Britain, Ireland rich in new and old delights
vance via their websites. Stonehenge visitors are required to book a timedentry ticket online.
In Brighton, a beach resort town directly south of London, the i360 Tower, set to open this summer, will lift tourists 450 feet in a doughnut-shaped elevator for a bird’s-eye view of the city.
In Bath, the Building of Bath Collection is now called the Museum of Bath Architecture. The Roman Baths have added a display of the Beau Street Hoard — more than 17,500 Roman coins that were discovered near the baths.
In the Cotswolds, the delightful Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music in Northleach is now called the Mechanical Music Museum (after Harding’s death and subsequent scandalous revela- tions in the media about him).
Nearby, in Stratfordupon-Avon, the town is marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre has opened after a total renovation. New Place and Nash’s House, showcasing what’s left of one of the houses in which Shakespeare lived, is set to open this spring.
In the South Lake District, the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead will host a special exhibit opening in February to mark the 150th anniversary of Potter’s birth.
Restoration work continues in the ancient city of York. Its Theatre Royal recently reopened after completing a $6 million renovation. Work continues on the Great East Win- dow in the York Minster. The massive, tennis courtsized window filling the east end of the beloved church may finally be unveiled in 2017.
At Durham Cathedral, England’s greatest Norman church, the new “Open Treasure” exhibit will display a number of treasures, including a copy of the Magna Carta from 1216 and items from the Norman/medieval period (when the monks of Durham busily copied manuscripts), the Reformation, and the 17th century.
Over in Wales, at Caernarfon Castle, the Eagle Tower houses the “Princes of Wales” exhibit, featuring a chessboard of Welsh and English princes as life-size chess pieces, and a skimpy exhibit on the life of Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I.
In Ireland, Dublin is preparing for the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Uprising, so this year expect higher lodging prices, longer lines and more traffic snarls. Among events planned, the General Post Office — the rebels’ headquarters — will host a “GPO: Witness History” exhibition, and the National Library and Kilmainham Gaol will host temporary exhibits. (For a good prep, be sure to watch the documentary “1916: The Irish Rebellion,” which debuts on American public television in March.)
Also in Dublin, look for a new Museum of Tenement Life to open sometime in 2016. And at the Book of Kells exhibit in the Trinity Old Library, purchasing an online ticket in advance allows you to skip the line at the entrance.
In Belfast, a new Discovery Tour, part of the Titanic Belfast museum, explains the striking design and architecture of the new building and the adjacent slipways where the ship was built. In Derry, the Museum of Free Derry is closed for renovations but should reopen in May with multimedia exhibits.
And for foodies filling their tanks to enjoy all this sightseeing fun, Britain and Ireland continue to reshape their culinary images and astound travelers with new restaurants and gastropubs serving delicious food.
Rick Steves (
writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at
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