Latest news with #Thatcher
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I'm grew up in one of the UK's most ‘boring' towns – it's anything but with Netflix filming and beautiful castles
It is even home to one of the UK's oldest hotels TOWN LIFE I'm grew up in one of the UK's most 'boring' towns – it's anything but with Netflix filming and beautiful castles Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN I was growing up in Grantham, it wasn't uncommon to hear the word 'boring' thrown around - and not just because I was a sullen teenager, In fact, the south-west Lincolnshire town where I whiled away my childhood had been branded dull on a number of occasions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 I grew up in Grantham and it's anything but boring 8 The town is known for being the home of Margaret Thatcher - when it was first named a dull town by Radio 1 Credit: Alamy It was dubbed the 'most boring town in Britain' in a 1980 Radio One survey, when its most famous former resident, Margaret Thatcher, was prime minister. It still makes me chuckle that when Grantham received its 'Golden Yawn Award' almost half a century ago, one local suggested 'the only thing that ever came out of [it] was the A1' - and it 's a sentiment of tediousness that 'G-Town' residents have long internalised. That the town is still shorthand for 'monotony' is an unfortunate fact raised again by a new Daily Telegraph round-up that has made headlines in the past few weeks. Grantham sits amongst Stevenage, Surbiton and Swindon in the list of 'Britain's most boring towns'. However, now in my 30s, I can't help but disagree that, from things to do to sites to see, my hometown isn't so uninteresting after all. If you're into history, then Grantham has centuries of it - with sites arguably as impressive as nearby Stamford or Lincoln if you're after a weekend getaway in the area. There's the blue plaque to spy on the side of a shop on the town's North Parade where Thatcher was born in 1925 - which also happens to be a chiropractic clinic and natural therapy centre, called Living Health, if you fancy a massage too. There's likewise the Angel and Royal hotel - aged 821 years - which is believed to be one of the oldest hotels in the world, and has hosted no fewer than seven kings and queens. Even if you don't stay in one of its 31 bedrooms, you still pop in to the The Kings Room restaurant, as well as The Angel Bar - which serves cocktails and tapas. Just outside town, in the village of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, is the National Trust property Woolsthorpe Manor - the former home of Sir Isaac Newton. Grantham - underrated town of the Midlands It was from a tree at the premises that he famously saw the apple drop, leading to the discovery of gravity in 1666. Grantham has certainly had its brush with celebrity over the years, and usually as a filming location for iconic films and Netflix series. Belton House, a grand National Trust property on the edge of town - and a must-see in its own right - was famously enlisted for the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. More recently, the 17th-century mansion was used for the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte - in which it doubles up as the interior for Kew Palace and the exterior for Buckingham House. Another fancy residence close by that is well worth a visit, Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code - with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen spotted on set. 8 Belton House is a popular filming location Credit: Alamy 8 Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte was filmed there Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX 8 The BBC's Pride & Prejudice also used the grounds as filming location As well as A-list royalty, plenty of real royalty have also passed through - including King Charles, who stayed over at Belton House during his training at RAF Cranwell in 1971. Currently, the most famous local residents are arguably Rebekah Vardy and her husband, Leicester City player Jamie, who live in a 12-bedroom mansion just outside of town. If you like a good catch-up over a cappuccino, things have come a long way since I was a kid when the best place for a caffeine hit in town was Costa. Westgate Bakery is just off the Market Place, which hosts a market every Saturday selling all manner of lovely local produce, from honey to veg. The 14th-century Grantham House, yet another National Trust property, is currently the talk of the town since opening a new cafe within its five acres of walled gardens in April. Other local favourites for a cuppa include Kitchen and Coffee and the café at Belton Garden Centre. 8 Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code Credit: Alamy 8 The Angel and Royal is one of the UK's oldest hotels Credit: Alamy The aforementioned Belvoir Castle's Retail Village is also great spot to spend an afternoon, and you can also pick up some nice bits from the farm shop too. Fancy something stronger? The Blue Pig, a 16th-century watering hole, is perfect for a pint, while The Tap & Tonic is unrivalled for cocktails. If you're after a way to blow off some steam - and perhaps have little ones in tow - then Grantham actually has plenty of things to do. The Grantham Meres Leisure Centre boasts a semi-Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with three leisure pools and its very own big windy slide. Feeling competitive? Grantham Bowl has 12 lanes and an American-style diner for refreshments, while you can go go-karting at Ancaster Leisure which has one of the biggest tracks in the region. In fact, for kids, you also can't go wrong with a trip to Belton House's adventure playground, which is the National Trust's largest in the country. For adults who fancy a bit of relaxation, then the country hotel Belton Woods is home to a popular spa and golf course. When I was growing up the cinema had just two screens and was a bit tired - however the shiny new five-screen Savoy Cinema multiplex was built on the same site and opened in 2019. One of my favourite free activities? A rural hike up to Belmont Tower - just a ten-minute drive outside town - from which you can see for miles on a clear day. So with the historic hotels, famous castles and new attractions - Grantham is anything but boring.
