Monthly Archives: October 2019

An eerie journey along old Corpse Roads

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

Can anyone believe that I have written Halloween (related posts for 7 years now. When I started this blog I thought I’d be lucky to still be going in a month. As with everything else, I always try to keep … Continue reading →

Posted in Cumbria & The Lake District, history, Life, Religion and Faith | Tagged Corpse Road, Death, Funeral, halloween, outdoors, Stonehenge, Superstition, walks | 9 Comments

A piss-poor history of urine

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

I’m going to try not to use the P word too much in this post, as tempting as it is as that would be taking the Pee but urine has actually had a long history of practical uses especially in … Continue reading →

Posted in Funny & Humour, history, Life, WW1 | Tagged Idioms, Medicine, Piss Poor, Straight from the Horse's Mouth, The Plague, Urine | 8 Comments

Paying homage at the tomb of the Venerable Bede

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

If like myself you have anything like a passing history in old Anglo-Saxon history or even history itself, the works of Bede are something to behold. I always find it a bit boring I suppose that so many people think … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, history, Northumberland and Durham, Uncategorized | Tagged Cathedrals, Durham, Historia Ecclesiastica, history, Jarrow Monastery, Venerable Bede | 6 Comments

Original hand-drawn battle plans by Admiral Lord Nelson for the Battle of Trafalgar are discovered.

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

Incredible a hand-drawn sketch by Admiral Lord Nelson himself showing his plan for victory at Trafalgar has been discovered tucked inside the pages of a scrapbook after nearly 200 years. They were discovered by historian Martyn Downer in a scrap … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, News, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Admiral Nelson, Battle of Trafalgar, Lord Nelson, Maps, Military, Nelson, Royal Navy | 2 Comments

A peek inside possibly the second smallest home in the U.K.

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

In my line of work I spend a lot of time walking round palaces, great houses and cathedrals but last week I had the opportunity to revisit one of the smallest houses imaginable in the beautiful Lake District in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cumbria & The Lake District, history, Life, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Ambleside, Bridge, Bridge House, Lake District, national trust, Small House, Smallest House | 3 Comments

Murky Moor photos

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

I’ve been away for a few weeks giving a long tour of parts of north east and north west England and having returned I have found my wordpress to stubbornly refuse to fully function on my iPad or even let … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Northumberland and Durham, Photography, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Moors, photos, sheep, Teesdale, Travel, Travel photography, Vera | Leave a comment

To be on Tenterhooks in Spitalfields

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

Have you ever heard of the phrase “on tenterhooks”? It has come to mean being in a state of tension, uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, and that is because tenterhooks were once very common sights indeed. Tenterhooks aren’t the big hooks you … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London | Tagged Aldgate, Cloth, English language, Spitalfields, Straight from the Horse's Mouth, Tenter, Tenterhooks, Whitechapel, Words | 1 Comment

An old plan of Piccadilly Circus Underground Station.

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

I’m away on a 2-week tour in the near future and so this shorter than usual post is just to help fill the gap before, during or after I come back. The incredible print below is of Piccadilly Circus Underground … Continue reading →

Posted in London, Science and Engineering, Travel | Tagged Drawings, London, London Transport, London Underground, Maps, Piccadilly Circus, Plans | 2 Comments

The Restoration of the Aldgate Pump of Death!

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

I’ve no doubt included photos and mentioned in passing the old Aldgate water pump which used to be right next to an eastern gate of the old Roman wall surrounding the city of London. Aldgate Well was first mentioned all … Continue reading →