Category Archives: Heritage

Posts predominantly related to Heritage

A Brief History of the Penny

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

As the modern era of a cashless society rolls relentlessly onwards and due to inflation the value of it ever decreasing, the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has raised the prospect that like the half pence in the 1980’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, News | Tagged Bank of England, Cent, Coins, currency, Denarius, history, Money, Penny, Romans | Leave a comment

100 Years of the RAF

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

This week sees the 100th anniversary of the oldest dedicated air force in the world, the Royal Airforce or RAF. The formation of the RAF was partly a bureaucratic cost-saving exercise by the Prime Minister Lloyd George. He wanted to … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, WW1 | Tagged Claude Grahame-White, RAF, RAF100, Royal Air Force, Royal Flying Corps | 1 Comment

Tracing words back through time

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Back in the mid 1990’s when I was studying at SOAS, one of the classes that I most enjoyed were those given by Professor Alexander Piatagorsky. He is said to have been the greatest Russian philospher of all time and … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Heritage, history, Life | Tagged English, Etymology, Foreign words with no equivalent in English, Language, Proto-Indo-European, Words | 5 Comments

First Footing at New Year

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

First Footing is still very much alive in modern Britain. A survey shows that nearly a third of people in Britain say that First Footing continues to play a part in their New Year celebrations. The greatest number of followers … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Heritage, history | Tagged 2018, First Foot, First Footing, Folklore, Happy New Year, Hogmanay, New Year, Northumberland, Scotland, tradition | 5 Comments

The Brunel Museum and the first tunnel in the world that goes under water

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

You might be wondering how much more can be squeezed into this relatively short little walk eastwards from London Bridge through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe. I’m sure you’ll agree that there is something for everyone who visits. Today’s post relates to … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London, Science and Engineering, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Marc Brunel, Queen Victoria, River Thames, Rotherhithe, Tunnel | 1 Comment

The Sands Film Studio of Rotherhithe & The Rotherhithe Picture Research Library.

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

If there is one thing you might have picked up on during my walk through Rotherhithe, it is that many of the old buildings and locations that were once grimy industrial buildings in unpleasant parts of London have been refurbished … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Costumier, movies, Rotherhithe, Rotherhithe Picture Library, Sands Studio, television, walking tours | 5 Comments

The Rotherhithe Watch House Cafe

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

Continuing on my walk through the centrally located but almost entirely unvisited district of Rotherhithe in London, I came across another hidden jewel in the form of the Watch House Cafe. This beautifully secluded cafe is one with a … Continue reading →