Tag Archives: England

English Wetlands: Wicked Fen Nature Reserve Tour

National Trust (March 27, 2023) – In this episode of The Wild Life, a new series of nature films from the National Trust, Paralympic medallist and TV presenter, Ade Adepitan explores Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve – one of Europe’s most important wetlands.

The Fen, which has been under the care of the National Trust since 1899, supports more than 9,000 species, including a wide variety of plants, birds and dragonflies. The raised boardwalk allows easy access to a landscape of flowering meadows, sedge and reed beds, home to water voles and rare birds, including hen harrier and bittern. Introduced by presenter Julia Bradbury, this film sheds light on how climate change is affecting Wicken Fen and the biodiversity it supports.

You’ll also find out about the work being done to protect wildlife habitats and ensure the peat here continues to store carbon. Ade discovers how Wicken Fen connects people to nature and learns more about future plans to extend the site. He also meets the Konik ponies and Highland cattle, which help to support this fragile landscape through conservation grazing.

Lifestyle: Country Life Magazine – March 22, 2023

Country Life Magazine (March 22, 2023) – Verdi’s land of opera and glory, Picasso in Spain’s cradle of the Arts, where leading writers find their inspiration, French breeds to provoke English envy and the best in luxury overseas property

A spectacularly converted 15th century watermill with original beams, glorious surroundings and a minstrels’ gallery

Once derelict, Gurney Manor Mill was rescued in the early 1990s and transformed into a lovely family home.

Any property that is surrounded by water is guaranteed to be impressive. It’s sort of an unwritten rule. Naturally, as a former watermill, Gurney Manor  Mill falls into this category:  the mill and its 1.2 acres of gardens are surrounded by the historicwater system, creating a bucolic setting.

Thirsty work

Amelia Thorpe selects watering cans for the home and garden

Food stuff: a simple guide to nutrients and fertilisers

Don’t know your potassium from your phosphorus? Fear not, as Steven Desmond explains what to feed your plants and when

Blossoming ideas

There’s more to ornamental apple trees than merely fruit, reveals Charles Quest-Ritson

Holey moley!

Meet the ‘gentleman in velvet’—Harry Pearson unearths the underground world of the mole

Conservation: The Farne Islands And Long Nanny In Northumberland, UK

National Trust (March 13, 2023) – In the first episode of The Wild Life, a new series of nature films from the National Trust, presenter Levison Wood explores one of England’s most important seabird colonies. The Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, have been cared for by the National Trust since 1925 and are a breeding site for 23 species of seabird, including 43,000 puffin pairs.

The islands are also home to grey seals with around 2,000 pups born every autumn. With an introduction from presenter Julia Bradbury, this film explores the Inner Farne, where you’ll see dive-bombing terns, a medieval chapel and a Victorian lighthouse. Levison finds out what life is like for the rangers who had to deal with the devastating impact of bird flu. He also learns more about the work being done to maintain and protect the area’s fragile ecosystem, address the impact of climate change, protect bird nests and monitor species.

Parts of the Farne Islands may be closed to the public and landing on the islands may not be possible due to bird flu. If closures are in place, you can still experience the islands on a boat tour. Please check the website before you visit: Farne Islands | Northumberland | National Trust With your support we can continue to care for coastal places like The Farne Islands.

Donate today and help protect wildlife and nature for future generations. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/supp…

Walking Tours: London Mayfair (March 2023)

Wanderizm (March 1, 2023) – Bordering leafy Hyde Park, Mayfair is an upscale district of elegant Georgian townhouses, exclusive hotels, and gourmet restaurants. Its world-famous retailers include bespoke tailors on Savile Row and designer fashions on Bond Street. Shoppers also head to high-end Burlington Arcade and Shepherd Market, a cluster of independent boutiques and traditional pubs. Cool modern art galleries line Cork Street. 

Books: Literary Review Magazine – March 2023

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Literary Review – March 2023 issue:

Our Man in Ajmer

Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire By Nandini Das

Slow Boat to China

Chinese Dreams in Romantic England: The Life and Times of Thomas Manning By Edward Weech

 It Could Do with a Lick of Paint

A Grand Tour Journal 1820–1822: The Awakening of the Man By Edward Geoffrey Stanley (Edited by Angus Hawkins)

Cotswolds Tour: Cowley Manor Country House

The Cotswold Explorer (February 19, 2023) – Cowley Manor is a 30 bedroom contemporary country house hotel and spa located in the glorious Cotswold countryside surrounded by 55 acres of parkland, woods and meadows. The gardens feature natural springs, lakes and Victorian cascades.

English Country Houses: A Tour Of Wolterton Hall

House & Garden (February 3, 2023) – Peter Sheppard and Keith Day welcome us into Wolterton Hall, an 18th-century English country house in Norfolk, England. Both Peter & Keith have been steadily restoring and redecorating Wolterton Park since they bought the estate in 2016 — bringing the state rooms back to their original glory and creating beautiful, practical living spaces.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Boudoir: “The walls were covered with a green hessian” 02:30 – Saloon: “This is where we have our best parties” 05:29 – State Bedroom: “It’s really funny to have a state bedroom when your friends come and stay…” 06:17 – State Bathroom: “It’s not conventional to have a bath of this size” 07:30 – Kitchen: “You shouldn’t hide away beautiful things” 08:49 – Living Room: “This was the Walpole’s library” 09:57 – Picture Room: “A 20th-century collection of paintings”

Watch the full episode of Design Notes as we tour Wolterton Hall and Peter & Keith explain how they live in the Palladian rooms of the piano nobile, from the State Bathroom with its alabaster-panelled bath to the Saloon that looks out on 500 acres of parkland. #HouseTour #ManorHouse #CountryHouse #England #HomeDesign

Profiles: French Chef Hélène Darroze Of The Connaught in London

Eater – Three-Michelin-starred restaurant Hélène Darroze in London offers its tasting menu at lunch and dinner, meaning nearly all the day’s preparation must be done before noon. The staff at the restaurant prepare dishes like langoustine, grouse wellington, chef’s table octopus, and more.

Historic English Homes: Writer Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Piers Court’, Gloucester

Piers Court, the house where Evelyn Waugh wrote his nostalgic masterpiece Brideshead Revisited, was used as a safe house for Royalists during the Civil War. He lived there from 1937 to 1956 – apart from during the war years when it was taken over by nuns.

December 16, 2022

It seems a sad state of affairs for a famed house whose previous owners — who bought Piers Court in 2010 — had done much to enhance a place described by Pevsner as ‘dignified and elegant’, which, behind its classical 18th-century façade, caters for both formal entertaining and informal family living. The standard of fixtures and fittings is really something – as this picture of one of the bathrooms demonstrates.

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