SPOTLIGHT ON: P LY M O U T H
Smeaton’s Tower
Best known as the legendary place where Sir Francis Drake played bowls before sailing to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, Plymouth Hoe is home to the Grade I listed red and white landmark, Smeaton’s Tower. Walk up its 93 steps for views over Plymouth Sound and the city. Originally situated on Eddystone Rocks, off Cornwall, the lighthouse has been on the Hoe since 1884 and repainted in its traditional red and white colours this year. Modelled on the shape of an oak tree that bent with the wind, John Smeaton’s 1759 tower was a radical lighthouse design of its day.
St Nectan’s Glen
Don wellies to visit St Nectan’s Glen in the Cornish hamlet of Trethevy, with its three waterfalls, shallow pool to wade in and river bank woodland walk. Named after the eponymous sixth century saint, the waters at St Nectan’s Kieve that gush through a hole in the rocks are thought to be healing too. Head to the wooden café for a light bite or chill out in a forest retreat.
Wiltshire’s White Horses
Explore Wiltshire through its eight white horses carved into the South
West county’s hillsides. Take the oldest horse designed in 1778. Its Westbury setting includes an iron age hill fort and 14th century church. Two other horses overlook the Vale of Pewsey with its quaint thatched roof cottages, canal and trout fishery.
The Singing Ringing Tree
Overlooking Burnley in Lancashire is this three metre tall wind powered, sound sculpture. Shaped into a windswept tree by 21 layers of galvanised steel pipes, the eerie discordant sound is created by the wind blowing through them. Designed by architects, Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu, the eco- artwork won the National Award for architectural excellence in 2007.
Maunsell Sea Forts
Take a boat trip from Herne Bay into the Thames Estuary to see the Second World War memorial, the Maunsell sea forts, named after the civil engineer who designed them, Guy Maunsell. Built in 1942 to help protect London from German airstrikes and sea raids, each steel fort housed weapons and 265 soldiers. Abandoned in 1958, a few survive.
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Fingal’s Cave
Known for its natural acoustics, thanks to its arched roof and moving waves, the fabled sea cave retains its ethereal experience. Located on the uninhabited Hebridean island of Staffa, the 227 foot tall cave with its volcanic-formed columns is only accessible by boat – either from the mainland or surrounding islands. Puffins with their colourful beaks add charm from May to August.
Fairy Pools
Visit the clear blue Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye, just off the north-west Scottish coast in the inner Hebrides. The gushing waterfalls and swirling pools lie in a large glen at the foot of Scotland’s rocky Black Cullins mountains. Nearby is the rural village of Carbost, known for its 19th century Talisker single malt whisky distillery.
Cerne Giant
Often associated with fertility, the Cerne Giant is an ancient chalk outline of a naked man wielding a club carved on Trendle Hill above Dorset’s historic village of Cerne Abbas. Dating back to early England, the olde worlde village developed around a 987 AD Benedictine Abbey whose remains can still be found near the medieval Church of Saint Mary.
Angel of the North
20 metres high with a 54 metre wing span, Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North in Gateshead has become one of Britain’s most iconic public artworks. Located along a main road in and out of the city, the statue has become a symbol of the city’s identity too. Unveiled in 1998 on the site of former coal pithead baths, the steel sculpture has remained “a focus of hope,” as the artist said at the time.
Sound II at at Winchester Cathedral
Modern and medieval British art collide as Antony Gormley’s contemporary man, cast out of lead from the artist’s body, stands in contemplation in the
11th century crypt. Best way to see the sculpture is via a viewing platform during the rainy season when the crypt floods – as a tube mechanism through the body fills the cupped hands with the rising water.
The Museum of the Home
The row of 18th century almshouses has long been a Shoreditch landmark. Now after a two year transformation, the Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum) will re-open, adding a roof garden and café to new galleries. A 16th century fireplace to Philippe Starck homeware feature in its collection.