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I'm grew up in one of the UK's most ‘boring' towns – it's anything but with Netflix filming and beautiful castles
WHEN I was growing up in Grantham, it wasn't uncommon to hear the word 'boring' thrown around - and not just because I was a sullen teenager, In fact, the south-west Lincolnshire town where I whiled away my childhood had been branded dull on a number of occasions. 8 I grew up in Grantham and it's anything but boring 8 The town is known for being the home of Margaret Thatcher - when it was first named a dull town by Radio 1 Credit: Alamy It was dubbed the 'most boring town in Britain' in a 1980 Radio One survey, when its most famous former resident, Margaret Thatcher, was prime minister. It still makes me chuckle that when That the town is still shorthand for 'monotony' is an unfortunate fact raised again by a new Daily Telegraph round-up that has made headlines in the past few weeks. Grantham sits amongst Read more on UK towns However, now in my 30s, I can't help but disagree that, from things to do to sites to see, my hometown isn't so uninteresting after all. If you're into history , then Grantham has centuries of it - with sites arguably as impressive as nearby Stamford or There's the blue plaque to spy on the side of a shop on the town's North Parade where Thatcher was born in 1925 - which also happens to be a chiropractic clinic and natural therapy centre, called Living Health , if you fancy a massage too. There's likewise the Angel and Royal hotel - aged 821 years - which is believed to be one of the oldest hotels in the world, and has hosted no fewer than seven kings and queens. Most read in News Travel Even if you don't stay in one of its 31 bedrooms, you still pop in to the The Kings Room restaurant, as well as The Angel Bar - which serves cocktails and tapas. Just outside town, in the village of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, is the National Trust property Woolsthorpe Manor - the former home of Sir Isaac Newton. Grantham - underrated town of the Midlands It was from a tree at the premises that he famously saw the apple drop, leading to the discovery of Grantham has certainly had its brush with celebrity over the years, and usually as a filming location for iconic films and Netflix series. grand National Trust property on the edge of town - and a must-see in its own right - was famously enlisted for the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring More recently, the 17th-century mansion was used for the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte - in which it doubles up as the interior for Kew Palace and the exterior for Buckingham House. Another fancy residence close by that is well worth a visit, Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code - with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen spotted on set. 8 Belton House is a popular filming location Credit: Alamy 8 Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte was filmed there Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX 8 The BBC's Pride & Prejudice also used the grounds as filming location As well as A-list royalty, plenty of real royalty have also passed through - including King Charles, who stayed over at Belton House during his training at RAF Cranwell in 1971. Currently, the most famous local residents are arguably Rebekah Vardy and her husband, If you like a good catch-up over a cappuccino, things have come a long way since I was a kid when the best place for a caffeine hit in town was Costa. Westgate Bakery is just off the Market Place, which hosts a market every Saturday selling all manner of lovely local produce, from honey to veg. The 14th-century Grantham House, yet another National Trust property, is currently the talk of the town since opening a new cafe within its five acres of walled gardens in April. Other local favourites for a cuppa include Kitchen and Coffee and the café at Belton Garden Centre. 8 Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code Credit: Alamy 8 The Angel and Royal is one of the UK's oldest hotels Credit: Alamy The aforementioned Belvoir Castle's Retail Village is also great spot to spend an afternoon, and you can also pick up some nice bits from the farm shop too. Fancy something stronger? The Blue Pig, a 16th-century watering hole, is perfect for a pint, while The Tap & Tonic is unrivalled for cocktails. If you're after a way to blow off some steam - and perhaps have little ones in tow - then Grantham actually has plenty of things to do. The Grantham Meres Leisure Centre boasts a semi-Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with three leisure pools and its very own big windy slide. Feeling competitive? Grantham Bowl has 12 lanes and an American-style diner for refreshments, while you can go go-karting at Ancaster Leisure which has one of the biggest tracks in the region. In fact, for kids, you also can't go wrong with a trip to Belton House's adventure playground, which is the National Trust's largest in the country. For adults who fancy a bit of relaxation, then the country hotel Belton Woods is home to a popular spa and golf course. When I was growing up the cinema had just two screens and was a bit tired - however the shiny new five-screen Savoy Cinema multiplex was built on the same site and opened in 2019. One of my favourite free activities? A rural hike up to Belmont Tower - just a ten-minute drive outside town - from which you can see for miles on a clear day. So with the historic hotels, famous castles and new attractions - Grantham is anything but boring. 8 It definitely isn't a boring town - I can vouch for that Credit: Getty
