Tag Archives: history

Dead Fish raining down on London at Blow-Up Bridge

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

So far on this series of posts on the canals of London, you’ve probably noticed that these days they are mostly tranquil places.  It wasn’t always the case and none more so than around 5am on the 2nd October 1874. … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Now and then on an old London street corner

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

A few years ago I did a short series of then and now photos showing how places have changed since the advent of photography I’ve seen the photo below before and still think it is very evocative. This is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, London, Photography, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thomas Coram in Boston

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Last week I took time out from touring to visit two temporary exhibitions at institutions that have very worthy reasons for visiting and yet understandably might not feature high on the list for foreign visitors.  Namely the Kristallnacht exhibition at … Continue reading →

Posted in history, London, Religion and Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Æthelflaed – Lady of the Mercians

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Every now and then I like to write a post about one of the important and often overlooked women in history and British history in particular.  Sometimes they appear in the most unexpected places such as the Wrestling Mongolian Princess … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Brief History of the Penny

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

As the modern era of a cashless society rolls relentlessly onwards and due to inflation the value of it ever decreasing, the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has raised the prospect that like the half pence in the 1980’s … Continue reading →

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The London Colosseum

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

We’re all familiar with the Coloseum in Rome, one of the architectural wonders of both the ancient world and Italy but though the Colosseum is by far the most iconic, there are actually Roman amphitheatres to be found across North … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A drive through London in 1946

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

I came across this video today when I was mean’t to be working on one of my worik in progress manuscripts.  It shows that traffic has always been bad in London though it seems quiet at first. I really enjoyed … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How did countries get their names?

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

Have you ever wondered why your country has the name it has (in the English language anyway)? How did England get its name? There are two reasons and they are possibly linked. As with countless other countries, the name is … Continue reading →

Posted in geography, history, News, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The London fences made from stretchers

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

Famously many of the iron and steel railings in the U.K. were removed and melted down to help the war effort in WW2.  Whether a large city park or a private residence, chances are if there was a traditional style … Continue reading →

Posted in history, London, Science and Engineering, WW2 | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Peter The Wild Boy

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

In the summer of 1725 an uncouth youth was found in the forest of Hertswold near Hameln in northern Germany. It was thought the boy was aged about 10 years old though he walked on all fours and fed on … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments