The big picture

THE WAY WE WERE

It’s an inescapable consequence of living in an island nation that, prior to the advent of air travel, everyone arriving in – or departing from – the country would have done so by sea. Over the centur

At 11pm on Monday 31 May 1915, those Londoners who were not already in bed would soon be so. As the hubbub of the city died down, others who had been enjoying the capital’s entertainments were making

Prior to 1920, yacht cruising was an occupation indulged in by precious few. If you wanted to go sailing, you raced off Cowes with a professional crew and captain. The concept of slumming it in some s

In the early 1970s, I relied on a 1961 Austin Cambridge for weekend jaunts along the salty north Norfolk coast. “Relied” is probably the wrong word, as the car wasn’t exactly reliable. I would make a

Gin, witches, regicide, boats, nudists, an Egyptian curse, Spitfires, the invention of windsurfing and more writers and vineyards than you can shake a fishing rod at: this beloved English county has it all. Here are 13 stories you may never have heard about Hampshire