offer some great breaks, with Woolacombe, Croyde and Saunton the places to see and be seen.
MALHAM
Page 603
A jewel of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this pretty village is the perfect base for walks into the spectacular scenery of Malham Cove, Malham Tarn and Gordale Scar.
DURHAM CATHEDRAL
Page 641
Arguably the greatest Norman building in England, Durham’s imposing cathedral perches on a peninsula overlooking the quaint, cobbled old town.
HIKING IN THE PEAK DISTRICT
Page 460
A stirring landscape of moors and peaks, deep-green dales, tumbling rivers and jagged cliffs, the Peak District attracts hikers and outdoors enthusiasts by the thousand.
7 HAY FESTIVAL
Page 440
A rural outpost on the English-Welsh border, tiny Hay cuts a bibliographic dash with its many bookshops and prestigious literary festival.
8 THERMAE BATH SPA
Page 291
Take a restorative soak in what is hands-down one of England’s most beautiful cities.
9 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL
Page 301
Mud, mud, glorious mud … More than forty years on, Glastonbury is still England’s best, best-known and biggest music and arts fest.
10 MARGATE
Page 136
With its vintage shopping and its fabulous art gallery, its excellent restaurants and its broad sandy beach, Margate is a regenerating seaside resort to watch.
NORTHERN QUARTER, MANCHESTER
Page 520
Manchester’s old garment district is a buzzing area packed with indie shops, vintage emporiums and cool bars.
OXFORD COLLEGES
Page 235
Admire the dreaming spires of this glorious historic university town.
BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH
Page 541
Donkey rides, illuminations and thrills galore at the mother of all English seaside resorts.
HAWORTH
Page 599
This atmospheric Yorkshire village was home to the Brontë sisters; their Georgian home is now a museum.
BRADFORD CURRY HOUSES
Page 598
Bradford’s excellent curry restaurants run the gamut from cheap and cheerful balti houses to upmarket contemporary dining rooms.
SHOPPING IN BRIGHTON
Page 162
Brighton’s Lanes and quirky North Laine, packed with shops, cafés and bars, are at the heart of this warm-hearted, boho seaside resort.
DARTMOOR
Page 332
Southern England’s great expanse of wilderness is perfect for hikers and riders.
WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT
Page 560
The bucolic Lake District National Park boasts sixteen major lakes and scores of mountains.
HAMPTON COURT
Page 102
The finest of Tudor palaces, this splendid red-brick pile makes a spectacular day-trip from London.
VIA FERRATA, LAKE DISTRICT
Page 573
High-level thrills on this exhilarating mountain climb, following the old miners’ path up Fleetwith Pike.
TATE MODERN
Page 84
The world’s largest modern art gallery is housed in a spectacular former power station.
CHIPPING CAMPDEN
Page 260
Impossibly pretty honey-stone village with rolling hills and great walking all around.
ALDEBURGH
Page 388
Lovely, low-key Suffolk coastal town with a world-class classical music festival and a vibrant cultural scene.
DURDLE DOOR
Page 212
This distinctive limestone arch is the highlight of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast and is close to some lovely beaches.
SOUTHWOLD
Page 390
George Orwell didn’t like the place, but everyone else does: Southwold is a charming seaside town with a wide sandy beach and brightly painted beach huts.
NEW FOREST
Page 201
Famed for its wild ponies, this ancient hunting ground is a fabulous destination for cyclists and walkers.
PEOPLE’S HISTORY MUSEUM, MANCHESTER
Page 518
A lively exploration of England’s rich radical history, covering everything from antifascists to football fans.
HADRIAN’S WALL
Page 662
Walk or cycle the length of this atmospheric Roman monument, which snakes its way for 84 miles over rough, sheep-strewn countryside.
LONDON’S MARKETS
Page 126
From the vintage stores and food stalls of Brick Lane (pictured) to the floral abundance of Columbia Road and the grand old Victorian hall at Spitalfields, London’s East End markets could fill a weekend of browsing and bargain-hunting.
ST IVES, CORNWALL
Page 358
Sunny seaside resort with great beaches and the best arts collection in southwest England.
Itineraries
England may be a small country, but between the bracing Cornish coast and the misty Northern peaks, it has an astonishing amount to offer. The following itineraries give you a taster of its top destinations, its offbeat corners, and its literary highlights.
