Tips and tidbits for travel and for fun

A Room of One’s Own


The Village Inn, Lynmouth

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DANA HUNTLEY

DANA HUNTLEY

Beverly Guanstrom at The Village Inn in Lynmouth welcomes muddy boots and soggy dogs.[/caption]

Traveling to Lorna Doone Country? Stay with Beverly Guanstrom (p. 29) at the Village Inn harborside in Lynmouth. Right on the pretty pedestrian street next to the estuary and the sea, the inn has six well-equipped and charmingly furnished rooms, offering English breakfast and homecooked meals using local and seasonal produce. The inn is a cozy, traditional Free House pub, nicely furnished and undisturbed by juke box or pool table, with friendly visitors in season, and locals and log fires through the darker months. There’s charming character to the inn and its setting. This is a great place to base that North Devon visit.


The Village Inn
Lynmouth Street
Lynmouth, North Devon EX35 6EH
Tel: 01598 752354

Sites for the Savvy


The British Heritage

PUZZLER

Last issue we posed: “I carried on my father’s name, but not his character or his political acumen. I built the largest Great Hall England had ever seen. My ruddy complexion, not my hair, gave rise to my popular nickname. I was killed by an arrow while on a hunting party. Maybe it was an accident and maybe not. Who am I?”
King William II, known colloquially as William Rufus, succeeded his father, William the Conqueror, on the throne of England in 1087. A controversial and much disliked king, William Rufus was shot dead on a hunting expedition in the New Forest in August 1100. Whether it was indeed an accident or an assassination has never been firmly established.
Now, cogitate on this. I sit on the fens crowned by the Stump. In the 13th century, I rivaled London as a port. When my people and my name crossed the sea, it contributed to my economic decline. Where am I?
Yes, do play the Puzzler and email your answer to [email protected]. All entries are acknowledged.

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POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES

POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES

William Rufus didn’t make a lot of friends in his 13 years on the throne.[/caption]

Penny Wise


London Digs for the Summer

Hi Dana,
I have scoped out several dozen websites and agencies for flats/rooms in London for next summer and have come up with nothing so far. Would you be willing to ask the British Heritage team if they have any ideas? I would be very grateful.
Susan Brooks

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First, you ought to be able to get a small self-catering flat for £500 per week. Check out www.gowithit.co.uk. Here’s what our resident London writers have to suggest. Sandra Lawrence proffers: “Of course, there are plenty of self-catering apartments around in London. Susan could start with www.londonguestsuites.com, then, www.londonhouse.com or www.homefromhome.co.uk.
“B&Bs can be worth investigating—and some are downright quirky—like Number 16 St. Alfege’s Passage in Greenwich, www.st-alfeges.co.uk/therooms.”

James Graham adds: “One area Sandra didn’t touch on was staying in university halls of residence when the students have vacated them for the long summer vac. Many universities rent out student digs during the summer (from late June until the middle of September).
Susan could check out: University of London Accommodation Office: www.housing.london.ac.uk/cms/short-termhousing/halls-of-residence; Claredale House/Sir John Cass Hall: www.cassandclaredale.co.uk; IES Student Residence Hall: www.iesreshall.com; International Students House www.ish.org.uk/accommodation/Short+Stay; the London School of Economics: www.lse.ac.uk/collections/vacations; University of Westminster: www.wmin.ac.uk/comserv or www.summerbreaks.org/accommodation.asp.”
Jennifer Dorn has been renting short term for years in London, and has written on the subject for British Heritage readers. She suggests: “Check out the Nell Gwynn House Apartments on Sloane Avenue in Chelsea where a number of my friends have stayed over the years while working on books.”

Coming Up in British Heritage



  • Making the Royal Match!

  • Hunting Books at Hay-on-Wye

  • How to Visit the Orkneys

  • 400 Years of King James’ Bible

  • Alice’s Real Wonderland

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ARTHUR EDWARDS/THE SUN/PA WIRE

ARTHUR EDWARDS/THE SUN/PA WIRE

That’s still a beautiful ring.[/caption]

The Battle of Cable Street


East London

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DANA HUNTLEY

DANA HUNTLEY

On October 4, 1936, some 300,000 antifascist demonstrators turned out in East London to confront a provocative march by thousands of British fascists under the leadership of Oswald Mosley. The violent outcome is commemorated by a colorful, building-sized mural painted on St. George’s Town Hall, Stepney.[/caption]