Page 62 - North Downs News Today

First published on Fri 1 Jan 2021 10.32 EST It was all quiet on the Dover front in the hours after the UK left the EU, as lorries continued to avoid the port. But just minutes away, beyond the famous white cliffs, the sense of fury over Brexit was palpable as local residents came to terms with a government letter they received on New Year’s Eve telling them that from summer, their rural idyll of farmland and ancient Roman ways would be transformed into a customs clearance lorry park for 1,200...

Department for Transport to pave paradise for Brexit border parks at Whitfield and Sevington sparking pollution concerns from residents Published: 06:00, 31 December 2020 We have been bringing you a series of features looking back at our strained relationship with Europe and exploring how we reached this point. With a day to go, we meet those living in the shadow of Brexit. "Its like the Joni Mitchell song: Theyve paved paradise and put up a parking lot." This is David Dunfords fear for the vie...

Country Life Trending: Despite everything 2020 has thrown at us, the prime housing market has proved that it is as resilient as ever, says Penny Churchill. Rupert Sweeting of Knight Frank sums up an extraordinary year in the country-house market in a few well-chosen words: ‘Following the Conservative victory in the 2019 General Election, the market was flying in the first couple of months of 2020. ‘Then came the pandemic and the first national lockdown and, by the end of April, we were...

2018 Blackbook, Pygmalion chardonnay, England £25, blackbookwinery.com The Battersea-based Blackbook “urban winery” is run by the mercurially talented husband and wife team Sergio and Lynsey Verrillo. I popped into their brilliant set-up, based in an old British Rail arch not far from Battersea Park, the other day and found no less than four wines which I wanted to alert you to immediately. These wines will recalibrate your palates for what we all hope will be a far happier year next year...

‘The smaller, simpler celebrations that this country now faces are a true gift to us all, and should be recognised as such,’ writes Kerry Lawrence. Photograph: Rawpixel/Getty Images/iStockphoto Like wartime, this pandemic has brought out the best and the worst of humankind. Some of this has been on very public display, but much has taken place in private settings. So far, the most stressful aspect of my 40-year nursing career has been cari...

Last modified on Fri 18 Dec 2020 01.32 EST Forget, just for a moment, the restrictions placed on all our lives by the Virus and reflect on how this has become the Year of the Walker. If such a thing looked unlikely in the deep lockdown of the sunnier months, it makes sense in the sharp light of these winter days. Yes, we’ve cut right down on trains and buses, as the edicts on confined spaces said we should. Shocking for the national economy, but surely good for personal health. Yet another in...

Marlborough school children in an ARK Water Matters class Environmental conservationists, Action for the River Kennett have been given a bumper grant by the governments Green Recovery Fund. They are amongst 68 projects which have been awarded grants between £62k and £3.8 million to kick-start a pipeline of nature-based projects while creating and retaining jobs. ARK says the £278k sum will go towards hiring three extra staff and has a key involvement in two projects. Sparkling Stream...

Six of the most unusual homes for sale have been picked by property website Rightmove All six of the most unique homes on the property website made the list for their standout features  The list of most unusual homes includes a nuclear bunker costing £50,000 that was built in the 1970s  There is a £10million mansion with its own vineyard that produces 100,000 bottles of wine a year The list also includes a two-bedroom flat with its own underground cave that doubles up as a home cinema

Estate branded most important farm to hit market this year sold 15 December 2020 | Despite Covid restrictions, the estate was sold under offer in just four weeks (Photo: WebbPaton) A 1,400 acre Wiltshire estate branded by Country Life as the most important farming property to hit the market this year has been sold. The Ogbourne Down estate, which lies amid the North Wessex Downs AONB, has been bought by an anonymous businessman for £15 million. The property comprises the main farmhouse with t...

These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Note that our writer visited pre-pandemic. Home to over 1,000 pubs and Britain’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame, locals will tell you that Kent is the spiritual home of England’s medieval pub. The county’s wonky inns, warmed by vast inglenook fireplaces and bedecked with hops, have served locally brewed ales and provided refuge to pilgrims boun...