For someone so closely associated with London, the fact that references to Samuel Johnson abound in Lichfield – a city some 20 miles from Birmingham – may come as somewhat of a surprise. From a community hospital taking his name to a statue in the market square and […]
By Oliver Clark Lichfield Cathedral is today a place of quiet and contemplation, an impressive example of Gothic architectural splendour that dominates the skyline of the city that shares its name. But its sandstone edifice still bears the scars of the three violent sieges it endured during the […]
Where patients would once have convalesced, diners today enjoy alfresco meals on the covered terrace overlooking Galle’s beautiful natural harbour. Just a few metres away from the waves crush on the rocks, the restaurants and bars that can be found in the old Dutch Hospital complex are perhaps […]
Five hours drive from the capital in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, it doesn’t take long to realise why Nuwara Eliya is known as Little England. Visitors today find colonial-era-bungalows and Tudor-style hotels set in front of sweeping lawns and pretty flower gardens. In Nuwara Eliya, there are plenty […]
When travellers arrived by ocean liner in Colombo they didn’t have very far to go to find a pleasant place to stay. Opposite the city’s main port, the Grand Oriental Hotel was advertised in the 19th century as “the best equipped hotel in the East” with the “best […]
As far as London guide books go, Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies has to be one of the more usual. While most focus on popular tourist attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, London Zoo and the Science Museum, this one takes a different subject altogether. It was […]
Head to Boston’s Hanover Street at the weekend and you’ll encounter long queues outside many of the cafes, restaurants and bakeries. This the heart of the city’s Little Italy, a vibrant quarter – bigger than New York’s version – that is popular with Bostonians and visitors alike. But […]
