Discover Britain

Celebrating the best of our nation, every issue of Discover Britain is packed with features from history to travel. Read about the events that changed history, as well as British traditions and their origins, or be inspired for your next trip with great ideas for where to go and what to see. Whether you’re planning a weekend city break or an escape to the countryside, Discover Britain is your essential guide to getting the most out of your stay.

Welcome!

Discover Britain

Wish you were here... • Inspiring postcards from around the British Isles

Over to you... • Jubilee crafts, childhood memories, and one very satisfied customer: our pick of our reader letters this issue

Jewel of the Jurassic Coast • Samantha Priestley visits the Dorset resort of Lyme Regis in the footsteps of Georgian fossil hunter Mary Anning

TRAVEL NOTES • Our tips for making the most of your trip to the town

A PLATINUM PARTY • We look back at some of the most memorable moments of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend, from military parades and musical performances to tea with Paddington Bear

THE MAN WHO ENRICHED LONDON • In a new book, Michael McCarthy charts the life and times of the medieval mayor who left London in a much better condition than he found it: the real Dick Whittington

Isle of Plenty • Osborne House may be the best known of the Isle of Wight’s stately homes, but the island was favoured by well-connected families long before the Victorians made it fashionable, says Mark Rowe

TRAVEL NOTES • Our tips for your trip, including what to see and where to stay when you’re here

By Royal Appointment • We all know the adage ‘treat customers like royalty’, but what if Her Majesty The Queen or the Prince of Wales really were your customers? Russell Higham finds out...

The Duchess’s DOWNFALL • Caught on camera in a compromising position, the die was cast on the reputation of the Duchess of Argyll early, writes Katie Wood

SCENES OF A SCANDAL

WINCHCOMBE • With timbered inns, independent shops, views of the Cotswolds Hills and a beautiful castle nearby, Winchcombe is a quintessential English town that won’t disappoint, says Olly Beckett

Playing at Collecting • Do you know your Hornby from your Dinky? Your Farnell from your Merrythought? There are lots of old British toys on the collectors’ market if you know what you’re looking for, as Sally Coffey discovers

Stories amid the storeys • Once home to Clan Jardine, this 15th-century Scottish tower house, available to hire, comes with a rather macabre past, writes Richard Franks

THE GHOST OF DUNTY

BEYOND THE CASTLE WALLS • Fancy a wander? Here are our top picks of local things to see and do

Win an escape to a Scottish Isle • We’ve teamed up with The Machrie on the Isle of Islay to bring you the perfect island getaway

The ROMAN WAY • The defacto Roman frontier for over 300 years, this year Hadrian’s Wall turns 1900 and there’s never been a better time to visit says David Atkinson

SEE THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS

My Britain • Operation Centaur aims to keep the art of working with rare breed heavy horses alive. Based at Hampton Court Palace and Richmond Park, they look after the last working breed of Shire horses in the UK – a breed that has survived since Henry VIII’s time – of which the Queen is a fan. We spoke to Professor Andreas Liefooghe, expert in equine therapy, and Director of Operation Centaur, about the history of Shire horses at Hampton Court Palace, and the different ways Operation Centaur works with them today.

CROSSWORD & QUIZ

York Minster’s Great East Window • This 600-year-old masterpiece took three years to complete, and is one of the largest and most ambitious windows to have been...