THE GRAND TOUR
You’ll need at least two weeks to really enjoy the big-hit destinations, but if time is at a premium you could pick and mix from this round-up of England’s must-sees.
1 London Give yourself at least three nights in London, quite simply one of the world’s greatest cities. See p.48
2 Brighton You can keep up the pace in this vibrant coastal town: cool, quirky and with lashings of seaside fun. See p.162
3 St Ives Cornwall’s dramatic coastline is breathtaking; base yourself in this artistic little town to enjoy the best of it. See p.358
4 Bath Few people can resist this elegant Georgian city, with its Roman baths, luxury spa and excellent foodie scene. See p.288
5 Ironbridge Learn about England’s Industrial Revolution at this World Heritage Site, and base yourself in Ludlow, one of the foodiest towns in the country. See p.442 & p.448
6 Liverpool You don’t have to be a Beatles fan to love “the Pool”, which not only has some fantastic Fab Four sights, but also an excellent food and nightlife scene. See p.531
7 The Peak District The Peaks offer wonderfully rugged outdoors country just a short hop away from the nearby cities. See p.460
8 York This picturesque medieval city, with its glorious Minster, is one of the most beautiful in the country. See p.611
9 Lake District The pretty village of Grasmere makes a perfect base for forays into the dramatic hills and lakes of the Lake District National Park. See p.552
QUIRKY ENGLAND
This offbeat itinerary, which focuses on some loopy sights in some lovely places, will help uncover another side to England beyond Big Ben and Beefeaters.
1 Dennis Severs’ House, London The BM and the National Gallery are all very well, but this dilapidated East End treasure, where silent candle-lit tours propel you back to Huguenot East End, gives you a unique flavour of old London. See p.81
2 Dungeness, Kent This wild shingle stretch, splashed with wildflowers, is home to a peculiarly English mix of artists, traditionalists and free spirits, all living in the shadow of a colossal nuclear power station. It’s unlike anywhere else in England. See p.148
3 Postcard Museum, Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight has an atmosphere all of its own – for a taster, check out the cheeky, and often surreal, British seaside humour at Ryde’s retro postcard museum. See p.190
4 Cerne Abbas Giant, Dorset No visit to England, with its love of Carry On films and double-entendres, would be complete without a gawp at this large naked man carved into a green hillside. See p.214
5 Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford Eyes glazing over at the fancy china and Old Masters at stately home no. 32? Come here to peruse exhibits arranged like an exotic junk shop. Past “objects of the month” have included a disease demon mask from Sri Lanka and reindeer knickers from Siberia. See p.244
6 Southwold, Suffolk Suffolk’s poshest seaside town may seem frightfully refined, but head to the Under the Pier Show for offbeat arcade games and handmade slot machines – an inventive take on the traditional seaside pier. See p.390
7 Blackpool, Lancashire England’s loudest, brashest resort, where the sun never sets on the rollercoasters, karaoke bars and candy-floss kiosks. Waltz around the Blackpool Tower ballroom to the tones of a Wurlitzer organ and check out the chuckles on the Comedy Carpet. See p.540
LITERARY ENGLAND
This itinerary, which touches upon the most famous of England’s extraordinary literary highlights, could take at least two weeks – or longer, if you use the sites as jumping-off points into some of England’s loveliest countryside.
1 Shakespeare’s Globe, London Shakespeare as it was meant to be experienced, outdoors, with a raucous crowd, full of verve. See p.85
2 Dickens Museum, Broadstairs Dickens spent a lot of time in this Kentish seaside resort; this little house high on the cliff, inspiration for Miss Trotwood’s house in David Copperfield, is full of memorabilia. See p.137
3 Chawton, Hampshire The pretty village where Jane Austen lived in her later years is packed with sights relating to the perennially popular author. See p.201
4 Dorchester, Dorset Thomas Hardy’s town is a good base for the surrounding “Hardy country” that features so evocatively in his novels. See p.213
SCOTLAND
WALES
5 Stratford-upon-Avon, West Midlands Not only can you see the Bard’s works performed in the RSC theatres of his hometown, but you can also visit his birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s picturesque cottage. See p.425
6 Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire Well worth a trip even if you can’t make it to the worldfamous literary festival, this riverside border town boasts a huge array of secondhand book stores. See p.440
7 Haworth, Yorkshire A pilgrimage site for every Brontë fan: wander around the Parsonage where the sisters grew up – and stroll across the wild Yorkshire moorland that features so powerfully in their works. See p.599
8 Whitby, Yorkshire Bram Stoker found spooky inspiration in this dramatically set fishing town – lure out your inner Goth and follow the Dracula trail around all the key sites. See p.630
9 Cockermouth, Cumbria The Lake District, where Wordsworth wandered lonely as a cloud, is full of places related to the poet; a visit to his childhood home is a great starting point.
