Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue #8 of the Anglotopia Print Magazine. You can support great long-form writing like this about British Travel, History, and Culture by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine. It costs just $65/year for 4 issues. Each issue is completely ad-free and features high-quality printing, making each issue a bookshelf … [Read more...] about From the Anglotopia Magazine: HOW THEY LIVED – English Social History at the Birmingham Back to Backs
Spring 2016 Trip
Keys to the Castle: Kingston Lacey in Dorset in Pictures
Whenever we're in Dorset, we have a list of places we always like to visit and one of those places is Kingston Lacey. It's quickly become one of our favorite Stately Homes. It's beautiful, has lovely gardens, a great National Trust restaurant on site and gallons of history to soak up. I thought it would be fun to take you all on a photo tour of the house. If you're in southern … [Read more...] about Keys to the Castle: Kingston Lacey in Dorset in Pictures
Behind Closed Doors: The Unknown Side to Stourhead House – A Photo Essay From the Anglotopia Magazine
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue #7 of the Anglotopia Print Magazine in 2017. Support great writing about British Travel, History and Culture by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine. Your support allows Anglotopia to continue to operate and publish great stuff about Britain. Subscribe here. Stourhead is most famous for its magnificent gardens, … [Read more...] about Behind Closed Doors: The Unknown Side to Stourhead House – A Photo Essay From the Anglotopia Magazine
A Secret Place Where Time Stands Still: Exploring Calke Abbey – A Photo Tour
I've visited a lot of places in Britain in my years of exploring this beautiful country but by far my favorite place so far is Calke Abbey. On the surface it looks like a fairly unremarkable Stately Home - it looks like many others in a similar architectural style that you would find all over Britain. But the real treasure is what's on the inside. The house has been left in … [Read more...] about A Secret Place Where Time Stands Still: Exploring Calke Abbey – A Photo Tour
King of Stately Homes: A Visit to Chatsworth – A Photo Tour – Chatsworth Reopens After £32 Million Renovation
Chatsworth has been a work in progress for the last ten years. A survey at the beginning of the century found that Chatsworth was in urgent need of repairs and renovations to preserve the house for future generations. Chatsworth, to us, is the King of Stately Homes. You've seen it in countless TV shows and movies - most famously in Pride & Prejudice. For many of us, it will … [Read more...] about King of Stately Homes: A Visit to Chatsworth – A Photo Tour – Chatsworth Reopens After £32 Million Renovation
Victorian Time Machine: A Visit to Blists Hill Victorian Village – Tons of Photos Inside
It's no secret around here that I love British History. So, when an opportunity presented itself to visit a living history museum in the Midlands of England, I jumped at the chance. Blists Hill is a miraculous place where you can step back in time to the Victorian era. Well, to a sanitized version of the Victorian era where not everything is terrible, at least. I loved the … [Read more...] about Victorian Time Machine: A Visit to Blists Hill Victorian Village – Tons of Photos Inside
Finding Downton: Our Journey to Highclere Castle
Editor's Note: This long article originally appeared in Issue #5 of the Anglotopia Print Magazine in Spring 2017. You can support great long-form writing about British History, Culture and Travel by subscribing to the Anglotopia Print Magazine, a quarterly love letter to Britain. Subscribing makes articles like this possible and ensures the future of Anglotopia. You can … [Read more...] about Finding Downton: Our Journey to Highclere Castle
The Queen of British Pottery: Exploring the Emma Bridgewater Factory
Editor's Note: The article originally appeared in the Summer 2016 Issue of the Anglotopia Magazine (we visited the factory in spring 2016). Support of the Anglotopia Print Magazine allows us to write these longform articles and explore Britain and write about them. Please consider subscribing so we can continue our work. I am not a morning person, and that is putting it … [Read more...] about The Queen of British Pottery: Exploring the Emma Bridgewater Factory
Attraction Review: Our Journey to Chatsworth House and Gardens – Is It Worth a Visit? Yes.
Every Anglophile has a list of places they want to see at least once in their lives. My list is longer than I’d like to admit but that’s what comes with the territory of loving England so much. But one of the things at the top of my list is Chatsworth and this past spring we finally had the opportunity to visit it. In fact, we went out of our way to see it and it was very much … [Read more...] about Attraction Review: Our Journey to Chatsworth House and Gardens – Is It Worth a Visit? Yes.
British Travels: Our Journey to Downton Abbey – Visiting Highclere Castle – Is It Worth It?
We did not fully enjoy our visit to Highclere Castle. The place is beautiful but as a managed attraction it has problems. Let’s start at the beginning. We’re huge Downton Abbey fans and have dreamed of visiting the house where they filmed the show, Highclere Castle, for many years. The problem with visiting Highclere Castle is that it’s only open on certain days of the year. … [Read more...] about British Travels: Our Journey to Downton Abbey – Visiting Highclere Castle – Is It Worth It?
