Tips and tidbits for travel and for fun
A Room of One’s Own
The Westcliff Hotel, Southend
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DANA HUNTLEY
While Southend-on-Sea hardly makes the “must see” lists of most people, the Cockney seaside playground offers a slice of English life all its own. Perched high on the cliffs overlooking the waterfront, with magnificent views of the Cliff Gardens and the Thames Estuary, the Westcliff Hotel might seem more at home in Eastbourne or Bournemouth. Built in 1891, the imposing hotel offers a genuinely warm welcome and all the creature comforts of its genteel Victorian tradition. With tastefully appointed bedrooms and extensive public areas, it would be easy indeed to lounge away an hour or an afternoon with a cup of tea just watching the river traffic pass by.
The Westcliff Hotel
Westcliff Parade
Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 8QW
Tel: 01702 345247
www.westcliff-hotel.co.uk
Sites for the Savvy
- www.parliament.uk Everything relevant to the British legislature
-
www.metoffice.gov.uk
Detailed British weather forecasts and climate information -
www.alva.org.uk
Superb resource of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions -
www.britrail.com
Great savings in planning rail travel ahead -
www.bbc.co.uk/news
Auntie Beeb delivers the news -
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Comprehensive website of the National Trust
Hearing from You
We are always pleased to hear from British Heritage readers. If you have a travel tip or a terrific travel experience to share with other readers and Anglophiles, by all means let us know. We would be happy to share readers‘ advice, and to pass some of your adventures on to our fellow enthusiasts. Email, by all means, or write to us at:
British Heritage
19300 Promenade Dr.
Leesburg, VA 20176
The British Heritage
PUZZLER
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CSU ARCHIVES/EVERETT COLLECTION
Last issue we posed this: “When British Heritage began 30 years ago, this Nottinghamshire village was still surrounded by working collieries. Now, the pit heads are all gone, but you can still walk through the scenes of one of English literature’s greatest autobiographical novels. What village would this be?”
Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, was the birthplace and boyhood home of D.H. Lawrence. While the colliery village and surrounding countryside provide the setting for many of Lawrence’s works, it is the autobiographical Sons and Lovers that best captures its “sense of place.”
Now, cogitate on this. 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?
Do play the Puzzler and email your answer to [email protected].
All entries are acknowledged.
Author, Author!
You have seen her byline in British Heritage; now meet Rebecca Gardner, in her own words.
My favorite smell is that of a second-hand bookstore. Anything to do with books or words makes me happy. I’m now very happy working as a writer both for magazines and copywriting projects, but it only happened once life began at 40.
I first worked in marketing where I did work with words but, as I was an engineering graduate, they were mainly technical jargon. Apart from writing marketing plans, I wrote in my spare time for my eyes only. My love of books also led me to work as a volunteer, teaching adults to read and write.
Life changed in 2005 when, with our two young boys, we moved to Seattle for three years. I was blown away by a city of bookaholics, a stunning library system and inspiring writing conferences. After a writing course at the University of Washington, my articles were published locally. When a national UK paper published my piece on the San Juan Islands, I knew I had found my new life. Returning home, I made sure I had British Heritage in my suitcase.
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I’m originally from Yorkshire, my absolutely favorite part of Britain, and now, via Preston and Coventry, have settled in Cheltenham. I think the key to Britain’s heritage is its passionate army of eccentrics, volunteers and collectors; I should know—I come from a long line of them. I’ve interviewed a volunteer steam train driver, a curator wearing a Roman toga and a Victorian boot maker. I think people’s passion for their history and country continues to grow, and I continue to enjoy listening to them and recording their stories.
Coming Up in British Heritage
- Quaint and Quirky Museums
- Secrets of Bletchley Park
- Those Great British Explorers
- Exmoor and the North Devon Coast
- Thamesside through the Docklands
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The Fourth Plinth
Trafalgar Square
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DANA HUNTLEY
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DANA HUNTLEY
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