See p.576
K Seven Stories, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Seven storeys crammed full of stories, focusing on the fine art of children’s literature. See p.654
RURAL POSTBOX, LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
Getting there
London is one of the world’s busiest transport hubs, and there are good deals from around the world on flights into the British capital. However, if you’re planning to tour the southwest or north of England consider flying directly instead to more convenient international airports like Bristol, Birmingham or Manchester. London’s biggest and best-known airports –Heathrow and Gatwick – take the bulk of transatlantic and long-haul flights into the UK, though there are also three smaller London airports (Stansted, Luton and City) and a host of useful regional British airports, many of which are served by low-cost flights from mainland Europe and Ireland. Principally, in England these are Manchester and Liverpool in the northwest; Birmingham in the West Midlands; Bristol, Newquay and Exeter in the West Country; Leeds-Bradford and DoncasterSheffield in Yorkshire; Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley in the northeast; East Midlands; and Bournemouth and Southampton in the south. There are also airports at Blackpool, Humberside, Nottingham and Norwich. The cheapest deals on all routes need to be booked well in advance and tend to have little or no flexibility, and taxes and fees can add significantly to any quoted price.
Overland routes from Europe include highspeed trains into London (with onward connections) through the Channel Tunnel – either passenger-only Eurostar services or the drive-on drive-off Eurotunnel shuttle train. There’s also a range of useful ferry routes offering direct access to various regions.
Flights from the US and Canada
Many airlines fly nonstop to London, Manchester and other British airports – flight time from the east coast is around seven hours, ten hours from the west. Flights on European airlines might be cheaper but tend to route through their respective European hubs, adding to the journey time.
Low-season round-trip fares from New York, Boston and Washington to London range from US$650–800, and in summer you can expect to pay more than US$1000 (add US$100–200 from other eastern cities). Low-season fares from the west coast can start at a little under US$1000, rising to more like US$1400 in summer and around Christmas. In Canada, the best deals involve flying to London from Toronto or Montreal (around Can$1000–1200 return). British Airways flies direct to Heathrow from Vancouver and Calgary while Air Canada has nonstop links from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. From the west, fares range from Can$1200 to Can$1650.
Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Flight time from Australia and New Zealand to England is at least 22 hours. Flights via Southeast Asia or the Middle East to London are generally the cheapest. Average return fares from eastern Australian cities to London are Aus$1500–2500 depending on the season; from Perth or Darwin you’ll pay around Aus$200 less. Return fares from Auckland to London range from NZ$2000–3000. There are direct flights from South Africa to London Heathrow with South African Airways (Jo’burg and Cape Town), British Airways (Jo’burg and Cape Town) and Virgin Atlantic (Jo’burg). You might get a cheaper deal on indirect routes with Emirates (from Cape Town, Durban and Jo’burg), Ethiopian Airlines (from Jo’burg), KLM (from Jo’burg) and Lufthansa (from Jo’burg). Return fares are generally around ZAR7000–8000.
Flights from Ireland
You can get a one-way flight between Ireland and England for around €50–80. There are routes out of Dublin, Cork, Knock, Kerry and Shannon to many English airports; airlines include Stobart Air (previously Aer Arann), Ryanair, Aer Lingus and British Airways. The cheapest options from Belfast and Derry are usually easyJet, flybe and Ryanair.
A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL
At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We believe it helps us understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – and of course tourism is vital to many developing economies. But the scale of modern tourism has also damaged some places irreparably, and climate change is accelerated by most forms of transport, especially flying. All Rough Guides’ flights are carbon-offset, and every year we donate money to a variety of environmental charities.
