Product Description

The British Lawnmower Museum, Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music and Mad Jack's Sugar Loaf. In a world of theme parks, interactive exhibits, over-priced merchandise and queues, don't worry, these are names to stir the soul. Reassuring evidence that there's still somewhere to turn in search of the small, fascinating, unique and, dammit, British. In a stumbling journey across the country in search of the best we have to offer our intrepid heroes discovered dinosaurs in South London, a cold war castle in Essex, grown men pretending to be warships in Scarborough, unexplained tunnels under Liverpool and a terraced house in Bedford being kept warm for Jesus's return. And along the way they met the people behind them all: enthusiasts, eccentrics and, you know, those who just sort of fell into looking after a vast collection of gnomes ... Makes you proud!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8027 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
Delightfully sunny --miles kington, independent

odd, compelling, touching and funny, --daily mirror

inspired... little britain has nothing on this --marie claire

From the Inside Flap
The very best nooks and corners of British tourism. See the world's longest pencil, a mermaid's skeleton and a witch in a bottle. Explore the world's most terrifying bungalow, the village that was stolen and the Victorian theme park that's falling into the sea.

About the Author
Robin Halstead, Jason Hazeley, Alex Morris and Joel Morris are the creators and writers of The Framley Examiner, the spoof online local paper. They are also regular contributors to Viz. On average they were born on 2 November 1971

Customer Reviews

Better than a wet weekend in Fleetwood!
My 'young adult' kids bought this as my father's day present - revenge will be mind on our next cagoule clad thermos clutching day trip!

For all those of my generation ( approaching 50 too fast for comfort ) who suffered long childhood journeys in inadequately ventilated cars upholstered in warm black PVC, seaside metal spades so sharp they could take your toe off, and endless games of 'I spy'....this book is for you. With page turning and near 'brysonesk' humour and observation it makes you want more than anything to visit eccentric gems in far off reaches of Britain. Places you did not know existed, but will now add to your itinerary if you're in the area on your next holiday.

British understatement, with a slowly melting ice-cream cone of eccentric nostalgia thrown in.

Are the British the only people that have 'days out'? Does a day out mean leaving home for a period long enough to include at least one meal time? Do the French, or Germans, or even Americans go for 'proper days out'? The French probably go to the market, the Germans to sit in the park and eat too much, and the Americans to the superbowl, or megatrucks, or
Disneyland........but I bet non can compete with the British Lawnmower Museum in Southport, Mother Shipton's Cave and Dripping Well in Knaresborough, or even Gnome Magic in Colchester.

After reading the book you feel cheated that your local crowd-magnet was not listed, but then again do you want the great unwashed descending on your own private 'tourist trap' - I think not. BUY THIS BOOK>>>>>>it's brilliant.

Affectionately written labour of love
It would have been so easy for this book to take the usual tongue in cheek route of mocking the not-quite-the-best that Britain has to offer its tourists. But instead the authors find the joy and charm in the smallest details of the British day out. Lovingly written and evocative it felt like a well meaning dad taking you to a museum 'because he should'. A book that makes you nostalgic for packed lunches and bracing holidays by the sea. I absolutely adore this book, and can't help coming back to it time and time again.

weird but funny
This book, written by some very annoyed-sounding blokes with a wicked sense of humour, is a guide to Britain's less commercial, more eccentric attractions (pencil museum anyone?) as opposed to just slouching sheep-like off to alton towers or any other theme park where it's considered fun to get vomitted on.

The perfect antidote to the sickly-sweet disney version of "fun", this book lists weird and wonderful places where you can find you own entertainment without anyone telling you to "have a nice day!" or trying to spoon-feed you educational material. Have you, for instance, ever considered visiting the bagpipe museum in northern England or perhaps the ex-"SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER" in Kent?

I especially enjoyed the entry for "The Ark": a house which isn't even open to the public but is recommended for the sole fact that if you drive past, one day you might catch a glimpse of Jesus (read the book if you want to know what I'm talking about).

Even if you do enjoy sitting in puke-encrusted rollercoasters, it's still worth buying this book for it's typical british humour - I did actually nearly wet myself in places.