The latest issue of Discover Britain is on sale
The latest issue of Discover Britain tells the tale of two queens: one of Britain’s longest-ruling monarchs and the shortest reigning…
Until HM the Queen pipped her to the post, Queen Victoria, who acceded to the throne almost 180 years ago in 1837, was Britain’s longest-reigning sovereign. Lady Jane Grey, on the other hand, lasted just nine days. Despite the centuries that divided them, the two queens perhaps had more in common than you might suspect – both came to the throne as mere teenagers and, in spite of the machinations of those around them, knew their own mind.
During an era known for its reserve, one of the most famous things about Victoria was her unbridled passion for her husband, Albert – a subject explored in the recent ITV drama, Victoria – about which she wrote openly, both before and after his untimely death, in diaries and letters. Her devotion is reflected throughout London, from the Royal Albert Hall to the V&A Museum.
But then the Victorians were full of contradictions: they were restrained, but they were also sentimental; with the inventions of the Industrial Revolution they looked to the future but fashions such as the Gothic Revival looked longingly to the past; they preached piety and clean-living but they invented that temple of pleasure, the gin palace…
One should be wary of making generalisations about any period, but it can be fun to do so all the same. And our new series, Six Ages of Britain, rattles through British history in six lively instalments.
Plus, look out for our county guide to wintry Cambridgeshire, an exploration of Arundel Castle with Dan Jones in time for the return of Secrets of Great British Castles this autumn, a visit to Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden, north Wales and a visit to beautiful Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill…
