Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
The Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens is a visitor attraction near the village of Abbotsbury, Dorset, southern England. They are Grade I listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Six Things on
Let There Be Light! - The Match struck first in Stockton
In 1826, John Walker, a chemist from Stockton, County Durham, finally solved the age-old problem of producing reliable and safe fire starters. Several chemical mixtures were already known which would ignite by a sudden explosion, but there was an obvious need for something a bit less tempestuous.
Doré’s engravings: the archetypal look of Victorian London
Illustrator Gustave Doré shares significant responsibility with writer Charles Dickens for shaping the collective memory of the murky squalor of Victorian London. His engraving, 'Over London by Rail', shown above, provides a visual equivalent of the Dickens novels that take us into the workhouses, the slums, the dark alleys and the opium dens.
The Seven Sisters - Sussex stars of a thousand postcards
Situated in the South Downs National Park, where the South Downs meet the English Channel, the Seven Sisters are a very pleasing rolling chalk cliff formation where the seven hillcrests have earned their affectionate nickname.
The harmless but fearsome stag beetle
Stag beetles are Britain’s largest land beetle, with males reaching up to 7.5 centimetres (3 inches) in length. They are also one of the most spectacular looking insects, with their highly protective armour and a male’s huge mandibles (antler-like jaws) making them easy to spot - and steer clear of!
Lilac - adding fragrance to British hedgerows and gardens since the 1500s
One of the delights of late spring is the scent of lilacs - an aroma that carries and lets you know lilacs are nearby even when you can't see the bushes or small trees.
Six things to delight and entertain you every day.