Travels in Britain: Fascinating Random Observations About Britain From Our Recent Trip
As always, we like to share our random thoughts and observations from our travels. You may find some interesting or some not so interesting but these articles always get a good response. The observations vary from travel tips to cultural things we found interesting. As always, we love traveling in Britain and can't wait to go back. Book ahead for dinners This was the biggest … [Read more...] about Travels in Britain: Fascinating Random Observations About Britain From Our Recent Trip
National Trust: 10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Visit to a National Trust Property
The National Trust is an amazing organization. For over 100 years, they’ve been trusted with safeguarding Britain’s heritage - not just stately homes mind you but also pieces of important land. They run farms. They protect artifacts. They do so much for Britain. That being said, a visit to a National Trust property should be on everyone’s to-do list when they visit Britain. … [Read more...] about National Trust: 10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Visit to a National Trust Property
Hidden Gem: 5 Things to See and Do in Much Wenlock – Birthplace of the Modern Olympics
Much Wenlock was a surprising discovering on our recent trip. We had no plans to visit it but just happened upon it and these are always the best discoveries. We were nearby exploring the Ironbridge Gorge and one of the apps on my phone told us there was a ruined priory nearby. Like a moth to a flame we diverted our course to check it out. Unfortunately, while we did so, the … [Read more...] about Hidden Gem: 5 Things to See and Do in Much Wenlock – Birthplace of the Modern Olympics
Travels in Britain: Highlights of Where We Ate On Our Recent Trip
Eating is always one of the most fun aspects of travel in Britain. We love British food and we love trying something new. As we spent a large part of our trip in new places we’d never been before, we got to try lots of new places. Here are the highlights (and the lowlights…). Netherstowe House Restaurant (One Dinner and Daily Breakfast) Our hotel in Lichfield had an in … [Read more...] about Travels in Britain: Highlights of Where We Ate On Our Recent Trip
Travels in Britain: Where We Stayed On Our Recent Trip to the Midlands and Dorset
We always like to post about where we stayed on our travels. This acts as a review of the places so people can reference later on for their own trips. We stayed at three different places, in three very different parts of the country. We stayed in two hotels and a self-catering cottage, all very different experiences. We should note that Anglotopia funded our stays at these … [Read more...] about Travels in Britain: Where We Stayed On Our Recent Trip to the Midlands and Dorset
Travels in Britain: Visiting Thomas Hardy’s Birthplace in Bockhampton, Dorset
Since today is Thomas Hardy’s birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to post our experience in visiting his actual birthplace in Dorset. My love for Dorset goes hand in hand with my love of the literary works of Thomas Hardy, a man more associated with Dorset than any other. So, it’s been a goal for me for a long time to visit his birthplace. Not just because of its … [Read more...] about Travels in Britain: Visiting Thomas Hardy’s Birthplace in Bockhampton, Dorset
This Week on our Instagram Feed – Hardy’s Birthplace, Much Wenlock, Books We Loved and More!
We share several images of England and London throughout the week on our Instagram feed. Here's a summary of the last week's worth of photos so readers of the blog can also see them. Feel free to follow us on Instagram @anglotopia. We're getting reports that the second issue of the Anglotopia magazine is starting to arrive to those who ordered it. If you ordered one it … [Read more...] about This Week on our Instagram Feed – Hardy’s Birthplace, Much Wenlock, Books We Loved and More!
Travels in Britain: Top 5 Things to See and Do in Lichfield, England
"Why on Earth are you going to Lichfield?" Asked the check-in clerk at the airport when we arrived to fly to the UK. She was from Birmingham and couldn’t quite figure out why a couple of Americans were flying across the ocean to stay in Lichfield, a place that sounds like it’s very far from the tourist trail. We picked it for two reasons. The main reason was that it was a … [Read more...] about Travels in Britain: Top 5 Things to See and Do in Lichfield, England
Travels in Britain: Adventures With a Hire Car – Observations from Driving in the UK For a Week
I love driving in Britain. It’s probably my most favorite thing to do when we travel there. I’m in my Anglophile Zen Place with Classic FM on the radio, driving down English country lanes. Our recent trip was spent mostly in the car (this is not a complaint). We drove over 1,000 miles as we went to various places researching for Anglotopia and snapping pictures for the 2017 … [Read more...] about Travels in Britain: Adventures With a Hire Car – Observations from Driving in the UK For a Week
British Travels: We’re Going to England Next Week to Visit Highclere Castle, The Midlands and Dorset
So, we’re going to England next week. For a week. The purpose of this trip is to visit Highclere Castle, the filming location of Downton Abbey. This trip came about a few months ago when tickets became available for the 2016 visiting season at Highclere Castle. As many fans of Downton Abbey know, it’s actually rather difficult to visit the castle as it is only open on a few … [Read more...] about British Travels: We’re Going to England Next Week to Visit Highclere Castle, The Midlands and Dorset
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
