London, Tunbridge Wells & Windsor
England proposes the charm of paradox.
The enveloping, low-slung ceiling of a fire-warmed pub nods to the soar of Westminster.
It is a favorite visit of mine, at any permutation: equally captivating under winter’s shroud of fog, as in spring, when powdery damask rose perfumes the air. On a recent trip to Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town southeast of central London in Kent, a favorite morning was the quietest: a leisurely breakfast of simmered beans and toast followed a walk along the footpath of Groombridge Place, where sheep roam freely across the moorland.
Graciousness, and a sense of tradition that imbues daily life, is so distinctly English.
PERSONAL ENGLAND FAVORITES
Windsor Castle — on Kings Road — A royal home and fortress for nine-hundred years that is unmissable.
The Ivy House — on High Street — For crisp, battered haddock, eaten fireside under a low-slung roof. Charmingly raucous in winter, as snow-avoidant guests tuck in for a warming drink.
Pitt Rivers Museum — on Parks Road — A discerning edit, catalogued in a manner evocative of a cabinet of curiosities. Dense with anthropological artifact.
Claridge’s — on Brook Street — For my favorite afternoon tea in the city. Their oven-warm scones, studded with raisins and glossed with Devonshire cream, are a treat.
Liberty London — on Regent Street — The most current, tastefully curated department store in London. A bolt of hand-drawn Liberty fabric in a lush botanical print is my favorite souvenir.
Victoria & Albert Museum — on Cromwell Road — Repository of the largest fashion collection in the world that spans five centuries of design, eveningwear and daywear alike.
The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill — on Chester Road — Former hunting grounds, this John Nash-architected grassy sprawl is abundant with English roses in bloom.
Eton College — on South Meadow Lane — Aside swans bobbing in the Thames is “the nursery of England’s gentlemen.” Find student names etched in time-worn timber.
Chartwell — on Mapleton Road — Welcoming on a rainy afternoon, Sir Winston Churchill’s former family estate sits on a hill in the countryside of Kent.
JP Hackett— on Savile Row — A notable label that celebrates the enduring legacy of British tailoring. I love the quiet punctuation of an initialed cuff.
The Hare and Groombridge Trail — on Groombridge Place — For scenes of fence row kissed by climbing ivy, ambling sheep herds, farmstands with brown eggs and twine-tied wildflowers.
Sessions Art Club — on Clerkenwell Green — This atmospheric, design-forward concept restaurant is a place to disappear: found with effort behind a buzzer and fourth-floor lacquered door, in a former judges’ dining room. Partridge, quince and celery root comprise an inventive menu not to be missed.
Smythson — on New Bond Street — An exquisite paperie, first commissioned to produce the stationery for each of Her Majesty's residences. Their travel diaries are a favorite, constructed of gilt-edged, featherweight paper.
