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 a relatively new statue in London to Noor Inayat Khan whom I wrote about in… Continue reading Visiting the statue of Noor Inayat Khan in Bloomsbury, London
Category: history
Posts predominantly history related.
Noor Inayat Khan – Born an Indian Princess, Lived a French writer, Died a British Spy
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 Wrestling Princess Empress Matilda Edith Cavell – Patriotism Is Not Enough Mary Seacole – The Greatest Black Briton… Continue reading Noor Inayat Khan – Born an Indian Princess, Lived a French writer, Died a British Spy
What a rare gold coin from the Black Death can tell us about life in the 1350’s.
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 10 minutes into it I was accosted by a local official who told me a… Continue reading What a rare gold coin from the Black Death can tell us about life in the 1350’s.
The private gardens of Buckingham Palace
Ever since the fire at Windsor Castle in 1992, the state rooms at Buckingham Palace have been open to visitors each summer but due to the continuing Covid epidemic they are understandably shut again this year. As a way to no doubt recoup some revenue, it was decided that this summer the private gardens at… Continue reading The private gardens of Buckingham Palace
Lottie Dod – The Victorian Wimbledon lady tennis star who even beat the men!
With the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in full-swing, we’re often reminded of some of the great players past and present. Whilst the media like to concentrate on current or recently retired players, there is at least one lady player who could even make recent greats like Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova look rather ordinary. What… Continue reading Lottie Dod – The Victorian Wimbledon lady tennis star who even beat the men!
A swan-song moment of glory for Tilbury Fortress
I thought I would finish my little run of Tilbury Fort related posts but recalling its last great moments and some might say greatest of all, the night it shot down a Zeppelin in WW1. The Zeppelin was invented by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. It was a rigid dirigible and he patented his idea in… Continue reading A swan-song moment of glory for Tilbury Fortress
A little bit of the Assyrian Empire from ancient Babylon in a London garden
I don’t know about you but I’m the sort of person who always likes to go off exploring. If I see an open door or gate then I have to take a peek inside. I’ve seen some fascinating places by doing so and so far not got into serious trouble. I was in London a… Continue reading A little bit of the Assyrian Empire from ancient Babylon in a London garden
When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress
My last post was all about my recent visit to Tilbury Fortress on the northern bank of the River Thames. Despite its massive size and strength or maybe because of it, no-one was ever killed in action here and yet there was one death in particular that must go down as one of the most… Continue reading When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress
Rank hath its privileges in the Tilbury Fort Chapel
Even in a Georgian Fortress, religion had its place and Tilbury has a rather modest chapel near the front gate. There is barely any ornate decoration but the simple decor and large stylised windows being the altar and along one side make a big impact. One thing that I found interesting though is the pews… Continue reading Rank hath its privileges in the Tilbury Fort Chapel
A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress
Last Monday being part of a long Bank-holiday Monday and us entering our months behind schedule first warm weather of the year, I decided to visit Tilbury Fortress in the county of Essex though to all intents and purposes it is on the edge of London. It’s a property that belongs to English Heritage and… Continue reading A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress
Stephen Liddell 