Category Archives: history

Posts predominantly history related.

Marooned in an abandoned London Underground Station

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Have you ever been marooned underground? I know I have as one time I was riding on the Paris Metro at 11am with only two other passengers on the train. The driver made a an abrupt announcement which didn’t make … Continue reading →

Posted in history, London, Travel | Tagged Abandoned Station, Camden, London Underground, The Tale of Mr Brackett | 2 Comments

The Sinking of the White Ship a 12th century disaster of Titanic proportions.

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

The sinking of the White Ship shaped not just a country but in some ways the world but due to its distant setting and the repercussions it caused, it’s largely unknown amongst the general public. Surprisingly though, we know quite … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged Empress Matilda, history, King Henry I, King Stephen, Normandy, Normans, Royal Navy, White Ship | Leave a comment

The Englishman who invented an American fast-food icon

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Everyone loves a hotdog don’t they? I know I used to eat a lot of them though I’ve not had any for about 20 years, partly that’s because it is hard to get gluten free hotdog bread rolls and partly … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, history, Life | Tagged Baseball, Harry M. Stevens, Harry Stevens, Hotdog | 2 Comments

The Festival of Bells 2021

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

A few weekends ago, I was out early in London, practicing a walk along some of the ghostly lanes and secret passageways that make up the old Roman City and I didn’t know that my day would be hijacked but … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Bells, Bow Bells, Cheapside, St Mary Le Bow | Leave a comment

Jewels of Persia at the Epic Iran – 5,000 years of Culture exhibition at the V&A

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world’s largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London, Religion and Faith | Tagged Art, Epic Iran Exhibition, Iran, V&A, Victoria and Albert Museum | 4 Comments

Up close and personal with the wedding dress of Diana, Princess of Wales

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

One of my childhood memories is of the Royal Wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It was in the school summer holidays and even at the age of 7 and living nowhere near London, it was impossible to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Britannia, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Kensington Palace, Princess Diana, Royal Wedding | Leave a comment

Visiting the statue of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Thursday the 1st July 2021, would have been the 60th birthday of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. To commemorate the occasion, Diana’s sons, the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, came together to unveil a special memorial statue of their mother in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Britannia, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Gardens, Kensington Palace, Princess Diana, Royal Family, Statue | 5 Comments

Visiting the statue of Noor Inayat Khan in Bloomsbury, London

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

When I was in London a few weeks ago, I realised I had 20 minutes or so to spend before my engagement so decided to pop along to Gordon Square Gardens, a place a I know very well, to visit … Continue reading →

Posted in history, London, WW2, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Bloomsbury, Noor Inayat Khan, SOE, Special Operations Executive, Statue | 3 Comments

Noor Inayat Khan – Born an Indian Princess, Lived a French writer, Died a British Spy

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Every now and then I like to post on great but often overlooked female figures in history. Over the 9 years I have been blogging just some of the notable women I have written about include Khutulun – The Mongolian … Continue reading →

Posted in history, London, WW2 | Tagged France, Gestapo, India, Noor Inayat Khan, SOE, Spy | 1 Comment

What a rare gold coin from the Black Death can tell us about life in the 1350’s.

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

One of the things I wanted to do when I was little was to go metal-detecting. I still remember the joy of getting one and going deep into the woods to see what I could find. Sadly for me about … Continue reading →