The British Empire
“The British Empire was acquired in a fit of absent-mindedness.” ~ Sir John Seeley (1834-95) The enduring motivation behind the British Empire […]
Author: Purple Brolly
My aim is to give a flavour of these precious islands we call 'the UK'. All research is based on a minimum of two public domain sources, usually more. Any hint of my personal opinion is unintentional, but may creep in occasionally.
If you need to contact me, my email address is purplebrolly@britdips.xyz. Cheers x
Motorway signs
The UK’s first significant stretch of motorway comprised the M1’s junctions 5-18, opened in 1959, though the M6 in Preston had a […]
Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-) from London and Sir Tim Rice (1944-) from Buckinghamshire, who met in 1965, revived British musical theatre […]
Alan Bennett
Author, playwright and screenwriter Alan Bennett (1934-), a Yorkshireman, began writing in 1960, when he was a member of the illustrious Oxford […]
Secretin
At the time that secretin was discovered, post-Industrial Revolution, scientific materialists were encouraging the idea of a living body being just another […]
‘New Musical Express’ and ‘Melody Maker’
The world’s first weekly newspaper entirely devoted to music, ‘Melody Maker‘ (MM), began in 1926 and ended in 2000, when it was […]
Roald Dahl Day
Roald Dahl (1916-90) was born in Cardiff to Norwegian parents and Roald Dahl Day is on his birthday, 13th September. It is […]
The Welfare State
After the Beveridge Report‘s positive public reception, the post-WW2 government passed a spate of legislation to bring in the Welfare State, topped […]
Winchester
British and French tribes were inhabiting the chalky Hampshire valley of Wenta, with River Itchen winding its way down to the English […]
The London Olympics
The unpredictable British weather hardly makes us favourites for hosting the Summer Olympics, but London has achieved this on three occasions. The […]
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne
The tidal 3-mile-wide island of Lindisfarne sits off the sandy Northumberland coast. Its mile-long causeway is revealed twice daily for 7-9 hours […]
Order of Merit
King Edward VII (1841-1910) created the Order of Merit (OM) in 1902 in recognition of “..exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and […]