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of The play that won
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: The play that won
Author: Ralph Henry Barbour
Illustrator: Walt Louderback
Release date: May 13, 2022 [eBook #68062]
Language: English
Original publication: United States: D. Appleton and Company, 1916
Credits: Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Transcriber’s Note: The cover image was created from the title page by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
THE PLAY THAT WON
By Ralph Henry Barbour
YARDLEY HALL SERIES
Guarding His Goal
Forward Pass
Double Play
Winning His Y For Yardley
Around the End Change Signals
PURPLE PENNANT SERIES
The Lucky Seventh
The Secret Play
The Purple Pennant
HILTON SERIES
The Half-Back
For the Honor of the School Captain of the Crew
ERSKINE SERIES
Behind the Line
Weatherby’s Inning
On Your Mark
THE “BIG FOUR” SERIES
Four in Camp
Four Afoot
Four Afloat
THE GRAFTON SERIES
Rivals for the Team
Winning His Game
Hitting the Line
BOOKS NOT IN SERIES
For the Freedom of the Seas
Under the Yankee Ensign
Keeping His Course
The Brother of a Hero
Finkler’s Field
Danforth Plays the Game
The Arrival of Jimpson
Benton’s Venture
The Junior Trophy
The New Boy at Hilltop
The Spirit of the School
The Play that Won
D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, New York
IT WAS LARRY LOGAN WHO FUMED AND IMPLORED....
THE PLAY THAT WON
BY
RALPH HENRY BARBOUR
AUTHOR OF
“FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE SEAS,” “UNDER THE YANKEE ENSIGN,” “THE HALF BACK,” ETC.
COPYRIGHT,
1919, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
Copyright, 1918, 1919, by THE CENTURY COMPANY
Copyright, 1916, 1917, by PERRY MASON COMPANY
Copyright, 1918, by SPRAGUE PUBLISHING COMPANY
Copyright, 1919, by FISK BICYCLE CLUBS OF AMERICA
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ILLUSTRATIONS
It was Larry Logan who fumed and implored....
Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
Then the pistol popped and they were off 94
Somewhere in that mêlée was the runner with the precious ball 152
The bridge tender had half closed the second gate 168
THE PLAY THAT WON
When the knock came Ted was slumped on his spine in the Morris chair, the green-shaded lamp beside him and a magazine propped on his chest. It was Saturday night and study was not imperative, for which he was grateful. The baseball game with Prospect Hill in the afternoon had been a hard one, and the victory— for Warwick had won in the tenth—had left him rather tired, and he had passed up a lecture in the school auditorium in favor of rest and solitude at home. Which is why the knock on the door brought a sigh and a frown. Of course, he might remain silent, but the light shining through the transom would be a give-away, and the caller might be Trevor Corwin with his everlasting stamp album: Trev was a sensitive kid and easily hurt. So Ted laid down his magazine and said “Come in!” in no very enthusiastic tone. To his relief, the visitor was Hal Saunders.
“Hello, Bowman,” said Hal, glancing about the study. “George around?” His eyes sought the darkened bedroom as he closed the door behind him.
“Gone home over Sunday,” replied Ted.
“Gone home!” Hal’s tone held so much of dismay that Ted wondered.
“Yes, his father’s been sick for about a week or so, and he got leave from faculty. Went right after the game.”
“Gee!” exclaimed Hal worriedly. “He didn’t say anything to me about it. I wish I’d known. I want to see him about—something important.” To Ted’s discomfiture he seated himself on the windowseat and moodily stared at the lamp. “When’s he coming back?”
“Monday. He got permission to cut morning hours. I guess he will be on the twelve-forty-six.”
“That’ll be too late,” said Hal aggrievedly “By Jove, that’s rotten! I don’t see why he couldn’t let folks know he was going.”
Evidently overwhelmed by the news, he made no move to depart. He was a good-looking fellow of sixteen, well-made, tall and lithe, with light hair and eyes and a fair complexion which even three months of baseball had failed to darken. In contrast, the boy in the Morris chair was a year younger, shorter, heavier, more compact, with dark eyes and hair and a face which, if not handsome, was rather attractive in spite of the fact that sun and weather had tanned it to the hue of leather and that the tip of the nose was peeling. Both boys were members of the School Nine, Ted being right fielder and Hal first-choice pitcher. They were not, however, very good friends. Ted thought Hal traded too much on his ability as a twirler. It was undeniable that he was an exceptionally good one, perhaps the best that the school had ever had, but in Ted’s opinion Hal would do well to forget the fact now and then. He didn’t understand what his roommate, George Tempest, saw in Hal to admire; that is, beyond his playing. Naturally George, being captain of the team, would feel kindly toward a chap who so often pitched to victory, but he needn’t overdo it! Ted was fond of his room-mate and so it is possible that jealousy had something to do with his mild dislike of Hal Saunders.
