About Purple Brolly

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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.

Articles created by Purple Brolly

17/03/2025

Norman Britain

In 1066 the ‘Norsemen’ or ‘Vikings‘, returned to Britain in the guise of the Normans from France,…

18/02/2025

Dartmoor and Exmoor

Of the UK’s 15 National Parks, Dartmoor is the 9th largest, with 368 sq.miles, while its neighbour,…

13/01/2025

‘Red Dwarf’ space comedy

One of the most successful British sitcoms is ‘Red Dwarf’, which had 52 episodes in 1988-99 on…

04/01/2025

London Fashion Week

The youngest of the ‘Big Four’ Fashion Weeks ~ the others being New York City (1943), Milan…

03/01/2025

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Newcastle-upon-Tyne (as opposed to Staffordshire’s market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme) is England’s northernmost city by a tiny fraction…

02/01/2025

Zoroastrianism

The originally Persian religion of Zoroastrianism does not easily take converts, so it has one of the…

01/01/2025

The Northern Irish Peace Process

The period of riots, protests and terrorism that began in the late 1960s in Northern Ireland and…

31/12/2024

Value Added Tax (V.A.T.)

Until 1940, Britons paid tax only on their incomes, but wartime shortages saw the introduction of a…

30/12/2024

The Linear Motor & Maglev

Professor Dr Eric Laithwaite (1921-97) from Lancashire was a naturally gifted lecturer and was attached firstly to…

29/12/2024

Hip Replacement Surgery

Currently one of the most common surgical operations, the hip replacement is the legacy of Professor Sir…

28/12/2024

Well Dressing

Thankful appreciation of freshwater supply probably began with nature-worshipping Pagans. It took the form of Well Dressing…

27/12/2024

Bell-Beaker Folk

Prior to 2,500BC, Eurasian nomadic people with domesticated horses migrated westward towards the Atlantic and mixed with…