Fresh from my success of finding a possible Neolithic burial mound in the middle of densely populated Watford, I was on the lookout for the second in the triumverate of off-beat and ancient sites and it lay just a few miles away, part on foot and part on the Metropolitan Line to the old village… Continue reading Looking for and finding Waxwell, a Holy Well in Pinner (London)
Looking for a neolithic burial mound in my local (Cassiobury) Park
It’s reached the time of year that I’ve gone a bit doolally and I mean more doolally than I generally am from the 1st of January until around the 31st December each year. I’ve not had a day off for years and been out on tour every day for months. I also feel that I’ve… Continue reading Looking for a neolithic burial mound in my local (Cassiobury) Park
The Knollys Rose Ceremony – Paying off a 619 year old rent
London and Britain is full of obscure ancient traditions and on Monday I bore witness to a ceremony that I did know about but never expected to see and it all has its foundations in events 619 years ago. As sometimes dirty as London is these days, in almost every way (except perhaps for air),… Continue reading The Knollys Rose Ceremony – Paying off a 619 year old rent
100 years ago Aviators Alcock and Brown made their pioneering trans-Atlantic flight
Today, millions of people cross the Atlantic every year thanks to commercial air travel, but it’s easy to forget that it had never been done less than a century ago. Glasgow born Arthur Brown was shot down over Germany during World War One, surviving only to be captured by the Germans and imprisoned. (Read about… Continue reading 100 years ago Aviators Alcock and Brown made their pioneering trans-Atlantic flight
Winston Churchill style icon? Siren Suits – the precursor to Onesies.
It was only 2 or 3 years ago where much of the world, or at least those perhaps lacking in sartorial elegance, was obsessed with an item of clothing known as a Onesie. Usually made for people who want a comfortable, cosy evening on the sofa or perhaps for those not going out on a… Continue reading Winston Churchill style icon? Siren Suits – the precursor to Onesies.
John Donne – A forgotten poet and his discovered manuscript.
In the long and rich history of English literature, John Donne is almost forgotten about by many today but in his time he was pioneering. Born into a Catholic family at a time when it was illegal to practice the religion in England, Donne wrote often biting satire on legal corruption, mediocre writers, pig-headed officials… Continue reading John Donne – A forgotten poet and his discovered manuscript.
When two (spaces) are better than one
I don’t know about you but there are countless things that annoy me about modern life and one of them is the slow decline into the use of a single space after a full stop or period. Until the early twentieth century, guidelines were numerous and often contradictory. There were a variety of space… Continue reading When two (spaces) are better than one
The history of 10 Downing Street and a peek behind its famous black door.
A few weeks ago I posted about a ‘fake’ Number 10 Downing Street and so I thought it would be timely to write about the actual Number 10 Downing Street especially as having written about historic and political situations for 6 years that not having yet done so is something of an aberration. After all,… Continue reading The history of 10 Downing Street and a peek behind its famous black door.
The Great Beer Flood of London
Like many ancient cities, London has suffered its fair share of disasters, perhaps unduly so but whilst history is full of fires, wars, pestilence and biblical downpours, few places in the world can have suffered what is known as The Great Beer Flood of London. It happened over 200 years ago on Monday 17th October… Continue reading The Great Beer Flood of London
The statue of Peace in Smithfield with its secret sign of fidelity.
As I mentioned in passing on my post on Smithfield Market the area hasn’t just got a millennia long relationship with animal markets and executions. It was also a place where men in Victorian times would bring their unwanted wives to swap them with other men, divorce being both monetarily expensive and a social faux-pas. Around… Continue reading The statue of Peace in Smithfield with its secret sign of fidelity.
Stephen Liddell 