Name blame game leaves old school in doghouse
Dog Kennel Hill School is not just a memorable name, it anchored generations of children to the neighbourhood's history, when southeast London was all fields and orchards stretching down to Kent. The kennels at the foot of the hill were for hunting hounds owned by the husband of Queen Anne, Prince George of Denmark, and were only demolished in 1908. Besides, as you can imagine, kids loved the quirky name and the cute doggy logo on their book bags.
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The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Country diary: A flash of tomato-red among the green
This has been a better year for insects in Dorset. Last year there were hardly any in the garden; this summer the long grass on the lawn is zizzing with grasshoppers. Butterflies and moths are more evident too. In a bright flutter of tomato-red wings, the first of this year's Jersey tiger moths appears. It settles momentarily in the lower leaves of a sycamore tree, folding away its brilliant hindwings under cream and black tiger-striped forewings. Only the furry orange tip of its abdomen hints at the vibrant colour concealed beneath, reserved as a warning to flash at predators. Once restricted to the Channel Islands and continental Europe, hence the name, this beautiful species (Euplagia quadripunctaria) has spread gradually along the south coast from Devon and Dorset. It's now found all through the south of England and Wales, becoming relatively common in London and up into Bedfordshire. Butterfly Conservation cites its spread as an indicator of the impact of global heating, a harbinger of how the range of moth and butterfly species in the UK is changing. The spiky-haired caterpillars rely on a variety of plants classified as weeds, including nettle, dandelion, plantain, bramble and ground ivy. Larvae hatch in September and feed until the spring, their bristles gradually changing colour with each moult from brown to ginger. Their generalist diet means they are not reliant on one specific plant species, which is an advantage during winter when food is scarcer. The trend for warmer winters has increased the amount of greenery to be found, and this could be a significant factor in their movement north. Jersey tigers fly by day as well as at night, which makes them more noticeable. Gardens offer an ideal habitat, with a varied mix of foliage in a relatively small area, especially when overgrown, giving the tigers a chance to lurk in the undergrowth. A little untidiness helps them thrive at all life stages, with larvae pupating on the ground in silk cocoons among leaf litter. The two moths I have seen so far were in gardens that were nicely unkempt, their hedges twined through with honeysuckle and the magenta flowers of perennial pea. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
Times
39 minutes ago
- Times
Martin Shaw: ‘My remote cottage? You need a 4×4 to get to it'
I live near Norwich in a very rural area. My house was built in 1611. It's a standard East Anglian farmhouse cottage with a high, pitched roof. It's not big — three bedrooms with an attic room — but it's the perfect size for me. The house is surrounded by farmland and it's pretty isolated. I have about four acres, which include a lot of trees and a meadow. It's flat land, as you'd expect — windy, and awful for the internet and the phone line — but I wouldn't live anywhere else. I've been here for about ten years. Before moving here I had a very similar, slightly smaller cottage of about the same age nearby. How did you come to settle in Norfolk? About 20 years ago I did a TV series for Anglia Television called The Chief. At that time I was living in Stoke Newington in northeast London. I rented a simple cottage here, with somebody else's furniture and cutlery in it, like an old holiday home. I'd never been happier. So when The Chief finished after four years I sold the place in London and moved up here. Unfortunately I moved too early to catch the property boom. Have you changed the decor much since moving in? I've not done an enormous amount of renovation or redecorating — just a touch here and there to make the place feel and look more in keeping with what it is. I felt this was better than trying to make the place more modern, which is what one of the previous owners did, with absolutely hideous results. For instance, and this I found absolutely gobsmacking, they took out the original leaded mullion windows and replaced them with modern windows. Correcting that was one of the first things I did. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Erdington, Birmingham, which could not possibly be more different from where I live now. It was an early 20th-century council house — one of the first in the country — and had gas rather than electric lighting. The place was a little crowded, being home to my parents, Jo and Frank, my brother Jem and I, and my maternal grandparents. My grandfather was a gunsmith, and he had a shed in the back garden where he brought work home. The place was off limits, but I managed to steal the odd peek when the chance arose. Do you have a second home? I've had my getaway in southwest Scotland for 40 years. I'd always found city life oppressive, although I didn't realise this until I got out into the country and took a deep breath. So it remained an ambition to have somewhere in the country until I found this very remote small stone cottage. It's perched on a steep hill, and you need a 4×4 with exceptional ground clearance to get to it. But it's worth it. On a clear day I can look out of the window and see the Isle of Man. Why did you choose acting? When you start, you don't know what's coming. For me it was a process of osmosis. At school the only things I was really good at were English and drama. Naturally you gravitate toward what you do well. When I left school I worked in an office for a couple of years while doing semi-professional street theatre, before turning professional. I've been in more or less continuous employment for sixty years. • What was it like being in The Professionals? Before The Professionals I'd had three or four major successes in the West End, at the National Theatre, the Royal Court and on television. When the role of Doyle came along, I took it without thinking where it might lead. After the end of the first series I asked if I could be released, and quite rightly they held me to my contract. This meant four and a half years of misery, because the independent production company was not nice to work for, and the loss of privacy was horribly uncomfortable. All the kudos I'd built over ten years vanished for a spell as I became identified with that kind of role. How do you relax? I go on walks, and I like to fly old aeroplanes. I've had a pilot's licence for about 30 years, and enjoy spending time with my friends in the flying community. I don't have a routine because I'm never out of work for long enough to need to figure out what to do to fill my time. If I have a bit of time, I'll go up to Scotland. As lovely as this old house and the surroundings are, after a couple of months I want to get back to work because I enjoy digging into a new character, researching, and creating a role. Do you have a treasured belonging? I've been interested in aeroplanes since I was a young boy. Back then there were still a lot of planes flying over Erdington that had been involved in the war. It was a marvel to watch them. That fascination never waned. Now I have a Piper L-4 Grasshopper, which is what the US air force used as an artillery spotter during the Second World War. I've had it for 15 years. I feel privileged to own something that is a part of history.
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Births, marriages and deaths: August 7, 2025
THEREFORE the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isaiah 30.18 (NRSV) Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society. JONES on 4th August 2025 to Victoria (née Wilkinson) and Geoffrey, a daughter, Thea Maggie Primrose, sister to Autumn and Olive. MR C. L. HUNTINGFORD AND MISS N. B. DE WATTEVILLE The engagement is announced between Charlie, son of Mr and Mrs Richard Huntingford of Barnes, London, and Natalia, daughter of Mr James de Watteville of Winchester, Hampshire, and Mrs Rupert Allison of Maidford, Northamptonshire. MR A. T. O. CHAMBERLAIN AND MISS M. I. PLOWDEN The engagement is announced between Alexander, son of Mr and Mrs Christopher Chamberlain of White Colne, Essex, and Mary, daughter of Mr and Mrs Roger Plowden of Lydbury North, Shropshire.