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Britain is sleepwalking into total state control of our daily lives
Thank God we won the Cold War. For a while there, it was touch and go, the future of the world on a knife-edge. On one side, we had a system permeated top to bottom by an official state ideology. Employment and freedom was made contingent on adherence, an extensive network of censors and informers was established to maintain the illusion that dissenters were a minority, harsh punishments were meted out to political prisoners, and the state took control of vast swathes of the economy. On the other, the promise of freedom: freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and association, freedom to do as you would with your private property. It was, as I said, close. But in the end, despite Thatcher's brief, doomed fightback, the Socialists won. It's a tongue-in-cheek reading of British history, but it doesn't take a great deal of exaggeration to see how it could be true. As AJP Taylor once wrote, 'until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state beyond the post office and the policeman'. That is emphatically not the case today. Having won the wars, the advocates of freedom comprehensively lost the peace. They lost to such a degree that those of us born and raised afterwards find it hard to comprehend the scale of the change. It's easiest to start with the size of the state. To be sure, socialism in Britain has receded from its high point. The nationalisation of coal, iron, steel, electricity, gas, roads, aviation, telecommunications, and railways has been mostly undone, although steel and rail are on the way back in. But by comparison to our pre-war starting point, we live in a nearly unrecognisable country. In 1913, taxes and spending took up around 8 per cent of GDP. Today, they account for 35 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. To put it another way, almost half of all economic activity in Britain involves funds allocated at the behest of the government, and over half of British adults rely on the state for major parts of their income. And if anything, this understates the degree of government control. Outcomes which are nominally left to the market are rigged by a state which sees prices as less as a way for markets to clear, and more as a tool for social engineering. Universities charge tuition fees capped by the state to students funded by the state, with the looming threat of lost university status if they veer from approved principles. Energy prices are capped, and in crisis subsidised. Mandates are put in place for the installation of heat pumps and sale of zero-emission vehicles as a share of business. Wherever you look, there is meddling. The judiciary has revived the labour theory of value, awarding tens of millions of pounds in equal pay claims to shop workers who explicitly acknowledge they would never have taken warehouse jobs unless they paid far more than retail. The benefits system has recast the old mantra as 'from each according to their pre-tax labour income, to each according to their needs-based assessment'. The support of the proletariat is purchased, the middle classes are punished. And the Government appears to view its primary task to be finding caches of private wealth or institutions that have slipped state control – private schools, pensions, and the like – and reeling them in. We are so used to state control of our lives that we act as if it is simply a fact of life that we require permission to build on land that we own. But prior to 1947, there was no such requirement. It was taken as granted that having purchased land for a family home, no-one would interfere with your effort to build one. The Town and Country Planning Act put paid to that, handing councils the power to veto any and all construction. Combined with the surge in interest in state provision of housing – social housing went from 1 per cent of the country's stock in 1911 to 16 per cent today – and the result was to strip away our freedom to live where we would, as we would, and replace it with the utopian dreams of central planners. Sometimes these extended to direct sabotage: when Birmingham was among the most prosperous regions in Britain, with services businesses growing faster than anywhere else in the country, London-based planners, having already obstructed the construction of factories, declared its growth to be 'threatening'. The result was a ban on office development, and the crippling of its economy. Those parts which are under state control haven't fared much better. The charitable hospitals and friendly societies that existed prior to the NHS were swept aside in a project that explicitly aimed to replace this 'medley of public and voluntary institutions' with rational, 'planned' healthcare. The results have been catastrophic. We have created one of the largest employers on earth, with some of the longest waiting lists and worst health outcomes in the developed world. Between private and public provision, we spend almost 2 per cent more of our national income on healthcare than our Australian cousins in exchange for massively higher avoidable mortality. This should be a national disgrace. Yet despite the dismal experiences and the constant drip of scandals, it remains popular. The idea of healthcare provided outside the state is simply