CROSSWORD

ACROSS 11 Author of 26 novels including Brighton Rock and Travels with My Aunt (6) 12 Small seed of an apple, pear or quince; or, the protagonist in Great Expectations (3) 13 Natural sweetener derived from the nectar of manuka, orange blossom, rosemary, lavender or clover flowers (5) 14 Architect who transformed Buckingham House into a palace for George IV (4) 15 Sheet bend, clove hitch, bowline, round turn ... general word for any one of the fastenings described in the camping skills section of Boy Scouts Handbook (4) 16 Brand of classic wax jackets and countrywear awarded three royal warrants (7) 17 Body of water containing islands including Anglesey (connected to Ynys Gaint) and the Isle of Man (5,3) 18 Word for a soft or delicate colour such as baby blue, duck egg or periwinkle (6) 20 Standard quantity of baked bread (4) 22 A botanical word for a bloom in the family that includes the chrysanthemum, dahlia, daisy, dandelion and sunflower (9) 25 Port town in Argyll and Bute known as the “Gateway to the Isles” (4) 27 Inhabiting open countryside and farmland, a protected species of “indicator” bird of prey with a heart-shaped face and buff/white plumage (4,3) 28 — Field; site of the battle where Richard III was killed thus ending the Wars of the Roses and enabling Henry Tudor to be crowned as king (8) 30 Style of typically walnut furniture identified by curved cabriole legs, carved fan or shell motifs and pad feet (5-4) 32 An adult male red deer (4) 33 Word for the powder-green or bluish verdigris forming on copper as a result of oxidation or weathering (6) 35 Scissor-like tool for gardening and topiary (6) 37 — criers; principal means of news communication in Medieval England (4) 38 Lead actress in Bridget Jones films and Miss Potter (9) 41 Gardens for cultivating apple, pear and nut trees (8) 43 Jockey to the Queen and the Queen Mother who went on to write 42 novels (7) 45 Any one of the letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet used by the Vikings (4) 46 Characterised by dry-stone walls, limestone cottages, rolling hills and wooded valleys, the largest AONB (9) 49 Cobbler repairs a – (4) 50 Author of the Malory Towers adventures (6) 53 Derived from an old French word for plates, a room in a house traditionally for washing and storing crockery (8) 55 An opera by Mozart and a poem by Byron (3,4) 57 Ballerina’s final dance in a grand pas (4) 58 Series of pony books by Ruby Ferguson (4) 59 Val-d’—; ski resort in the French Alps (5) 60 Implement for rowing or sculling (3) 61 US Impressionist who painted Blossoming Trees 6) DOWN 1 The Greek Muse of astronomy (6) 2 Author of The Fountain Overflows and the Balkan travel adventure Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (4) 3 Type of book describing the properties and medicinal uses of plants such as camomile, feverfew and valerian (6) 4 Hand-held firework used in place of a candle in a celebration cake; or a word for a diamond (8) 5 Lhasa —; breed of companion dog (4) 6 An amulet thought to bring good luck (5) 7 One of the colours of a rainbow (6) 8 Sculptor who created Apoxyomenos (8) 9 Egyptian symbol of life (4) 10 A climb in mountaineering, cycling or hot-air ballooning, for example (6) 19 Connected with jewels hyacinth or jacinth, a tawny tincture in heraldry (5) 21 Smallest particle in an element (4) 23 Author of the Waverley novels including Rob Roy (5) 24 The first person to sail solo non-stop westwards around the world (5) 26 Painter whose works include Charms of Country Life and Morning Coffee (7) 27 Metal used to make cornets, horns, trumpets, ornaments for draught horses’ harnesses (5) 28 Tubular glass bead for textiles; or, an instrument used for military signals (5) 29 Welsh village with an abbey close to where Wordsworth composed a poem (7) 31 Jottings taken during study or minutes taken during meetings (5) 33 Ends of magnets (5) 34 The fastest bird recorded in level flight (5) 36 Name of one of the musketeers in a novel by Alexandre Dumas (5) 39 Why I Wake —; volume of poems by Mary Oliver (5) 40 German composer who wrote The Toccata and Fugue in D minor (4) 42 The former name for Zimbabwe (8) 44 The official country residence of the prime minister of the UK (8) 47 Flower such as a lady’s slipper (6) 48 Dramatist who wrote the Restoration comedy Marriage à la Mode (6) 50 Author of novels including Light a Penny Candle and Circle of Friends (6) 51 Actor awarded an Oscar for his part as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (6) 52 The UK’s only venomous snake (5) 54 Principal court painter to Charles II who created the Windsor Beauties (4) 56 Forming in stars with a mass of eight or more Earth suns, an element discovered by Ramsay and Travers (4) 57 Cover for a teapot (4)