Snooping around is part of my job and I end up in all sorts of weird and sometimes possibly illegal situations especially in the old City of London or out in the country. Two days ago I noticed that there was a possible old-fashioned well in the garden of what centuries ago was the village… Continue reading I found an old fashioned water well in my street!
Category: history
Posts predominantly history related.
The Legend of Jack O’ Legs – Hertfordshire’s answer to Robin Hood!
We all know the story of Robin Hood, Little John and the others in Sherwood Forest but where I live we have a similarly motivated though perhaps less successful and well-know figure and his name is Jack O’Legs who also stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Jack lived in a cave near the… Continue reading The Legend of Jack O’ Legs – Hertfordshire’s answer to Robin Hood!
Daniel Lambert – The heaviest man of the 18th Century
Daniel Lambert 1770 – 1809 was a gaol keeper (jail) and animal breeder from Leicester, England, famous for his unusually large size. After serving four years as an apprentice at an engraving and die casting works in Birmingham, he returned to Leicester around 1788 and succeeded his father as keeper of Leicester’s gaol. He was… Continue reading Daniel Lambert – The heaviest man of the 18th Century
Visiting WW1 trenches in the heart of England
As someone with a keen interest in WW1 or The Great War, I’ve written before on my visits to the Western Front in France and Belgium. Not many people know that there are still trenches in England and conveniently only about 15 miles from where I live. I’ve wanted to visit them since the 1990’s… Continue reading Visiting WW1 trenches in the heart of England
My new book is out – Secret Gardens of the City of London
After a year of solid work my new book has just been released in Paperback, Kindle Apple iBook formats. So what’s it all about? Secret Gardens of the City of London is based on my unique, popular and generally well regarded tour with Ye Olde England Tours Sacred Secret Sanctuary Gardens Walk (rated by Trip Advisor… Continue reading My new book is out – Secret Gardens of the City of London
The origins of tipping – Paying a TIP at Twinings Tea
Whilst I was out and about in London last week, an area I wanted to visited was closed off so I ended up on a mini-diversion and went past the famous Twinings Tea Shop at #216 on The Strand, the famous old road that links the City of London to the City of Westminster. Twinings… Continue reading The origins of tipping – Paying a TIP at Twinings Tea
The secret world of Knocker-uppers!
We all know how job roles can become obsolete overnight but this isn’t something new. Have you ever given thought to how people would get up on time for work in the old days? I’ve never had a problem getting up for work. If I have to get up at 5am for work I get… Continue reading The secret world of Knocker-uppers!
King Edgar The Ætheling – The last and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England
We all know about the momentous events of 1066 where poor King Harold and his men achieved the impossible in marching up from London and defeating a massive Viking invasion led by Harald Hardraada at the Battle of Stamford bridge and then by total bad luck having waited all year for an invasion from then… Continue reading King Edgar The Ætheling – The last and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England
The origins of Stonehenge are further revealed.
Stonehenge actually contains two different kinds of stones, erected thousands of years apart. The sarsens are the larger silica stones in Stonehenge’s outer ring and center, each about 13 feet high and seven feet wide. There are 52 on the site today, but experts believe that there were originally 80. For a few years now we… Continue reading The origins of Stonehenge are further revealed.
See me in action…. a 1 hour free video tour around St Pauls – Smithfields, London!
Well everything well yesterday or as well as possible considering the incessant heat, lack of sleep and in my case food lol. Much of Britain but particularly London is currently being roasted. Last night it was 26 degrees outside at midnight which is around 82F in humidity is more than fine enough for me in… Continue reading See me in action…. a 1 hour free video tour around St Pauls – Smithfields, London!
Stephen Liddell 