May Day is celebrated across the Northern Hemisphere as a Spring time festival and is more often than not a public holiday. Interestingly the original May Day has a long history going back to Roman times though in many places this is now celebrated alongside or has even been usurped by the International Workers Day.… Continue reading May Day Origins & Celebrations
Category: history
Britain and the EU
Today marks the beginning of the official British campaign on the European Union referendum of our continued membership of this pan-European organisation. I say the official campaign as in practice the debate has been raging pretty much since the day we joined in before I was even born. It’s probably the most divisive political argument… Continue reading Britain and the EU
Royal Feasts through the ages
Yesterday I had the good fortune of being allowed inside the banquet house of King William III at Hampton Court. A building big enough to house many of the hoi-polloi but a mere dot on the huge expanse which is Hampton Court Palace. Even the attendant on the door had not been in this building for… Continue reading Royal Feasts through the ages
The tragedy of Smalls Lighthouse
There have been lighthouses around the coasts and islands of Great Britain almost as far back there have been people travelling by ship. A fine Roman lighthouse of nearly 2,000 years is still standing tall within the walls of Dover Castle. The history of lighthouse keepers are as fascinating and treacherous as the often rough… Continue reading The tragedy of Smalls Lighthouse
West Kennet Long Barrow – A 6,000 year old burial tomb
Yesterday I was lucky that I got to spent my Easter Good Friday with two families from Salt Lake City and we went on one of my favourite tours to some of the UNESCO sites near Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circle, Silbury Hill and nearby Lacock Abbey. As a bonus I wanted to take them… Continue reading West Kennet Long Barrow – A 6,000 year old burial tomb
Khutulun – The Mongolian Wrestling Princess
The name of Khutulun might not mean much to people today in the Western world but in an age when there is still much debate about the equality of sexes, gender roles and stereotypes, we really all should be a little bit more aware of. Living between around 1260AD – 1306AD and niece of the… Continue reading Khutulun – The Mongolian Wrestling Princess
Pull up a chair!
For the second time in a few days, the blog I wanted to write didn’t happen. Today I was going to write a blog on ‘Words’ It was one of those blogs that came easy to me and didn’t require to much research or anything time-consuming as some of my posts are want to do.… Continue reading Pull up a chair!
Animation of Allied bombing raids on Nazi occupied Europe
I was going to write something entirely different today and indeed had even started writing it when I happened across a segment of this newly released animated video by the Imperial War Museum in London which I thought many others would like to see. The animation depicts every single bombing raid by first the RAF… Continue reading Animation of Allied bombing raids on Nazi occupied Europe
The Drowned Village of Dunwich
There are several places around Britain that are said could be the location of the mythical Atlantis. Last year I wrote about Doggerland in the North Sea, another possible location are the Isle of Scilly which in recorded history were once a larger landmass before the sea levels rose and people were forced to live… Continue reading The Drowned Village of Dunwich
The Return of The Flying Scotsman
The Flying Scotsman is one of the most famous names in locomotion and with a history as grand as its reputation. The Flying Scotsman is an express passenger train service that has run the 392 miles between London and Edinburgh since 1862 and which continues to this day. Of course, a number of trains… Continue reading The Return of The Flying Scotsman
Stephen Liddell 