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 largely down to a tribe of early settlers in this case the 5th Century Angles.… Continue reading How did countries get their names?
Tag: history
The London fences made from stretchers
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 railing or gate then it would have been melted down and recycled into things like… Continue reading The London fences made from stretchers
Peter The Wild Boy
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 grass and leaves. ‘A naked, brownish, ‘A naked, brownish, black haired creature’, he would run… Continue reading Peter The Wild Boy
The story of the first Black Man in the British Army
A few weeks in a new episode of Dr Who, there was something of a story about one of the characters in that weeks episode. It involved a platoon of Victorian British soldiers who ended up working on some alien mining complex under the surface of the planet Mars. Rather than the actual setting being… Continue reading The story of the first Black Man in the British Army
The British who helped build The White House
In a recent interview Dr William Seale, author and historian, said that Scots in particular were sought out for the project given their expertise in stone masonry and that a group of men who had been working on Edinburgh New Town were hired for the job. They had been found through Edinburgh Lodge Number 1,… Continue reading The British who helped build The White House
When your biggest hope turns into your worst nightmare – The Legend of Prester John
Prester John was for several centuries once one of the most famous people in the world, despite not having ever existed. His non-existence however didn’t stop him having a great and possibly horrific legacy to those who believed in him in possibly the biggest example of the phrase “Be careful what you wish for”. Before… Continue reading When your biggest hope turns into your worst nightmare – The Legend of Prester John
Ye Olde Fighting Cock – The Oldest Pub in Britain?
This time last week I was giving a lovely guided tour to a charming couple to the old Roman city of St Albans which as it happens is just 5 miles from my house and an hour out of central London. We visited some of the sights which I might post on next time but… Continue reading Ye Olde Fighting Cock – The Oldest Pub in Britain?
ORP Blyskawica, Cowes and an unexpected surprise for the Luftwaffe
I’ve had the good fortune to be in Portsmouth twice in the last 3 days. It’s one of my favourite UK cities and I’m always very happy when I get to give a tour here. There is more than can be seen here in a week, let alone a day but there is something about… Continue reading ORP Blyskawica, Cowes and an unexpected surprise for the Luftwaffe
Duelling – A Matter Of Honour
It’s hard to imagine a when men would fight for honour almost at the drop of a hat or indeed a white handkerchief but there was a time when this was de rigueuer. There used to be thousands of duels and this penchant for legalised violence would be what descended into the infamous cowboy shoot-outs… Continue reading Duelling – A Matter Of Honour
The Ædifying use of Æ
No, I haven’t been holding down random keys on my keyboard when writing the title of this post though I dare say that it might be the only published article anywhere on the internet today that features Æ.Whilst writing an upcoming blog post, I realised that it contained an awful lot of these things “Æ”.… Continue reading The Ædifying use of Æ
Stephen Liddell 