Jack Watkins

Trees of God: The story of the mighty cedar

Once considered an exotic addition, cedar trees were frequently employed by ‘Capability’ Brown as topographical punctuation marks and are now as loved and reassuring as any fine church steeple.

The 'Death Pyramid' of Primrose Hill

Four times the height of St Paul's Cathedral, and with enough room for 5 million bodies, the Metropolitan Sepulchre was a fascinating curiosity that thankfully never left the drawing board.

Curious Questions: Why do we still love pirate stories, 300 years on from Blackbeard?

Tales of swashbuckling pirates have entertained audiences for years, inspired by real-life British men and women, says Jack Watkins.

A pheasant at Charing Cross Hospital and a woodcock at St Pancras: London's rarest birds revealed

The latest London Bird Report has some interesting findings.

The history of Covent Garden: 500 years of the world's most famous market

It’s half a century since Covent Garden’s eponymous market travelled south of the River Thames, but it did little to dent the area’s appeal. Jack Watkins charts the history of Covent Garden from Tudor times to the present day.

The terrible truth about the cuckoo, and the 'monstrous outrages' it perpetrates on its foster parents and siblings

The cuckoo is a bird whose behaviour is so horrendous — when judged by human standards, at any rate — that it wasn't until the advent of wildlife film that ornithologists finally acknowledged and accepted the depths that it plunges. Jack Watkins explains.

A century of Royal Photography is going on show at Buckingham Palace, from Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz

The Royal Collection Trust's summer exhibition at Buckingham Palace brings together some of the most wonderful royal portraits ever taken. Jack Watkins takes a look.

The woodlark: the British songbird that is the ultimate masked singer

Its melody is sweeter than the nightingale's, yet the elusive woodlark seems destined to delight only a fortunate few.

The good, the bad and the dilapidated as Historic England release the latest 'At Risk' Register for 2023

A total of 159 sites have been added — and 203 sites removed — in a year that marks the 25th anniversary of Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.  Jck Watkins reports on the latest.

You might think a book about the birds that lived in London 75 years ago would make for gloomy reading. Nothing could be further from the truth.

75 years ago, Richard Fitter published the seminal book 'London’s Birds'. Jack Watkins takes a look inside to see what it tells us about the changing face of the capital’s avian population — and comes away marvelling at how our winged friends have thrived despite the march of metropolitan progress.

The Flying Scotsman: How the first 100mph locomotive became the most famous train in the world

The first train to officially hit 100mph may not even have been the first, and didn't hold the rail speed record for long; yet a century later its legend is undimmed. Jack Watkins celebrates the Flying Scotsman.

Curious Questions: Why does Kew Gardens have a giant pagoda?

The Pagoda at Kew Gardens, designed by Sir William Chambers, is one of the most famous, yet most incongruous landmarks at one of the world's most famous gardens. So why is it there? Jack Watkins explains.

Durham Cathedral and Castle: 'The Normans at their most audacious and expansive'

Dover Castle, Kent: England's strongest castle

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: Thomas Telford's 'ribbon of water in the sky'

The magnificent Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is one of the great testaments to Industrial Revolution ingenuity — and as beautiful as it is impressive. Jack Watkins takes a look.

In Focus: The enduring appeal of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera'

Jack Watkins tells the tale of one of the West End's most iconic musicals, and how The Phantom of the Opera evolved from an obscure novel and largely forgotten films to become a global sensation.

The seagrass meadows that lie beneath the waters of Britain are 'one of the most valuable and biodiverse habitats on the planet'

The UK’s seagrass meadows are an important wildlife habitat and fundamental to combating climate change, but they’re disappearing at a rapid rate. Jack Watkins finds out more about the ongoing fight to save them.

In Focus: The enduring beauty of Thomas Gray's Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard

Jack Watkins considers the timeless brilliance of Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.'

In Focus: Tarka the Otter, Henry Williamson's great masterpiece of Nature writing

Jack Watkins tells the tale of what might have been a simple tale of nature, but which became a phenomenon both on page and on screen.

The true mark of genius of Jane Austen's Persuasion? Even when its bad, it's still pretty good