Have you ever wanted to sleep in a castle, or perhaps a tower, or a folly? Or what about a grand mansion, a tower, or a lighthouse? Or a simple cottage far from the madding crowd? There are now plenty of opportunities to have such an experience. Many historic buildings have been adapted to take [more...]
While researching the National Trust and the acquisition of their first property of the Clergy House in Alfriston, Sussex, I came across many claims on the internet that the Trust’s symbol was inspired by a carving of an oak leaf to be found in the Clergy House. Image on Wikipedia. I thought I would look [more...]
The National Trust safeguards the heritage of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has now over 350 historic properties, gardens, and ancient monuments, as well as miles of countryside under its care. National Trust properties are visited by millions of people each year. But what was their first property? The Trust was founded in 1895 [more...]
On January 4th 2010 Google celebrated the birth of the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton with a special logo of an apple dropping from a tree, recreating the event which it is said was the inspiration for him to develop his theory of gravity. Is the tree or its descendants still growing today? The apple [more...]
Wild camping is commonplace in Australia, New Zealand, the US, South Africa, and many other countries. In Finland and Sweden the right to camp is enshrined by law, provided it’s not close to someone’s house or garden. But in England it’s not so easy. One place where it is acceptable is on the moors of [more...]