Presently Hal raised his eyes from a frowning contemplation of his shoes and Ted was surprised at the trouble shown in his face. It was a most unusual thing for the self-satisfied, rather superior Hal Saunders to exhibit anything approaching discomposure. In spite of himself, Ted’s sympathies were touched. “Was it something about the Team?” he asked.
Hal shook his head. “No, it was—something——” He hesitated. Then: “I wanted to borrow some money from him.”
“Oh!” murmured Ted. It was, he reflected, a lot like Hal to make a fuss about an unimportant matter like that. Perhaps the other read the thought, for he suddenly said defensively:
“I’m in a dickens of a hole, Bowman, and I was pretty sure that George could help me out. Now I’m blessed if I know what to do!”
“Won’t Monday do?”
“Monday morning might, but Monday afternoon will be too late— unless——” Hal fell into silence again. Ted wondered if Hal was trying to find courage to ask him for a loan. He almost hoped so. It would be rather a pleasure to refuse it. “It’s Plaister, in the village,” Hal went on after a moment. “He’s got a bill of twelve dollars and eighty cents against me. I’ve been owing the old skinflint some of it since last year. And now he says that if it isn’t paid by to-night he will go and get the money from ‘Jerry.’ And you know what that will mean!”
Ted did know. “Jerry” was the popular name for Doctor Morris, the Principal, and when “Jerry” learned that Hal had transgressed the very strict rule against having bills at the village stores, punishment would be swift and stern. Why, Hal might be dismissed from school! The very least that would happen to him would be probation!
“Maybe he’s just bluffing,” offered Ted, but with little conviction in his voice.
“No such luck,” answered Hal. “He’s threatened twice before and I’ve begged him off. This time he means it. I found a letter from him in the mail this noon. I was going to speak to George before the game, but there wasn’t any chance, and I—I sort of funked it anyway. Besides, I thought there was time enough. Plaister won’t do anything until Monday I was pretty sure George had the money and I guess he’d have let me have it. I meant to beat it over to the village right after chapel Monday morning. I hadn’t any idea he was going away!”
“Too bad,” said Ted, more than half meaning it. “How the dickens did you ever manage to run up a bill like that, Saunders?”
Hal shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m always buying fool things. Plaister was keen enough to charge ’em until he had a nice big bill against me. Afterwards, too. It got so I was afraid not to buy anything he showed me for fear he’d ask me to pay up.”
“But you get an allowance——”
“A dollar a week,” said Hal slightingly “How far does that go? Mother sends me a little now and then. If she didn’t I wouldn’t have a cent in my pocket, ever. I’m a fool about money, and dad knows it. And he will know it a heap better about next Tuesday!”
“But look here, Saunders. Won’t Plaister stand to lose if he goes to ‘Jerry?’ Faculty always says that shop-keepers giving credit to the fellows will be deprived of the school trade. Seems to me Plaister will think twice before he risks that.”
“Oh, he will tell some hard-luck yarn and ‘Jerry’ will believe him. You know how ‘Jerry’ is. Barks a lot, but doesn’t bite much. Yes, he might be scared to do what he threatens, but his letter sounded mighty earnest. He’s got me going, anyway. I say, Bowman, I don’t suppose you—er—happen to have ten dollars you’d let me have? I’d have to pay it back fifty cents a week, but——”
“Sorry,” said Ted, shaking his head. To his surprise he found that he really was sorry—a little. Hal’s gloom enwrapped him again.
“No, I suppose not. And I don’t guess you’d care much about lending to me if you had it. You don’t particularly love me. Well, I guess I’ll toddle.” He arose and stood uncertainly a moment before he moved toward the door.