alien to a people taught that their system is the envy of the world. When Boris Yeltsin visited the United States, it was a trip to a supermarket that convinced him of the futility of the Soviet model. Regrettably, Britain's indoctrination has been far more effective, resembling at times a last-ditch counterinsurgency campaign conducted against our own people. The education system, under the thumb from preschool to grad school, has long abandoned efforts to instill national pride in favour of preaching about the benefits of diversity and nebulous British values that amount to upholding the state. Over 10,000 people a year are arrested for communications offences. Whenever attempts to impose multiculturalism on Britain hit a snag in the form of the latest terrorist outrage, the institutions of the state and its allies sing from a single sheet. The result has been a curious demoralisation. Asked to list the key features of British patriotism in 1914, our representative Englishman might have listed the Empire, the monarchy, the Church of England, the Royal Navy. Ask today, and you'll get something about fairness, diversity, the BBC and the NHS. This is, of course, all in jest. Britain is not a socialist country. And thank God for that, Comrade. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain is sleepwalking into total state control of our daily lives
Thank God we won the Cold War. For a while there, it was touch and go, the future of the world on a knife-edge. On one side, we had a system permeated top to bottom by an official state ideology. Employment and freedom was made contingent on adherence, an extensive network of censors and informers was established to maintain the illusion that dissenters were a minority, harsh punishments were meted out to political prisoners, and the state took control of vast swathes of the economy. On the other, the promise of freedom: freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and association, freedom to do as you would with your private property. It was, as I said, close. But in the end, despite Thatcher's brief, doomed fightback, the Socialists won. It's a tongue-in-cheek reading of British history, but it doesn't take a great deal of exaggeration to see how it could be true. As AJP Taylor once wrote, 'until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state beyond the post office and the policeman'. That is emphatically not the case today. Having won the wars, the advocates of freedom comprehensively lost the peace. They lost to such a degree that those of us born and raised afterwards find it hard to comprehend the scale of the change. It's easiest to start with the size of the state. To be sure, socialism in Britain has receded from its high point. The nationalisation of coal, iron, steel, electricity, gas, roads, aviation, telecommunications, and railways has been mostly undone, although steel and rail are on the way back in. But by comparison to our pre-war starting point, we live in a nearly unrecognisable country. In 1913, taxes and spending took up around 8 per cent of GDP. Today, they account for 35 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. To put it another way, almost half of all economic activity in Britain involves funds allocated at the behest of the government, and over half of British adults rely on the state for major parts of their income. And if anything, this understates the degree of government control. Outcomes which are nominally left to the market are rigged by a state which sees prices as less as a way for markets to clear, and more as a tool for social engineering. Universities charge tuition fees capped by the state to students funded by the state, with the looming threat of lost university status if they veer from approved principles. Energy prices are capped, and in crisis subsidised. Mandates are put in place for the installation of heat pumps and sale of zero-emission vehicles as a share of business. Wherever you look, there is meddling. The judiciary has revived the labour theory of value, awarding tens of millions of pounds in equal pay claims to shop workers who explicitly acknowledge they would never have taken warehouse jobs unless they paid far more than retail. The benefits system has recast the old mantra as 'from each according to their pre-tax labour income, to each according to their needs-based assessment'. The support of the proletariat is purchased, the middle classes are punished. And the Government appears to view its primary task to be finding caches of private wealth or institutions that have slipped state control – private schools, pensions, and the like – and reeling them in. We are so used to state control of our lives that we act as if it is simply a fact of life that we require permission to build on land that we own. But prior to 1947, there was no such requirement. It was taken as granted that having purchased land for a family home, no-one would interfere with your effort to build one. The Town and Country Planning Act put paid to that, handing councils the power to veto any and all construction. Combined with the surge in interest in state provision of housing – social housing went from 1 per cent of the country's stock in 1911 to 16 per cent today – and the result was to strip away our freedom to live where we would, as we would, and replace it with the utopian dreams of central planners. Sometimes these extended to direct sabotage: when Birmingham was among the most prosperous regions in Britain, with services businesses