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 the Penny be removed from circulation. The fact that the banking chief claims to rarely… Continue reading A Brief History of the Penny
Category: Heritage
100 Years of the RAF
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 bring down the expense of having two air forces in the Royal Flying Corps and… Continue reading 100 Years of the RAF
Tracing words back through time
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 one of the lesser known but greatest thinkers of the modern world. Sasha was… Continue reading Tracing words back through time
First Footing at New Year
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 of the First Footing tradition (when the first person over your threshold after the clock… Continue reading First Footing at New Year
The Brunel Museum and the first tunnel in the world that goes under water
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 one of the few things I actually knew about before visiting the area recently and… Continue reading The Brunel Museum and the first tunnel in the world that goes under water
The Sands Film Studio of Rotherhithe & The Rotherhithe Picture Research Library.
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 and re-purposed for modern use. This walk has been good at showing this, whether… Continue reading The Sands Film Studio of Rotherhithe & The Rotherhithe Picture Research Library.
The Rotherhithe Watch House Cafe
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 quite remarkable history. Before the formation of the very first professional police service… Continue reading The Rotherhithe Watch House Cafe
Giving a public speech when you hate public speaking or My Remembrance Sunday Reading
People say to confront your fears and they will recede. Well I can definitely say that this is not the case. I’ve always hated flying and I’ve flown 37 times. Flight 37 was every bit as terrifying as flight 27, 17 and 7. I think everyone would agree I have given flying more than a… Continue reading Giving a public speech when you hate public speaking or My Remembrance Sunday Reading
Crows, Ravens & Halloween
Over the years, I have written quite a few posts on Halloween related subjects such as Halloweens of past and present (updated) Top 10 Haunted places in the U.K. the fearful Spring Heeled Jack who wrought terror in mostly distant times and the Enfield Poltergeist who terrified a particular family in modern day London. This year I… Continue reading Crows, Ravens & Halloween
How Star Trek revolutionised the modern world
Star Trek recently celebrated its 51st birthday and this week with the launch of Star Trek Discovery the mission to entertain and inspire continues with renewed vigor. The scientific inventions that we use on a daily basis inspired by WW2 generation writers inspired by visions of the 23rd century are well documented and growing. Communicators… Continue reading How Star Trek revolutionised the modern world
Stephen Liddell 