britains_best_heritage_tours

Arts and Entertainment - South West

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

You could be forgiven for thinking that the performing arts and entertainment scene in England begins and ends in London, however the South West does have a few leading lights of its own.

The Bristol 'Old Vic' is a magnificent theatre dating back to the Georgian period and many fine actors, now household names, attended the stage school. This grand old lady has recently undergone a major refurbishment.

The Old Vic doesn't fly the flag on her own, though. The Hippodrome, the Colston Hall, the O2 Academy and St George's Arts Centre are all excellent venues too.

Ancestry and Family History

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

DNA is a wonderful thing. Now we all have access to DNA profiling, strange and unexpected anomalies have come to light. Those of us living in the western fringes of the United Kingdom; Cornwall, West Devon, Wales feel a kinship and regarded ourselves as Celts. So it's interesting that there is a very strong link between those areas 'DNA - wise' but not with the Celts who migrated across central Europe and up through Iberia during the Iron Age. So perhaps, genetically, we aren't Celts but, in fact, descended from the Ancient Britons who took on the Celtic lifestyle because they liked the look of it.

That doesn't take away our distinctiveness, in fact it probably enhances it. Just when you thought you knew something for certain..........

Discovering South West England

Sun, 02 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

There is so much to enjoy in the South West, with an incredible diversity of scenery, tradition and folklore. Just to give you a taste off what to expect, here is a thatched cottage in one of my favourite villages, Selworthy Green. My daughter used to mow the village green! Note the rounded oven at the base of the chimney.