Can anyone believe that I have written Halloween (related posts for 7 years now. When I started this blog I thought I’d be lucky to still be going in a month. As with everything else, I always try to keep my Halloween posts grounded as I think that makes them more realistic and also more… Continue reading An eerie journey along old Corpse Roads
Category: Life
A piss-poor history of urine
I’m going to try not to use the P word too much in this post, as tempting as it is as that would be taking the Pee but urine has actually had a long history of practical uses especially in medicine. None other than Pliny the Elder back in Rome recommended fresh urine for the… Continue reading A piss-poor history of urine
Original hand-drawn battle plans by Admiral Lord Nelson for the Battle of Trafalgar are discovered.
Incredible a hand-drawn sketch by Admiral Lord Nelson himself showing his plan for victory at Trafalgar has been discovered tucked inside the pages of a scrapbook after nearly 200 years. They were discovered by historian Martyn Downer in a scrap book book from the 1830s which was recently sold at auction. It shows his plan… Continue reading Original hand-drawn battle plans by Admiral Lord Nelson for the Battle of Trafalgar are discovered.
A peek inside possibly the second smallest home in the U.K.
In my line of work I spend a lot of time walking round palaces, great houses and cathedrals but last week I had the opportunity to revisit one of the smallest houses imaginable in the beautiful Lake District in the country of Cumbria. What makes this house extra special is not just its tiny size… Continue reading A peek inside possibly the second smallest home in the U.K.
Murky Moor photos
I’ve been away for a few weeks giving a long tour of parts of north east and north west England and having returned I have found my wordpress to stubbornly refuse to fully function on my iPad or even let me log in on my computer. As such, I’m forced to do a simple post… Continue reading Murky Moor photos
To be on Tenterhooks in Spitalfields
Have you ever heard of the phrase “on tenterhooks”? It has come to mean being in a state of tension, uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, and that is because tenterhooks were once very common sights indeed. Tenterhooks aren’t the big hooks you might see in a meat market or butches but are instead related to the cloth… Continue reading To be on Tenterhooks in Spitalfields
The Restoration of the Aldgate Pump of Death!
I’ve no doubt included photos and mentioned in passing the old Aldgate water pump which used to be right next to an eastern gate of the old Roman wall surrounding the city of London. Aldgate Well was first mentioned all the way back in the thirteenth century during the reign of King John. It possibly… Continue reading The Restoration of the Aldgate Pump of Death!
A 1915 piece of fake news… with good intentions
When German Naval Airship Zeppelin L9 appeared over Blyth on the evening of 14 April 1915, it was only the second time bombs had been dropped on England. Although nobody was killed, it marked the beginning of a series of raids on the North-East which would kill many dozens of people. The Zeppelin L9, on… Continue reading A 1915 piece of fake news… with good intentions
I wonder what he meant by that!
Everyone likes a good quote don’t they. I particularly adore historical quotes and admire anyone who as was said of Churchill, mobilised the English language and sent it into battle. I was always quite a fan of Donald Rumsfelds infamous quote about known unknowns. At the time he was widely lambasted for it but it… Continue reading I wonder what he meant by that!
The environmental hypocrisy of Prince Harry
In Britain this summer, hardly anything has made the news this summer outside of a few major stories. Brexit of course, various protests bringing London to a halt many of which are invariably environment related and the seemingly strained relations of Prince Harry and Meghan with Prince William and Kate…. oh and the fact Harry… Continue reading The environmental hypocrisy of Prince Harry
Stephen Liddell 