The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Saturday
Culture and history
Crank up and wassail Essex
The Museum of Power, in Maldon, is a hit with anyone who loves to watch engines running but on New Year’s Day there is a celebration of cider too. This industrial museum, set in a former water pumping station, will welcome 2024 with a wassailing ceremony, whereby traditional dancers and musicians will bless trees in the orchard and ask for a bountiful harvest. Little ones will enjoy the miniature railway and outdoor model village too. Adult £5 (child £3), museumofpower. org.uk
Castle on the coast Cornwall
Clear out the cobwebs by exploring clover-shaped St Mawes Castle, buffeted by sea breezes. Built by Henry VIII to keep out French and Spanish invaders, this is one of the 16thcentury’s best-preserved fortresses. Along with Pendennis, opposite, it protected Falmouth Harbour. See the oubliette where prisoners were thrown, and a line of 18th and 19thcentury cannons, pointing out to sea. Adult £6.80 (child £3.60), englishheritage.org.uk
History in Leeds
Many museums and galleries close on New Year’s Day but one that doesn’t is the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. History buffs can learn about everything from the development of the machine gun to the use of muskets, rifles, pikes and samurai swords in combat. Don’t miss the model of the Battle of Waterloo.
Free; royalarmouries.org
Track down Banksy Bristol
Get the blood pumping while tracking down some of the works of Bristol son and notorious street artist Banksy. There are 13 pieces to find and an interactive, downloadable map takes you from the Floating Harbour to Park Street, Stokes Croft and Montpelier. Look out for Mild, Mild West, which is representative of the Bristol attitude, and the famous Well Hung Lover. Banksy Bristol App £1.99, apps.cactus. co.uk
Forgotten places Scarborough
Sign of the Times is a trail designed to bring light to forgotten places around Scarborough. Various neon signs have been created and erected by local artist Adrian Riley to bring a sense of fun to a stroll through the seaside town. These glitzy signs recall the town’s past and each piece has been inspired by stories from townsfolk themselves.
Free; scarboroughfair.uk
Art and archaeology Oxford
Stretch your legs and get the grey cells ticking at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum of art and archaeology. The attraction offers a downloadable audio guide so visitors can learn about the highlights of its permanent collection with minimal effort required. Look out for QR codes on the museum floor; you can hear all about 26 of the museum’s treasures and works of art. These include the beautiful Alfred Jewel and Guy Fawkes’s lantern.
Free entry, Smartify highlights audio tour £3.60; ashmolean.org
The brightest light Liverpool
Of course there is a yellow submarine in this Liverpool lights trail. Enjoy a twinkly end to the first day of 2024 with a visit to the city’s Royal Albert Dock. The Brightest Light Trail features installations of nautical scenes and figures from Liverpool’s coat of arms on the waterfront. As well as the eponymous banana-coloured submersible from the Beatles song, highlights include a family of dancing jellyfish, and Neptune and Poseidon at the dock’s entrance.
Free; visitliverpool.com