growing faster than anywhere else in the country, London-based planners, having already obstructed the construction of factories, declared its growth to be 'threatening'. The result was a ban on office development, and the crippling of its economy. Those parts which are under state control haven't fared much better. The charitable hospitals and friendly societies that existed prior to the NHS were swept aside in a project that explicitly aimed to replace this 'medley of public and voluntary institutions' with rational, 'planned' healthcare. The results have been catastrophic. We have created one of the largest employers on earth, with some of the longest waiting lists and worst health outcomes in the developed world. Between private and public provision, we spend almost 2 per cent more of our national income on healthcare than our Australian cousins in exchange for massively higher avoidable mortality. This should be a national disgrace. Yet despite the dismal experiences and the constant drip of scandals, it remains popular. The idea of healthcare provided outside the state is simply alien to a people taught that their system is the envy of the world. When Boris Yeltsin visited the United States, it was a trip to a supermarket that convinced him of the futility of the Soviet model. Regrettably, Britain's indoctrination has been far more effective, resembling at times a last-ditch counterinsurgency campaign conducted against our own people. The education system, under the thumb from preschool to grad school, has long abandoned efforts to instill national pride in favour of preaching about the benefits of diversity and nebulous British values that amount to upholding the state. Over 10,000 people a year are arrested for communications offences. Whenever attempts to impose multiculturalism on Britain hit a snag in the form of the latest terrorist outrage, the institutions of the state and its allies sing from a single sheet. The result has been a curious demoralisation. Asked to list the key features of British patriotism in 1914, our representative Englishman might have listed the Empire, the monarchy, the Church of England, the Royal Navy. Ask today, and you'll get something about fairness, diversity, the BBC and the NHS. This is, of course, all in jest. Britain is not a socialist country. And thank God for that, Comrade.
Press and Journal
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
REVIEW: Restless Natives at Eden Court - by someone who hasn't seen the film
Before I start, I have a confession to make; I have never seen the film Restless Natives. But when offered an opportunity to see the stage show on its opening night at Eden Court, the answer was an enthusiastic yes from me. Thanks to social media, the cult phenomenon has been on my radar for some time, and I'm fully aware of the place it holds in the hearts of fans. Looking around Eden Court before the show starts, I can tell there are a number of these in the audience, and I wonder how the musical stage version is going to measure up to their expectations. The signs are good before we even take our seats – with a concessions stand selling merch and memorabilia that appears (at least to my uninitiated self) to capture the same feeling I've always sensed from the fandom. And when the lights go up on the Empire Theatre stage and the first 80s tinged electric guitar notes ring out across the auditorium, I hear others in the audience exhale, seemingly reassured that they are in for a somewhat familiar ride. And what a ride it is, full of pathos and joyful nostalgia, charged with pain and pride at the plight of the ordinary Scotsman (and woman) which rings as true today as it would have against the backdrop of Thatcher's 80s. From the opening Big Country number to the whooping and whistling of the final curtain call, we are all drawn completely into this tale of working class heroes, love, longing and the creation of legend. To an Eden Court audience – drawn from communities across the Highlands – the digs at some visitors' unrealistic opinions and expectations of us really hit home, with the dance-off scene between leading lady Margot (Kirsty McLaren) and an American interloper (Sarah Galbraith's Bender) a high point, which threatened to raise some out of their seats. Kyle Gardiner and Finlay McKillop were a dream duo as Ronnie and Will – the clown and the wolfman – winning the audience over from the opening scene. The chemistry between McKillop and McLaren lifted the love story arc to the next level, with stand-out vocal performances from both that had us holding our breath to catch every note and nuance. There were a good number of laughs along the way too; Alan McHugh's stand-in portrayal of Will's dad brought a good number (with a huge nod to the understated brilliance of Ailsa Davidson's mum), while Caroline Deyga's character pieces certainly deserve special mention. And of course, it was great to see the familar face of Ross Baxter back on the Eden Court stage, just months out from his star turn in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Eden Court Panto last Christmas. Restless Natives on stage is a wonderful stand-alone musical, charged with emotion and played with pure enthusiasm. And, while I can't speak for the film's fandom, all the signs pointed to approval from those in the know in the audience – of course, if you want to know if it really stands up, you'll have to see it for yourself. Restless Natives will play at Eden Court, Inverness until Sunday; catch them if you can!
