Seek out the Scarlet Pimpernel
Once considered a weed of cornfields, the Scarlet Pimpernel is now in decline due to intensive agricultural practices. It can be found in arable fields, on roadside verges and waste ground, and on coastal cliffs.
Six Things on
The Carting Lane Sewer Lamp - London's last methane burner
When the sewerage system upon which Londoners still rely was first put in place at the end of the 19th century, a series of street lamps were installed above to help with ventilation, and to burn off noxious fumes. One still remains on Carting Lane, just off the Strand, next to the Savoy Hotel.
Tenniel’s Alice: the classic image of Carroll's creation
The popular image of the heroine of 'Alice in Wonderland' is eternally shaped by the first and greatest illustrator of the book, John Tenniel - though it seems this was a commission he did not enjoy very much.
Hyde Park Pet Cemetery - a Victorian curiosity
The Hyde Park pet cemetery is a disused burial ground for animals in London. Established in 1881 in the garden of Victoria Lodge, home of one of the park keepers, the cemetery became popular after the burial of a dog belonging to Sarah Fairbrother, wife of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.
Wells Cathedral - Gothic delight full of treasures
Constructed between 1175 and 1490, Wells Cathedral in Somerset was the earliest English Cathedral to be built in the Gothic style. Among its notable features are a clock, which is said to have one of the oldest mechanisms in Britain.
Thomas Willingale - the man who saved Epping Forest
Without Thomas Willingale, it is likely that Epping Forest near London would not be the rich surviving landscape it remains today. Willingale dared to defy powerful local landowners, and fought long enough to save the forest from development by attracting the attention of the great and the good, which led to its preservation under the auspices of the City of London Corporation.
Six things to delight and entertain you every day.