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Respite for Brighton’s heritage, what’s rarer: a fish or a 50p? and how digging through your drawers can save the planet. It’s the Dawn Chorus

James Fisher

We're running out of salmon. We're running out of copper. And other stories. Plus a quiz, and a house with a moat for less than £500k.

Welcome to The Dawn Chorus, our daily round-up of news, nature and fun stuff. Each day, either James (Fisher, Deputy Digital Editor) or I (Toby Keel, Digital Editor) will bring you the big story in the world of Country Life, plus all sorts of things that you might otherwise have missed. We hope you enjoy it.

Ironing out one of Brighton’s great neglected treasures

Brighton’s Madeira Terrace. Credit: Chris Redgrave

There are high hopes that a Historic England grant of £750,000, announced last week, could kickstart the much-anticipated restoration of Brighton’s Madeira Terrace.

The longest continuous cast iron structure in Britain, possibly the world, it provided a promenade stretch of more than half a mile along the seafront of the East Sussex resort town from the 1890s until it was closed to the public in 2012, after decades of slow decline. Of the 151 ornate arches — with decoration inspired by the seas, such as keystone heads of Poseidon and Aphrodite — the first phase is to restore 28 arches (reduced from 40 last September due to inflation) and install a new lift; the start date should be announced this month.

The designer of Madeira Terrace, Philip C. Lockwood (1821–1908), was responsible for a number of other Brighton landmarks, such as the Bandstand, Corn Exchange and Brighton Museum. In 2020, the terrace’s listing was upgraded to Grade II*, which led to inclusion in the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register, unlocking funding. The terrace is ‘An important example of 19th-century engineering, and evocative of the late Victorian heyday of the seaside,’ reads the listing. ‘The terrace is in a very poor and deteriorating condition. Its structural stability is a serious concern.’

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Restoration of the entire terrace was estimated at a daunting £24 million in 2017 and, so far, there is £11.675 million in the pot. Funding comes primarily from a Public Works loan, with a further £2 million from Brighton & Hove Council and £440,000 from a crowdfunding campaign.

Chris Ward, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, says: ‘I, like many in our city, have watched the terraces deteriorate over time with great sadness. We’ve lost this vital public space east of the pier, and I’m delighted we’re revitalising it for a whole new generation. This is a historic turning point.’

Quiz of the Day

1) What is a baby oyster called?

2) What did Lord Nelson lose in Tenerife in 1797 (other than a battle)?

3) What is the name for an angle that is more than 180˚, but less than 360˚?

4) In architecture, what is a lancet?

5) What was bubblewrap originally designed to be used as?

Answers at the bottom of the page

How to take the best wildlife photograph of the year

The National History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year has just announced its 60th winner — with the winning photographer being Shane Gross, for this picture of some tadpoles.

The winning image: Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) tadpoles captured among lily pads in a lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Shane Gross / WPOTY

Shane spoke to the museum’s people to explain how he pulled it off — quite amazing. And if he inspires you to have a go, next year’s competition opens on Monday October 14. See www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy to see more of the winning pictures.

Urban mine to save the planet

In case you were wondering if things in the UK are currently ‘going well’, scientists have suggested that we begin urban mining. However, rather than digging out your pickaxe and heading for the basement, it’s suggested you first try drawers, cupboards and boxes where you might have knackered electrical items. The reason? They may contain copper, and the country is facing a shortage.

The good news is that this isn’t quite like handing over frying pans to be turned into Spitfires to stave off the Luftwaffe. Rather, in order to decarbonise the economy, we’ll need more copper, which is a crucial element in solar and wind energy, as well as electric cars.

If you collect enough of this, you can build a car. Maybe. Credit: Getty

If more people took their old electronics to be recycled, then less copper would have to be dug out of the ground. Urban mining is good; mining mining is bad.

‘We need to start “urban mining” and help protect the planet and nature from the harmful impacts of mining for raw materials and instead value and use what we have already,’ said Scott Butler from Recycle Your Electricals, which produced the relevant research. ‘Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be reused and recycled and there’s somewhere near you to do it.’

Rare in our rivers, rare in your pocket

According to the Royal Mint, a 50p coin with a salmon on one side and a portrait of King Charles III on the other is the rarest coin in current circulation. Only 200,000 pieces have been released to UK banks and post offices, 10,000 fewer than the previous ‘rarest’ coin, the Kew Gardens coin, which held the title for 15 years.

Oi mate can I borrow 50p? Credit: Getty

The irony is that this announcement comes the same week that the Environment Agency released figures that showed that Atlantic salmon numbers were at their lowest levels in England and Wales since records began in 1997. The fish is now classified as endangered in the UK and on the IUCN Red list.

London’s lost pyramid

What’s four times as tall as St Paul’s cathedral, full of millions of bodies and sits on Primrose Hill? Thankfully, nothing. But this proposal for a vertical cemetery in the shape of a pyramid almost made it.

Medieval luxury on a budget

Will you get this whole house? No. Will you get use of the moat? Yes.

Want to live in the Lune Valley in Lancashire? Do you want to live within a moat? Do you want all this for less than £500,000? Then we’ve got the perfect place for you.

That’s it – we’re back at 7am tomorrow

Quiz answers

  • 1) A spat
  • 2) His arm
  • 3) Reflex
  • 4) An arched window
  • 5) Wallpaper

Dawn Chorus: Riding through the kitchen on horseback, and other classic English country house pursuits

A spectacular view of Snowdonia, the intelligence of owls and our quiz of the day are all highlights of this