Walk down Market Hill in Sudbury and you could be back in 1727 — the year the town’s most famous son, Thomas Gainsborough, was born. The painter would recognise the splendid medieval churches of Sudbury: St Gregory, St Peter and All Saints. He would know the 16th-century, half-timbered Black Boy Hotel — and surely love … Read more
When architects go wild: The hilarious Instagram account that’s packed with pictures of Belgium’s ugliest houses Hannes Coudeneys has spent the past eight years snapping pictures of his homeland’s most peculiar homes He posts his hilarious images on his Instagram account, Ugly Belgian Homes, which has over 55,000 followers But not everybody agrees with Hannes’s … Read more
A huge San Francisco office tower has been named the best building in the world for 2019. The 1,070ft (326m) Salesforce Tower was given the gong by the Chicago-based Council On Tall Buildings And Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which hands out awards each year to the high-rises that it believes are creatively designed and enhance the … Read more
Should there be Oscars for the most spectacular places on earth, plenty would deserve the lifetime achievement award, from Venice to the Taj Mahal. Yet lesser-known spots nearby may be every bit as inviting. With ‘overtourism’ affecting so many of our best-loved holiday destinations, it’s time to think laterally. Here’s what we suggest… Love Dubrovnik? … Read more
Great British Boltholes: Hexham’s Langley Castle is an award-winning medieval marvel with some ghostly goings on… Langley Castle in Northumberland is the North East England Hotel of the Year It’s a castle hotel with ‘medieval redoubt’ decor and ‘excellent hospitality’ There’s a small cocktail bar and a restaurant serving ‘posh and delicious’ food By Neil Armstrong … Read more
‘They’ll have the coat off your back, they’ll skin you alive, my child!’ This was the warning Patrick Leigh Fermor was given in Sparta, when he said he was going to the Mani in the early Fifties. Having walked across Europe at the age of 18 and kidnapped a German general on Crete from under … Read more
Truro’s coat of arms shows a tin miner and a fisherman, in homage to the industries that made the city what it is today. The mining has long gone, and the fishing is under threat, but, somehow, Truro rumbles on, with its mix of Gothic, Georgian and Victorian buildings, independent stores (a few, anyway) and … Read more
First look at the life-like creatures that will feature in Universal Orlando’s new Harry Potter roller coaster – including a never-before-seen Blast-Ended Skrewt The new roller coaster, called Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, is set to open on June 13 The attraction will see guests fly deep into the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts on Hagrid’s magical … Read more
The world’s finest spring gardens are right here in Britain. No, really — that’s not an idle boast. The mild, damp climate helps, along with a rich legacy of plants and centuries-old gardening traditions. So here’s a varied selection of Britain’s most inspiring spring gardens. Opening times can vary from month to month, so be … Read more
Q I’m planning a nostalgia trip to Sydney, from where I hope to take a short cruise, in a small ship, to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s capital, where I used to live. Can you help? Edward Mitchell, Bournemouth. Not easy, I’m afraid. Some cruise liners feature Papua New Guinea, but they are usually long … Read more