I’ve visited over 40 castles in the UK, and Nunney Castle is the one that stops me mid-stride every time. It’s not the biggest. Not the most famous. But for my money, it’s the most photogenic ruin in England — a perfect miniature fortress dropped into a Somerset village like someone forgot to pick it up after a medieval photoshoot. Built in the 1370s by Sir John Delamare, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years’ War, this castle was designed to impress. Four round towers, a deep moat, and walls that still punch above their weight after 650 years.…

In August, I paid my annual visit to Dyffryn Gardens, the National Trust-run manor house (below) and gardens just south of Cardiff. I’d been meaning to go all summer, but with one thing and another, I hadn’t got around to it. But I was determined to go before the summer was up to see the last of the flowers. I made my way through the gardens following my usual route, strolling past the manor house, then up to the stone terraces (above) and onto the walled garden. Before going inside the greenhouse that dominates the back wall, I had a…

When my friend and I were looking for things to do in London last month, one of my friend’s colleagues suggested we visit ‘The Cult of Beauty’ exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. The free exhibition at the Euston Road museum explores concepts of beauty through the ages and across cultures in the context of gender, race, age, health and status. We arrived at the Wellcome Collection around 11.30am to find the exhibition was closed until 12pm, so we went off to explore the main collection while we waited. On coming back at 12pm, we found the museum had put a…

West Mersea sits at the end of a road that floods twice a day. The tidal causeway, the working oyster sheds, the estuary views with no coastal development spoiling them — these things are connected. This village stayed small because access stayed inconvenient. Plan around the tide and you get one of the best value lunch days within two hours of London. Ignore it, and you get a queue of cars on a flooded road going nowhere. How to Cross The Strood Without Wasting Your Trip The Strood is the only road onto Mersea Island. It’s a raised causeway crossing…

Five hundred years since they ruled over England and Wales, the Tudors still captivate audiences in a way few other royal dynasties can. Aside from the crazy drama that wouldn’t be out of place in the most far-fetched soap opera (six wives, multiple beheadings, religious schisms, to name a few), much of the family’s enduring appeal is down to its clearly defined image. Very few English monarchs are as instantly recognisable to the masses as Henry VIII or Elizabeth I (above). With his wide-legged stance, square bearded face and red hair, Henry VIII (below) still cuts an imposing, majestic figure…

I had a week off work at the beginning of January so decided to spend a day in London, as I hadn’t been back to the capital in more than a year. I didn’t have much of a firm plan, other than tickets to see Holbein at the Tudor Court at The Queen’s Gallery, so I was happy to see where the mood took me. Tokyo Diner It was early lunchtime when I arrived at Paddington and feeling peckish, I headed towards Leicester Square to visit one of my favourite Japanese restaurants, Tokyo Diner. The restaurant is tucked away down…

You have a week in England. You want history that doesn’t feel like homework — something that leaves you talking at dinner rather than skimming placards in polite silence. Bletchley Park keeps appearing on every serious shortlist, and the reputation is enormous. But the admission price gives you pause, and a reasonable question follows: is this engaging for a general visitor, or does it only reward people who already know the Enigma story? The honest breakdown, after examining exactly what you get per pound: Bletchley Park delivers more value than most UK paid attractions in its price bracket — but…

While I was at Berkeley Castle, I learned that Dr Jenner’s House was just a five minute walk away. So after looking around the castle, I walked over to the house, as I was keen to see where the ‘father of immunology’ had lived and worked. Dr Edward Jenner was born in Berkeley in 1749, the son of a local vicar, and after finishing his medical training in London, he returned to the Gloucestershire town. He bought his house, The Chantry, in 1785 and lived there with his wife Catherine and their family. In 1796, Dr Jenner cemented his place…

Most English castles have been converted into theme parks. Berkeley Castle hasn’t. That’s the whole point. Why Famous English Castles Keep Letting Visitors Down You’ve done Warwick Castle. You queued for 40 minutes, paid £35, watched a jousting display, and left feeling like you’d been to a slightly educational funfair. Leeds Castle in Kent is gorgeous from the outside — the lake reflection photographs beautifully — but the interior feels curated to the point of sterility. Windsor is technically still in active royal use, which means half the rooms are permanently closed and the ones you can access feel more…

I first heard about The Wallace Collection years ago when I was writing a secret guide to Marylebone for a magazine I was working on at the time. As part of the feature, I was interviewing locals to find out their favourite spots in the area and one woman I talked to mentioned The Wallace Collection. Intrigued, I decided to check it out the following Saturday and discovered an utterly delightful collection of art, porcelain and furnishings inside a magnificent mansion. The Wallace Collection is a collection of European artworks, furniture and armoury amassed by the 4th Marquess of Hertford…