Dawn Chorus: A Blue Plaque for Marc Bolan, holidaying in the Caribbean with Francis Ford Coppola and a history of the National Gallery in 25 pictures

Not feeling too blue

T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan, a self-proclaimed ‘poet in leather pants, spitting out lyrics that touch people’s souls’ (above), will be remembered with a Blue Plaque this year. In his short life, his feather boa, sequin and platform boot-clad persona launched Glam Rock — and reshaped masculinity — in the 1970s. He’s in good company — Audrey Hepburn will also be honoured, at the Mayfair house where she was living when Roman Holiday (1953) cemented her Hollywood stardom.

Witty, post-war novelist Barbara Pym, ballerina and co-founder of the English National Ballet Alicia Markova and Jamaican poet Una Marson, the BBC’s first black producer, are also among those commemorated, in a year that sees English Heritage focus on figures who have contributed to culture.

The suburban childhood home of painter Graham Sutherland will receive a Blue Plaque, too; his portrait of Sir Winston Churchill was famously so poorly received by its subject that his wife, Clementine, eventually destroyed it. However, most others admire the artist, with his Abstract and Surreal works scattered up and down the country in various institutions. ‘From literature and art to dance and music, these figures helped shape the London we know today,’ explains English Heritage curatorial director Matt Thompson. AE

Holiday like Francis Ford Coppola

Image 1 of 5

Not only one of the finest film directors of all time, Francis Ford Coppola also enjoys spending time on the Caribbean island of Belize. So much so that he owns a collection of villas there that you can now rent through onefinestay, which includes a private island, a jungle-top villa and two other properties.

The highlight has to be his private island Coral Caye, which is a 25-minute boat trip from the Turtle Inn coastal resort. Featuring two picturesque villas, Coral Cottage and Seahorse Cottage, the island can sleep up to nine guests on its two acres, surrounded by sand beaches and azure waters. After another weekend of rain, it’s beyond tempting.

Their favourite paintings

A new book traces art history through 700 years via 25 works selected from the National Gallery collection by cultural figures and contemporary artists. The National Gallery: Paintings, People, Portraits, an ‘XXL tome’ from Taschen (£175), includes contributions from the late artist Frank Auerbach, actor Damian Lewis, writer Hannah Rothschild, David Hockney, art dealer Sadie Coles, fashion designer Kim Jones, artist Rachel Whiteread and architect Annabelle Selldorf, with photography by Mary McCartney and David Dawson and a run-through of the institution’s origins and collection by Christine Riding and Anneta Berry.

‘What emerges through these intimate tours are glimpses into the gallery’s significance through the eyes of those whose lives have been touched by its treasures,’ write editors Anh Nguyen and Rebecca Marks in the preface. ‘Their contributions mirror the diversity of the gallery’s collection, ranging from personal anecdotes to scholarly reflections. Through these stories, we are reminded that creativity is a dialogue — that crosses centuries and blurs the lines between creator and spectator.’ At the dawn of its third century and with such rich history, the National Gallery needs to be ‘a model of what a public research institution should be,’ they continue.

Two separate editions of 100 each by Flora Yukhnovich and Chris Ofili feature bespoke covers, a clam-shell box and a signed, numbered print (£2,750 each; www.taschen.com). AE

Five of the best

The property pages of Country Life magazine are a space for dreaming. What could you do with a limitless budget in this green and pleasant land? Where could you live? We’ve rounded up five ‘frankly enormous’ mansions from our pages this week, including one with its own private swimming lake. Have a look here.

Using the past to protect the future

The Victorian Society, The Georgian Group and Historic Buildings & Places are sounding the alarm over plans to redevelop part of George and Robert Stephenson’s pioneering railway works in Newcastle. They say a proposed scheme ‘has the potential to cause irreversible harm to the valuable planform, and fixtures and fittings of the building, as a survival of an early locomotive works’ and that further assessments should be undertaken of the buildings’ significance.

It comes amid a very important birthday for our railways. 2025 marks 200 years since the birth of Locomotion No 1, the first modern steam locomotive. We’re big fans of the railways here at Countrylife.co.uk and were joined on the podcast this week by author, engineer and railway consultant Gareth Dennis, who makes the compelling case of how the railways can not only save the countryside, but the planet. It’s well worth a listen.

That's it for today — the Dawn Chorus will be back on Wednesday