I chanced upon Netley Abbey when flicking through my English Heritage handbook so, one sunny day, I set off on a “ruin hunt”. Accessed via an inauspicious tiny car park (don’t worry – you can park in neighbouring roads easily), you are not really prepared for the vastness and the romanticism of this venerable ruin….
Regal Ruin – Titchfield Abbey
I love a good ruin hunt and thanks to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, there are quite a few to see in the UK today, all at various degrees of disintegration. So it’s Ruin Week here on A3Traveller! Titchfield Abbey looks quite impressive when you drive through its narrow gateway to park up in…
Who was Gilbert White?
Every day, driving home from work on the A3, I see a sign to Selborne and Gilbert White‘s House. At a loose end one day, I determined to visit this little Hampshire village and just see what all the fuss was about – I’m very glad I did. When you enter the house, it’s modest…
Where Mr Darcy was born …
I am a little embarrassed to say that I didn’t realise that the little village of Chawton in Hampshire was once the home of one of our literary giants … in the rather demure figure of Jane Austen. Seeing the sign to Chawton when returning from Goodwood one day, I stopped a while to visit…
Going uptown to Uppark
It’s an odd name for a stately home – Uppark, don’t you think? It is, however, more simple than you might expect. It’s so-named due to the fact that you literally go Up to the Park for the house stands atop rolling parkland with far reaching views over the surrounding countryside and the Solent beyond….
Paint it Black! Hasting’s Net Huts
I have been fascinated by the tall, black net huts of Hastings, East Sussex, since spotting them in an episode of Foyle’s War, Hastings is home to the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe and these unique black net huts are located in the Stade (Saxon word for landing place) area in the middle of…
Battle: Where a new England was formed
You have heard the throwaway phrase, 1066 and all that – but when you visit Battle (yes, the name of a village in East Sussex), with its rather impressive castle, you are aware you are stepping in the footsteps of history. For this was the start of Norman Britain – the last successful military invasion of…
The World’s Longest Bench?
Sometimes I come across objects on my travels which really do stir my imagination. In the rather traditional beach resort of Littlehampton in West Sussex, I came across – what I am told is – the world’s longest bench. It is apparently 324 m long (1,062 ft), is still growing and offers a seafront perch to all…
A Beach Hut is a peculiar thing …
Have you ever wondered why The Beach Hut exists and people spend thousands trying to obtain prime huts in key locations? Apparently, reports say there are 23,000 of them up and down our coastline. I keep looking at them, and for me, I just don’t really get it – I don’t understand their allure. My…
South Parade Pier: A shadow of her former self
I’ve lived in Southsea, Portsmouth for a good part of my early life and find the sad demeanour of South Parade Pier a little hard to take. I worked as a student in the gift shop at the Pier’s entrance when the Pier was at the centre of a thriving tourism industry. My brother can…
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