Do you like Pineapples? I don’t know about you but I don’t really like them at all. They burn my tongue which is as good a reason as any not to like a food but there was a time when the lowly Pineapple was about the most desirable object one could own and it’s not… Continue reading Pineapples – From Regal luxury to 70’s chintz!
Category: history
Posts predominantly history related.
The (Deserted) Mews of Mayfair
One of the things I like about London are what are known as Mews. In the 18th and 19th centuries London housing for wealthy people generally consisted of streets of large terraced houses with stables at the back, which opened onto a small service street. The mews had horse stalls and a carriage house on… Continue reading The (Deserted) Mews of Mayfair
The Grenadier – The Exclusive pub with a ‘Go-Fund Me’ for a ghost!
It’s one of my favourite London pubs and a little different from some I visit with the difference being the wonderfully secluded and rather exclusive district of London it fits itself in. The Grenadier is a public house in Belgravia, London. It was originally built in 1720 as the officers’ mess for the senior infantry… Continue reading The Grenadier – The Exclusive pub with a ‘Go-Fund Me’ for a ghost!
On a journey of discovery to find the tombs of John Harrison and John Constable.
Do you remember last week I was off exploring in another graveyard and had a Dracula flashback? Well I was actually in the churchyard of St John-at-Hampstead to look for two tombs in particular. I only picked them as they of particular interest to me for there are many such notable persons buried in this… Continue reading On a journey of discovery to find the tombs of John Harrison and John Constable.
An Iron Age murder victim is uncovered
I’ve written before about the importance of archeology conducted when big new works are constructed it happens almost on a daily basis in the U.K. and I noticed another fascinating one a few days ago relating to the works surrounding the High Speed Rail project. One site at Wellwick Farm in Buckinghamshire has revealed thousands of years… Continue reading An Iron Age murder victim is uncovered
For Sale: An authentic Victorian Vampire Slayer Box Set
One of my favourite television programme 20 or so years ago was Buffy The Vampire Slayer and even now there have been few shows with such sharp dialogue often overlooked by many at the time due to the perceived nature of the show. Buffy is just one of the more recent example of vampires in… Continue reading For Sale: An authentic Victorian Vampire Slayer Box Set
The forlorn church of St Mary Somerset
When I was out in London last week, I went on a walk of discovery. As is often the way in London, I ‘discovered’ several places but also got the chance to visit somewhere I knew perfectly well even though I’d never been there… at least not for 6 or 7 years and never to… Continue reading The forlorn church of St Mary Somerset
Nova Anglia – The Anglo Saxon refugees who built the original New England on the Black Sea.
Everyone knows about the New England colony that was established on the eastern coast of North America but much less known about and something I’ve long been interested in is that accounts of a creation of a New England on the shores of the Black Sea around 500 years earlier than the one in North… Continue reading Nova Anglia – The Anglo Saxon refugees who built the original New England on the Black Sea.
The Fire Temple of Chak Chak that weeps for its princess.
Earlier this week I was reminded of a wonderfully tragical romantic episode of history when I was attaching the fabulous new BBC 4 show entitled The Art of Persia. Towards the beginning of the programme they visited a spot that I have long wanted to visit near the Iranian city of Ardakan, a particularly holy… Continue reading The Fire Temple of Chak Chak that weeps for its princess.
The beautiful gold watch of King George III
King George III is one of the most unfortunate monarchs and forever tarnished with his tag of Mad King George due to the mental illness which he suffered from. What is less known about him is that before he was cursed by his terrible condition, as a young man George was a committed patron of both… Continue reading The beautiful gold watch of King George III
Stephen Liddell 