It’s impossible to be a fan of English literature without at least having read the odd work of Jane Austen if only to decide whether you prefer her stories to those of the Bronte sisters. I must admit that until I planned by trip to Winchester, I had pretty much forgotten that this wonderful author… Continue reading Paying respects at the grave of Jane Austen
Category: history
Posts predominantly history related.
Cromwell Mortimer and the first modern era UFO Sighting
With the nights rapidly drawing in towards winter, some of us are more able to spend time outside to look up at the starry skies, observing the moon, planets and various phenomena as well the aeroplanes and satellites. Perhaps we might even see an unidentified flying object. We tend to think of these as being… Continue reading Cromwell Mortimer and the first modern era UFO Sighting
Remains of old wooden roads in London
It used to be said that the streets are London are paved with gold. This was in reference to how for centuries London has been a place where not just the rich and powerful live and work but how the city attracts people from across the country and indeed the world in the hope that… Continue reading Remains of old wooden roads in London
Jeffery Hudson – Lord Minimus – The shortest man in England
Last week I went to visit a dear friend in the lovely market town of Oakham and had the opportunity to visit the outside of a house that once belonged to another very special person. The smallest man in the smallest county in England, Jeffery Hudson. However though he was physically tiny, he lived a… Continue reading Jeffery Hudson – Lord Minimus – The shortest man in England
King Alfred The Great Statue in Winchester
You can’t come to Winchester and not think of Alfred The Great. Perhaps our greatest monarch in history and certainly the only one with the epithet ‘Great’. In so many ways he was ahead of his times and not only freed the lands from the Vikings but set England in particular on course to be… Continue reading King Alfred The Great Statue in Winchester
Visiting the Winchester Mill
Sir Winston Churchill once said in one of this famous quotes that the further one looks backwards into history, the further into the future you can see. I wonder what he would have made with the modern worlds shift towards renewable energy and how things such as wind turbines and sea barrages are really just… Continue reading Visiting the Winchester Mill
Remembering when I sang for the Queen in Westminster Abbey and speaking on on a Boston breakfast radio show
I know lots of people are a little or a lot sad about the Queen whether for her role in the country or simply as an older lady who has overseen us all our lives. It has been a weird few days working in London with a sombre but appreciative atmosphere and memorials cropping up… Continue reading Remembering when I sang for the Queen in Westminster Abbey and speaking on on a Boston breakfast radio show
Winchester West Gate and the Butter Cross
Following on from my Winchester posts onthe old plague memorial and King Arthurs Round Table we come to the Westgate; one of two surviving fortified gateways in Winchester (the other being Kingsgate). For centuries they were incorporated into Winchester City Walls. Though there is the odd small fragment of Roman wall in Winchester, the earliest surviving segments of the gate… Continue reading Winchester West Gate and the Butter Cross
Visiting the table of King Arthur and his Knights at the Great Hall in Winchester
Have you ever wanted to visit Camelot? It can be rather tricky given no-one is quite sure where it existed or even if it existed at all. One of the contenders for Camelot is Winchester to whatever degree King Arthur can be said to be an historical figure or a mythical legend, a visit to… Continue reading Visiting the table of King Arthur and his Knights at the Great Hall in Winchester
The Winchester Plague Memorial Cross
Years ago, I used to write all sorts on here about holidays, weekends away and days out. The truth is, I don’t get to do any of that any more. It’s been almost a decade since I had even a short holiday close to home. Last weekend however, I had two cancellations due to tourists… Continue reading The Winchester Plague Memorial Cross
Stephen Liddell 