London and South East England – So Full of Treasures

LONDON AND SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
London and the South East offer massive treasures to discover. London is certainly one of the world’s greatest capital cities and yet as far as we know it possesses nothing that could be called the oldest, the biggest, the highest or any other superlative of world class. What does make London so great is that within its boundaries are so many buildings, thoroughfares, open spaces and traditions that are known throughout the world. For instance, there are many parliamentary buildings world-wide but mention to almost any adult the Houses of Parliament and it is the Barry-designed edifice on the northern bank of the River Thames and the tower housing Big Ben which immediately spring to mind. Show a picture of a beefeater and immediately the world knows what this outlandishly dressed person is and furthermore where the picture was taken . Who doesn’t know Tower Bridge, probably not by name but almost certainly by familiar shape? Or now the Millenium Dome? And so on and so on. However London is not the only place in South East England and with London so well known the remainder of this short feature will concentrate on these other areas.

HISTORY & HERITAGE
The old kingdom of Wessex is, for most visitors, the gateway to England. Great ‘monuments’ survive to show that Britain was peopled by tribes who settled after crossing the then land-bridge linking Britain with Neolithic Europe at the end of the last glaciation. The great stones of Avebury and Stonehenge are testament to this ancient civilisation. Since those times four separate invaders have used this southeastern ‘gateway’ to determine the destiny of Britain. First came Caesar’s legions in 55BC and remains abound throughout the area. Rome brought a second ‘civilisation to the island. When her troops withdrew, it was the Angles of Denmark and the Jutes who landed in 449AD closely followed by the Saxons. On the same spot, 100 years later, came the landing – peaceful this time – of St. Augustine and the foundation of Christianity at Canterbury. The fourth invasion came in 1066 and William the Conqueror laid the foundations of the settlement and landscape pattern which still survives today. The entire south-east contains such a wealth of history and heritage possibly unequaled anywhere.

CUSTOMS & CULTURE
London is one of the world’s greatest cultural centres. The finest galleries, opera, orchestras, theatres, museums and institutions simply abound, often within some of the most wonderfully designed buildings anywhere in the world. Naturally London dominates the region with great state events throughout the calendar. However, tradition is strong in the region and at all times ‘peculiarly English’ events take place like the May Day celebrations in Rye, Sussex, where hot pennies are thrown, or later in the month when the Vicar of Hastings blesses the sea! Not surprisingly there is a magnificent, and unsurpassed, maritime heritage with the modern face typified at Dover and Southampton whilst places like Portsmouth and the tiny Bucklers Hard – where Nelson’s flagship was built – illustrate a centuries old sea-going culture, the likes of which exists nowhere else in the world. The British obsession with the sea has led to the creation of unique seaside towns like Brighton – with it’s fantastic pavilion – Eastbourne, Bognor Regis and the Thames resorts originally expanded from tiny villages to cater for the London paddle steamer and day-trip market as tourism flexed its first muscles.

LANDSCAPES & LANDFORMS
A popular misconception is that the South East of England is nothing more than a huge dormitary for commuters working in and around London. To some degree this is true but thanks to rare, far-sighted planning, green belts and other planning policies to protect the countryside, have left much of the landscape remarkably unspoilt and tranquil. The great chalk downlands, especially the South Downs offer scenery of the highest quality culminating in the great white cliffs around Dover and Beachy Head and also give rise to the incredible ‘Needles’ which march out to sea on the western extremity of the Isle of White. This island is also famous for the stratified cliffs of coloured sands at Alum Bay. A quirk of geology exposes closely related strata which give rise to the Weald area of Kent where enticing heathland provides a quiet oasis amongst some of the oldest and still beautiful villages in England.

LANDSCAPES & LANDFORMS
Although a great deal of the area offers calm and tranquillity, it has to be said that this part of England is the preserve of the ‘busy’ tourist, simply because there is so much to see and do. Apart from the great exhibitions and the likes of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, there are a great many places that offer public access to unique institutions. The Stock Exchange, Lloyds Insurance and the Houses of Parliament are typical but tours can be arranged around such eminent Societies as the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society – sponsors of many of the great expeditions around the globe. Elsewhere there are the stupendous buildings of Canterbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Arundel Castle and a whole plethora of stately homes like Beaulieu with its magnificent collection of cars. The seaside resorts offer hours of exploration whilst tucked between the two ‘arms’ of the Downs are an amazing number of picturesque villages and a bewildering amount of local tradition and folklore museums.

SPORTS & LEISURE
From the retiring National Stadium at Wembley to the excruciatingly beautiful settings for village cricket, there is something of everything except mountaineering. Often the facility or activity is world-class like at Wimbledon, Ascot and Cowes Regatta, but still there is room for the solitary windsurfer or dinghy sailing at less-known places like Hayling Island and public tennis courts next to the world centre of bowls at Worthing. Fine stables offer a variety of equestrian activities some of which may take place along the bridle paths linking into Long Distance Footpaths which exist on the scarp tops of most of the chalk downlands. The whole area is a paradise for the geologist and birdwatchers are well catered for in a variety of habitats right across the South-East.