I know lots of people are a little or a lot sad about the Queen whether for her role in the country or simply as an older lady who has overseen us all our lives. It has been a weird few days working in London with a sombre but appreciative atmosphere and memorials cropping up… Continue reading Remembering when I sang for the Queen in Westminster Abbey and speaking on on a Boston breakfast radio show
Tag: Queen
The day London has been waiting for – The opening of the new Crossrail / Elizabeth Line
Tomorrow is the day almost everyone in London has been waiting for. At 6.30am on Tuesday 24th May the first ultra sleek trains will set off from Paddington in the west and Abbey Wood in the east and the much anticipated Crossrail line will at last be more or less fully open for business. Having… Continue reading The day London has been waiting for – The opening of the new Crossrail / Elizabeth Line
The 900 year old Swan Upping ceremony is cancelled
It is an historic Royal ceremony that has taken place annually for the last 900 years but the Coronavirus means that for only the second time, this ancient practice of counting the swans on the River Thames has been cancelled for the year. The Swan Upping census lasts for five days and was due to… Continue reading The 900 year old Swan Upping ceremony is cancelled
A slap in the face for Knights!
Now most people reading this are likely familiar with the more modern kind of knighting where a sword is ceremoniously tapped on an individual’s shoulders, preferably by a comely maiden. It wasn’t always so genteel or romantic. Yes you might have your weaponry, land and perhaps a squire, maybe even some serfs to keep your farms… Continue reading A slap in the face for Knights!
Æthelflaed – Lady of the Mercians
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 Khutulun or a very Grace Darling who became a heroine around the world in Victorian times. We… Continue reading Æthelflaed – Lady of the Mercians
A Guided Tour Inside The Houses Of Parliament
The last year or so I have probably visited Parliament a dozen times but always from the outside. I’ve been in before when I was about 10 years and remember bits and pieces of the interior and especially inside the famous clock tower of Big Ben and the unusual scenario of being deafened by the… Continue reading A Guided Tour Inside The Houses Of Parliament
Stephen Liddell 