Not many people are familiar with William Lenthall but if history were fair then we all would be. For William Lenthall was once the Speaker of the House of Commons and by his actions changed the course of the world forever. On 4 January 1642, King Charles I entered the House of Commons to arrest… Continue reading William Lenthall -The man who risked his life to uphold democracy and defy the King.
Category: Cool Britannia
ST PAUL’S MONASTERY IN JARROW AND THE OLDEST STAINED GLASS WINDOW IN THE WORLD
Recently when I was in the area for my Hadrians Wall walk, I took a detour to a place I had long wanted to visited. Not too many miles from the ancestral home of George Washington which I visited on the same trip. Whilst sights such as the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral… Continue reading ST PAUL’S MONASTERY IN JARROW AND THE OLDEST STAINED GLASS WINDOW IN THE WORLD
The Gumball 3000 London to Tokyo 2018
Yesterday when I was giving one of my tours round London, I stumbled across an unexpected sight. A collection of over 100 souped up cars all ready to take place in the Gumball 3000. It wasn’t a total surprise as I seem to come across this event every summer in London, even though the startingn… Continue reading The Gumball 3000 London to Tokyo 2018
Washington Old Hall – The Ancestral Home of George Washington
A few weeks ago when I was walking along Hadrians Wall, I took the opportunity to make a few deviations along the way. One such side-trip was to the ancestral home of George Washington in the aptly named old village of Washington. Washington lies between the large cities of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Sunderland and… Continue reading Washington Old Hall – The Ancestral Home of George Washington
Alice Ayres – A Victorian Heroine
A few weeks ago I wrote on Postmans Park – The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice and I’d taken it upon myself to look some of the names whose valour has been memorialised her. At random I picked the unassuming sounding Alice Ayres. I picked Alice in particular because I’m familiar with Union Street in Borough, it… Continue reading Alice Ayres – A Victorian Heroine
Vindolanda Writing Tablets
When I was recently walking Hadrians Wall, there were countless Roman sites to visit either on or just off the wall. Having visited many all ready, the one I most wanted to visit was Vindolanda. You can see my blog post on Vindolanda here. Out of everything in Vindolanda, the objects I most wanted… Continue reading Vindolanda Writing Tablets
Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!
Whilst walking around the City of London earlier this week, I came across a sign that I had seen several times before. It had always made me smile, perhaps a little perversely given the circumstances but also as I admired the steadfastness of Major General Harrison… whoever he might have been. I’d always vowed to… Continue reading Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!
Holding a nearly 2,000 year old Roman shoe at Vindolanda
I’ve been so busy with my tours that I haven’t had a day off since April 16th and so my blog posts are currently a bit shorter than usual. Even last week when I would be walking for up to 11 hours a day, I still had to start and finish my day with what… Continue reading Holding a nearly 2,000 year old Roman shoe at Vindolanda
I met perhaps the most famous tree in the world at Sycamore Gap
If you think of how many trees are famous; there are quite a few of them but compared to the countless billions of trees on the planet they are really few and far between. Some famous trees are no longer here such as the cherry tree that George Washington cut down or the famous Californian… Continue reading I met perhaps the most famous tree in the world at Sycamore Gap
The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice At Postman’s Park
One of the places I really enjoy visiting on my Secret Churches, Gardens and Ruins walk in the City of London is Postman’s Park. The small park was converted in the 19th century from being a cemetery for the adjoining church and is largely unvisited by the swathes of tourists to London. Apart from the… Continue reading The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice At Postman’s Park
Stephen Liddell 