“What will you do?” asked Ted anxiously. “If—if you get put on ‘pro’ we’ll be in a nasty fix! Hang it, Saunders, you’ve got to do something, you know. Crouch would last about two innings in the Temple game! Why don’t you see Plaister to-morrow and get him to wait another week? After next Saturday it wouldn’t matter.”
“I’ve talked to him until I’m tired,” replied Hal wearily. “It’s no good. Maybe he won’t do it, or maybe I can scrape up the money by Monday. I’m tired worrying about it. I’d just as lief get fired as have this thing hanging over me all the time.”
“Maybe he would take part of it and wait for the rest.”
“He won’t. I tried that. He says he’s waited long enough and—oh, a lot of drivel. You know the way they talk. Well, good-night. And say, Bowman, just keep this to yourself, like a good chap, will you? I don’t
know why I bothered you with it, but I’d rather you didn’t say anything about it.”
“That’s all right. I won’t talk. Good-night. I hope you—come out all right.”
Hal nodded dejectedly and went. Ted took up his magazine, but after finding his place in it he let it drop once more. If Plaister did what he threatened, and Ted knew the hard-featured little shopkeeper well enough to feel pretty certain that he would, it would be all up with Warwick’s chances for the baseball championship that year With Hal Saunders in the points they might defeat Temple Academy next Saturday. Without him they couldn’t. Neither Crouch nor Bradford was good enough to last three innings against the Blue’s hard-hitting team. The knowledge brought real dismay to Ted. Personally he wanted a victory for the school team, but it was the thought of George’s disappointment that moved him most. George, like every captain, had hoped and worked for a triumph harder than any of the others. For Ted’s part, he would go back next year, but this was George’s last chance. Ted was miserably sorry for his friend. He was such a corking fine fellow Ted recalled the day last September when George, learning that fate in the shape of faculty had wished a strange and two years younger boy on him as roommate, had acted so mighty decent about it. Lots of fellows in George’s place, thought Ted, would have been mad and grouchy, but George had never let Ted guess for a moment that he wasn’t entirely welcome. And all through the year George had been a perfect brick. He had helped Ted in many ways: had got him into Plato Society, helped him at mid-year exams, introduced him to nice fellows, coached him in batting until he had become proficient enough to beat out Whipple for right field position. Ted’s feeling for George Tempest was a mingling of gratitude and hero-worship that amounted to a very real affection, and the thought of George’s unhappiness in case the final game of the school year went against Warwick troubled him greatly. Temple Academy had routed Warwick overwhelmingly last year and the sting of that defeat still remained. Warwick wanted revenge, and her three hundred and odd students had their hearts set on obtaining it next Saturday. But to none did it
mean quite what it meant to Captain Tempest. Ted tossed the magazine aside and stood up. “Something ought to be done,” he muttered.
In the bedroom he produced a small tin box from its hiding place in a dresser drawer and emptied the contents on his bed. Three onedollar bills and many silver coins, when counted, came to exactly fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents. He had been accumulating the hoard ever since Fall with the intention of buying a bicycle when he went home in the Summer. When he had about five dollars more he would have enough. He hadn’t told Hal that he didn’t have the money. He had merely politely refused to make a loan. And he had no idea of changing his mind. Hal’s fix was no affair of his, and Hal could get out of it as best he might. Certainly he couldn’t be expected to give up a whole Summer’s fun for the sake of a fellow he didn’t like much anyway! Resolutely he placed the money back in the box and the box again in concealment. “He will wriggle out of it somehow,” he said to himself.
Sunday was rainy and seemed weeks long, and Ted missed George horribly He saw Hal Saunders at dinner and again in the evening, and it was apparent from Hal’s countenance that he had not yet found a way out of his difficulty. Ted went over to the library after supper feeling very angry with Hal, angry because that youth had endangered the success of the nine, because his foolishness was in a fair way to bring grief to George, and because he had somehow managed to make one Ted Bowman distinctly uncomfortable! Ted surrounded himself with reference books, but all the work he did scarcely paid for the effort.
Ted did not say anything to George, when the latter returned on Monday, about Hal’s affairs. After dinner that day he received a summons to the Office, and although conscious of a clear conscience he couldn’t help feeling a trifle uneasy as he obeyed it. One didn’t get an invitation to confer with “Jerry” unless the matter was one of some importance. Events subsequently justified the uneasiness, for when Ted closed the Office door behind him the second time he was on probation!
