Gwyn Headley visits a magnificent folly 'built by the ghost of Sir Christopher Wren', where he was once marooned as an infant by his wicked siblings... Hampshire’s finest folly — the biggest, the most impressive, the oddest — is unquestionably Peterson’s tower at Sway. Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson was born in ... Read More...
Dabbler Country
Out and about
Mid-January and we’re no doubt approaching what some discredited mathematical formula or other decrees is the ‘most depressing day of the year’. Certainly we’re all broke, tired, a year closer to death, facing another existential crisis. It’s perfect British beach weather… Previously on my extensive Dabbler Country tour of Britain’s seaside resorts I ... Read More...
Gwyn Headley, the foremost authority on English follies and co-author of the magnificent new ebook series Follies of England, looks at one of Britains most horrible listed buildings... “Folly!” cry the locals. “Masterpiece!” cry the conservation societies. “Sod off!” cry the vandals. The Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee, County Durham, has today ... Read More...
Nige explores a county where "history is written on the face of the land"... Tell someone you're going walking in Leicestershire and chances are you'll be greeted by a blank bewildered look, or the bald question 'Why?' In fact, Leicestershire has some of the best walking country in England - wide open ... Read More...
Gwyn Headley, the foremost authority on English follies and co-author of the magnificent new ebook series Follies of England, takes us into a strange subterranean world... Imagine you are standing beside a tall wall. It encloses a kitchen garden, eight acres of kitchen garden, the sort of self -sufficiency that would ... Read More...
Nige prescribes the correct attire for gentlemanly perambulations... Strolling on Blakeney marshes, I couldn't help but notice that everyone I passed was kitted out for Walking, as it is conceived in these car-bound times - not walking as in the most basic natural activity known to creatures afflicted with bipedalism, but ... Read More...
Having said all there is to say about Skegness, Brit continues his Dabbler tour of England's seaside towns with a visit to Ilfracombe... There’s a nice little new aquarium in the Devon seaside town of Ilfracombe which takes you down, tank by tank, from the source of the Taw to the ... Read More...
Gwyn Headley must have a claim to being the leading authority on British follies - those purposless pieces of architecture that contribute so much to the greatness and gaiety of the nation. He has recently published the definitive guide Follies of England, available in a series of county-by-county ebooks from ... Read More...
Gareth Rees lives in Clapton with his wife and two daughters. He spends every day wandering Hackney, Leyton and Walthamstow marshes with his dog Hendrix, avoiding his family and the pressures of life. He records his observations on his blog The Marshman Chronicles. In a Hallowe'en special, Gareth takes us on ... Read More...
Nige ponders the unusual movements of some writerly remains... The photograph above depicts Sir Thomas Browne's tomb in St Peter Mancroft, Norwich - his coffin is in the chancel of the church. It was accidentally opened in 1840, and some bright spark took the skull - theft of skulls was a common weakness of ... Read More...
